The logic board in the Air is not any narrower than the logic board in the Pro. And my Penryn MacBook Air uses a Low-Voltage CPU, not a ULV CPU.
Horizontally, no, it's not narrower. Vertically, on the other hand, it's way narrower. It is a way smaller logic board than is on the MacBook Pros. Just look at any of the service manuals or tear-downs and you'll see what I'm talking about. I'm pretty sure your MacBook Air's CPU is considered "ULV"; I know that the CPUs currently in the MacBook Air are considered that. Unless I'm just getting terms mixed up here. Even if I am, the point behind it still stands; you are using a lower-voltage CPU than what was used on the other Penryn-based Macs, and in turn, there isn't a slated "lower-voltage" quad-core CPU from Ivy Bridge that we know of in the pipeline; therefore, yes, when the Air-like ultra-light, ultra-thin mythical MacBook Pros come out with quad-core and a discrete GPU, I'll be shocked sideways.
I purchased a 15" MacBook Pro around this time last year so I'm not really in the market, but I'm ready to see some redesigned MacBook Pros!
No, you're not. We had six years with the last design, and pending design flaws with the current, it may be another two before you seen the next (given that only three and a half have passed since this one was introduced and it's still well-loved).
I believe that Ivy Bridge supports USB 3; will the next generation of Macs come with USB 3?
It's not that Ivy Bridge supports USB 3, it's that the chipsets to be unveiled for Ivy Bridge will have native support for it, and given that Apple wanted to wait until Intel had native support before implementing it themselves, it's a safe bet that we'll see it next round.
Bring on a new mini.
I used to look at it as a kind of sad stepchild of the Apple line, but the value in that little box is now amazing. If you have a monitor, why bother with anything else? I just wish they'd soup up the mini a bit more for a bit more cash, so it has the video/processor power of the iMac, but sans screen and optical and all the trim. 'Course I wish they also trimmed down the Pro Tower, now that TB allows much of that box to be purchased separately as peripherals nowadays.
If you analyze the mini from a purely hardware muscle perspective, it's actually a terrible deal as you're paying the cost of a laptop to get its components in a box that doesn't come with a battery, screen, or integrated keyboard/trackpad and isn't portable. Within the context of Apple-branded Macs, it's fantastic, but within the context of desktops as a whole, it's kind of a rip-off.
I can't wait to log in here and see a headline about iMac release events! My wife and I have a 2006 white MB and a 2007 MBP respectively and they are both failing hard (upgraded hard drives, and memory, replaced batteries twice on each, frequently clear PRAM and repair permissions, and still can hardly keep up with routine processing) and are eagerly awaiting the upgrade. Don't need a laptop anymore. iPad 3 and a new iMac thank you very much.
Any ideas on how soon these chips will find their way into an iMac and into my home? I hope it isn't too many more months. The wait is killing me. At least it looks like the iPad is go within a month.
iMacs are unreliable due to their cramming of desktop components into such a thin design. (Hence specialized firmware on the hard drives that (a) use the drive's built-in temperature sensors to monitor heat and report it to the logic board and (b) make it so you can't use an aftermarket hard drive.) They are due for a design change coming up here, but in the meantime, the current design. Plus best of luck doing any kind of service on that thing on your own. The specs are nice, but it's horribly designed.
