The introduction of the 15 inch unibody MacBook Pro at last October’s notebook event, left many wondering when its big brother would make an appearance. While there is no doubt that the 17 inch MBP is due for an update, it is possible that Apple delayed its introduction in accordance with Intel’s roadmap.

The processor in question, branded as the Core 2 Extreme Q9000, boasts four 2GHz cores with 6MB of Level 2 cache and rings in at $348 in 1000 unit lots. Under such a budget it would not seem impossible for Apple to beef up the 17 inch MacBook Pro without increasing its cost. Acer has already announced a Q9000 powered “extreme gaming” notebook that is set to sport an 18.4 inch screen and come equipped with Nvidia GeForce 9700M GT graphics. While there is no word on availability, the notebook will carry a sticker price of $1,700.

If Apple opts to not use the new mobile quad-core processor for an MBP update, they still have 4 recently released dual-core options to choose from including, a 2.53GHz, two 2.66GHz and a 2.93GHz model. It would be possible for Apple to use these for an iMac refresh as well.

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As Intel explains, Thakkar’s official position is UMG chief platform architect at Intel Corp US, but as an official Intel Fellow he represents the highest level of technical achievement within the company.

In a nutshell, Thakkar believes that “mobile Internet devices (MID) will eventually become the most popular type of computer in the world, evolving and increasing “intelligence” by utilizing information from MID onboard sensors, and providing users with the same Web experience as is provided by PCs.” The growing demand for mobile connectivity and increasingly powerful devices only furthers the point that this market is radically outpacing the rest of PC sales. This year’s holiday sales are a shining example of that.

“I believe that the most popular computer type in the world, in terms of user quantity, will be the MID. As 3G mobile phones, WiMAX and other technologies spread globally, mobile broadband will become more common than it is now,” Thakkar explains.

As mobiles phones are gradually replaced by “smarter” devices, Thakkar believes that “MID-like computers” will continue to evolve and utilize information from MID onboard sensors. The way Apple’s iPhone utilizes location awareness with GPS, wi-fi and cell network triangulation, as well its on board accelerometer are all great examples of this. “I think we’ll see an increasing number of applications making use of equipment sensors,” Thakkar explains.

Delving deeper into the future of mobile devices, “predictive applications” are what is believed to be coming next. As an example, a device may automatically display a map of how to get from one place to another based on the detected location. Because the MID (mobile internet device) would be connected via live networks, it could suggest a taxi, bus, train or determine whether something is within walking distance.

When getting into netbooks, Thakkar doesn’t feel it necessary to distinguish between MID’s such as the iPhone, and compact notebooks with 8-inch displays (netbooks). “The MID market was established by the iPhone….It is still an immature market, and it’s clear that it will continue to grow. The decade starting in 2010 should reach a shipment volume of hundreds of millions of units annually.” As manufacturers compete to have the most powerful, most inexpensive mobile computing device, Intel feels its Atom processor will be easily applied across the market.

We feel that MIDs must be able to provide users with the same Web experience as is provided by PCs. Existing mobile phones, even if they can connect to the Internet, don’t really enable people to utilize the Web in the same way that a PC does. Social networking services (SNS) like YouTube, FaceBook and MySpace are immensely popular, but mobile phones provide only very limited access to these services. I think there is an urgent need for a highly portable device that can deliver the same experience that a PC can deliver.

Scheduled for release for 2009 or “beyond,” Intel continues to work on the “Moorestown” (codename) platform for MID’s. While the chip is still in development, Thakkar does reveal a few interesting pieces of information regarding its future architecture.

The GPU is going to be about the same size as the CPU core, and the image processing circuit will have to be able to code and decode high-definition TV (HDTV) imagery. The volume of data being handled has increased significantly, and we had to expand the memory bandwidth. We want to be able to use the 45nm manufacturing technology we’re using for the microprocessor on circuits like these, which we expect to grow even larger in scale in the future. I’m afraid I can’t provide details of just what sort of circuits are being integrated into the Lincroft, but I can say that it will deliver improved graphics draw and image processing performance.

The Langwell is more than just an I/O hub; it also integrates a solid-state disc (SSD) controller, power supply management circuit, etc. In the Menlow (codename used for the Centrino Atom, the current ID platform) we needed some external components like the auxiliary storage controller and some power supply management parts, but these external components are no longer needed. We expect to be able to achieve reductions in cost, dissipation and mounting footprint.

Check out the full interview here.

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Last week, Apple’s Director of Engineering of Unix Technologies Jordan Hubbard spoke at LISA ‘08, about the evolution of Mac OS X from large servers to embedded platforms. In his presentation slides (PDF) Hubbard reveals that Apple’s next version of Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard), will be shipping in the first quarter of 2009.

“When Apple first previewed Snow Leopard at the Worldwide Developers Conference 2008, they simply stated that Snow Leopard would ship “in about a year” from the announcement. A Q1 release would deliver it earlier than most had expected and makes it conceivable that we could see a demo or announcement at Macworld San Francisco 2009,” Arnold Kim explains for MacRumors.

Snow Leopard, as we’ve explained before, will focus primarily on performance under the hood. Rather than take this release to introduce new features to the operating system, Apple is refining the code and making sure that OS X’s base architecture is perfect. Additionally, added support for multi-core processors and GPU gaming is a major focus for Apple. While a lot of hardware currently offers such high-end performance, unless a machine’s operating system can exploit the power, it will go relatively unused. With Snow Leopard, Apple is hoping to change that.

Quad-Core iMacs in January

Digitimes is reporting that Apple is planning to move all of its all-in-one iMac machines to be powered by quad-core Intel chips. This would keep the iMacs extremely competitive within the market as they could increase power and keep costs relatively low.

Intel will launch the Core 2 Quad Q8200s (2.33GHz/4MB L2), Core 2 Quad Q9400s (2.66GHz/6MB L2) and Core 2 Quad Q9550s (2.83GHz/12MB L2) with prices at US$245, US$320 and US$369, respectively in thousand-unit tray quantities. These CPUs will have the same specifications as standard CPUs with the same model number, but will see their TDP drop from 95W to 65W.

These chips would significantly increase the speed and improve performance while at the same time cutting costs for Apple. As Electronista explains, “The 2.33GHz, 2.66GHz and 2.83GHz chips cost $245, $320 and $369 in large batches, according to the report.”

Currently, Apple’s iMacs use a dual-core setup, which for an all-in-one machines makes sense. However, the iMac in general still lacks in terms of serious multi-tasking power and processing performance. A move to desktop class processors could make the machine appeal to a much broader range of users. Apple would need to restructure the way cooling works on the iMacs though. The Core 2 Duo chips that are used now produce low power and low heat, which the iMac’s casing depends on.

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The two last Mac Pro updates Apple unveiled were on January 8, 2008, and April 4, 2007. MacRumors’ Buyer’s Guide has more information. Apple has recently squashed any rumors by announcing “no new products before the holidays.” However Intel’s roadmap, specifically with their server class chipsets, could point us to intelligently reason that Apple’s Mac Pro line would adopt these new, more powerful CPUs.

Currently, Apple’s Mac Pro uses Quad-Core Intel Xeon “Harpertown” processors, and they max out at 3.2Ghz. It only seems like a natural progression for Apple’s top of the line desktop workstations to adopt the new Xeon CPUs Intel unveils, which will be equipped with Core i7’s QuickPath architecture. A comprehensive list of benchmarks and reviews by TheInquirer can be found here.

“The faster Xeon 5500 line will be dominated by quad-core chips and should be headlined by a 3.2GHz, 130-watt Xeon W5580. Its Level 2 cache will drop from 12MB to 8MB but should be offset by Core i7’s QuickPath architecture, which reduces the lag in accessing memory and peripherals. It should cost about $1,600 in batches of 1,000 for computer suppliers,” Electronista explains.

Xeon 5500 series: quad-core W5580 (3.2GHz), X5570 (2.93GHz), X5560 (2.8GHz), X5550 (2.66GHz), E5540 (2.53GHz), E5530 (2.4GHz), E5520 (2.26GHz), E5506 (2.13GHz), E5504 (2GHz) and dual-core E5502 with prices at US$1,600, US$1,386, US$1,172, US$958, US$744, US$530, US$373, US$266, US$224 and US$188 in thousand-unit tray quantities.
Xeon 3500 series: Intel will launch three CPUs: quad-core W3570, W3540 and W3520 priced at US$999, US$562 and US$284.

As noted above, Apple’s Mac Pro does not have a consistent record for being released early in the year. However, seeing as how its most recent update was early January 2008, the information unveiled today can be correlated with the possible adoption by Apple’s workstations in the first quarter of 2009. Some have speculated that Macworld ‘09 could be a launching pad for the new machine. Last year, Apple unveiled the updated Mac Pro during the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), even though Macworld was only a week away.

Interestingly, in January 2009, Macworld and CES will overlap. CES runs from January 8-11 and Macworld runs from January 5-9. A product announcement prior to Macworld seems unlikely. However, stealing some of CES’ thunder could become a favorite past-time for Cupertino, so we’ll see in January.

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Apple’s current Macbook Pro can be setup with two chips: The 2.4Ghz P8600, or the 2.53Ghz T9400. A built to order 2.8GHz T9600 chip can be ordered for a $300 premium. This new information explains that Intel will refresh the Montevina-based chipsets explained here, in April of 2009 (Q2), with the addition of two new chips, a 2.66GHz P8800 and a 3.06 GHz T9900.

By the time this all happens, the 17″ Macbook Pro unibody should be on the market, so it would make sense for that particular model to adopt one of these high end chips. If these roadmaps indeed hold true, Apple could essentially give the entire Macbook Pro line a speedbump. It seems more than plausible.

The new setups would be 2.66Ghz on the low-end, 2.8Ghz on the high end, and a 3.06Ghz built-to-order option. Or, as Apple Insider points out, Apple could minimally bump the notebook line, which would place the setup specs at 2.53Ghz on the low-end and 2.66Ghz on the high-end, thus leaving both the 2.8Ghz and 3.06Ghz chips as more expensive built-to-order options.

Intel is planning to introduce the Montevina Refresh for notebooks in April, according to sources at notebook makers. The company will launch two processors along with the new platform, the Core 2 Duo T9900 and P8800.

[AppleInsider]

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At Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference in 2005, Apple announced that it would transition all of its Macs to using Intel microprocessors by the end of 2007. This was huge. If there was anything that could take Apple’s family of PowerPC computers and make them genuine contenders, it was the use of Intel chips. At the time, the computer industry couldn’t wait to experience increased performance, especially from Intel, especially on a Mac. The relationship between Apple and Intel has always been very mutual, with both companies heavily relying on the others innovation, as we have seen with the custom chip developed for the Macbook Air.

Over the last few years, the relationship between Apple and Intel has remained very neutral. No major discrepancies have been reported, and until recently, neither company ever had a negative word about the other one.

At a recent developer forum in Taiwan, Intel seemingly boasted their upcoming (mobile) Moorestown platform, while slamming Apple’s iPhone for using an ARM CPU, which Intel claims is bogging the device down. Apple made the decision to adapt the iPhone’s current ARM CPU because they thought it would deliver the best all around performance when working in real world scenarios. Situations and applications that call for increased horse-power were said to improve when running on ARM’s CPU. Intel, however, thinks this is entirely wrong, and that every shortcoming the device may have, can be blamed on its boggy ARM CPU.

Pankaj Kedia, Intel’s director of ecosystems for its ultra-mobility group and Shane Wall, Intel’s VP, mobility group and director strategic planning, platform architecture and software, ultra-mobility group (title anyone?), both claimed that the iPhone was currently being limited because it lacked an Intel based (mobile) platform.

The shortcomings of the iPhone are not because of Apple, Intel’s director of ecosystems for its ultra-mobility group Pankaj Kedia said at the Intel Developer Forum in Taipei, Taiwan. The shortcomings of the iPhone have come from ARM.

If you want to run full internet, you’re going to have to run an Intel-based architecture, Wall explained to the engineers. Any sort of application that requires any horse power at all and the iPhone struggles.

Wall continued to explain his thoughts about why Apple’s iPhone achieved such a tremendous level of success. According to him, an exceptional user interface, a lot of hype, and a great salesman CEO all attributed to the massive buzz around the device. However, Wall believes the device “fell short in a number of areas.”

Remaining confident that only Intel will be able to deliver the kind of performance needed in the mobile environment, Wall and Kedia concluded, “Even if they [ARM] do have full capability, the performance will be so poor.” — “I know what their roadmap is, I know where they’re going and I’m not worried.”

[MDN]

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The Quad-Core Xeon L5430, X5470, X5492, and X5270 processors run at clock speeds ranging from 2.66GHz to 3.5GHz and are priced from $562 to $1,493 each, in 1,000-unit quantities. The 5400-series chips are available immediately and the X5270 will be released in the coming months.

Intel did not say where halogen was specifically used in its chips, but it is often used as a flame retardant, including in the resin used in packaging for some chips. Halogen releases dioxins, a family of toxic chemical compounds, into the atmosphere when these chips or other components are disposed of and the resins are burned.

Intel is working to use halogen-free packaging for all of its chips, and has previously said it expects to achieve that goal this year. The first halogen-free chips from Intel were the Atom line, released earlier this year. With the announcement of the latest four Xeons, Intel said the same packaging materials will now be used in all of its Xeon server chips.

The use of halogen-free packaging marks the latest step in Intel’s efforts to curb the environmental impact of its chips. Last year, the company began using lead-free solder with its Penryn family of chips that are produced using a 45-nanometer process. Lead, which is highly toxic, has been the subject of environmental legislation to reduce its use in several markets.

A few weeks back, we reported about Intel’s announcements at their Developer’s Forum (latest chipsets, quad-core mobile, new macbook air chipset), and how they might impact Apple’s product line. Surely, any announcement referring to chipsets that Apple currently uses, will affect whether Apple continues to use them, or moves on to something else.

The Mac Pro has recently been speed-bumped, and eight cores has been made standard. It is widely believed that Apple will be updating its entire notebook line prior to the upcoming holiday season.

[via MacWorld]

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Most of Apple’s notebook line is overdue for a major overhaul. We recently reported about the slight possibility, and probable future that Apple notebooks will see quad core processors. The Macbook Air, however, is expected to get an imminent refresh, including a new Centrino processor from Intel. But among the slue of new technology unveiled at Intel’s Developer’s Forum, the new chip only got a slight mention.

“Part of the secret sauce that enabled Apple to build the system is the small-footprint Merom processor that Intel accelerated into production for the company. As shown below, the packaging for the Merom processor at the heart of the MBA is significantly smaller than a standard mobile processor. Intel also compressed the 965 chipset and, in doing so, reduced the total CPU + chipset footprint by about 60 percent,” Josh Hruska reports for Ars Technica.

Does Apple need to be worried about competitors using this new chip in mobile internet devices? Probably not, but the fact that Apple will no longer be the only company with access to a chip like this, makes it exciting to see what’s coming next. With the Macbook Air, Apple had already made the decision to seemingly ignore their competition and follow their instinct for hardware design. Removing the optical drive was a big gamble, but it paid off.

Rather than focus on what their competitors are doing, Apple has always done a tremendous job at focusing on innovating their own products. By making sure their products are far superior to anything other OEM’s can offer, Apple will continue to stay ahead of the industry.

Some technical specs for the new Centrino processors are as follows:
• Will be used in Lenovo’s X301 and HP’s 2530p
• TDP of just 17W
• SL9400 (1.8GHz) and the SL9300 (1.6GHz) use a 1066MHz FSB and carry 6MB of L2 cache
• “Intel is also introducing a pair of 10W processors: the SU9400 (1.4GHz) and SU9300 (1.2GHz). Both of these chips run on an 800MHz FSB and carry 3MB of L2 cache.”

Read – Ars Technica
[via MacRumors]
Image Source – Intel

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At Intel’s Developer’s Forum, Dadi Perlmutter, the general manager of Intel’s Mobility Group, spent some time discussing the current and future state of Intel’s mobile processor technology.

“First of all, Perlmutter revealed that high end notebooks with their latest chipsets can now support Quad Core configurations. Quad Core notebooks are currently in production and will be available in a month. Of course, this means that Apple could also support Quad Core configurations in their MacBook Pros. Although Apple’s MacBook Pro has been rumored to be undergoing a revision in September, no rumors have pegged Quad Core computing as a feature,” MacRumors reports.

“One major focus of the talk was Intel’s upcoming processor shift to Nehalem. The next generation mobile platform is known as “Calpella” and is said to make the current systems “pale in comparison”. Intel detailed a new technology in the Nehalem processors called “Turbo Mode”. Turbo Mode allows processors to turn off unused cores for improved power management.”

Also at Intel’s Developer’s Forum, the fist wafer holding individual eight-core processors was shown by Pat Gelsinger, the general manager of Intel’s Digital Enterprise Group. Gelsinger also went into specifics about power-saving features the Nehalem processors take advantage of, and officially confirmed upcoming mobile Nehalem processors. “Also due in September is the six-core Dunnington server processor, the final member of Intel’s 45-nanometer “Penryn” family, which will ship to customers next month, Gelsinger said.”

Additionally, Gelsinger spoke about Intel’s plans to put graphics directly onto the same piece of silicone as the processor. Something Intel has never done before. “There’s a big sucking sound near the CPU. It keeps pulling things closer to it. This is uniquely enabled by Moore’s Law…and as things get closer together I’m able to drive down thermal envelopes (i.e., heat) and decrease physical form factors (i.e., enable smaller computer designs),” Gelsinger said.

What this means for Apple’s Notebook Line

Rumors regarding an imminent upgrade for the Macbook Air are circulating, with the belief that the Air will be upgraded to use a Penryn chip, with speeds of at least 2GHz. The MacBook Air is definitely due for a refresh, however what (if any) new technology will be used, as apposed to what currently exists, we’ll have to wait and see.

An overhauled notebook line, which is much more likely to utilize new chip technology, is expected to be released either next month (at a special event) or by the end of October.

Photos of the upcoming Macbook/Macbook Pro case have been leaked, and confirmed. MacBlogz has been able to confirm detailed information regarding the upcoming Macbook Pro’s physical keyboard.

The Macbook and Macbook Pro lines would essentially benefit most from new technology being utilized by Intel. Better battery life, power management and overall mobile processing power, are all core elements that weigh into the performance of any given notebook. With the long-lasting delay in overhauling/refreshing the Macbook/Macbook Pro line, Apple may be waiting for some new technology to be fine-tuned and perfected by Intel before incorporating it into a completely refreshed line of notebooks.

As for rumors regarding a Macbook Touch. Multi-touch technology is simply too immature to be used in a complete tablet-like device from Apple. Once the technology matures, the possibility of a touch tablet will become more apparent. However, by then Quad Core mobile computing will be fairly accessible.

Read – CNET
Read – MacRumors
Image Credit – Intel

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