More Claims of October Launch for Updated iMac Models

With Apple opting not to release updated iMac models at its Worldwide Developers Conference last month, there has been considerable debate over the timing of the next update. Several of the hardware pieces such as Ivy Bridge processors are already available to support an update, and with the last update having occurred 427 days ago the time seems ripe for new models.

But one wild card has been the issue of Retina displays and whether they will be included in the next round of updates to the iMac. ABC News reported in mid-May that Retina displays would indeed becoming to the next iMac, but more recent claims have suggested that Apple will need to wait until next year to roll out the technology, especially given the horsepower needed to support massive numbers of pixels on the 27-inch iMac.

That latter report from Marco Arment suggested that the interim non-Retina iMac refresh would happen some time in the latter part of this year, perhaps in the September-October timeframe. Alternatively, we've speculated that Apple could release updated iMacs without Retina displays at any time given the availability of components and an apparently-legitimate benchmark, with the launch of OS X Mountain Lion later this month being one opportunity for such a launch. But with essentially no sign of Apple ramping up production on new iMacs, the company's plans remain unclear.

Now, a new report from DigiTimes claims that Apple's supply chain is indeed preparing to provide components for an updated iMac, with an eye toward a launch in October of this year.

Apple's supply chain reportedly will start supplying components for the mass production of Apple's upcoming new iMac all-in-one PC in July with the device's official launch possibly around October, according to sources from upstream supply chain.

Unlike Arment's sources, however, DigiTimes believes that Apple will include Retina displays in the new models.

DigiTimes has come under increasing criticism for a number of claims that have not been borne out, but the publication does occasionally offer correct information and weighing its information with other rumors can still help fill out a picture of Apple's roadmap. In this case, the new report offers a second data point claiming that new iMacs will arrive in the September-October timeframe rather coming sooner as many have hoped.