iMac stocks dwindle – new models soon?

iMac stocks across Apple’s reseller chains are running down, suggesting the company is closing in on a refresh for its range of all-in-one desktops.

If whispers emerging from Apple partners are to be believed, the product upgrade may not be immediate – stocks of the product still exist, but supplies of the product are wearing thin. This suggests the product may see an update as soon as this month.

Apple has been expected to improve its iMac offering since the beginning of March, when the first claims emerged to say it intend popping Intel’s new 45-nanometer Penryn processor inside the machines. The Mac mini is expected to receive a similar treatment, with the addition of an improved graphics chip and Penryn processor.

As 9to5Mac has previously reported, the new iMacs may make use of Intel’s Eaglelake motherboard, which carries built-in support for Blu-ray. However, the cost of Blu-ray players may preclude the introduction of built-in support for the standard for a while yet, despite that Sony’s US president recently confirmed his company to be in talks with Apple to deliver the hardware required for Blu-ray playback. He predicts Blu-ray drive prices to fall to $299 or less by the end of the year.