I'm so tempted to buy the MBP when it comes out, but only if it is quad core, maybe the will offer both quad core and dual core configurations.
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Intel to Ship Dual-Core Sandy Bridge CPUs on February 20th
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Uhhh, no way. that's like trying to pop a Formula One engine in a hatch. An enineering team might be able to do it with loads of work and much too many compromises, but it won't be usable anymore.
That article is older and has inaccurate information, as Intel has more recently said that Ivy Bridge will only have 16 shaders, which is kind of pathetic, but we will be using primarily discrete graphics anyway on the Pro level machines, so that point is moot. My point is that article is from October and the more recent stuff that I've read is that Intel is moving forward quickly on Ivy Bridge. Hopefully this Cougar Point snafu won't hold back any further progress, as it is estimated to cost the company around 1 billion dollars (yeah somebody got fired!).
While my current machine is about 3 years old and feeling a bit long in the tooth (this is my "switching to Mac" machine, and also the longest I've ever owned a single computer), it still gets along ok with most programs. CS5 can slow down from time to time (but what doesn't it slow down?), especially when I need to run Photoshop in 32-bit mode for plug-in compatibility and it can only use 2gb of RAM. I wish I could get the quad-core machine this summer as next year is my last year of school and I'll need all the extra time I can get. Here's to hoping for a November refresh then, as finals would be coming up soon after.
So, here are my benefits for waiting:
- Quad-core i7 is a much bigger upgrade for what I do
- By then SSDs will be more reliable and prices a bit more reasonable?
- Hopefully we will get better/higher res screens by then, if not in March
- The longer I wait, the more money my wife will let me spend! Lol. "But honey, I've had it for almost four years! This next machine will last me four more if I spend the money on good specs!"
- Then, hopefully I won't have to wait four more years as my work will likely provide a speedy machine and/or we will have more money from my additional income and two year upgrades will be less trivial. Haha! I can hope...
keep in mind the price of the chip has to be in the right range for Apple. If Intel releases the higher end chips and prices them too high, I'm not sure if Apple will adopt them right away for their notebooks. Unless there is a really good reason, Apple will just wait a couple of quarters for the prices to drop.
P.
I really don't see why they wouldn't offer the QM's as a BTO. Sure it's going to eat up more power and run a little hotter but people who spend extra money for the CPU upgrade will generally know what they're getting.
Mobile quads start at ~$370 (For the Core i7 720QM replacement that is.) The OEM pricing on the Core i7 2630QM is even less. You can get a notebook with one starting just under US$1,000.
I'm really torn here on when to buy. I've been running on my MBP for about four and a half years now, and I'm itching to upgrade. I was intending to wait for the next iMac refresh, but if Ivy Bridge is likely to be introduced around Christmas, I could probably stick it out until then. USB 3.0 and Lion alone would probably be worth it for me.
The only problem is that I cannot live without a FireWire port. My mixing board/recording interface is FireWire based, and I'm not willing to part with it. Would the advent of USB 3.0 likely mean an abandonment of FireWire? I guess I could always fall back on an SD slot adapter, right?
Precisely. There are many professional users out there who need the power of a quad-core processor as well as the portability of a laptop, and such users do not worry about battery life because their laptops will be plugged in most of the time.
Unfortunately, Apple has a very large non-professional customer base who prefer that Apple laptops be fashion accessories by remaining thin and sleek looking. Such users care more about form factor than functionality. It's a shame that Apple designs their products to satisfy those customers instead of their professional customers.
as someone who just bought their first laptop a macbook pro i7 2.66ghz I can definitely say I'm not mad at all, I don't have time for the waiting game cause I have 3 dj gigs booked march 4th through the 6th so I couldn't risk not having something good to dj off of cause my imac isn't going clubbing with me, lol. I'm excited for all of those who have been waiting though, meanwhile I wait for my bto to arrive from shanghai
Here's a good place to put some of Apple's cash.
This seems like a very obvious place for Apple to be making one of its "strategic investments" of its piles of free cash as discussed by Tim Cook (in their recent earnings Q&A IIRC). If Tim is such a master of the supply chain and Apple is on as good terms with Intel as we think they are (and they are, at least IMNSHO), Apple already knew about the problems with Sandy Bridge long before MacRumors did (no offense intended, it's just NDA business info that Apple *would* have and *would not* share), then it would be clear to Apple that it is in Apple's interest to ensure that Apple get its hands on the first runs of "fixed chips".
demo
Intel is planning on shipping the Dual-Core Sandy Bridge chips for laptops starting on February 20th, 2011.The Dual-Core chips are likely upgrades for the existing MacBook Pro line which is due for updates. The Sandy-Bridge CPUs were described as the next generation replacement CPU with significantly improved integrated graphics performance and better performance/power ratios.
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Article Link: Intel to Ship Dual-Core Sandy Bridge CPUs on February 20th
This seems like a very obvious place for Apple to be making one of its "strategic investments" of its piles of free cash as discussed by Tim Cook (in their recent earnings Q&A IIRC). If Tim is such a master of the supply chain and Apple is on as good terms with Intel as we think they are (and they are, at least IMNSHO), Apple already knew about the problems with Sandy Bridge long before MacRumors did (no offense intended, it's just NDA business info that Apple *would* have and *would not* share), then it would be clear to Apple that it is in Apple's interest to ensure that Apple get its hands on the first runs of "fixed chips".
demo
Why won't apple use the quad core variety in its laptops?
Isn't it about tine we took a bigger step forward than just another version of dual core? I can't see huge advantages in another variety of dual core.
Isn't it about tine we took a bigger step forward than just another version of dual core? I can't see huge advantages in another variety of dual core.
We have known this for over a month...
Price and heat. Quads start from ~370$ and they are all 45W or 55W while current CPUs Apple uses are 25W or 35W.
Price and heat. Quads start from ~370$ and they are all 45W or 55W while current CPUs Apple uses are 25W or 35W.
Besides the price, I can't see huge advantages from quad core if it runs too hot or compromises battery life either. Not yet at least.
Intel also announced that OEMs who would not be affected by the bug may use the defective chipsets immediately.
The 6-series chipsets (BTW, arn, I was not confused by "Sandy Bridge controller", I knew you meant the chipset,) have two SATA controllers: One two-port 6 Gbps SATA, and one four-port 3 Gbps SATA. Only the four-port 3 Gbps SATA controller is affected. This means that the two 6 Gbps SATA ports are just fine.
This means that for systems that will only use one or two SATA ports (MacBook, MBA, MBP, Mini,) Apple can go ahead and use the "flawed" chipsets, since by only using two SATA ports, they would never run into it, anyway.
Personally, I was hoping to see eSATA on the newer Macs, but might very well ship systems without eSATA just to get them out sooner, even if they had been planning on adding eSATA.
I've been waiting for a quad-core Sandy Bridge Mac mini server to replace my current desktop. Hopefully this means it will be coming sooner, rather than later. (They could do it now, since the quad-core chips are available now - but I figure they're waiting for the dual-core chips so that the "standard" model will be dual-core and quad-core will be a CTO.)
The 6-series chipsets (BTW, arn, I was not confused by "Sandy Bridge controller", I knew you meant the chipset,) have two SATA controllers: One two-port 6 Gbps SATA, and one four-port 3 Gbps SATA. Only the four-port 3 Gbps SATA controller is affected. This means that the two 6 Gbps SATA ports are just fine.
This means that for systems that will only use one or two SATA ports (MacBook, MBA, MBP, Mini,) Apple can go ahead and use the "flawed" chipsets, since by only using two SATA ports, they would never run into it, anyway.
Personally, I was hoping to see eSATA on the newer Macs, but might very well ship systems without eSATA just to get them out sooner, even if they had been planning on adding eSATA.
I've been waiting for a quad-core Sandy Bridge Mac mini server to replace my current desktop. Hopefully this means it will be coming sooner, rather than later. (They could do it now, since the quad-core chips are available now - but I figure they're waiting for the dual-core chips so that the "standard" model will be dual-core and quad-core will be a CTO.)
Maybe
11) worldwide movie rentals/movie availability on iTunes (or at least all of Europe)
12) APPL hit $500
eSATA has been out for years but Apple hasn't showed any interest towards it. If Apple really wanted to add eSATA, they would have done that years ago. Besides, eSATA (3Gb/s) is starting to be obsolete as USB 3.0 (and Light Peak) are faster and much more useful. eSATA is only useful for connection external HDs while USBs can be used to connect almost any peripheral.
As long as Apple's engineers are able to keep the heat issues under control I can see Apple trying to get the quad core mini out as soon as possible to try to appease the former XServe crowd.(that being said I also hope that they make some other tweaks, 2 ethernet ports being the biggest)
If you are currently using a Quicksilver G4, then any difference between these processors doesn't make the slightest difference to you. So you should buy whenever you want and have the money.
And that is exactly what I am waiting for!
The money is ready and waiting for:
Mac mini
256 GB SSD (Crucial or Intel 25nm)
8GB RAM (Crucial)