iMac/eMac Rumor Wrapup: Winners and Losers

Apple released new iMacs and price dropped eMacs on Tuesday, Feb 4th, 2003. After each product release, MacRumors provides a wrapup of rumors to reveal the sources of the most accurate information.

Despite rumors of 19" iMacs last year -- Apple doesn't seem to agree. Beyond that, Spymac, MacOSRumors, and MacBidouille posted rumors in 2002 that the iMac would arrive at MacWorld San Francisco 2003. ThinkSecret put a stop to those rumors in the days before MWSF, and this information turned out to be accurate -- MWSF came and went without iMac upgrades.

Attention was drawn towards the PowerMac/Display upgrades in the subsequent weeks, with Thinksecret first suggesting Feb 3rd as a tentative week for iMac updates. Meanwhile MacRumors sources provided a solid date of Feb 4th, as well as definitive details of the high-end iMac upgrade (though midrange price point info was incorrect). Thinksecret then posted last minute price point of $1299 for the iMac, filling out the bottom end of the line, as well as details of eMac price drops.

MacNews.net.tc initially posted $999-$1699 specs which were echoed by Appleinsider immediately before the release. These specs were wrong, with no apparent basis, casting further doubts on these sources for future specs.

Summary

As mentioned before, accurate rumors are available... but with the influx of rumor sites, it's often difficult to discern accurate information from pure speculation.

It seems speculation and "predictions" are often passed off as rumors -- these practices should be discouraged and any purely speculative information is frowned upon (unless specifically stated as such), as it simply muddies the water and further incites unreasonable expectations amongst readers.

Some of this may be unavoidable, as frequently, sources of rumors may simply be based on unconfirmed reader contribution which has been known to miss their mark. smile

Related Roundup: iMac
Buyer's Guide: iMac (Don't Buy)
Related Forums: PowerPC Macs, iMac

Popular Stories

maxresdefault

Apple Announces WWDC 2023 Event Taking Place June 5 to 9

Wednesday March 29, 2023 9:58 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its 34th annual Worldwide Developers Conference will take place from Monday, June 5 to Friday, June 9. Like WWDC 2020, 2021, and 2022, WWDC 2023 will be an online event for the most part, and it will be open to all developers at no cost. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Apple will provide online sessions and labs, which will allow...
iPhone 15 Pro Buttons CAD Leak

iPhone 15 Pro Low-Energy Chip to Allow Solid-State Buttons to Work When Device is Off or Out of Battery

Wednesday March 29, 2023 1:54 am PDT by
The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max will use a new ultra-low energy microprocessor allowing certain features like the new capacitive solid-state buttons to remain functional even when the handset is powered off or the battery has run out, according to a source that shared details on the MacRumors forums. CAD-based render of new solid-state buttons on iPhone 15 Pro models The source of this rumor is ...
CarPlay Phone Call

General Motors to Phase Out Apple CarPlay Starting This Year in EV Transition

Friday March 31, 2023 8:43 am PDT by
General Motors (GM) will phase out Apple CarPlay and Android Auto in its vehicles starting this year, shifting to a built-in infotainment system co-developed with Google (via Reuters). GM owns Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC in the United States. It will stop offering Apple CarPlay and Android Auto starting with the 2024 Chevrolet Blazer, which goes on sale this summer. The company plans ...
iPhone 15 Pro Multi Purpose button Mute Switch Feature Green 2

iPhone 15 Pro Rumored to Feature Multi-Use Action Button Instead of Mute Switch

Wednesday March 29, 2023 7:28 am PDT by
iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max models are rumored to feature a customizable Action button like the Apple Watch Ultra, according to a MacRumors forum member who leaked accurate details about the Dynamic Island on iPhone 14 Pro models last year. The source claimed the Action button will replace the Ring/Silent switch that has been included on every iPhone model since 2007. They did not...
iOS 16

iOS 16.4 Now Available for Your iPhone With These 8 New Features

Friday March 31, 2023 8:55 am PDT by
Following six weeks of beta testing, iOS 16.4 was released to the public this week. The software update includes a handful of new features and changes for the iPhone 8 and newer. To install an iOS update, open the Settings app on the iPhone, tap General → Software Update, and follow the on-screen instructions. Below, we have recapped eight new features and changes added with iOS 16.4,...
iOS 17 on Phone Feature

Three New iOS Features Coming to Your iPhone Following Apple Music Classical

Thursday March 30, 2023 7:13 am PDT by
With the Apple Music Classical app and an Apple Pay Later early access program now available, the list of previously-announced iOS features that have yet to launch is beginning to shrink. However, there are still a few features we are waiting for. Below, we have recapped three more iOS features that are expected to launch in 2023, including an Apple Card savings account for Daily Cash,...
apple mixed reality headset concept by david lewis and marcus kane

Kuo: Apple Mixed-Reality Headset May Not Appear at WWDC as Mass Production Pushed Back Yet Again

Thursday March 30, 2023 4:50 am PDT by
Apple has again pushed back mass production of its mixed-reality headset and the device may not appear at this year's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today said. Apple headset concept by David Lewis and Marcus Kane In a tweet, Kuo explained that Apple "isn't very optimistic" about whether the headset will be able to create an "iPhone moment." As a result,...