New iMacs May Include “Bag of Hurt” Option
by John Paczkowski
Posted on September 25, 2009 at 10:19 AM PT
Asked in October 2008 why Apple wasn’t yet offering Blu-ray DVD drives as an option on machines, Apple CEO Steve Jobs said the licensing issues were too complex to make doing so worthwhile. “Blu-ray is a bag of hurt,” he quipped.
Well, no longer. Because Apple (AAPL) is planning to refresh its iMac desktop computer in the next few weeks, and when it does, it may well offer a Blue-ray drive option.
Sources tell AppleInsider that the new all-in-one, dual-core desktops, which are also said to feature a new, slimmer enclosure, were finalized earlier this month and are already rolling off the assembly lines of Apple’s manufacturing partners.
“The late 2009 iMac line should also debut several features previously unavailable to Mac buyers,” the publication notes. “People familiar with Apple’s thinking have suggested in recent months one of these moves could see the company finally embrace Blu-ray.”
One last point worth noting here: According to the MacRumors Buyer’s Guide, the iMac is due for a refresh. Apple has updated it every 220 days on average since it debuted the machine in 2003. As of today, it has been 204 days since the last update. MacRumors’s recommendation: “Buy only if you need it–Approaching the end of a cycle.”
Comments
Licensing for Blu-ray is now less expensive and a one-stop process. So the bag of hurt is over with.
And I don’t want to be overly picky, but it’s not Blu-ray DVD. It’s Blu-ray Disc.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blu-ray_Disc
I’m hoping Apple offers an upgrade for my Mac Pro so I can get Blu-ray working on it!
Posted by Eric Welch at September 28th, 2009 at 8:14 am