Apple's big-screen 27-inch desktop Mac awaits Ivy Bridge upgrade

With the last iMac update having arrived more than a year ago, third-party resellers are now starting to see limited availability of Apple's big-screen 27-inch desktop Mac.

As of Wednesday, AppleInsider noticed stock-outs of the 3.7-gigahertz 27-inch iMac at Best Buy and J&R, while only a handful of units remain available at Amazon, where it is advertised that more are on the way (Update: Amazon's listing no longer indicates limited stock). In addition, MacMall is currently sold out of the 27-inch iMac with a 2.7 gigahertz processor.

The lack of availability at Best Buy is particularly noteworthy as the retailer's website simply states the all-in-one computer is "not available" both online and in store, with no indication of a restock. In contrast, Apple's newly released MacBook Pro with Retina display is advertised as "backordered," with new orders expected to ship between 7 and 30 days from Best Buy.

Limited availability at Mac resellers is often one of the first signs that Apple is drawing down inventory ahead of a product update. And the iMac line is due for an update, with the most recent refresh released over a year ago, in early May of 2011.

However, it should also be noted that Apple's iMac desktops are a popular choice for education institutions. Last month, Apple kicked off its annual back to school promotion, offering a $100 iTunes gift card with the purchase of a new Mac, which could explain limited availability of the 27-inch iMac.

ust this week, a new report out of the Far East claimed that Apple's supply chain is currently gearing up to begin production of the next-generation iMac. However, that report suggested the updated all-in-one desktop won't become available until October.

The new iMacs are expected to feature Intel's latest-generation Ivy Bridge processors. Apple's MacBook Pro and MacBook Air lineups were upgraded to Ivy Bridge with a product refresh last month.

It remains unclear whether the next-generation iMacs will feature Retina displays like Apple's new MacBook Pro. Reports from earlier this year suggested the new iMacs would in fact have new high-resolution displays, though more recently doubt has been cast that the addition will make the cut for Apple's 2012 models.

Other rumors from this year claimed that the 2012 iMac refresh will feature new anti-reflective glass displays. That would be a first for the iMac, as Apple has until now only offered anti-reflective solutions as build-to-order options on its MacBook family of notebooks.

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8 Core Xeon E5 Processor in New Mac Pro

A recent rumor came up, suggesting that Apple will announce a new Mac Pro at this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference. The machine is said to feature Intel Xeon E5 series processors with six or eight cores, as well as Thunderbolt and USB 3.0.

Refreshing the Mac Pro Lineup

Prior to this, a list of purported Apple part numbers has emerged, a couple of day before the 2012 WWDC kicks off. The list suggests that Apple will refresh majority of its Mac products, including the Mac Pro. In fact, The Loop’s Jim Dalrymple made a remark that the Cupertino-based company will release a new and that they are less likely to phase the product out.

The news came out after professional video editor Lou Borella created a Facebook petition group called We Want a New Mac Pro. The group’s goal is for the company to give an indication whether people should wait for a new desktop tower or come up with another plan.

Inside the New Mac Pro

In addition to the mentioned specs, the desktop tower will boast 1600 MHz memory with 8 channels—a far improvement from the 1333 MHz memory that it available on previous Mac Pro generation. The memory enhancement can be attributed to the USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt support.

Carrying a moniker of K5B, the machine will also have SATA III/SAS 6 GB-per-second drive connectivity, and native PCI-Express 3 support for video cards. The SATA III/SAS is deemed as a major boost for the solid-state drive’s speed. On the other hand, the PCI-Express 3 support with 40 lanes per socket will have enhanced RAID arrays and video cards.

There were also claims that the machine’s onboard memory controller has been moved to the CPU itself, which could improve its performance big time.

No Ivy Bridge Processor on Mac Pro this Time

What’s missing in the new Mac Pro is the Intel Ivy Bridge processor. It was reported that Apple will upgrade its MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac and Mac mini to the manufacturer’s latest chip this year. However, the desktop tower is unlikely to have the Ivy Bridge, probably because it can’t handle voltage the same way its 32 nm Sandy Bridge kin can.

Other than the Mac Pro, Apple is also expected to update its 15-inch MacBook Pro, 11 and 13-inch MacBook Air, and 21.5 and 27-inch iMac next week. Meanwhile, the rest of the MacBook Pro lineup, as well as the Mac mini, will get a refresh later this year.

Source: Amog

Tags: Xeon, Processor, Mac Pro, IMac, Desktop PC, Apple, Xeon E5, Intel

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Ivy Bridge MacBooks, iMacs may soon reach consumers in june

The new 2012 Ivy Bridge Macs might be coming soon to a store near you, according to a couple of recent hints. Details revealed yesterday by benchmarking site Geekbench point to a MacBookPro9,1. Powered by Intel's Ivy Bridge chip Core i7-3820QM quad-core running at 2.7Ghz, the name and number would seem to indicate the successor to Apple's current 13-inch pro laptop.

However, MacRumors believes that since the i7-3820QM processor runs at 45 watts, it's more likely to surface in the beefier 15-inch and 17-inch MacBook Pro units. Another Geekbench benchmark page appears to tip off an upcoming new iMac. With the name and number iMac13,2, the new model would appear to indicate a 27-inch iMac. Powering the new iMac is Intel's Ivy Bridge Core i7-3770 quad-core chip clocking in at 3.4Ghz.

How do we know this information is legit? These types of benchmarks have appeared in Geekbench's database in the past before the new machines actually hit the market. MacRumors considers it feasible that the results are for actual Macs slated to launch sometime soon. Geekbench has been on the money with such predictions in the past, says CultofMac, which noted that the benchmark site revealed specs on the 2010 MacBook Pro two months before its debut.

Price drops from Best Buy may be another sign that new Macs are on the way. The retailer has trimmed prices on the entire Mac lineup, including MacBook Pros, MacBook Airs, iMacs, Mac Pros, and Mac Minis. The price cuts range anywhere from just $30 for a Mac Mini to $200 for a Mac Pro. But any efforts to trim prices across the board is usually a sign that retailers are trying to clear out current inventory in anticipation of new products in the pipeline.

Still more writing on the Mac wall comes courtesy of 9to5Mac. Referring to "trusted sources in Apple's supply chain," the site says that Apple is prepping a new 15-inch MacBook Pro with an ultra-thin design, high-resolution Retina Display, and USB 3.0 ports. Recent reports floated the idea of a Mac hybrid, a model that would combine the power of the MacBook Pro and the light and thin design of the MacBook Air

But 9to5Mac's sources discount those reports, claiming instead that the new 15-incher would stick with the current design of the MacBook Pro and add the ultra-thin body. But it's the Retina Display that seems to be hogging the spotlight on the rumored new Mac.

Taking a page from the new iPad, the display on the new Mac was described by the sources as "jaw-dropping" and "definitely the most important Mac innovation in years." No launch date has been revealed or confirmed for the new Mac models. But some sources expect the latest lineup to debut around June.

Source: Cnet

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Intel Ivy Bridge iMac and MacBook Pro revealed in benchmarks

As we edge ever closer to June, more and more signs keep cropping up that Apple is poised to refresh its line of iMacs and Macbook Pros with Intel’s new Ivy Bridge chips. The latest tip comes from benchmarks posted to GeekBench with new iMac and Macbook Pro models featuring the new platform, providing detailed scores compared to old models, plus an idea of what processors we can expect to see.

The first entry on GeekBench is for the iMac13,2, which Cult of Mac believes corresponds to a 27-inch model featuring a quad-core Intel i7-3770 clocked at 3.4Ghz. The new iMac received a score of 12,182, coming in slightly higher than current Sandy Bridge models which score around 11,500. GeekBench also holds benchmarks for a new 13-inch MacBook Pro running an internal version of Mountain Lion and an Intel i7-3820QM running at 2.7Ghz. Benchmarks of Ivy Bridge chips have showed a 10-15% increase over Sandy Bridge chips, although Intel’s integrated graphics have also seen a big boost.

The HD 4000 shows a 20 to 100% improvement over the HD 3000 found in the Macbook Air and Macbook Pros depending on the scenario. Rumors have indicated that the upcoming 15-inch MacBook Pro would receive an Air-esque variant, dropping the optical drive and slimming down the chassis. High resolution icons found in Lion and Mountain Lion have also pointed towards high-resolution displays for the Macbook Pros. Stock levels for the current 15-inch MacBook Pro are also low, a tell-tale sign that a refresh is on the horizon. Source: Slashgear

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