The rumor on Apple's new line of iMac turns out to be half-true, half-false. Truth is that there will be an upgrade to the iMac. False is that it will be coming out next week. That's because the upgrades have already been revealed. Yep, the sweet changes have been confirmed and you may all check it out at the full article.

Shedding some light into this mysterious device Apple's been cooking up in the Mac kitchen is AppleRecon. Now they've been seriously investigating into the rumors surrounding a 12-inch Macintosh puppy that is so elusive, that it even has lots of names: MacBook Pro 12", MacBook Mini, or MacBook Duo. Whatever you can call it, however, it's been getting some renewed hype and a whole lot of claimed features. It's sure to hold Duos now, since Apple's move to the Intel side.

But AppleRecon screened the truths from the rumors, and came up with the specifications that surround the little monster.

• CPU: 2 GHz Core 2 Duo (AppleRecon doesn't think it can go any higher than 2.5 GHz)
• RAM: 1 GB standard, 3 GB fully stocked
• Storage: (confirmed Flash-assisted storage with an unreleased Intel chipset - 256 to 512 MB) 80 GB standard, 200 GB tops
• Video: ATI Radeon X1900 with 256 MB memory (we're really doubtful something this small could hold an X1900)
  
• Battery Life: 6 hours, lithium polymer technology style (we'd give it a 4-hour estimate)
  
• Optical Drive: slot-loading SuperDrive, dual layer
• GPS: Not confirmed, though AppleRecon hopes this will come with one
• Weight: Around 3.5 pounds, battery and optical drive attached
• Miscellaneous: iSight, Bluetooth, 802.11b/g/n, Firewire 400/800, USB2.0, 10/100/1000 Ethernet, audio in/out, mini-DVI, (confirmed LED backlight display, 12-inch screen, 1280x800)...like the Mac Book extras
• Price: US$1799 for standard specifications
  
• Release date: Probably June 2007

This list could use a little more tweaking. Compared to the "MacBook Thin" specs we heard of last time, who knows what the "confirmed" specs are and what will eventually roll out (if at all). All we can really do now is wait and speculate some more...

Apple is on a mission to make a complete transition to the happy and reliable world of Intel processors, they will try to accomplish this by the end of 2006. Among the many now-Intel based Apple babies is the Apple iMac Core Dup 17-inch (which also has a cheaper, Education version). We earlier featured a review of the iMac Education variant which got favorable ratings amidst the downgrades it went through.

Now, the verdict is in for the  Apple iMac Core Duo 17-inch. As you can see, this baby is the bomb, aesthetically speaking. But now powered with Intel processors, a lot of people are expecting great things and improvements from this Apple contraptios. So with that, how did it fare in the review?

Well, according to the said review, Apple has a definite winner with this one. Faring well than other PowerPC and Intel-based Macs in business, media and general-use scenarios, the iMac Core Duo 17-inch is definitely not lagging behind in features and functions. It also mentioned that it's a good move that Apple stuck with the usual sexy design that Apple aficionados have grown to love and appreciate. It is a smooth operator too - runs quietly - with a hardware and operating system that are the most reliable around. The very plush and pretty screen is only a bonus to all that.

It is also praised for its built-in iSight, versatile all-in-one design, easy relocation for a desktop computer, and for being excellent for small workspaces (which we usually suffer from). But, every good machine has a mean bone too, nothing's all peach and roses in this world you know. But, the cons are obviously outweighed by the pros.

The not-so-good side of the iMac is its 8X SuperDrive which would be better had it been a 16X and the fact that it lagged in the iPhoto import speed test. So if you're in the market for a dependable and elegant-looking desktop computer, maybe you oughta consider the iMac Core Duo 17-inch, which has a price tag that ranges from $999-$1,300.

Apple has recently added two new MacBook configurations in its line of consumer notebooks. One of which is a white-colored MacBook that has an additional 512MB of RAM and comes packing with 20GB of extra hard disk space. That would amount to a total of 1GB of RAM via two 512MB SODIMM and a whopping 80GB of storage along with Apple's SuperDrive optical disc drive.

Another configuration, is a 2.0GHz black MacBook, supposedly nicknamed the "MacBook Ultimate." It basically has the same specs as its white counterpart.

The latter, has a price tag of $1599, $150 more than the former. Including these two new configurations, Apple's MacBook offerings now totals to five.

We reported earlier about refurb MacBook Pros and iMacs that you could entertain as an option if the latest Apple babies are way, way out of your league for now - financially speaking. Now to add to your cheaper list of options are refurbished black and white MacBooks. The Steve Jobs camp is offering refurbished 13.3-inch Intel Core Duo MacBooks, each featuring a built-in iSight camera.

Apple's refurbished White 1.83GHz MacBook with 512MB of memory, a 60GB 5400 rpm SATA hard drive, and a SuperDrive is available for $949, which will give you $150 worth of savings.

On the other hand, the White 2.0GHz MacBook with 512MB of memory, a 60GB 5400 rpm SATA hard drive, and a SuperDrive is priced at $1,099, and it entails a $200 off.

If you're the type who believes that black is the sleekiest way to go, then maybe you may like the sound of this offer: Apple's refurbished Black 2.0GHz MacBook with 512MB of memory, an 80GB 5400 rpm SATA hard drive, and a SuperDrive for $1,299, a $200 discount.

Apple have just released an updated firmware for its SuperDrive component found in many of there computers.

SuperDrive Firmware 2.0 features solutions for many errors previously encountered when using certain burning speeds on some recordable DVD media. This update, designed for Mac OS X v10.3.9 or later is designed for use with the following Apple products:

PowerBook G4 (12 -inch 1.5GHz)
PowerBook G4 (15-inch 1.33GHz, 1.5GHz, or 1.67GHz)
PowerBook G4 (17-inch 1.67GHz)
iMac G5 (17-inch 1.6GHz or 1.8GHz)
iMac G5 (20-inch 1.8GHz)
Mac mini G4

If your product meets the system requirements, but you are unable to update the firmware, Apple have advised customers to contact your local Apple Authorized Service Provider or an Apple Store retail location.

You can get this free download (avaliable in most languages) just below:

Download: [Superdrive Firmware 2.0 Update]

Good news to iLife customers, Apple has released several software updates for iLife '06 applications like iDVD, iMovie, iWeb and iPhoto. iDVD 6.0.2 (5MB) update addresses issues with burning some 16:9 projects and improves overall stability. And now it allows you to use either a SuperDrive or compatible third-party DVD burner for your Hollywood-style DVDs.

Future filmmakers will love these updates for iMovie HD 6.0.2 (7MB). It addresses issues with Ken Burns rendering performance, scrubber bar editing performance theme image quality, PAL audio, and displaying iLife Sound Effects automatically in its iLife Media Browser. A 54.6MB installer is also available for those who want to upgrade their iMovie HD version 6.0 or 6.0.1 to a 6.0.2.

Better weblife equals iWeb 1.1 (88.8MB). Updates include comment support for blogs and podcasts (.Mac published sites only),blog search support (.Mac published sites only),usability improvements to themes and templates and image management fixes to improve site performance.

Updates to iPhoto 6.0.3 (13.9MB) addresses issues with the Photocasting of Smart Albums, sharing iPhoto libraries, and creating calendars and books. So whip out those photos you took on your honeymoon and share them with your loved ones in an instant.