>, but the silicon is way behind schedule. And a much smaller case than the current tower. That's my guess.
I’d agree that’s a good guess given the “upgrade”. Something internally is definitely off or they are just post postponing the death notice. I do hope it’s the former – just very late on delivery on new form factor, ideally not solely Xeon based but either Sandy Bridge or Ivy Bridge EP. Ivy Bridge EP would make sense for a sometime in 2013 date that the rumors are floating.
Maybe it’s a MacX e.g. FCPX except hardware. Not a full power tower workstation rig but something more than an iMac with a couple of internal slots, bays. Some re-imaging of the mATX form factor perhaps?