Bargain Mac rumoured
Published: 31 Dec 2004 10:50 GMT
Apple fans have a little more fodder for the rumour mill after a new posting on ThinkSecret.com. The Apple rumour site claims that Steve Jobs & Co. are planning to announce a sub-$500 G4-based iMac at the Macworld Expo in January.
Code named "Q88", the new Mac is rumoured to be small, portable and "headless", that is, it comes solo, with no display. ThinkSecret says the 1.75-inch-tall device will be targeted at Windows users looking for a second PC and who may have a new affection for the company after using its iPod music player. Another rumour site, AppleInsider, backs up these claims, but says the price tag could go as high as $600.
The sites say the bare-bones PC will include features such as 256MB of RAM, two USB 2.0 ports, a FireWire 400 port and will support AirPort Extreme. AppleInsider says the product is already in production at a manufacturing plant in Asia. The validity of these claims is subject to debate. But the ThinkSecret cites a reliable "source close to Apple" as saying "This is going to be the basics, but with just as much of a focus on software as any Mac could ever be."
Rumours surrounding the company are nothing new, and they have apparently left a bad taste in the mouths of the Apple's lawyers. The last two weeks have seen several lawsuits brought by the Mac maker in an attempt to squash early product leaks. In one case, Apple won the right to subpoena ThinkSecret and two other rumour sites in order to force them to turn over information about who leaked details of a forthcoming music product. According to the sites, Apple plans to announce the product, code named "Asteroid", at Macworld Expo.
But before planning a shopping trip to the local Apple store, readers should recall the frenzy that took place at the end of 2003, when sites were abuzz with rumours of a $100 iPod. Instead of the bargain iPod fans were hoping for, Apple used Macworld Expo to announce its iPod Mini, which came at a much higher price of $249.
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