Apple will be unveiling refreshes on four of its five Mac product lines at next week’s World Wide Developer Conference, according to unnamed sources at 9to5Mac. The company will be announcing new MacBook Pro models, new MacBook Airs, new iMacs, and either a new Mac Pro or a a new Mac mini.
9to5Mac didn’t offer any details on its source for the story, but Apple has been rumored to be planning a refresh for its MacBook Pro line in late spring or early summer (where we are now). The company is widely expected to bring many of the form factors of its very popular MacBook Air to its professional portable, offering the same thin and light structure with more processor power, larger displays, and more storage.
MacBook Airs have also been the subject of much speculation, including the possibility of adding Retina Display-quality displays to the devices. Apple has been rumored to be planning on dropping the price of its entry-level MacBook Air to US$799.
The third Mac line that will reportedly be released is the iMac. Apple’s all-in-one was last update in May of 2011, and is considered due for an update. The company could bring new Ivy Bridge processors from Intel to the iMac, as well as more SSD storage options.
Which leaves the fourth Mac. Assuming the site’s sources know of which they speak, Apple will be updating either the long-neglected Mac Pro or its Mac mini. On the one hand, the Mac Pro was last updated in 2010, making it a dinosaur in PC terms. Many users have complained about the lack of a Mac Pro refresh, but at the same time, it’s long been known that the Mac Pro doesn’t actually sell that well.
On the other hand is the Mac mini, a device that was updated in July of 2011. That makes it technically ready for a refresh (Apple generally updates its Macs every 9-12 months). Many would argue that the Mac Pro has been all but killed off, making the smart money heavy on a new Mac mini.
Still, a fellah can dream, can’t he?
Apple’s keynote kicks off on Monday, June 11th, with Tim Cook delivering the keynote. In addition to hardware announcements, Mr. Cook is also expected to announce iOS 6, improvements to iCloud, and update us on Mountain Lion, the next major release of OS X.