Matt’s Desk: Editor’s Blog

I want an iMac for my office, and honestly I’m growing tired of waiting for the 2012 model(s) to be released… It’s been nearly 400 days since the current model made its debut, which is well over the average of 270 days between iMac refreshes. 

But the wait may soon be over. Rumor upon rumor suggests that Apple is on the verge of announcing new iMac and MacBook Pro models, which is quite believable since the Ivy Bridge processors needed to power each of these systems was publically released by Intel in April; and you’d have to assume Apple got its hands on first-gen Ivy Bridge chips well before the general public.

Exactly when the 2012 iMac line might be announced or – more importantly – when they’ll be made available to buyers is a matter of some debate.  Many believe, however, that new MacBook Pros and iMacs will be announced, and possibly released, in June or July. 

Aside from the newest Intel processors, which is a given, there have been reports of a redesign, a new screen coating, and even Retina display upgrades. Oh, if only that last rumor were true – but it seems unlikely given the resulting resolution for even the 21-inch model, which would be something like 40000 x 35000.  Okay, well, maybe not that high, but still a whopping 3800 x 2100, or somewhere in the neighborhood. 

I hope Retina will be part of the mix, but I am skeptical.

One thing I would love to see is the ability to upgrade the hard drive and memory without a Ph.D. in engineering.  An on-motherboard SSD – say 32GB – for the OS and high-level apps would also be great, in addition to a hard drive for storage.  Oh, and I’d like the ability to use the iMac as a monitor for a second PC, please.  Honestly, Apple, why’d you take this away?

WWDC 2012 begins June 11.  I hope the new iMacs will be announced at this time with units shipping shortly thereafter.