Core i7 (Nehalem) Based MacBook Pros Possible in Q4 2009?

[MacRumors]

Tom's Hardware reports on Intel's plans to offer their first Core i7 (Nehalem) mobile processors by the fourth quarter of 2009. These 32 nm Arrandale processors will be suitable for notebook designs, and Tom's Hardware speculates that we'll see these in Apple's notebooks:

It is highly probable that Apple will base new MacBook and MacBook Por units on 32nm Arrandale Core i7's. With 2 cores and able to process 4 threads, the new MacBook models will be able to save even more power, thanks to the smaller fabrication process as well as optimized processor features.

Apple's MacBooks and MacBook Pros, however, were last updated in October with the latest 45 nm Penryn processors. So the very next Apple notebook updates will likely come prior to the release of these processors.

The 32 nm process also represents a die-shrink over existing 45 nm-based Intel chips. The new 32 nm process is said to offer an estimated 22 percent performance boost according to Mark Bohr, an Intel senior fellow.

Intel is also expected to transition their desktop processors to the 32 nm design in the same timeframe, but Apple has yet to take advantage of Intel's "desktop"-class processors. Instead, Apple has used Intel's mobile (Mac Mini, MacBook, MacBook Pro, iMac) and server (Mac Pro, Xserve) processors exclusively.

Article Link: Core i7 (Nehalem) Based MacBook Pros Possible in Q4 2009?

[wrldwzrd89]

Yay, this is welcome news. I knew Intel was going to be slower at delivering notebook-ready Core i7 processors than they would at desktop- and server-class ones. That said, I'm sure the entire MacBook line will get a huge performance boost when these arrive, given what the Core i7 is capable of.

[fleshman03]

Yup... Once this happens, I'll run out and buy a new MBP. Simply. Cannot. Wait.

[minijon]

4 threads ... yet another excuse not to go to quad core.

[iMacmatician]

Yeah Apple will most likely use Arrandale instead of Clarksfield for the notebooks due to Clarksfield's power draw. That means an update in late spring 2009 and then the Nehalem update in late 2009 or early 2010.

We'll most likely see quad-cores in the MacBook Pro when Clarksfield goes to 32 nm in 2010.

The combined new microarchitecture plus process shrink should give a pretty big performance increase.

[kornyboy]

Wirelessly posted (iPhone: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 2_2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/525.18.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.1.1 Mobile/5H11 Safari/525.20)

I hope this pans out. I would also like to see a desktop processor in the iMac line as well.

[AidenShaw]

Originally Posted by minijon

4 threads ... yet another excuse not to go to quad core.

Huh?

Four threads are a lot weaker than four cores.

I'd rephrase your statement:

8 threads ... yet another excuse to go to quad core.

Originally Posted by kornyboy

I hope this pans out. I would also like to see a desktop processor in the iMac line as well.

How about a desktop processor in an actual desktop, not an all-in-one!

[talkingfuture]

Should be something to look out for but it seems so far away. I hope we aren't going to start seeing people waiting for this update for a while yet.

[hob]

Yeesh. I just started looking at my MBP with contempt....

These kind of figures are quite astonishing, no? 20% increase year on year?

[dernhelm]

Originally Posted by talkingfuture

Should be something to look out for but it seems so far away. I hope we aren't going to start seeing people waiting for this update for a while yet.

Yeah, still seems weird knowing what's coming this far in advance. Kinda takes the excitement out of it...

[wrldwzrd89]

Originally Posted by AidenShaw

How about a desktop processor in an actual desktop, not an all-in-one!

I honestly don't understand what the big deal is. Sure, a "desktop" class CPU in the iMac would be a welcome change. Apple really doesn't have any price room on the low end or the high end between the Mac mini, iMac, and Mac Pro to introduce a 4th model without cannibalizing sales of other models.

That said, I think 4 cores in a notebook would represent a significant boost in capabilities.

[SilverRubicon]

How could Intel releasing processors in Q4 2009 indicate that these processors will make it into Apple products in 2009? I simply do not see the connection. If anything, the Q4 2009 release of these processors points to a possible 2010 Apple product launch. Why pervert the post with such an baseless headline?

[flottenheimer]

I love this whole Apple+Intel thing. The news of faster'n'better processors keeps poppin' up at a steady pace.
For now I love my Unibody MBP. It's just so speeeeedy.

[mudenza]

If anything, the iMacs could possibly have Nehalems by the end of this year, but they have yet to update their current processors to the predicted quad-core configuration.

I really don't understand a fling these days.

[tom53092]

Originally Posted by wrldwzrd89

Sure, a "desktop" class CPU in the iMac would be a welcome change.

Yeah, if by "welcome change" you mean "what millions of people have been wanting and waiting for."

Originally Posted by wrldwzrd89

Apple really doesn't have any price room on the low end or the high end between the Mac mini, iMac, and Mac Pro to introduce a 4th model without cannibalizing sales of other models.

Of those of us who would buy, say, a $1000 consumer desktop, many have opted for the lower-priced Mini in the meantime. Cannibalizing sales of lower priced units is not really a bad thing.

[FJ218700]

these babies can't get here soon enough. I'm hammer down day one.

starting to get back problems from lugging the Mac Pro around.

[dagamer34]

So... when will I be able to buy a quad-core 32nm MacBook Pro with USB 3.0, Firewire S3200, souped up batteries, finalized Wireless N + integrated 3G, and Blu-ray?

[amac4me]

My plan is to replace my early 2008 MBP in 2010 with a Nehalem based model. Snow Leopard will rock!

[finalcut]

wow 22% performance boost! That is a lot only for a processor. I'm not too familiar with that stuff but will ram run at 1066MHZ just like late 2008 penryn MBP?

[AidenShaw]

Originally Posted by wrldwzrd89

I honestly don't understand what the big deal is. Sure, a "desktop" class CPU in the iMac would be a welcome change. Apple really doesn't have any price room on the low end or the high end between the Mac mini, iMac, and Mac Pro to introduce a 4th model without cannibalizing sales of other models.

The counter argument is that a mini-tower with a desktop COre i7 would attract enough new switchers to offset the worries about "cannibalization".

A lot of people can't or won't pay for the expensive Mac Pro, the Mini is perceived as a toy, and many people don't like all-in-ones for valid reasons.

Originally Posted by wrldwzrd89

That said, I think 4 cores in a notebook would represent a significant boost in capabilities.

Yes, if Apple added a true professional portable workstation to the lineup, and didn't cripple it by making it the "thinnest and lightest quad core laptop in the world."

Look at this true professional portable, and as you read think about an Apple announcement of the "MacBook Workstation" with these features:

Originally Posted by AidenShaw

http://www.lenovo.com/news/us/en/2008/08/w700.html

Lenovo Unleashes PC Beast on Mobile Workstation Market with ThinkPad W700

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC – August 12, 2008: Lenovo today introduced the ThinkPad W700, a 17-inch widescreen mobile workstation engineered with game-changing technologies and innovations to exceed the demands of the most data and graphics-intensive users. Lenovo brings the industry’s first built-in digitizer and color calibrator to a mobile workstation and combines these innovations with first-in-market technologies such as new NVIDIA® Quadro FX mobile graphics and supporting the upcoming Intel® mobile quad core processor. Other features such as optional dual hard drives with RAID configurations, up to 8 GB of high speed DDR3 memory, a range of wireless connectivity options and excellent multimedia capabilities including an optional Blu-ray™ DVD burner/player make the ThinkPad W700 mobile workstation the standard-bearer for power and performance in a mobile workstation.

“Lenovo has engineered a new breed of mobile workstation with the ThinkPad W700,” said Peter Hortensius, senior vice president, Notebook Business Unit, Lenovo. “No other PC manufacturer has a mobile workstation that delivers the sheer power, performance and cutting-edge innovation that Lenovo has packed into the ThinkPad W700. The ThinkPad W700 mobile workstation flat out delivers the command performance our customers demand at the desk as well as in the field."

According to IDC, the compound annual growth rate for the worldwide mobile workstation market has been more than 60 percent per year since 2002. The ThinkPad W700 mobile workstation extends Lenovo’s commitment to workstation users, complementing Lenovo’s W500 mobile workstation and ThinkStation S10 and D10 workstations. As workers in fields such as digital content creation, computer-aided design and manufacturing, digital photography and science fields including the oil and gas industries become increasingly mobile, they are demanding the full-featured performance of a desktop workstation in a mobile workstation.

First-in-Industry Engineered Innovation

The ThinkPad W700 mobile workstation takes customer driven innovation to a new level with an optional built-in palm rest digitizer and color calibrator. Lenovo and Intel collaborated to integrate the color calibrator and digitizer into the ThinkPad W700 mobile workstation. Designed for digital content creators and users, the mobile workstation’s digitizer helps them easily configure an image, either mapping it to the entire screen or to an area defined by the user. High performance users, especially digital photographers, will benefit from models with the built-in color calibrator as color continues to play an important role in their work. The calibrator automatically adjusts the display’s color in up to half the time of many external calibrators and with higher accuracy, resulting in the most accurate, true-to-life images in an integrated package. Together with the upcoming Intel® mobile quad core processor, multimedia designers and animators now have outstanding quad-core processor performance and true color replication that is critical for realistic digital creations and workflow efficiencies.

Super-Charged Performance Unleashed

Supporting the latest Intel processor technologies including the upcoming mobile quad core processor, the mobile workstation can be configured with up to 8 GB of memory with an additional 2 GB of Intel Turbo Memory. Lenovo also offers models with Intel® vPro™ technology for complete manageability. The mobile workstation can be equipped with dual internal hard drives, including solid state drive storage. The ThinkPad W700 mobile workstation offers both the NVIDIA® Quadro® FX 2700M and 3700M Open GL graphics processors with up to 1 GB of dedicated video memory for exceptional graphics performance in a 17-inch mobile workstation. The hard drives can be configured for RAID 0 to help users access and save their data faster than traditional disk-writing methods, or users can choose RAID 1 for mirrored data redundancy.

The mobile workstation includes WiFi wireless connectivity. Additionally, users can connect to other devices wirelessly using mobile workstation models featuring Bluetooth and ultra wideband technology. Models supporting WiMAX will be available later this year. [also has 1394 and optional 3G cellular radios]

New Heights in Display Technology and Multimedia Excellence

As the company’s first product with a 17-inch display, the ThinkPad W700 mobile workstation delivers an unparalleled viewing experience with a combination of leading technologies. Its optional 400-nit WUXGA display provides up to twice the brightness of earlier ThinkPad mobile workstation models, and the 72 percent wide color gamut provides more than 50 percent greater color intensity. The high resolution, extreme brightness and wide color gamut coupled with the NVIDIA Quadro FX MXM graphics solution results in a user experience unequalled in a mobile workstation today. For external connectivity, the ThinkPad W700 mobile workstation provides support for Dual Link DVI, Display Port and VGA. A 7-in-1 multicard reader, and five USB ports give users flexibility in transferring and accessing digital content. Additionally, the workstation comes with an optional compact flash reader and Blu-ray™ DVD burner/player. An optional mini-dock extends the mobile workstation’s capabilities with eSATA and digital audio ports as well as convenient cabling for power, external monitors and peripherals.

Packed for extreme performance, the mobile workstation also features BIOS/port disablement and an optional fingerprint reader, a smartcard reader and hard drives with full-disk encryption. It will carry more than 20 certifications from independent software vendors.

“Our engineers use Lenovo ThinkStation workstations to help them design the next-generation Williams - Toyota FW31 race cars, aiming to make them faster and more agile, with greater performance than the competition," said Chris Taylor, IT manager, AT&T Williams. “We’re thrilled to see Lenovo deliver the workstation performance we’ve come to rely on - now in a mobile, portable solution.”

Product pages at http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/c...ab-container-4

There's even a dual-screen model - it has a second builtin 10.6" screen:

Contrast with Apple's press release for its 17":

The professionals who would want 4 cores for on-location work want power - not "thin and light". This market isn't concerned about all-day battery life, or whether it's the latest piece of bling from Ive.

[dwd3885]

blah, blah, blah. Apple rarely updates their hardware.. Who cares, this won't happen anyway

[jaw04005]

"It is highly probable that Apple will base new MacBook and MacBook Pro units on 32nm Arrandale Core i7's. With 2 cores and able to process 4 threads, the new MacBook models will be able to save even more power, thanks to the smaller fabrication process as well as optimized processor features."

So the mobile Core i7 Arrandale part is just dual-core with HTT enabled (2 real, 2 logical cores), correct? Compared to the current desktop Core i7 part which is quad-core with HTT enabled (4 real, 4 logical cores)?

So, there's still a chance Apple could decide to use the true quad-core Clarksfield part instead, which has 4 real and 4 logical cores.

[billystlyes]

Originally Posted by dwd3885

blah, blah, blah. Apple rarely updates their hardware.. Who cares, this won't happen anyway

+1

Wake me when they update the Mac mini, come out with another headless Mac for under $1200, or stop making those super shiny screens on every GD product. Plus, rumors are like a-holes. Everyone has one....

[Shiner]

Originally Posted by dwd3885

blah, blah, blah. Apple rarely updates their hardware.. Who cares, this won't happen anyway

What he said. I promise you, these processors will not be in the macbook or macbook pro. They are way to expensive for apple to make their profit margin. End of discussion.

[fleshman03]

I revise what I said. I saw i7 and got all excited. I want 4... count them... 4 cores in my laptop.

Maybe I'll get lucky and Apple will do some type of special run with Intel. That - or I'll wait till 2010