Potential Mac-bound Intel Ivy Bridge chips to launch at end of April
A slew of mobile and desktop CPUs from Intel's forthcoming Ivy Bridge lineup are set to launch on April 29, potentially signaling when Apple could refresh some of its Mac lineup.
A slew of mobile and desktop CPUs from Intel's forthcoming Ivy Bridge lineup are set to launch on April 29, potentially signaling when Apple could refresh some of its Mac lineup.
A modified version of OS X 10.7.3 has been tested with an unreleased Intel Core i7 Ivy Bridge chip, giving a first indication of how Apple's next-generation Macs will perform.
Apple's use of proprietary ARM-based processors in its iDevice product lines could help the company replace Intel as the world's largest mobile chip maker by the end of the year.
The 13- and 15-inch varieties of Apple's next-generation MacBook Pro, which will drop the optical disc drive for a thinner profile, are said to now be in production.
Apple's new 15-inch MacBook Pros will be thinner than current models but thicker than a MacBook Air, and will feature Intel's latest Ivy Bridge Core i5 and Core i7 CPUs when they launch next month, according to a new report.
Rumors of a larger 15-inch MacBook Air continue to surface, with the latest claim suggesting Apple is gearing up to launch a larger ultraportable notebook in April.
Apple's next-generation low- and mid-range MacBook Pro models will not feature dedicated graphics cards, and will instead rely on Intel's integrated Ivy Bridge graphics due to production issues with Nvidia, according to a new report.
Intel said on Monday that optical cables for its Thunderbolt port are scheduled to arrive later this year and will allow for longer cables and eventually faster speeds.
New 13- and 15-inch MacBook Pros with a thinner and lighter design are expected to launch in April "at the soonest," with an initial shipment of just under a million units.
Intel's next-generation Ivy Bridge processors, sized at 22 nanometers and expected to appear in Apple's updated Mac lineup, will become available eight to 10 weeks later than originally planned, one company official has said.
Former AMD employees revealed that Apple gave its "Llano" chip a "close look" for a new MacBook Air model last year, but ultimately decided not to go with the processor because too many of its parts were faulty, according to a new report.
Apple's overseas supply chain is said to be anticipating the debut of a refreshed MacBook Air lineup, which was last updated in July of 2011.
While he didn't hint at any definitive future plans, Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook did admit that all options are on the table for the future of the Mac operating system, including further converging iOS and OS X, as well as potentially running Macs on ARM processors like are found in the iPhone and iPad, or switching iOS to Intel.
Intel is rumored to have warned its partners that mass shipments of its next-generation Ivy Bridge processors, which are expected to make their way into Apple's Mac lineup later this year, will not begin until after June, though a "small volume" of chips will reportedly go out in early April.
A new analysis from investment bank J.P. Morgan says Windows-based ultrabooks are unlikely to achieve similar success as Apple's MacBook Air in their first generation and will not become "meaningful enough" to drive growth in the notebook PC market until at least 2013.
Apple has recently filed for international trademark protections of "macroscalar," its name for various patented optimizations for efficiently executing code on a processor, suggesting it plans to begin commercially promoting its differentiating technology.
Intel and Microsoft need to strike a deal or Windows 8 tablets might be priced out of reach for most consumers and Apple officially launches iTunes Match in the Netherlands.
Here's a video recap of the top tech stories involving Apple for the second week of 2012, including a tour of CES 2012, Steve Ballmer's keynote, big product news, the week's business stories, and upcoming events.
The chief executive of ARM, which supplies the reference designs for Apple's custom chips found in the iPhone and iPad, has said he doesn't view Intel's newly unveiled smartphone and tablet chips as competitive.
Apple was awarded a total of 676 patents by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in 2011, ranking it No. 39 among companies awarded inventions in the U.S.
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