Future Shop drops iMac prices -- clearing stock?

Canadian retailer Future Shop has taken the unusual step of discounting its iMac prices, according to an e-mail distributed to customers. While potentially tied to a larger desktop promotion, the discount is largest for Apple's most inexpensive model, dropping the price of the 17-inch 1.83GHz system instantly by $100 to $1,000 Canadian ($850 US).

The move is uncharacteristic for Apple, which seldom allows significant discounts of its computers at retail chains and usually matches the size of any price drop to the normal cost. Such promotions are historically used to clear stock in advance of new models and may herald an iMac update in the weeks following the campaign, which ends March 22nd. Apple has updated the all-in-one computer in a similar timeframe in recent years.