Earlier this week, part numbers for upcoming Apple hardware updates surfaced, with claims that the parts represented new MacBook Air and Mac Pro models. While the MacBook Air part numbers are believed to be legitimate, the claim regarding the "Mac Pro" part numbers was later revised to state that they referred to new Mac mini and MacBook models.
But even that revised assertion isn't entirely correct, as the part number ascribed to a new MacBook is in fact for a new Thunderbolt-enabled LED Cinema Display.
Apple has even confirmed that information by prematurely posting a new image on its site depicting the display and identifying in the URL as the "MC914" part that had been previously thought to be a new MacBook. The display appears essentially identical to the existing LED Cinema Display from the front, although Apple's new promotional image displays a Lion desktop background rather than the Snow Leopard one found on the images for the current model. The rear of the display will obviously include a Thunderbolt port in place of the current mini DisplayPort connection.
Additional gallery images also show the new display paired with a number of Apple's Mac products, all of which show the same form factor as the current models, suggesting that the Mac mini scheduled to appear alongside the new display (which appears here as the Mac Mini Server model) will retain its current form factor. Apple's Mac Pro has been rumored to see a redesign, but appears set to debut a few weeks later than the new display, meaning that Apple would need to continue showing the new display alongside the current Mac Pro until that time.
Article Link: Apple's Upcoming Hardware Refresh to Include Thunderbolt LED Display, Not MacBook
