ThinkSecret is definitely shaking up the Mac world today by predicting that a $499 iMac will be released in January at MacWorld Expo.

It is not the first time such a Mac has been rumoured. Mac fans and some PC users have been requesting a Mac like this for years. This Mac is probably what Apple needs to get back some market share from Windows PCs and we can assume that Apple will create a huge marketing campaign for this product.

The site even provides details about the design and features:
- Compact and flat design
- No screen
- Support for DVI/VGA
- 256MB of RAM
- 40 to 80Gb hard disk
- USB 2.0 / FireWire 400
- 10/100 BASE-T Ethernet
- 56K V.92 modem
- AirPort Extreme support
- iLife

It looks like Apple is focusing on price and not on performance. Apple probably wants to respond to competitors like DELL who sell entry level Celeron based PCs for around $500 or less, though Apple's main advantage here will probably be the design of this new Mac.