Intel's Skylake Processor Lineup for Retina MacBook Revealed

[oldmacs]

Apple doesn't want to be beholden to any other company that holds them back like Intel. It was right in there.

There is literally no benefit for users for Apple to do this. Just another expensive and confusing architecture swap, except this time it would be unnecessary.

Intel Processors is what made the Mac credible. I know plenty of people who would have never bought a Mac had Apple not swapped to Intel Processors.

I have no doubt in my mind that Apple has ARM Macs in testing, but I truly hope that they never see the light of day.

 

[oldmacs]

You claim you "don't understand" why and then you go on to say that it will "get way faster and better next year" and "maybe in 14" in a couple of years". Seems you do understand why; it's way slower than should be, bad this year, and screen too small. This thing is the joke of the industry right now and not worth buying, and your rationalization for it's current state is that it will get better?

Maybe this video will help you understand:

I think Apple is scared to make the Macbook Air too good, as otherwise people might buy it over the rMB and prove Apple wrong about what they want from a laptop.

 

[macduke]

Seems like it's going to be another revision or two until the processor in this thing is running at an acceptable level. The MacBook Air started out rather underpowered too and it's acceptable today. I just don't understand who this device is for? If you need basic web browsing and email checking then get an iPad Air 2. It geek benches nearly as fast and costs a lot less. In a few weeks it will also have multitasking.

 

[chucker23n1]

He wanted to increase margins on the MBA (480 front camera, mobile processor, remove lighted logo, smaller screen, etc.)

You're really not making a great case here.

The camera I'll give you; surely they could have found a fitting 720p part.

Everything else you point out is silly.

The machine is meant to be thinner and lighter than the MBA, so of course they're going to go with an even lower-power processor. Which, by the way, costs $281 instead of $315 — what a massive increase of margin.

The lighted logo? Leaving aside just how important that's going to be and how that has any impact at all on the margins, they presumably did that because 1) it unifies it with the iOS devices, and 2) it saves some thickness.

Lastly, the screen isn't smaller; it's between that of the various MBA models.

You could have made cases like "they even skimped on Thunderbolt", but instead, three out of four things you named have nothing at all to do with increasing margins.

 

[sudo1996]

And you have FreeBSD as an avatar...

You're either a paid hidden community manager or are completely lobotomised, seriously "I am GRATEFUL that they increased battery life"...

No, I'm neither. Just a college student who uses a laptop for work. Look man, I don't insult people, so I don't like being insulted. Paid "hidden community manager" for who, Intel? If you mean Apple, no, it's really Intel boosting the battery life, and I complain too much about Apple here to be a shill (enough that I've been called a shill for some crap like Samsung). Are you one of those guys who wants Apple to use AMD CPUs or make ARM CPUs for their Macs? Because sorry, but the benchmarks would show that that's a bad idea. I think you'll reply with some empty sarcastic remark or call me an idiot again, so please surprise me.

Ad-hominem attacks aside, the points still out there for consideration:
- People need battery life, not 1337 gaming graphics, on MacBook Airs.
- Intel has greatly improved iGPU performance recently, not just battery life.
- Apple still has the rMBP with a dGPU option.
- I'm still wondering why you're so against me bringing up CS:GO.

 

[Dranix]

What would I do with a A-series macbook? Run Microsoft Office... no... wait... That's built for x86. Okay, run ____. Nope, also built for x86. Run Windows under bootcamp or virtualization? Nope.

Well, I suppose you could browse the web, but then it's little more than a chromebook - and a freaking expensive one at that... at least until others work through the platform transition and make fat binaries like its 2006 all over again.

Well, I suppose Apple could make a iCloud service to host your x86 apps in the cloud and deliver them to you on the fly... but wait. Apple absolutely sucks at cloud anything.

Well Apple actually already is building the infrastructure for this: The Bitcode for iOS9 would allow other CPUs on iOS devices. Enforcing Bitcode for OSX AppStore would allow every MAS App to be delived for ARM, too.

 

[chucker23n1]

Well Apple actually already is building the infrastructure for this: The Bitcode for iOS9 would allow other CPUs on iOS devices. Enforcing Bitcode for OSX AppStore would allow every MAS App to be delived for ARM, too.

No, Bitcode isn't designed to be portable. It's meant to ease optimizations. A later version might be abstracted further to enable porting, but so far it doesn't look like it.

 

[jnpy!$4g3cwk]

There is literally no benefit for users for Apple to do this. Just another expensive and confusing architecture swap, except this time it would be unnecessary.

Intel Processors is what made the Mac credible. I know plenty of people who would have never bought a Mac had Apple not swapped to Intel Processors.

I have no doubt in my mind that Apple has ARM Macs in testing, but I truly hope that they never see the light of day.

Two things have changed. First, Windows doesn't matter any more. We are moving to a data-centric world, one in which lots of commodity computing and storage happens in the cloud. Why use Office to edit a paper if you can, for example, use Google Docs? Why pay the "Microsoft tax" if you don't have to?

Second, there is now a massive investment driving ARM forward, just like there was for the Intel architecture. 9x % of cell phones are now ARM, not to mention phablets and many tablets as well. And now (finally), ARM64 is taking off. With that, ARM will be able to compete directly with Intel for any product space less than Xeon E5's.

 

[chucker23n1]

And now (finally), ARM64 is taking off. With that, ARM will be able to compete directly with Intel for any product space less than Xeon E5's.

Mayhaps, perchance, years from now. Certainly not today.

 

[miguel cortez]

It was a crap card that was way better than the few next integrated GPUs it was replaced with.

Right now your HD6000 doesn't even match a 820M neither does it 5870, you're just pulling lie out of your ass, noting that Intel GPU problems is not just the fact that raw performances are low but also that it's software infrastructure and drivers are way less efficient than DirectX

I'm sorry, what now?
http://gpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Nvidia-GeForce-820M-vs-Intel-HD-6000-Mobile/m9527vsm24946

Oh and I don't have a mac with an HD6000, but I can certainly appreciate the gains that Intel made in the integrated graphics space.

 

[oldmacs]

Two things have changed. First, Windows doesn't matter any more. We are moving to a data-centric world, one in which lots of commodity computing and storage happens in the cloud. Why use Office to edit a paper if you can, for example, use Google Docs? Why pay the "Microsoft tax" if you don't have to?

Second, there is now a massive investment driving ARM forward, just like there was for the Intel architecture. 9x % of cell phones are now ARM, not to mention phablets and many tablets as well. And now (finally), ARM64 is taking off. With that, ARM will be able to compete directly with Intel for any product space less than Xeon E5's.

Windows might be loosing credibility but the majority of the world still uses Windows -its as somple as that. Plenty of people use bootcamp, parallels etc still today.

Paying the Microsoft Tax is certainly better in a lot of peoples books then paying the google tax of affectivity surrendering your data over to google.

However again, there is so little advantage to the end user for an expensive and time consuming swap. Unless Apple wants to completely make a joke out of itself.

Chromebook's would have completely taken off by now if thats what the consumer wanted.

 

[Dargoth]

You're really not making a great case here.

The camera I'll give you; surely they could have found a fitting 720p part.

Everything else you point out is silly.

The machine is meant to be thinner and lighter than the MBA, so of course they're going to go with an even lower-power processor. Which, by the way, costs $281 instead of $315 — what a massive increase of margin.

The lighted logo? Leaving aside just how important that's going to be and how that has any impact at all on the margins, they presumably did that because 1) it unifies it with the iOS devices, and 2) it saves some thickness.

Lastly, the screen isn't smaller; it's between that of the various MBA models.

You could have made cases like "they even skimped on Thunderbolt", but instead, three out of four things you named have nothing at all to do with increasing margins.

Isn't the lighted logo just the monitor's backlight shining through to the other side? Turn the brightness up and down, and the logo turns up and down with it. I don't really care about Apple removing it, but it wasn't making anything thicker.

 

[jnpy!$4g3cwk]

The question is whether that's enough. Sure isn't for me; I'd need to seriously consider whether I'd go dual-machine (yuck) or move away from OS X, since an ARM-powered MacBook Pro certainly won't emulate Windows fast enough.

I have to agree that an ARM MBP would not emulate Windows fast enough if that is what you care about. All I care about is producing paragraph-for-paragraph correspondence between my documents and Word, my presentations and Powerpoint, my spreadsheets and Excel. Windows itself is not interesting. Yes, I realize that the world has an N Billion dollar investment in finicky FPS and adventure games that only run fast on Windows/x86+AMD or Nvidia; I'm not a gamer, and, plenty of simple games run just fine on ARM already. So, for me, Windows is a "don't care".

Windows might be loosing credibility but the majority of the world still uses Windows -its as somple as that. Plenty of people use bootcamp, parallels etc still today.

Paying the Microsoft Tax is certainly better in a lot of peoples books then paying the google tax of affectivity surrendering your data over to google.

However again, there is so little advantage to the end user for an expensive and time consuming swap. Unless Apple wants to completely make a joke out of itself.

Yes and no. Large chunks of Apple's code base already runs on PPC (32 & 64), x86 (32 and 64), and ARM (32 and 64). All the browsers are now portable as well. The real problem will be with companies like Adobe.

Chromebook's would have completely taken off by now if thats what the consumer wanted.

I see your point, but, like a lot of things, the timing, execution, technology and price have to be right. Just like the GRiD GRiDPad, and then the Apple Newton, perhaps the Chromebooks have, so far, been ahead of their time.

 

[SlCKB0Y]

You're perusing the wrong degree if you want to learn about hardware - CPUs are covered in Electrical and Computer engineering, not CS. CS focuses more on software, while EE/CE focuses more on hardware.

But of course, the real mistake you're making is that you think a degree is worth it at all. With a few exceptions, almost everything useful that I ever learned, I taught myself outside of school. I learned mostly by searching on the internet, asking questions on forums, and tinkering with my own equipment (an Adruino, an old Mac Mini, a Motorola surfboard, etc). The most valuable part of school wasn't the actual lectures or the assignments, but the access to office hours to sit down and discuss things with your professors - the good ones know a lot more than what they cover in class.

That's awesome advice until they actually try to get a job and automatically need to rule out all the ones which advertise "degree required".

 

[Abazigal]

Windows might be loosing credibility but the majority of the world still uses Windows -its as somple as that. Plenty of people use bootcamp, parallels etc still today.

Paying the Microsoft Tax is certainly better in a lot of peoples books then paying the google tax of affectivity surrendering your data over to google.

However again, there is so little advantage to the end user for an expensive and time consuming swap. Unless Apple wants to completely make a joke out of itself.

Chromebook's would have completely taken off by now if thats what the consumer wanted.

Then let us reform this world. Into one that is a lot less reliant on Windows and Office!!!

Well, not really, but I have always wanted to say that.

Change always has to start somewhere. Take Apple's decision to block flash on its iOS devices. Plenty of people called Apple crazy when it happened. But bit by bit, more people started to eschew flash in favour of HTML5 and native apps, and we are now largely better off for it.

For a company that prides itself on controlling the end user experience and every aspect of the production process, I can see why the idea of ARM processors for the Mac would be a very tantalising notion for Apple, not least because it frees Apple from the tyranny of Intel's release schedule, which has been getting more erratic and unreliable of late. It would also allow Apple to customise the chips to better accommodate the software, and even add other features like a secure enclave, features normally not available to Intel chips.

 

[mafaky]

Seems like it's going to be another revision or two until the processor in this thing is running at an acceptable level. The MacBook Air started out rather underpowered too and it's acceptable today. I just don't understand who this device is for? If you need basic web browsing and email checking then get an iPad Air 2. It geek benches nearly as fast and costs a lot less. In a few weeks it will also have multitasking.

I can't comment deeply for other markets but I'll tell you for which customer segment the rMB serves in my native country (Turkey):
1) For those yuppies, aged below 35-40 who will go into a Starbucks (well, have to tell you that Starbucks shops in my country are a bit more "higher-class" premises than what they are elsewhere in the world...), throw an iP6+ (soon to be replaced by an iP6S+), the top model Mercedes-Benz or BMW keys and a pair of expensive, famous brand sun-glasses on the table and sip their coffees. In short: pretty much of the show-off side!...
2) For those sweet young to mid-aged ladies, who may not want to carry around an iPad but want to use a more serious but light, slim & sexy looking gadget for internet browsing and looking up into their e-mails (rather than using a tablet or phablet) or storing their favorite photos, chit-chat videos or their favorite music while they are on the road, in vacation, or maybe even when in a hair-dressing saloon.

Believe me, these are the buyers and users of rMB in my country. The sales of rMB looked great in the first few days but now they have flattened and overtaken by the Apple Watch!...

For me, the real life purpose of a rMB should be a lightweight, adequately compact gadget which should serve me well while being on the road or while being out from the office or while on vacation I can do internet browsing, e-mailing, Skypeing or FaceTiming and working on MS-Office based files (yes I can do the same or most with the iPad, but esp. for the Documents side it's always better and safer to use a laptop rather than a tablet). But it's pretty expensive here and you'll be tempted to buy a 13" rMBP, in any case!... And on the other hand, I still need more ports while I'm outstaying so that single USB-C will never ever serve me well and why should I carry around a hub to use with such a cute, slim device?

 

[vdgroodt]

It's really the size and lack of ports. I can't work comfortably on anything less than a 13".

I see you for me 12" is too small as wel, but i don't need those ports. Instead i would be way happier with 2 ports and an adapter.

 

[aront]

You're really not making a great case here.

The camera I'll give you; surely they could have found a fitting 720p part.

Everything else you point out is silly.

The machine is meant to be thinner and lighter than the MBA, so of course they're going to go with an even lower-power processor. Which, by the way, costs $281 instead of $315 — what a massive increase of margin.

The lighted logo? Leaving aside just how important that's going to be and how that has any impact at all on the margins, they presumably did that because 1) it unifies it with the iOS devices, and 2) it saves some thickness.

Lastly, the screen isn't smaller; it's between that of the various MBA models.

You could have made cases like "they even skimped on Thunderbolt", but instead, three out of four things you named have nothing at all to do with increasing margins.

You Apple affiliated apologists are so incredibly dishonest the way you purposely misrepresent and conveniently ignore the relevant points.

First, you conveniently disregard the 'etc.' in my sentence. Then, you ignore the main point, which is that Tim Cook the bean-counter only created the rMB to increase profit margins over the current Air margins and hoped naive sheep customers wouldn't notice the move.

Let's construct the following scenario with the MB Air to demonstrate my main point and to expose how ridiculous your attempted counter is:

The 2015 Macbook Air:

Tim Cook put a Retina screen in the MBA. Yay! But wait. He also put in a mobile processor; gave it one single port and eliminated all other ports and connectivity options, which now requires the need for additional pricey dongles; replaced the current Air front facing camera with a 480 camera; removed the lighted logo; made the already very thin MB Air even thinner at the expense of, yet again, performance; and, raised the price.

This is, in effect, what he did by basically giving the Air a new name and killing off, eventually, the old. And you're essentially defending the above MBA scenario as a good thing?

Further, until (and if) they offer a 14" rMB, then the current 12" rMB is a smaller screen than the 13" MBA, and my smaller screen comment is correct.

Lastly, if you think that a cost difference of $315 and $281 is not significant to a bean-counter like Tim Cook, you are clueless. That is huge to a bean-counter. Tim was salivating with that one. Bean-counters will make $1.00 margin decisions regarding life/death transportation safety equipment, and you think the above is not significant. LOL!

 

[chucker23n1]

Where's that ignore button when you need it…

 

[bobthedino]

Correction: the fastest chip is called "Core m7 6Y75" not "m5" - this was a mistake in the original CPU World article.

 

[zhenya]

Just who is this that actually gets 9-10 hours of real world battery life from rMB? these are the maximum numbers that Apple advertises under light workload and 75% brightness. real world moderate/heavy usage at near full brightness is closer to 6 hours according to people who actually use it. I am not interested. I want something that can last all day on a single charge like the 13'' MBA. rMB might get there by the 3rd or 4th iteration but it's certainly not there now and based on the skylake promised battery improvements it won't be there there by the second generation.

The workload that the 9 hours of battery life for the Macbook is quoted at is exactly the same as the workload that the 12 hours for the 13" Air is quoted at. If to you that means the Macbook is only good for 6 hours 'real world' then the 13" Air is only good for 8 hours 'real world' under the same scenario. The reality is that either one is good enough for most people to consider it to be 'all day', yet the Macbook weighs a full pound less and can charge to 80% in an hour if you need to top off.

 

[malexandria]

In this day in age do people still care about processor "speeds?" It seems to me the biggest determiner in computer performance is the HD and battery life. I put a 1TB SSD in my 2012 Macbook and it's just as fast as my 2015 Retina. I mean I barely click something and the application opens (On my 2012). I don't think my computer can, practically, get much faster.

 

[manu chao]

Just give us a Retina Macbook Air already!!

Or a retina MBP with Ethernet and FW jack?

I think the demand should be to add more ports to the retina Macbook (or add a 14" retina MB which almost certainly will have an extra port or two).

 

[manu chao]

Does it matter? rMB does not have thunderbolt

The current one doesn't, that doesn't preclude what future ones might have.

 

[manu chao]

An old but useful link that shows thunderbolt 3 support coming from an additional chip, so support doesn't come direct from skylake.

http://www.techpowerup.com/mobile/2...ne-ridge-thunderbolt-controller-detailed.html

Which is good, otherwise the Mac Pro wouldn't get TB3 before 2017 given that the main Haswell Xeons were released 15 months after the first Haswell chips and Apple not really updating the Mac Pro the same day new chips are available.