Salvation from the months of Apple product rumors may be upon us soon, although it comes in the form of yet another rumor. While we've been getting hints here and there about revisions in store for Apple's various product lines, so far we've had little indication as to when to expect anything, aside from growing hints from Apple's retail supply chain that new products would coming sooner rather than later. Finally there's a date we can look to for the announcements, with several sources naming March 24th as the time for Apple's next big press event.

Probably the most anticipated change expected to be announced is the new line of iMacs, now incorporating NVIDIA graphics chips. Apple's been clearing out its stock of some of the existing models, making room for the next-gen versions. Besides the boost in graphics capabilities, these new iMacs may also have the option for quad-core Intel processors, for an overall performance increase.

There's also the potential for a new Mac mini coming out. We saw what purported to be a pic of the redesigned rear panel, showing off new input and output options, a couple weeks ago. Since then, Apple fans have been hotly debating the veracity pic, with many finding reasons to consider it suspect. Hopefully we'll know once and for all once the 24th rolls around.

Just like the situation with existing iMac models, certain Cinema Displays are suffering from retail shortages, indicating a transition to new models. The next round of monitors should all feature LED-based backlights and the new DisplayPort connectors for easier hookup to Apple laptops.

Lastly, it's about time for some new Mac Pro computers, upgrading the high-end models with support for Intel Core i7 processors. With improved OS support for multi-core setups, Apple will want to outfit these systems to take full advantage of its latest software. As it's been over a year since the last change to the line, this upgrade is overdue.

For now Apple hasn't confirmed the 24th, but if that's to be the actual date of this event, invitations should be going out shortly, so hopefully we'll have our confirmation soon.

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