Third-party retailers are reporting stock-outs, or near stock-outs, of Apple's 27-inch Thunderbolt Display, once again fueling rumors that the company is preparing to release an upgraded Retina display model.
A number of resellers, including Adorama, Fry's, CDW and MicroCenter are all sold out of the Thunderbolt Display, reports MacTrast, while PowerMax MacConnection and others are on inventory.
The supposed stock-outs mirror an identical situation seen , when even larger companies like Amazon and J&R noted Apple's Thunderbolt Display was sold out. At the time, it was speculated that Apple would soon reveal a thinner version of the product more in line with the redesigned iMac.
While it is unclear whether Apple is indeed preparing a successor to the current Thunderbolt Display model, which hasn't been updated since its debut , a high-resolution wallpaper discovered on Apple's servers hints at possible refresh. The image in question is the blue-and-green wave background seen in Apple's OS X Mavericks promotional materials. At 5,120-by-2,880 pixels, the wallpaper has dimensions that of the current Thunderbolt Display and 27-inch iMac.