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MacBook, MacBook Pro To See Merom Upgrade Next Month?

MacBook

I think the black MacBook is sort of the Pro version of the MacBook. I expect the MBP and Black MacBook to receive top of the line Merom processors. The white MacBook will stick with the older yonah and receive a price drop to $999 at the bottom end.
 
If they are truly planning this for the MacBook, then they are surely planning to bump the iMac to this chip too or better the Conroe. They continually refer to the MacBook and iMac as their "consumer line". I have been planning to buy an iMac for some time now, and this is definately an upgrade I would like to see. I'm most likely waiting until after MacWorld Expo to see what updates they will have for the iMac. The chip should be upgraded much before then, but I bet by that time they will have a few more upgrades for the iMac.

Mac Pro and Xserve have the Xeon (Woodcrest).
MacBook Pro, MacBook, and iMac will be upgraded to the Core 2 Duo (Merom) with iMac possibly being Conroe.
Mac Mini will probably keep the Core Duo (Yonah).

This sounds perfectly reasonable. Things are definately more interesting with the Intel chips because they are being rolled out so fast, unlike the PowerPC chips from Freescale/Motorola. It has only been about 6-7 months since the Core Duo was unveiled, now Core Duo 2 is here. Since Apple prides themselves on using advanced hardware, it only makes sense that they should upgrade the MacBook, MacBook Pro, and iMac to the Core 2 Duo (iMac=Conroe), and continue to upgrade to the best available chips Intel is offering at the time (aside from the 'extreme' editions).
 
nived said:
Why would they keep a 32-bit processor in the macbook when they're pushing 64-bit with Lepoard?
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Yes but remember Leopard is not going to be only 64-bit, it will run 32-bit and 64-bit applications side by side.
 
NO!!!! I'm broke and have the midrange MB. I just cannot stand them releasing the much faster processor (IE: not just mhz increase) in my computer this soon! Also, with my luck they'd switch to an nvidia chip at the same time...
 
danielwsmithee said:
Yes but remember Leopard is not going to be only 64-bit, it will run 32-bit and 64-bit applications side by side.
Click to expand...

And also that it won't be out til January or later... plenty of time (closer to the 1st of the year) for them to upgrade..
 
Eidorian said:
Conroe has a much faster FSB, more cache, and ramps up much faster in clock speed.

Merom and Yonah are replacements for Pentium-M. While Conroe is the replacement for the Pentium D. Conroe runs much hotter but not as hot as the old G5's. 45 C at full load for Conroe and 75 C for the 970FX.

And if you're worried about wattage...

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/core2duo-shootout_11.html
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Yeah, what he said. This is basically the reason. He wants to get as much performance out of it as he can as he will be using it for his econ PhD and will be running all kinds of Unix apps and computational programs, though he can't afford a Mac Pro. He's replacing his Dell laptop and doesn't have a need for mobility so he figures why buy a desktop that is basically a laptop.

joost538 said:
Makes no sense to put these in Macbook so soon. Macbook Pro, yes, but not the macbook. Apple have always differentiated the two lines, the fact that current Macbooks are comparable to the Pros is just plain luck and won't last long, IMO.
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I think Apple is really going to push the 64 bit thing. I see them as moving all their computers to 64 bit compatible processors as soon as they can so they can push Leopard that much harder. I can hear them now: "We are the first to move our entire line to 64 bit!" Apples loves that sort of stuff. It may not even matter that much performance wise but as a marketing tool, it's golden.
 
vand0576 said:
Mac Pro and Xserve have the Xeon (Woodcrest).
MacBook Pro, MacBook, and iMac will be upgraded to the Core 2 Duo (Merom).
Mac Mini will probably keep the Core Duo (Yonah).
Click to expand...

I agree except I think they will put Conroe in the iMac.
 
danielwsmithee said:
Yes but remember Leopard is not going to be only 64-bit, it will run 32-bit and 64-bit applications side by side.
Click to expand...

True, but 64-bit in a 32-bit envrionment is still going to run only at 32-bit or not at all. But mlrproducts is right, they do have a while.
 
Well, I've come to realize not to plan on buying your MBP based on rumors. I sold my 12" PB two weeks ago HOPING WWDC would bring me my MBP, but now I'm laptopless until september sometime.

Isn't there an old chinese proverb that goes something like..."Don't sell your beautiful powerbook based on rumors..."

I might not have quoted it right, but I'm pretty sure its close.

Anyways, I'm soooooo excited!!!!

Wait a second...if they release it in Paris, won't it no longer qualify for the free ipod?!? :(
 
I look at it this way, the iMac, MacMini, Macbook, and Macbook pro can use Merom as is. No changes except firmware. In the iMac's case, why mess with a good thing and spend millions on another reengineering job when you already have a machine that is fast and dead quiet right now? Conroe in an iMac only makes sense it you think of it as a prosumer Mac instead of a family machine. Then again the idea of the iMac as a prosumer machine doesn’t make sense to me at all.
 
ChickenSwartz said:
I agree except I think they will put Conroe in the iMac.
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It's funny, cause right after I read what I had posted, I thought, oh damnit, i forgot about Conroe, and edited what I had posted. (all these damn codenames)
 
So all this rumors about the Merom MBP are getting strong, all I want is to have it available at the end of this month or the beginning of the next, do you guys think this is possible?
 
Collin973 said:
Wait a second...if they release it in Paris, won't it no longer qualify for the free ipod?!? :(
Click to expand...

It still will qualify. The promo runs through the 16th of September and the Expo ends on the 16th. You'll just have to order it ASAP once it's announced.
 
My second replacement MBP is currently at the Apple Repair Centre and has been there for the last four weeks. Last update I had was that I need to give Apple another 48 hours to determine what has happened to my machine. If they don't have an answer for me they said they will send me a new one.

I am meant to call back next Tuesday. I'm thinking about leaving it another few weeks now and then calling. Maybe they'll send me a new Merom MBP by then;)
 
I think to the end user, the difference between Yonah and Merom is minimal.

From a supply chain perspective, it is far easier to manage one SKU than multiple ones. You immediately half the number of CPUs that you need to stock by moving all mobile to Merom. And give the fact that some speculate the price between the two CPUs are minimal, and that Apple is a premium brand, it wouldn't be a far reach to see that it is quite advantageous for them to move onto better hardware and keep the price as is.

It's a speed bump, if anything. Not something Apple typically makes a big fuss about, despite the fact we know it's two different cores. Yonah -> Merom is a far smaller ordeal than Merom -> Santa Rosa.
 
bep207 said:
its always next tuesday isnt it?

here is to getting up early on tuesday morning, dragging my ass to the computer, and going to store.apple.com to be disappointed by the lack of the promise to be back within the hour.
Click to expand...

Unless you are waiting to buy, what do you care? Why get up early? If there are updates, they will be there at the regular time you get up. And if there are not, you won't have gotten up early for nothing. Now that I think about it, why get up early even if you are buying? They will still take your order when you get up.

That being said, if true, this is great news. Apple computers will now be updated much faster than they used to be. People should feel better about buying now, because they should know that the next update is AWLAYS only a couple of months away. You know it is coming and there is nothing you can do about it, so you might as well buy when you need it. If you keep waiting for the next best thing, you'll always be waiting.

And please, for the love of all things holy, retire the Powerbook G5 "joke". It never was funny and it certainly isn't funny now.
 
I think Merom MBP would be smart on a tuesday. Because Paris is more of a consumer expo, and I think the Nano promo is to get rid of old ones, so they can bring out 2nd Gen Nanos at paris, so if they annouce a MBP before paris, they will see a large increase in sales (because thatt
's what everyone is waiting for) and thus an increase of free iPods...

Also, unless the macbook pros are getting a new case design, there is no need for a keynote...
 
I can see them updating the MBP for definate. As the merom chips have just been released, and so apple has enough time to build stock and ship them at paris.
However, I can't see them doing the rumored case re-design, as the 'Pro' line, is meant to match right? and the Mac Pro looks exactly like the old one, apart from the dual drives, so I don't think they'll change the MBPs design just yet.

Damn all this waiting :( I want one now!!!
 
I agree with many of the other posters here - if the MacBooks are going Core 2 Duo, then the iMac can't be far behind, especially since it's Apple's flagship consumer machine in many respects. I guess the only question will be whether the iMac receives a Merom chip as well, or Conroe. From a technical perspective, I do not believe there are any performance differences between the two architectures. Therefore, Apple could use either. Conroe is a desktop chip, so perhaps Apple will implement it in the iMac so that it can be similar to the corresponding Dell etc. machines which use it as well. On the other hand, Merom runs cooler, and with a confined, streamlined design such as the iMac's, it may make more sense to use Merom instead of Conroe. Merom will definitely be used in the Mac mini eventually IMO.

As for the MacBooks though (which I suppose is what this article is actually about!) this is great news. My wife is wanting a new MacBook and I told her to wait for these Core 2 Duo updates. Looks like she won't have as long to wait as I initially thought, which is great. :cool:
 
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