With shipments of iMac orders slipping back an extra week for US online retailers it would appear that a refresh is imminent. This is due to constrained supplies of Apple’s popular all-in-one desktop line according to a source at 9 to 5 Mac. Speculation points to a possible refresh of the iMac on Tuesday May 3rd of next week. So if your looking to buy one its worth holding out for another 7 days. The new iMacs were last updated in July of 2010 making them long over due for a refresh.
The 2011 editions are expected to receive an update to the latest Intel Sandy Bridge Core i3, i5 and i7 CPUs along with the addition of ThunderBolt ports and HD FaceTime cameras, which were first introduced on the 2011 MacBook Pros. We do not expect to see any major design changes to the chassis of the iMac this will likely be an internals update only. For those of you who have purchased an iMac from Apple within the last 14 days you have the option of returning it under the terms of their remorse period policy. You can then hold on to your hard earned cash for another week to ensure you get the most current and powerful iMac for the same money.
I don’t think Apple will go to i3 or i5, I think i7 across the board is a must. Apple seems to be making its products better value, and i7 is the only way to continue that. i5 is possible, but unlikely, and I really hope the graphics start with the ATI Radeon HD 5670 (512MB) and go up to the 6000 series 2GB models (6570, 6950 and 6970).