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What's next for Macbook Pro?

macagain

macagain

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jan 1, 2002
357
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So, now that the Unibodies are out, they're old news! Let's start speculating on the next update!

Base on these release dates...

Original MBP Core Duo: 1/10/06 - 10/24/06 (284 days)... actually there were 2 overlapping releases, the first from 1/10 to 5/16, and the 2nd from 2/14 to 10/24, but I'll just count them as one...

Core 2 Duo: 10/24/06 - 6/5/07 (221 days)

Santa Rosa: 6/5/07 - 2/26/08 (261 days)

Penryn: 2/26/08 - 10/24/08 (228 days)

Unibody: 10/24/08 - ???

It would seem that we should expect a rev b. unibody sometime in the mid/late may to mid/late july time frame... Nehalem? Calpella?

Let's get the rumors going!
 
Already with the speculation! When stuff gets a major update like this, it tends to not get upgraded for a while on the first revision.

I'll be interested to see if the Pro becomes more... pro again. But really, now is the time for desktop rumors/speculation
 
Unibody has no bearing on the chipset inside. The previous design was used since 2003 in the G4 Powerbooks, and only slightly modified with the MacBook Pro. The next MBPs will certainly still have the 'unibody' enclosure, but they will contain newer chipsets.
 
Scarlet Fever said:
Unibody has no bearing on the chipset inside. The previous design was used since 2003 in the G4 Powerbooks, and only slightly modified with the MacBook Pro. The next MBPs will certainly still have the 'unibody' enclosure, but they will contain newer chipsets.
Click to expand...

The next what? Generation or Revision? How do we know Apple isn't working on some sort of "uberunibody" enclosure or a simple aluminum slate that projects the image at a specified angle in thin air? :D
 
Tallest Skil said:
No Nehalem until Q4 2009. We should have a slight speed update (still Penryn) before then.
Click to expand...

Tallest, I'm just wondering here. What makes you think 4Q 09? Notebook Nehalem chips are looking at end of 2Q 09. Wouldn't that make sense for WWDC or a special notebook event around then instead of 4Q? Maybe Apple will be slow to adopt it?
 
fleshman03 said:
Tallest, I'm just wondering here. What makes you think 4Q 09? Notebook Nehalem chips are looking at end of 2Q 09. Wouldn't that make sense for WWDC or a special notebook event around then instead of 4Q? Maybe Apple will be slow to adopt it?
Click to expand...

Apple can't make notebooks with a processor that Intel hasn't released yet. Intel is due to release the Clarksfield/Nehalem in Q3 or Q4 of 2009, so it will more likely be early 2010 before you see it in Apple notebooks.
 
Tallest Skil said:
All the reports I've read say either Q3 or Q4 for just chip production, much less actual computers.
Click to expand...


Ok I just looked it up. We're talking about there being a Clarksfield-named Nehalem processor. That one is slated for Q3-Q4.

The Bloomfield-named Nehalem processor is already in production. That is what the i7 is.

Clarksfield should have an 8mb L3 cache too.

Am I right?

Wikipedia Article
 
fleshman03 said:
Ok I just looked it up. We're talking about there being a Clarksfield-named Nehalem processor. That one is slated for Q3-Q4.

The Bloomfield-named Nehalem processor is already in production. That is what the i7 is.

Clarksfield should have an 8mb L3 cache too.

Am I right?

Wikipedia Article
Click to expand...

Yeah but the current i7 processors are desktop processors. The Clarksfield processors are the first notebook ones
 
gazfocus said:
This happens all the time...How else do you think motherboard manufacturers produce motherboards for new processors and have then release the same time as the processors?
Click to expand...

Component manufacturers are vastly different than a notebook manufacturer like Apple. Name one time that a notebook was released and available to the public prior to or on the same day as the notebook's installed processor being initially released by Intel.
 
kobefan234 said:
3 GHz +
Click to expand...

The Nehalem processors are supposed to have 4 cores, right? The Wikipedia article doesn't state gigahertz on Clarksfield. It only says that there will be a 30% power saves for the same performance in Penryn systems and a 20/30% increase in performance for a 10% battery penalty.

Do we know the GHz variations yet?

Aside from: more cores = better horsepower @ a 10% power penalty or same performance @ 30% less power, what else is Nehalem offering? I know about the higher cache and all that. Is there anything super cool that is supposed to be on the chip?

Addition: It'll be on the Calpella platform. (Release date: Q3 09) Meaning no more FSB, south/north bridge, "direct connect" with DPCP (This explains the lack of HDMI on the new MB/MBPs and puts in doubt of the MP ever getting HDMI) and likely DDR3 1600 RAM.

Also, with these release dates it means there is going to be slim pickings for additions to the MBP Rev. B before Q3 09. RAM is maxed on Montevina at DDR3 1066. Maybe adding more RAM standard? Aside from that and little fixes, what could be a in Rev. B? Better GHz speed? What processor could be used?

Sorry if I'm sounding long winded. I'm actually learning more about these processors and future chipsets as I'm going here. I just want to be sure I'm correct in what I'm thinking.
 
fleshman03 said:
The Nehalem processors are supposed to have 4 cores, right? The Wikipedia article doesn't state gigahertz on Clarksfield. It only says that there will be a 30% power saves for the same performance in Penryn systems and a 20/30% increase in performance for a 10% battery penalty.

Do we know the GHz variations yet?

Aside from: more cores = better horsepower @ a 10% power penalty or same performance @ 30% less power, what else is Nehalem offering? I know about the higher cache and all that. Is there anything super cool that is supposed to be on the chip?
Click to expand...

If you Google "Nehalem" "Clarksfield" and other terms, you'll find lots of info available, such as this article. Supposedly, the Clarksfield will have speeds from 2.66 to 3.2 GHz.
 
ggjstudios said:
Component manufacturers are vastly different than a notebook manufacturer like Apple. Name one time that a notebook was released and available to the public prior to or on the same day as the notebook's installed processor being initially released by Intel.
Click to expand...

Um, the MB Air 1.0? And, though not laptops, the specifically clocked iMac proc's and the famous quad-core MP proc's? Those were prior to intel officially releasing any of those processors.

Not that I think it means it will happen in this case. I don't.
 
InLikeALion said:
Um, the MB Air 1.0? And, though not laptops, the specifically clocked iMac proc's and the famous quad-core MP proc's? Those were prior to intel officially releasing any of those processors.

Not that I think it means it will happen in this case. I don't.
Click to expand...

The Merom processor was released by Intel Q4 2007. The MacBook Air was released January 2008.
 
InLikeALion said:
But the MBA used an as-then unreleased die-shrink version of Merom, right? So it seems to fit the analogy more than saying it was just a different clock release of the same processor family. Either way, I don't expect it before Q4 09.
Click to expand...

Common sense would suggest that Apple cannot put a processor in a notebook until they get the processor from Intel. If Intel has not released the processor, then, by definition, Apple doesn't have it. If Intel has provided the chips to Apple, then it has been released.
 
ggjstudios said:
Common sense would suggest that Apple cannot put a processor in a notebook until they get the processor from Intel. If Intel has not released the processor, then, by definition, Apple doesn't have it. If Intel has provided the chips to Apple, then it has been released.
Click to expand...

At this point I'm just arguing to be devil's advocated. You're mixing definitions of 'released'. One definition is a publicly announced release of availability to the public and oem manufacturers. The other, which you just used, is defined by being available to any oem, even if no-one outside of intel and that company knows about it. I wouldn't call that second definition 'being released'. We have been discussing a scheduled public availability.

No one knew the MBA chip even existed outside of apple and intel, much less that there was an upcoming release date. Hence, it could be the same scenario now - apple has production levels of a chip in Q2 that aren't known to be released until Q3.

Once again, I don't actually expect then to have early supply.
 
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