Intel's Mac-bound Ivy Bridge CPUs rumored to launch April 8

Posted:
in Future Apple Hardware edited January 2014
Intel is rumored to release a total of 25 new 22-nanometer Ivy Bridge processors on April 8, 2012, signaling a potential launch window for Apple's next generation of Macs.



Intel will release 17 desktop CPUs and 8 notebook Ivy Bridge processors in early April, DigiTimes reported on Wednesday. The initial chips are said to include models 3820QM and 3720QM, priced at $568 and $378, respectively, which could be candidates for Apple's MacBook Pro lineup.



The notebook Ivy Bridge processors will feature the new Intel HD Graphics 4000 architecture. Intel's M-Series lineup is expected to have nominal thermal design power of between 35 watts and 55 watts.



Set for a "later" launch, according to the report, are the Core i7-3667U and Core i5-3427U processors, intended for Intel's Ultrabook lineup. Those processors would also be possible candidates for Apple's own thin-and-light notebook, the MacBook Air.



Earlier reports have said the i7-3667U processor will be clocked at 2GHz, and can overclock to 3.2GHz in single-core mode, while the i5-3427U will run at 1.8GHz and overclock to 2.8GHz in single-core mode. Both models are said to feature a graphics processor clocked at 350MHz that can run as high as 1150MHz.



The rumored April 8 launch date for the first Ivy Bridge processors is slightly earlier than what a leaked roadmap from Intel showed earlier this month. Those documents showed a tentative launch date of May 2012 for the new chip platform.



Recent reports have pegged a MacBook Pro update from Apple to arrive in the second quarter of calendar 2012, a timeframe that would fit with the April debut of Intel's next-generation Ivy Bridge processors. The new MacBook Pros are rumored to feature a redesigned look with new high-resolution 2,880-by-1,800 Retina Display screens.







Retina Display MacBook Pros would be possible with Ivy Bridge because the next-generation architecture will bring support for 4K resolution. That gives Apple and other PC makers the option to build a display that is 4,096 pixels across.



For high-end MacBook Pro models with dedicated graphics cards, one report from November claimed Apple will switch to Nvidia for its 2012 notebooks. The last MacBook Pro models to feature Nvidia graphics arrived in 2010.



As for the MacBook Air, Apple is expected to expand the lineup and add a 15-inch model. Currently, its ultraportable notebook is available with screen sizes of 11.6 inches and 13.3 inches.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 28
    WHile I was first they mentioned iMac in the sumamry then took it out - so my question on where is the iMac news is now moot ... but can;t figure out how to delete reply
  • Reply 2 of 28
    bageljoeybageljoey Posts: 2,004member
    Remember when this kind of article was the big news (and sometimes all we had) on AI? Nanometers, MHz, and Intel roadmaps...

    Then came articles about the iPhone and, for a while, there were complaints--"I'm tired of articles about iPhones--what about real computers?"

    LOL, here we are and no one has anything to say...
  • Reply 3 of 28
    "Out with the old, in with the new" as they say.
  • Reply 4 of 28
    I suspect people don't know what to make of a Retina display for a computer. At first it seems most needed for an iPhone so small text will be sharper to read - but the screens on laptops and desktops are so beautiful, why increase resolution? What's the benefit? What can I expect?



    Generally we think of everything just getting smaller and we can fit more stuff, but most people don't want to, we're happy with how it is.



    But what we haven't seen yet is higher pixel density in photos. Most photos we see on our computers have been down-res'd.



    But a pic with double or more pixel density is stunning. Instead of it being huge where we have to scroll back and forth, up and down, it will fit, and it will be stunning. And then you can zoom in to areas if you want and it will still be sharp.



    Also, we think icons, buttons etc, look excellent now - but higher res elements are beautiful. It really can get a lot better. It makes the whole experience richer.



    When discussing these changes coming, we need to think of how our experiences will change.
  • Reply 5 of 28
    hmurchisonhmurchison Posts: 12,415member
    I'm excited about the Ivy Bridge platform but really it's just another incremental step forward.



    I'm more excited about the opportunity to refresh the Mac lineup and really tailor the platform for today's computing usage. Meaning.



    I would love to see the optical drive become optional. I want EVERY Mac to offer a minimum of 64GB of NAND storage for boot drive, for applications and ~user library (with the easy ability to take large folders like Pictures and Movies and place them on the HDD.



    Throw in USB 3.0 and second generation Thunderbolt ports plus Bluetooth 4.0 and it should be a solid upgrade.
  • Reply 6 of 28
    andysolandysol Posts: 2,506member
    I'm Excited. I highly doubt I'll upgrade anything, but if the features are right....



    I mean- I don't do anything near the ability to take advantage of the i7 or Sandy Bridge i5 I have now. Photoshop, Handbrake, and FCPX are the most intensive things I do, So processors mean very very little to me. Displays, Appearance, Accessories, and SSDs are all I would care about. But thats a tall order to fill for me, personally because the iMacs and MacBook Airs/Pros look so damned nice as they are (with the exception of the air screen which has terrible color angles- but I still like it). My Dad's 2007 2.8 Core 2 Extreme still kills it w/ 4gb ram running lion. Cant even tell the difference in normal apps compared to my i7. I think I'm in the majority here too....



    But- Apple rarely disappoints.
  • Reply 7 of 28
    When the hell are the new Mac Pro's going to show up? A little info on that matter would be nice. Hopefully this news will be the missing link in the release of one last Mac Pro.
  • Reply 8 of 28
    cgjcgj Posts: 276member
    I hope the ARM-Cortex A9 or A15 support 4k video, perhaps it could be the next TV revolution?
  • Reply 9 of 28
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by cmabolt View Post


    When the hell are the new Mac Pro's going to show up? A little info on that matter would be nice. Hopefully this news will be the missing link in the release of one last Mac Pro.



    When Intel releases new Xeon CPUs.
  • Reply 10 of 28
    Well, I for one am keen.



    The 2012 systems will be the first time there is enough horsepower in a non macpro model to achieve what I do in realtime. This will mean I can actually edit without doing my head in.
  • Reply 11 of 28
    Sweetness!!! 2,880x1,880..."Retina" displays. Yes, I'll buy it on day one, and let's have them be IPS displays please. How is it that iPhone, iPod touch, iPad 1 & 2, iMac (24", 21.5" & 27") can ALL have gorgeous IPS displays, but MacBook Pro's cannot?



    I guess it's cost, maybe, but whatever, let's at least make it an option - an expensive one if need be, so that Apple can rake in its monumental mark-up's per MacBook sold. I'll gladly pay for it. :-D
  • Reply 12 of 28
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by hmurchison View Post


    I want EVERY Mac to offer a minimum of 64GB of NAND storage for boot drive, for applications and ~user library.



    I'm hoping to get the next 27" i7 (if that is the naming convention Intel continues with) iMac and this is another thing I would love - if the OS and Boot Drive is on a SSD and a 2TB HDD is provided.



    I still need the ODD, but even if they remove it, I do have the Super Drive I had bought for my wife's MBA and an external Sony BD-Drive.



    I too am hoping they upgrade the USB ports to 3.0.



    Finally, I hope we do get cheaper thunderbolt accessories.
  • Reply 13 of 28
    successsuccess Posts: 1,040member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Bageljoey View Post


    Remember when this kind of article was the big news (and sometimes all we had) on AI? Nanometers, MHz, and Intel roadmaps...

    Then came articles about the iPhone and, for a while, there were complaints--"I'm tired of articles about iPhones--what about real computers?"

    LOL, here we are and no one has anything to say...



    But you were the first poster. How did you know no one would have nothing to say? There are more posts and counting below your post.



    Funny thing is my iPhone is more of a computer ever was in 2000. Does as much if not more all in a touch UI.
  • Reply 14 of 28
    This isn't about graphics, it's about font rendering. Apple has been trying to do auto scaling font rendering in the OS since at least Tiger and have failed. As a developer I know how hard it is to put in after an OS is out of the gate. Windows had it from the start and there third party application support even sucks.



    What this does is allow fonts to quadruple in resolution without the developer even knowing about it. It's the same thing that happened when the iPhone 4 came out with it's Retina Screen. It was twice as wide and twice as high so old applications just pixel doubled in each direction. But the fonts, oh! those beautiful fonts on the iPhone 4 and 4S give soothing release to these tiered old eyes.



    I'm still waiting for an iMac with a quad pixel screen increase, then I'll know I've gone to heven.
  • Reply 15 of 28
    aizmovaizmov Posts: 989member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by hmurchison View Post


    I want EVERY Mac to offer a minimum of 64GB of NAND storage for boot drive, for applications and ~user library (with the easy ability to take large folders like Pictures and Movies and place them on the HDD.



    32GB would be more than enough for the OS, applications and user library. Or even 16GB for the OS would be more than enough. What I want to see is Apple offering Seagate's Momentus XT.
  • Reply 16 of 28
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Aizmov View Post


    32GB would be more than enough for the OS, applications and user library.



    Not when Steam puts your games in ~/Library/Application Support.



    They need to freaking stop that.
  • Reply 17 of 28
    wizard69wizard69 Posts: 13,377member
    Really boy this crap is just a little to much, Apple can't ship a reasonable Mac Pro upgrade until Intel ships new chips to make the machine. That will happen when they get all the bugs out of the chip sets.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by cmabolt View Post


    When the hell are the new Mac Pro's going to show up? A little info on that matter would be nice. Hopefully this news will be the missing link in the release of one last Mac Pro.



  • Reply 18 of 28
    hmmhmm Posts: 3,405member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by wizard69 View Post


    Really boy this crap is just a little to much, Apple can't ship a reasonable Mac Pro upgrade until Intel ships new chips to make the machine. That will happen when they get all the bugs out of the chip sets.



    I don't think any of the other oems have put out new stuff either. People have become grumpy because it's gone from an overpriced machine to an overpriced machine with aging hardware. It happens. Intel definitely hasn't helped.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Crunch View Post


    Sweetness!!! 2,880x1,880..."Retina" displays. Yes, I'll buy it on day one, and let's have them be IPS displays please. How is it that iPhone, iPod touch, iPad 1 & 2, iMac (24", 21.5" & 27") can ALL have gorgeous IPS displays, but MacBook Pro's cannot?



    I guess it's cost, maybe, but whatever, let's at least make it an option - an expensive one if need be, so that Apple can rake in its monumental mark-up's per MacBook sold. I'll gladly pay for it. :-D



    Usually they require volume to accomplish such a thing. I can't find a specific panel related to laptop ips displays, although I know a couple brands employ them on a limited number of models. My guess would be that producing them at comparable resolution to what is seen on the macbook pros today (especially the high res 15") would be cost prohibitive. If Apple did this and the other OEMs then employed the same thing, I'm sure you'd hear about copying. The real issue is that while I'm sure many of these manufacturers would really like to do this (new shiny feature to attract upgrade purchases), it requires a huge amount of volume to make it viable. IPS saw its major growth by professional adoption. There was enough demand for quality displays because of the number of people who wanted to replace aging crt hardware, and the price points were still high enough to drive the technology forward. Today we have $300 24" ips displays. Pretty much everyone but LG has dropped out there, and they haven't really done much to push the technology forward.



    If Apple does try to employ IPS there, it would probably be for the entire line. They don't really like significant design segmentation, so pricing from LG would become a factor. This means they may require support from other OEMs as well to really make this work close to current price points.
  • Reply 19 of 28
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by hmurchison View Post


    I'm excited about the Ivy Bridge platform but really it's just another incremental step forward.



    I'm more excited about the opportunity to refresh the Mac lineup and really tailor the platform for today's computing usage. Meaning.



    I would love to see the optical drive become optional. I want EVERY Mac to offer a minimum of 64GB of NAND storage for boot drive, for applications and ~user library (with the easy ability to take large folders like Pictures and Movies and place them on the HDD.



    Throw in USB 3.0 and second generation Thunderbolt ports plus Bluetooth 4.0 and it should be a solid upgrade.



    Yeah, but it's a sweet spot. Great CPU, finally decent GPU, 4K is good (though DX10 gaming... well, I don't care, since I have an Xbox360 now and have ditched PC gaming for good).



    320GB SSD Retina-Display MBA 13"... BRING IT ON.



    I think the MBP13" will become a "higher-end" MBA 13", ie. no more MBP 13". MBP 15" will probably drop the optical drive for good in 2012 and have MBA styling. MBP 17" Will have MBA styling but optical drive an the whole kit'n'kaboodle.
  • Reply 20 of 28
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Aizmov View Post


    32GB would be more than enough for the OS, applications and user library. Or even 16GB for the OS would be more than enough. What I want to see is Apple offering Seagate's Momentus XT.



    I think it's the end of the road for spinning platters, period. In the past few years I've had vibration and noise issues with 7200rpm drives, though no hard disk deaths as such. 5400rpm is really not in the Mac gamespace anymore, especially when Ivy Bridge comes out, along with the next rounds of VMWare and Parallels, as well as all the updated Mac apps.



    For me, just having a whole nice 256GB or 320GB of SSD is... I think hard to encapsulate in a few words. With improvements in TRIM and all that stuff, SSDs offer an overall performance that is quite significant.



    While regular hard disks will of course not disappear overnight, for the Mac portables I think it's quite clear light users will get by on 64-128GB, and "enthusiast" users will be at the 256GB-320GB mark. I postulate that this will be the case for 2012-2013. Yes, SSD capacity needs will increase, but with various cloud services 320GB should be the upper-end for most users. Pros who are not on iMac will probably need a MBP 15" with 512GB SSD but around this 0.5TB mark there are compelling reasons to switch your workflow to a Thunderbolt external-RAID drive or iMac anyway.
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