Is built-in Blu-ray support next for Apple?

As most of you are probably aware, Apple very recently upgraded its line of iMacs, Macbooks, Mac Minis, and introduced its new Magic Mouse, the successor of the Mighty Mouse. However, certain details Apple has released at the same time seem to have gone mostly unnoticed. One of those details was Apple’s change of the new iMac’s display ratio to 16:9, which would allow the iMacs to play video in 1080p (high definition), hinting at possible Blu-ray support in the near future.

Apple and Blu-ray haven’t had such a great relationship in the past, as Steve Jobs declared last October that Blu-Ray was a “bag of hurt” and that Apple would wait until it became widely popular before even considering to adopt is as a built-in technology. That time may have come, as Blu-ray sales have risen incredibly, and it has become widely adopted by many after the death of the HD DVD format.

If Apple’s next move does turn out to be Blu-ray support, the next step would be to build the support into its current line of computers. The first of them would be assumed to be the iMac, as it is Apple’s main desktop computer. Also, its large monitor sizes (up to 27 inches now) would make it perfect as a high definition display. iMacs may soon be actually competing against standard HDTVs in many households.

Announcing Blu-ray as a built-in technology would have done great for Apple had they done it along with the product refresh, and it’s currently unknown why they did not. It’s being speculated that the implementation was not currently ready for the public, so we’ll most likely be waiting until next year to see if Apple does actually come through.

Via [PCWorld]