14 DAY TRIAL // Apple may be attempting to bridge the gap between current-generation MacBook Pros and the ones getting Intel’s next-generation Core i-Series processors slated for 2012, by means of an in-the-middle refresh with new Core i7 CPUs.
People who are allegedly privy of the talks between the Santa Clara-based Chip maker and Cupertino’s Apple Inc. are telling AppleInsider that plans for the next MacBook Pro refresh are underway.
Specifically, there is a gap between the Sandy Bridge processors used in current-generation Apple laptops and the upcoming Ivy Bridge architecture set to arrive early next year.
Although Apple will most likely have premium access to the 2012 chips, the Mac maker reportedly wants to make a smooth transition from the chips used in today’s MacBooks to those arriving next year.
The ‘bridge’, therefore is a new breed of Sandy CPUs with clock speeds of 2.4GHz, 2.5GHz and 2.7GHz in quad-core configurations.
These would replace the 2.0GHz, 2.2GHz and 2.3GHz processors offered in the current 15- and 17-inch MacBook Pro models.
The current 2.7GHz CPU in the 13-inch MacBook Pro would see a transition to a 2.8GHz dual-core Core i7, said the sources.
The timing is not fixed, but Apple is said to be pushing for a release ahead of the holiday shopping season.
Intel has a couple of Core i5 chips at speeds of 2.5GHz to 2.6GHz that could also serve as candidates for a speed bump of the entry-level 13-inch MacBook Pro.
There’s also a chance Apple will choose to beef up the low-end MacBook Pro with a 2.3GHz Core i5, the same people said.
Apple’s MacBook Pro family was last updated in February, this year, when the computers received their first taste of the Sandy Bridge architecture via Core i5 and i7 dual-core and quad-core chips.