Apple released the much anticipated iMac updates today, upgrading the processors to Quad-Core CPUs across the entire range and including Thunderbolt.

Apple today updated its signature all-in-one iMac with next generation quad-core processors, powerful new graphics, groundbreaking high-speed Thunderbolt I/O technology and a new FaceTime HD camera. Starting at $1,199, the new iMac is up to 70 percent faster and new graphics deliver up to three times the performance of the previous generation.

The new iMacs feature quad-core Intel Core i5 processors with an option for customers to choose Core i7 processors up to 3.4GHz.

The 21.5-inch iMac has a single Thunderbolt port while the 27″ features two Thunderbolt ports.

21.5″ 2.5GHz Quad Core i5, AMD 6750M, 500GB, $1199
21.5″ 2.7GHz Quad Core i5, AMD 6770M, 1TB, $1499
27″ 2.7GHz Quad Core i5, AMD 6770M, 1TB, $1699
27″ 3.1GHz Quad Core i5, AMD 6970M, 1TB, $1999

Core i7 Processors are available as configure-to-order options.

MacRumors reported on Wednesday that AT&T customer care representatives claim to have heard directly from Apple that the launch of the next-generation iPhone will miss the company’s usual early summer timeframe.

“Apple has informed us that they do not plan to release the iPhone in the June to July timeframe, though there will be a newer version in the future,” the report noted the AT&T representative as saying. “Unfortunately, we have not been given a release time for the new phone. We will release this information on our website when it is available to us.”

The representative made the comments after a reader allegedly called AT&T over concerns that his upgrade eligibility had been pushed back several months.

UPDATE : Seems to be just another regular maintenance ! Store looks the same!

ETNews, however, claims that the news of a late June iPhone 5 release comes with confirmation that Korean providers SK Telecom and KT will be amongst the first carriers to offer the new iPhone

‘iPhone 5,’ the next model of iPhone 4, will be released on the coming 4th week of June. In the midst of the iPhone 5 postponement rumors, Apple has confirmed that iPhone 5 will be released as planned and it will be released simultaneously in Korea through SK Telecom and KT.

Instead of a WWDC launch, Apple is expected to hold a special media event featuring Steve Jobs himself.

Citing a “trusted” source employed by a major educational institution, iLounge claims “the school’s supplier has said the current version of MobileMe is no longer available, and that Apple is suggesting new students sign up for the 60-day trial to cover the gap between the final MobileMe shipment and the launch of the new version.”

Indeed, Apple in late February removed the $99 MobileMe product from its online store and notified resellers that it had discontinued the retail box SKU for the cloud-based syncing service, suggesting the company was prepared to launch a rumored overhaul of the service.

Apple announced the next generation of its popular tablet device at a media event today. The iPad 2 will have the same 9.7-inch display but will be 33% thinner than the previous model. It will have front-facing and rear-facing cameras and Apple’s new 1GHz dual-core A5 processor.

“With more than 15 million iPads sold, iPad has defined an entirely new category of mobile devices,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “While others have been scrambling to copy the first generation iPad, we’re launching iPad 2, which moves the bar far ahead of the competition and will likely cause them to go back to the drawing boards yet again.”

With the addition of cameras, the next-generation iPad will be capable of making FaceTime calls with other FaceTime-capable devices. The rear-facing camera can capture 720p HD video. Despite its thinner casing, the iPad 2 will have the same battery life as the first generation of 10 hours and 30 days of stand-by time.

The 3G models of the iPad 2 will be compatible with the GSM networks of AT&T and other carriers as well as Verizon’s CDMA network. The versions compatible with Verizon’s network will be sold in the U.S. only.

Apple has designed new accessories for the next-generation iPad, including cases called Smart Covers and an HDMI adapter. The Smart Covers will attach magnetically to the iPad 2 and will automatically wake the device when opened and put it to sleep when closed.

The iPad 2 will run iOS 4.3 which will be released for other iOS devices on March 11.

The iPad 2 will be available starting March 11 in the U.S. and will come in two colors – white and black. Pricing and capacities have not changed from the first generation of the iPad with the Wi-Fi models coming in at $499 for 16GB, $599 for 32GB, and $699 for 64GB. The Wi-Fi + 3G models will cost $629 for 16GB, $729 for 32GB, and $829 for 64GB.

For more info, Head over to Apple’s Site

Apple’s implementation of Intel’s Light Peak technology could be dubbed “Thunderbolt,” according to new pictures that claim to show the new 13-inch MacBook Pro hardware .

Alleged hardware specifications provided to AppleInsider show that in addition to a supposed Thunderbolt port, the new 13-inch MacBook Pro will also sport an input for an SDXC card. The specs also suggest that the 2.3GHz Core i5 processor will not be accompanied by a discrete graphics card.

The provided specifications include:

• 2.3GHz Core i5 Processor
• 4 GB DDR3 @ 1333 MHz
• 320 GB HDD
• 13.3-inch display @ 1280×800 pixels
• Intel HD Graphics 3000 with 384 MB shared memory
• FaceTime high-definition camera
• Thunderbolt connector supporting High-Speed I/O and MiniDisplay-Port devices
• SDXC, Firewire 800, and two USB 2.0 slots
• Backlit keyboard
• 2.04kg weight

Apple is expected to introduce its new line of MacBook Pros on Thursday (Feb 24th). In addition to Intel’s latest generation Sandy Bridge processors, the systems are rumored to have support for Intel’s high-speed Light Peak data connections.

Souce : Mac4Ever.com

Apple has officially issued invitations to a media event scheduled for next Wednesday, March 2nd, with the graphics suggesting that Apple will indeed introduce the next-generation iPad at the event. The invitation comes with the tagline “Come see what 2011 will be the year of.”

According to the invitation, the event will be held at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts at 10:00 am. This is the same venue Apple has used to introduce a number of products in recent years.

In a report , authors Peter Burrows and Greg Bensinger cited anonymous sources in revealing that Apple has allegedly developed a prototype iPhone model that is cheaper and one-third smaller than the current-generation iPhone 4. The report claimed that Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs “aims to narrow the price gap that has made phones running Android more popular than iPhones” with the new handset targeted for launch in mid-2011.

“Apple has considered selling the new iPhone for about $200, without obligating users to sign a two-year service contract, said the person who has seen it,” the report states. It also noted it’s possible the project could be delayed or scrapped entirely, as “Apple often works on products that do not later get released.”

Bloomberg pinpointed the announcement of the Verizon iPhone announcement in a report filed in June 2010, accurately revealing that the product would become available in early 2011.

Apple’s alleged plans, reported on Thursday, would be dependent upon “Universal SIM” technology, which would allow users to switch between GSM networks without having to switch out a SIM card for connectivity to a wireless network.

The Universal SIM would not only cut costs, but would apparently “give Apple an advantage over mobile carriers in influencing customers,” Bloomberg’s report states. Because the alleged new iPhone model would be available without a carrier subsidy, customers could bypass the terms associated with a two-year contract and phone subsidies, like early termination fees.

“Apple has also worked on redesigned iPhone software that would let customers choose a network and configure their device on their own, without relying on a store clerk or representative of a carrier, according to the person,” the report states. To the same end, it also said Apple is working on a dual-mode world phone that would be compatible with both GSM and CDMA networks.

Rumors of an embedded SIM option in future iPhones are not new, surfacing in late 2010 and suggesting that Apple is looking to bypass carriers and contracts, allowing users to select their wireless provider directly from the phone. But it was also rumored that Apple was forced to abandon those plans after carriers allegedly threatened to stop offering subsidies for the iPhone.