The Register had a compelling article today, allegedly giving details of the iMac to be announced at Macworld New York next month.

The twist on their article is that the iMac will have a detachable LCD display, that could be used as a webpad (iPad) via an unspecified wireless technology (though it's unlikely that it's Airport, unless the pad is actually a thin client with an on-board windowing system).

The article claims, and I concur, that this could make sense of Alpha Top's comments regarding a 'bigger-screened iBook', as the unit is functionally very similar to the new iBook, and is roughly the same size. It also rings true with the marketing analysis I published last month, and may be the hardware that proves the webpad market, which could result in similar most-in-one tablets later on. It actually makes more sense than an iPad, in the near term. If Apple has found a reasonable wireless technology to connect the pad to a base unit, then the entire unit could be substantially less expensive to produce (as they don't have to cram the hardware into a light, thin box), and could have a lot more hardware (firewire, DVD, etc.) for the same reasons.

While the sketch is clearly not production quality, it's a design which, pending Apple's styling, makes a lot of sense. As for how well the functionality of the detached monitor (which would presumably be touch-sensitive), we'll just have to wait and see. A new iMac is a virtual certainty though, considering the new initiatives Apple's introduced to eliminate existing iMacs from the channel (free MP3 players and 6-month interest-free financing).