Predictions for Macworld Expo San Francisco 2009: iMac

Apple may not be doing so well at keeping a secret. According to AppleInsider, the latest release of OS X (10.5.6) includes extension files that reference two new Mac models: an updated iMac and an updated Mac Mini. According to the extension files, both updates use a graphics chipset called the CFG_MCP79. That’s the same code name NVIDIA used for the 9400M graphics processor in the latest MacBook.

Courtesy of Apple

The new iMac model will probably also have a Mini DisplayPort connector, and it may offer an option for the 9600M GT, as the MacBook Pro does. If Apple allows the 9400M and 9600M GT to be used concurrently, which is technically possible, it would offer a significant graphics performance increase. This option may have been sidelined in the MacBook Pro because of heat and power issues, which wouldn’t be a problem in the desktop iMac.

The extension files also seem to confirm the speculation that a new Mac Mini is on its way, and that it will have the NVIDIA 9400M graphics processor as well as Mini DisplayPort technology.

Rumor Roundup: Macworld 2009