Briefly: Intel Apple gadgets, MacBook Pro, Mac OS X 10.4.6

A new News.com blog posting alludes to excitement among Intel executives about the way Apple is "thinking different" about the chip maker's technology and the possibility for future Apple gadgets using Intel technology.

"That's really what's interesting about Apple, is they look at our technology in a very Apple way," said Deborah Conrad, vice president and director of Team Apple at Intel.

Conrad, who is a member of Intel's "Apple Group" formed last November, said its unlikely that an Intel chip will turn up inside an iPod any time soon. But when it comes to future gadgets other than the iPod, "that's where we get very, very excited," she said.

Reliable sources have previously told AppleInsider that Intel is playing integral role in the development of Apple's first Intel-based Power Mac.

MacBook Pro now at 1-3 days

Wait times for Apple's MacBook Pro professional notebooks through the company's online store took another step in the right direction on Friday.

Both the 1.83Ghz and 2.0GHz models now reflect wait times of 1-3 days, down from 3-5 days on Wednesday.

Gradually improving MacBook Pro wait times are the latest evidence to suggest Apple will reach an overall supply and demand balance on the computers sometime in the first half of April.

New Mac OS X 10.4.6 seeds

Development of the Apple's Mac OS X 10.4.6 Update is now fast approaching a public release. According to tipsters and several reports already published on Web sites, the company this week seed Mac OS X 10.4.6 build 8I1116 (Intel) and Mac OS X 10.4.6 build 8I124 (PowerPC).

These latest seeds reportedly list few if any known issues, depending on distribution and release notes accompanying the various distributions.