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Apr 12, 2001
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IDG News reports on comments by Taiwan's Asustek Computer that Intel was unable to keep up with the high demand on mobile CPUs. Laptop sales are expected to hit record highs this year, and so is demand on Intel's mobile CPUs.
"The biggest shortage in notebook components is in CPUs, Intel CPUs. Intel isn't meeting demand," said Jerry Shen, president of Asustek, answering questions at an investors conference in Beitou, Taiwan.

Aside from their own computer sales, Asustek performs contract-based sales, including production of Apple's MacBook computer. Whether or not this may affect future MacBook supplies remains entirely speculative. Asustek, however, reassured investors that it did not expect this shortage to affect its sales.

In a separate note, despite our belief that an upgraded MacBook was scheduled for arrival as early as today (or "within the next week"), this was not the case. New information reveals that this specific expectation was based on faulty information, and should be disregarded.

This, however, does not negate the existing rumors that the MacBook was expected in the "first half of November" and MacBooks could still see updates imminently.

Article Link
 

~Shard~

macrumors P6
Jun 4, 2003
18,377
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1123.6536.5321
The popularity of laptops has definitely increased substanitally over recent times. One would have hoped Intel could have predicted this and accurately prepared for it, but I guess hindsight is always 20/20 and it's easier said than done.

Hopefully this hasn't impacted MacBook updates, but I guess only time will tell...
 

milo

macrumors 604
Sep 23, 2003
6,891
522
Apple should dump intel and switch to some other architecture.

OR...if mobile chips are in short supply, they could actually start stocking their desktop machines with...

wait for it...

DESKTOP CHIPS!


Yet another reason to move on from that silly strategy.
 

~Shard~

macrumors P6
Jun 4, 2003
18,377
48
1123.6536.5321
OR...if mobile chips are in short supply, they could actually start stocking their desktop machines with...

wait for it...

DESKTOP CHIPS!


Yet another reason to move on from that silly strategy.

Desktop chips would no doubt output more heat than the mobile chips though, and in the iMac's crowded enclosure I'm not sure how that would go over... ;)
 

Whoshnot

macrumors member
Oct 16, 2007
63
0
Brussel-Halle-Vilvoordeuh!
Desktop chips would no doubt output more heat than the mobile chips though, and in the iMac's crowded enclosure I'm not sure how that would go over... ;)
Umm, not so good...

On my iMac G5, which had a desktop chip after all, I sometimes had CPU temperatures of above 70° C.
My intel macs CPU temperatures rarely exceed 40° C.

Nuff said...
 

Zadillo

macrumors 68000
Jan 29, 2005
1,546
49
Baltimore, MD
Apple should dump intel and switch to some other architecture.

These chips look promising, and they run about 2x - 2.5x faster

Umm, Apple would be back to square one if they did that.

Remember, the reason to switch from PowerPC to Intel was not because of issues with desktop performance, per se.

The issue was mobile chips; there is still no good modern mobile PowerPC chip (we never saw anything close to a mobile PowerPC G5; good luck seeing a laptop chip based on POWER6).

Laptops are a huge part of Apple's success right now, and Apple absolutely made the right move, as there is nothing to compare to the mobile Core 2 Duo chips right now.

-Zadillo
 

nagromme

macrumors G5
May 2, 2002
12,546
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Intel has repeatedly given Apple new processors before even ANNOUNCING them, much less offering them to other PC makers. Apple lets Intel innovate without Microsoft's shackles, and is great for boosting Intel mindshare. Intel LIKES Apple.

If there are shortages, it may well not be Apple that feels the brunt.
 

~Shard~

macrumors P6
Jun 4, 2003
18,377
48
1123.6536.5321
Intel has repeatedly given Apple new processors before even ANNOUNCING them, much less offering them to other PC makers. Apple lets Intel innovate without Microsoft's shackles, and is great for boosting Intel mindshare. Intel LIKES Apple.

If there are shortages, it may well not be Apple that feels the brunt.

Quite true - case in point the new batch of Penryn chips for the Mac Pro.
 
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