Apple Readies Major Mac Refresh At WWDC

The Apple rumour mill is starting to crank up again in preparation for Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) that begins on 11 June.

And the latest reports suggest that the company is planning to announce a major refresh of its computers at the convention, including possible versions of the ultrathin MacBook Air with high definition Retina displays, currently found on the iPhone and iPad tablet.

Retina Arrival?

A report from Apple blog 9to5Mac quoted unnamed sources saying Apple was planning changes to four of its five lines, which include the Air, MacBook Pro notebooks, the Mac mini, iMac and Mac Pro.

The report also said Apple may use WWDC to unveil new accessories like cables for the computers.

While the Mac mini received an update a little less than a year ago, the Mac Pro hasn’t seen an upgrade in quite some time.

This is just the latest in a long line of reports from unnamed sources. May reports suggested Apple would unveil photo-sharing capabilities for iCloud service. An investor note by Sterne Agee analyst Shaw Wu, which Mac-centric blog AppleInsider picked up, said the mobile iOS operating system would be upgraded to improve photo-sharing capabilities and an in-house 3D mapping application to replace Google Maps.

Apple CEO Tim Cook threw some grist into the rumour mill himself during a keynote interview at the D10 tech conference last week, telling the crowd Apple will “blow them away” with WWDC announcements.

Product Refresh

The 9to5Mac people earlier reported that the latest version of the 15-inch MacBook Pro notebook would take design cues from the Air and feature Apple’s high-resolution Retina display, an ultra-slim design and USB 3.0 technology.

Like the MacBook Air, the new 15-inch MacBook Pro forgoes an optical drive as Apple focuses on getting its customers to download applications rather than physically install them from a disk.

The May report quoted “trusted sources” in Apple’s supply chain who had handled components for the device and said it was in test production.

Aside from the hubbub over new technologies and products at this year’s five-day WWDC, held in Moscone West in San Francisco, Apple will also offer more than 100 technical sessions presented by company engineers on a range of technology-specific topics for developing, deploying and integrating iOS and OS X technologies, as well as the Apple Design Awards, a showcase of the most outstanding apps from the past year.

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