Will New iMacs Crash the iPhone 5 Party?

Apple

is expected to unveil the iPhone 5

, but rumors persist that a revised fleet of iMacs will also ship to stores before the end of the month.

According to

, Apple's upstream supply chain has "started mass shipping new iMac all-in-one PCs and Retina Display 13.3-inch MacBook Pros" this month. Few specifics are known about the new Macs, but the 13.3-inch MacBook Pro is expected to be released in September or October and should contain the same features (solid state memory, thinner design) as its 15-inch counterpart. DigiTimes believes that a fall release is being targeted to capitalize on back-to-school demand and year-end holidays. Apple could ship two new iMacs -- one for mid-range users, another for entry-level consumers -- this year. DigiTimes said that the company could have shipped a third model for high-end users, but "due to poor yields of the panels, the mass production of the high-end model has been postponed." The new iMacs are expected to feature upgrade panels and CPUs. According to DigiTimes, Apple shipped just one million iMacs in the second quarter.