I’m more than a little skeptical of news that the MacBook Pro will get refreshed before the end of the year, especially since the rumor comes from on an unnamed source. However, “people with proven insight into Apple’s future product plans” state the new models will have faster processors, but little else. If you want the latest and greatest, I’d wait a month or two just in case this rumor turns out to be true.

After numerous reports of freezing issues in iMacs running OS X Lion, Apple responded with its iMac Graphic FW Update 3.0 to address this problem. The update weighs in small at only 482KB and requires a user to be running OS X Lion. You can read more about it, as well as download it, from Apple’s support document, or from Software Update instead if you’d prefer.

Apple has just addressed an issue with its 2011 iMac line-up running Mac OS X v10.6.7 that had caused iMacs to hang at startup or when awaking from sleep mode with its latest Graphic Firmware Update 2.0 specifically for iMacs. The update is less than a megabyte in size and should completely eradicate these rare issues for those who have been affected by them. It is recommended that you do not shut down your computer while the update is being installed, as that could cause the iMac to hang at startup.

Rumors of an iMac refresh came true earlier this morning when Apple added Sandy Bridge processors, two Thunderbolt I/O connections (one in the 21.5″ model), AMD 6790M graphics card, and an HD FaceTime camera to the line-up. Every iMac also now comes with a quad-core processor.

It has been a rumor for a while that there will be new iMac models in late April or early May, and with the difficulty recently of getting iMacs and iMac components shipped to retailers, this rumor may be a reality after all. 9 to 5 Mac has a screenshot from an unidentified source showing that all iMac models are constrained with no ETA.

Good morning! I trust you slept well last night, right after you ordered an iMac, Mac Pro, and several of those cutting-edge, multi-touch Apple Magic Mice. Got your coffee? Seated comfortably? Good. You may now commence screaming, because Apple has announced updates to the iMac and Mac Pro lines, along with the release of a new multi-touch “Magic Trackpad.”

As if the rumors surrounding the January 27th Apple event weren’t enough already, another one has surfaced for later this year. According to a Chinese publication accessed by DigiTimes, “Apple will outsource production of the 22-inch model to Quanta, with Taiwan-based Sintek Photronic supplying the touchscreen panels.” This certainly doesn’t sound like the rumored 10″ iTablet.

Along with several other updates, Apple gave some lovin’ to the all-in-one machine: the iMac. I believe it’s safe to say these updates have seriously improved the iMac. A few days ago, for serious computing, your best bet was probably the Mac Pro. Now, with up to 16GB of RAM and a 2TB hard drive, the iMac is not to be laughed at. And with a 27-inch widescreen beyond HD display, everything will look amazing.

iMacs have always been the cheapest way to get a full-powered machine from Apple. Any cheaper, and you have a MacBook with an integrated graphics card, or a Mac mini, with a generally inferior everything. But with this recent Apple desktop update, Apple has evened the playing field at all price points, something that more than a few customers may be annoyed about.

Following on from the Mac mini, the iMac also received updates today. Though, at first glance, it seems nothing has changed. The updates today all have something in common—the changes are internal. The iMac’s seen some welcome changes, and you now have four options to choose from. Yes, four.