Potential iMac Update to Sandy Bridge and Thunderbolt in 4-6 Weeks?

[jddar]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8F190 Safari/6533.18.5)

Wish I could afford to buy a 27-inch one. I got a refund after returning several of the 2009 model for various display issues. I still lust after that computer--aside from those issues, it was by far the best computer I ever owned. I just ordered a new iPad 2. So, I'll likely have to wait for the next incarnation of the iMac. Definitely, soon, I will get another iMac. The iMac and iPad are the perfect combination for my needs.

 

[Tears Apart]

Sources or not I think such release is to be expected quite soon. Right now Apple sells laptops as powerful as their desktops!

 

[KindredMAC]

Come on Mac Mini update; well overdue for a refresh. That Core 2 Duo is keeping me from buying.

I just bought a refurbed Mac mini (HDMI) and was really surprised at how much horsepower that little C2D had to it! It is a GREAT Home Theatre Mac and am totally happy with my purchase! But if they put ThunderBolt in it and an i3 I won't be upset. This chips are getting to the point that they have beaten the software in the core-to-use ratio.

Maybe I'm just getting older and refined in how I design but there are few times that I have to actually WAIT for my Macs to perform a filter or effect that 15 years ago would have caused me to take a coffee break while my old Mac crunched the info. I don't care if I'm using a MacBook or a MacPro... I'll design on any of them and be quite content.

 

[G4er?]

My Mom needs a new iMac due to screen issues

Isn't that kind of like throwing the baby out along with the bath water? This is why an all in one seems so wasteful to me.

 

[toddybody]

A rumor about a Mac? This is getting weird

Seriously though, I hope they really kick butt with this refresh...and give the iMac a good GPU for once*




*pipe dream

 

[Tapiwa]

I want to know where to get a list of products that hook onto Thunderbolt.

Rocketman

No problem, here's the list for you:

-

 

[MCIowaRulz]

If Apple kills the MacPro it is there own fault. I can member when they used to be affordable at $1499 and now they are completely out of my price range for a new computer. I have been using an 867 G4 for TEN YEARS and will finally upgrade to an iMac with more power then 3 867's put together.

1 $1499
Intel® Core™ i7-2600S Processor
(8M Cache, 2.80 GHz)
8GB RAM
2TB HD
AMD Radeon™ HD 6850 Graphics

Sounds great to me!

 

[cbnsoul]

Come on Mac Mini update; well overdue for a refresh. That Core 2 Duo is keeping me from buying.

Me too. I have a 2 year old Mini and while the current models look cool, they aren't a whole lot faster. I would also LOVE an SSD option although at this point I would be more than satisfied with a 7200 RPM option! (Can't believe that you still can only get 5400 RPM drives unless you get the server.)

 

[cvaldes]

What about the Mini?

No one knows. These are just rumors anyhow. The absence of Mac mini rumors means nothing.

In terms of CPU and graphics, the Mac mini is most similar to the low-end MacBook rather than the iMac.

 

[iMacx]

well, i guess its time to start thinking about selling my mid 2010 2.93 27"

 

[skellener]

C'mon six core iMac!

 

[0098386]

Can't wait! But I will have to. Now we're getting this close and the rumours are starting - there's no way I would ever buy a new iMac until the update. If my current one breaks then the real waiting game begins.

 

[linux2mac]

I just bought a refurbed Mac mini (HDMI) and was really surprised at how much horsepower that little C2D had to it! It is a GREAT Home Theatre Mac and am totally happy with my purchase! But if they put ThunderBolt in it and an i3 I won't be upset. This chips are getting to the point that they have beaten the software in the core-to-use ratio.

Maybe I'm just getting older and refined in how I design but there are few times that I have to actually WAIT for my Macs to perform a filter or effect that 15 years ago would have caused me to take a coffee break while my old Mac crunched the info. I don't care if I'm using a MacBook or a MacPro... I'll design on any of them and be quite content.

I totally agree. My C2D Macs ( I am a new Mac convert since 2009) are plenty fast for me even though the Apple haters on Mac Rumors are quick to tell me I have old technology with my C2D Macs. My Mini Server is one powerful little machine. I am running 3 virtual machines including a production web server and email server. The Macs "just work!" I can't say the same for my days with Windows.

 

[toddybody]

If Apple kills the MacPro it is there own fault. I can member when they used to be affordable at $1499 and now they are completely out of my price range for a new computer. I have been using an 867 G4 for TEN YEARS and will finally upgrade to an iMac with more power then 3 867's put together.

1 $1499
Intel® Core™ i7-2600S Processor
(8M Cache, 2.80 GHz)
8GB RAM
2TB HD
AMD Radeon™ HD 6850 Graphics

Sounds great to me!

My dream iMac would be:
Intel® Core™ i7-2600S Processor
(8M Cache, 2.80 GHz)
8GB RAM
2TB HD
AMD 6950
Redesigned cooling! Those things get HOT

 

[Bob Caruthers]

Great news!
My six year old iMac G5 just gave up the ghost yesterday, so I am eagerly awaiting the new models.

 

[Yamcha]

I'm hoping we don't see Apple adopting the HD Intel Graphics, cuz they are going to suck as far as gaming goes..

 

[bleaknik]

Perfect, just the news I've been waiting for. Currently have an Early-2008 model which I purchased in September 2008, just in need of a bit more power really! Also welcoming the extra USB ports and built in SD reader, Thunderbolt on the newer ones will be nice for an external HDD!

The built-in optical drive on my iMac seems broken too, keeps spitting out disks!

Looking forward to the new models!

Spitting out disks! I had problems with the slot loading drives in my Mac Mini and Macbook Pros. It was greatly improved with a $10 DVD/CD cleaning kit. Worth giving a shot...

 

[cvaldes]

Me too. I have a 2 year old Mini and while the current models look cool, they aren't a whole lot faster. I would also LOVE an SSD option although at this point I would be more than satisfied with a 7200 RPM option! (Can't believe that you still can only get 5400 RPM drives unless you get the server.)

I bought last year's Mac mini; it's a great little system, but you should wait if you're in the market.

My guess is that there would be an entry-level Mac mini with a Core i3 processor and a Mac mini server with a Core i5 processor with options for SSDs. Heck, there's a chance that Apple would use their new SSD module for the boot drive, and use a 2.5" drive for the secondary drive, with a choice of a standard drive or SSD.

 

[PatrickCocoa]

Minor

Newbie question - please don't flame me.

How big of a transition is this, as compared - for example - to the Intel chip back around 2006? What I mean is, after the transition to Intel, certain software and eventually the newest operating system itself could no longer be run on the old chip. So, is this transition as significant as that, or is this more of a speed boost kind of thing?

Thanks.

Compared to the switch to Intel, or the switch to a new form factor, this is minor, much less significant. It's basically a speed boost with possibly a few new gee-gaws.

Also, the refresh cycle is not set in stone, so a new iMac could come out tomorrow or it may be six months away. If you need a new iMac, buy one. When the new version comes out, the iMac you bought won't be any slower.

Also, Apple has a 14 day return policy, so if you buy an iMac and a new version comes out a week later, just take it back and upgrade.

 

[Sodner]

Pity they didn't slim down the iMac by choppin' the chin (assuming this rumor is true). Can't wait to see what they release. The old "smaller iMac" rumor priced for the "mass market" kept me interested in the next iMac update--hope to see something trimmed for the "mass market".

Figured iMacs would update in April.

Like the chin the way it is but I am hoping for the "mass market price point" iMac. If not, the 21" goes to the family room and I get a 27".

 

[Zeldain]

Sandy Bridge Xeon's are due in November.

I wouldn't be surprised if the iMac and new Mac mini are the replacement for the Mac Pro.

With Thunderbolt, you will be able to connect the new iMac or Mac mini of them to Fibre Channel arrays, have three displays or use external PCI chassis for existing PCIe cards. iMac CPU performance with the desktop Sandy Bridge CPUs will exceed most Mac Pro configurations. The new iMac's ability to use 32GB of RAM matches the Mac Pro too. You can configure the iMac using SSDs for less than the price of the Mac Pro too.

By the time November comes around, Thunderbolt may cause the death of the Mac Pro.

Graphics performance.

 

[cvaldes]

I'm hoping we don't see Apple adopting the HD Intel Graphics, cuz they are going to suck as far as gaming goes..

The current iMacs use discrete ATI Radeon GPUs.

Since the newly released MacBook Pros also include ATI Radeons, it is likely that Apple would continue this trend with the next batch of iMacs.

You needn't worry.

 

[adnoh]

a quiet spec bump with no external changes sans thunderpants would not surprise me.

 

[JGowan]

The new 27-inch model will be my father's first computer (he'll turn 78 this June 1st) — I would've bought him one long ago, but he stills works for Union Pacific Railroad (conductor) and is never home. He says however, that he's ready and wants an iMac.

This is going to be a great BDay for him!

 

[0997853]

Probably this is just a bump upgrade (at least they will be more powerful than the Macbook Pros). The next ones will come after Lion, with a new design, with touch screen displays (Apple patented some big moving touch-screens a few months ago).