Retina iMacs Confirmed In OS X 10.10 Yosemite Beta

Ever since Apple created and shipped the Retina MacBook Pro, the rest of us have been waiting for every other Mac to get the Retina treatment. Although no product’s real until ships, eagle eyed developers have spotted Retina iMac references in OS X 10.10 Yosemite beta.

With 2013 Mac Pro capable of supporting six 4K monitors shipping and Retina MacBook Air due later this year, it is perhaps inevitable that a Retina iMac would be part of Apple’s product plans. Perhaps.

Regardless, French Mac fan site Macbidouille is reporting that references to unreleased iMac15,1 models have been spotted inside OS X 10.10 beta. While iMac15,1 references already popped up in OS X 10.9.4 Update (beta), things have changed.

For example, a file deep inside Yosemite shows iMac15,1 models with 6400 x 3600, 5760 x 3240 and 4096 x 2304, or up to two times more pixels than the current 27-inch Apple all-in-one at 2560 x 1440.

Retina iMac vs Cheap iMac

That said previous iMac15,1 references were thought to be for a “cheap” iMac, something that Apple rumor guru Mingchi Kuo said last year that the would arrive in the first half of 2014.

So, are the these two rumors — cheap iMacs and Retina iMacs — mutually exclusive? Actually, no. Currently, Apple sells six MacBook Pro models, including five Retina configurations and sixth low-cost model with a standard definition display for $1,199.

Would Apple offer both cheap iMac and Retina iMac models side-by-side? Hmm, I’d today’s lunch money on that…

What’s your take?