Analyst Speculates on iMac Delays: Quad vs Dual Core?

AppleInsider relays the latest analyst report from Kaufman Bros. analyst Shaw Wu claims that the iMac delays could relate to both technical and strategic decisions from Apple.

First, the analyst claims that even at this late date, Apple is still grappling with core design decisions:

Apple is in the midst of figuring out whether to power the new iMac with Intel quad-core processors or more high-powered dual-core processors with larger caches"

Wu also relays circulating speculation that the iMac cooling systems may see a redesign to deal with the higher heat dissipation of the quad-core processors. From a strategic perspective, Apple is said to be debating the use of Quad-Core processors to avoid cannibalization of the low end Mac Pro, but AppleInsider points out that this reasoning makes little sense given that Apple recently admitted that their desktop business is "primarily iMac".

Unfortunately, Wu's report reads as if it were based on circulating speculation about the iMac rather than any particular insight into the new machine's manufacturing process. Our tracking of Wu's previous predictions has shown a very poor track record.