Therefore, it would seem unlikely that Apple -- or any other PC vendor -- could launch a line of Sandy Bridge-based notebooks in earnest any time before late February at the earliest, as the parts simply won't be available. As such, high profile launches of Sandy Bridge-based notebook systems would seem more likely in March or April.
Apple doesn't need high volume shipments though. They only sell 15 million units a year out of the 300+ million overall units. I reckon this glitch won't affect a February 22nd launch.
It's also a pretty minor glitch but the media love a failure. There is a 5-20% chance of failure over 2-3 years of ports 2-5:
They started the fix after seeing some early returns and as people have mentioned, it only affects the 3Gbps ports so if you only use the 6Gbps ports, there's no problem. Apple only needs two in pretty much every model except the iMac but they'll most likely switch that to use their own SSD chips anyway.
But with Intel halting production of all Cougar Point chipsets until late February, other products that were planned for launch in the coming weeks could also be affected by the issue.
As announced on Monday, Intel has begun manufacturing a new version of Cougar Point which resolves the issue, but none of those corrected chipsets will begin shipping in any capacity until the end of February at the earliest, and Intel said it doesn't anticipate meeting volume commitments until sometime in April.
So which is it? Did they halt all production until late February or have they begun making the new version?
Regardless of which way is correct, if the Intel chips have several good SATA ports on them, that is probably enough for a laptop. Usually laptops have only one SATA device. Thus I don't see why this would delay the release of new Apple laptops.
I completely agree. That has been what I thought since I read the article. Apple laptops use only the first two SATA ports now anyway. They also don't offer eSATA so there is no possibility of the others being used. And one step further, I for one, believe when Steve said that the new MacBook Airs were the "future of MacBooks" means that they will be dropping the dvd drive off this next update and making them more Air like. Thus only one SATA port being used. Just sayin...
I have websites for which I have the entire site on my local machine, which then gets FTP'd to the host. Any one of those websites would completely fill a current model SSD.
I'm intrigued that a website can be larger than 40 gigabytes, do they contain a lot of video or high resolution pictures? Are you working on youtube or some other major website with masses of data?
Presumably you'd also need a lot of patience or Gigabit Ethernet connected to a faster than DSL connection to ftp the site.
I have websites for which I have the entire site on my local machine, which then gets FTP'd to the host. Any one of those websites would completely fill a current model SSD.
i hope that if Apple can't get the new I3/5/7's in the 13' and mini, that they upgrade to APU's from AMD.... probably as powerful, if not more powerful, well probably keeping the price the same/lower as well as no need to purchase a Dedicated Card due to intels CIP (crappy image processing) so called "gpus"
Given that Apple will probably "refresh" their iMac, maybe MacBook and MacBook Pro probably starting in April 2011, I think there is time so Apple can still meet its original shipping date for the updated products.
I know someone who bought a P67 motherboard because tools to install OS X are now available. I told him to wait and see what kind of support OS X will bring with the next refreshes, but he didn't want to. He's almost regretting it now. That's what you get for being bleeding edge.
I don't think that Apple will abandon the MBP. The MBA was first to adopt the unibody construction. MBP followed. I see the next generation MBP being slimmer and lighter. Hope that the 17" keeps the optical drive and the ExpressCard slot. IMO Apple won't reduce the amount of SSD storage, as prices drop the SSD option should go to 500GB.
Obviously the MBA is the future of laptops. Meaning, that yeah, we will lose our optical drives and hard drives, and laptops will become very thin eventually.
But I agree with you, and don't think this product cycle will be about killing off optical and hard drives just yet. My prediction is that there is a line of MBP's that are upgraded versions of the current system, plus a "MBAP (MacBook Air Pro)" which is a sort of harbinger of the future for early adopters.
Personally, I'm ready to ditch hard drives and optical drives, but only if SSID > 500 GB. And I'd want SD card slots and a full array of ports. But I realize that a large segment of the market is NOT ready for that yet, and I'm sure Apple understands that too.
Hooray, just successfully bought one of the last Sandy Bridge motherboards before they disappeared from the distribution chain (a Gigabyte GA-H67A-UD2H, the only H67 chipset mobo with Firewire from the company).
Was thinking about buying one the day this all hit, decided last night to go for it (despite the problems being reported), and to my horror all Sandy Bridge mobos disappeared from my usual suppliers... found a less clued-up supplier who shipped the board this morning.
I only need one or two SATA devices and am happy to return the motherboard when new ones arrive, till then, I'll be one of very few people with the latest and greatest CPUs, kind of makes me feel exclusive, at least for a month or two... What were Intel going to do with the existing chipsets in the supply chain anyway, pay for them to be binned? I'm putting some use into one of them which can't be all that more expensive in organising a replacement later.
And I am quietly confident that installing Snow Leopard into the new system (hackintosh) will work well enough for me, after all Gigabyte motherboards are pretty compatible chip-for-chip, and I don't mind figuring out the DSDT's to get it done.
For those who think I'm wrong to install OS X on a hackintosh, it simply replaces my previous machine for which I bought a genuine copy of SL (Lenovo S10e). And I bought several brand new Macs over the years, particularly during the times when it was hard for Apple and maybe every sale counted. Besides, I can't get the right hardware at the right price from Apple, don't have anything like the ££££ to throw at a Mac Pro.
For those who think I'm wrong to install OS X on a hackintosh, it simply replaces my previous machine for which I bought a genuine copy of SL (Lenovo S10e).
Don't think it's wrong at all, it just happens to be illegal.
Regardless of which way is correct, if the Intel chips have several good SATA ports on them, that is probably enough for a laptop. Usually laptops have only one SATA device. Thus I don't see why this would delay the release of new Apple laptops.
Well, they advertised 6 lol. The chip might also be used in computers other than laptops as well...
Being discontinued in April sometime. Core 2 Duo obsolete now.
If my c2d is obsolete, then these new chips must be absurdly fast. I have an E6600 I still work with and am very happy with. Maybe I should look into building a new system
If my c2d is obsolete, then these new chips must be absurdly fast. I have an E6600 I still work with and am very happy with. Maybe I should look into building a new system
Now P4 - THAT is obsolete
Even a P4 can be put to good use.
In the case of Core2, the chip that replaces it is a very nice improvement in some aspects. Well atleast the parts that work right. Sandy Bridge is a interesting turning stone for Intel as it is it's first SoC and is improved in many ways.
I want a 15 inch Macbook Pro with an Express Card slot. Whether or not it has an optical drive, I'm not too concerned (although it had better have a third USB port if it doesn't have an optical drive). But we should not have to get a desktop-sized machine just to get fast input and output.
With this chip problem I'm worried that if the new laptops only need two SATA ports, the early run machines will contain the defective chips. That won't be a problem if the flaw is simply confined to the chips, but what if Intel has failed to notice something? I'd prefer it if Apple would play it safe here, even though I have been waiting a long time for this update.
I want a 15 inch Macbook Pro with an Express Card slot. Whether or not it has an optical drive, I'm not too concerned (although it had better have a third USB port if it doesn't have an optical drive). But we should not have to get a desktop-sized machine just to get fast input and output.
USB 3 is faster than ExpressCard and matches ExpressCard 2. Light Peak exceeds both. I'd be fairly confident that we will never see ExpressCard again and I think it will be better that way because when IO ports are very specialised, the peripherals are expensive and hard to get. With USB 3 and Light Peak in the mainstream, there will be lots of good external peripherals and competitive pricing.
Regardless of which way is correct, if the Intel chips have several good SATA ports on them, that is probably enough for a laptop. Usually laptops have only one SATA device. Thus I don't see why this would delay the release of new Apple laptops.
One SATA device on a laptop? What do you think the optical drive is connected to?
Comments
Therefore, it would seem unlikely that Apple -- or any other PC vendor -- could launch a line of Sandy Bridge-based notebooks in earnest any time before late February at the earliest, as the parts simply won't be available. As such, high profile launches of Sandy Bridge-based notebook systems would seem more likely in March or April.
Apple doesn't need high volume shipments though. They only sell 15 million units a year out of the 300+ million overall units. I reckon this glitch won't affect a February 22nd launch.
It's also a pretty minor glitch but the media love a failure. There is a 5-20% chance of failure over 2-3 years of ports 2-5:
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/...-chipset-fail/
They started the fix after seeing some early returns and as people have mentioned, it only affects the 3Gbps ports so if you only use the 6Gbps ports, there's no problem. Apple only needs two in pretty much every model except the iMac but they'll most likely switch that to use their own SSD chips anyway.
But with Intel halting production of all Cougar Point chipsets until late February, other products that were planned for launch in the coming weeks could also be affected by the issue.
As announced on Monday, Intel has begun manufacturing a new version of Cougar Point which resolves the issue, but none of those corrected chipsets will begin shipping in any capacity until the end of February at the earliest, and Intel said it doesn't anticipate meeting volume commitments until sometime in April.
So which is it? Did they halt all production until late February or have they begun making the new version?
Regardless of which way is correct, if the Intel chips have several good SATA ports on them, that is probably enough for a laptop. Usually laptops have only one SATA device. Thus I don't see why this would delay the release of new Apple laptops.
I completely agree. That has been what I thought since I read the article. Apple laptops use only the first two SATA ports now anyway. They also don't offer eSATA so there is no possibility of the others being used. And one step further, I for one, believe when Steve said that the new MacBook Airs were the "future of MacBooks" means that they will be dropping the dvd drive off this next update and making them more Air like. Thus only one SATA port being used. Just sayin...
I have websites for which I have the entire site on my local machine, which then gets FTP'd to the host. Any one of those websites would completely fill a current model SSD.
I'm intrigued that a website can be larger than 40 gigabytes, do they contain a lot of video or high resolution pictures? Are you working on youtube or some other major website with masses of data?
Presumably you'd also need a lot of patience or Gigabit Ethernet connected to a faster than DSL connection to ftp the site.
I have websites for which I have the entire site on my local machine, which then gets FTP'd to the host. Any one of those websites would completely fill a current model SSD.
What the...??
I don't think that Apple will abandon the MBP. The MBA was first to adopt the unibody construction. MBP followed. I see the next generation MBP being slimmer and lighter. Hope that the 17" keeps the optical drive and the ExpressCard slot. IMO Apple won't reduce the amount of SSD storage, as prices drop the SSD option should go to 500GB.
Obviously the MBA is the future of laptops. Meaning, that yeah, we will lose our optical drives and hard drives, and laptops will become very thin eventually.
But I agree with you, and don't think this product cycle will be about killing off optical and hard drives just yet. My prediction is that there is a line of MBP's that are upgraded versions of the current system, plus a "MBAP (MacBook Air Pro)" which is a sort of harbinger of the future for early adopters.
Personally, I'm ready to ditch hard drives and optical drives, but only if SSID > 500 GB. And I'd want SD card slots and a full array of ports. But I realize that a large segment of the market is NOT ready for that yet, and I'm sure Apple understands that too.
I know someone who bought a P67 motherboard because tools to install OS X... ...That's what you get for being bleeding edge.
That's what you get for not buying a proper Mac with support and warranty from Apple.
If his Hackintosh works then kudos to him
otherwise I have absolutely no sympathy.
Haaaahahahahaha !
This update to come is turning ridiculous !
I'm soooo glad now that I bought my 13" MBP two months ago.
Being discontinued in April sometime. Core 2 Duo obsolete now.
Was thinking about buying one the day this all hit, decided last night to go for it (despite the problems being reported), and to my horror all Sandy Bridge mobos disappeared from my usual suppliers... found a less clued-up supplier who shipped the board this morning.
I only need one or two SATA devices and am happy to return the motherboard when new ones arrive, till then, I'll be one of very few people with the latest and greatest CPUs, kind of makes me feel exclusive, at least for a month or two... What were Intel going to do with the existing chipsets in the supply chain anyway, pay for them to be binned? I'm putting some use into one of them which can't be all that more expensive in organising a replacement later.
And I am quietly confident that installing Snow Leopard into the new system (hackintosh) will work well enough for me, after all Gigabyte motherboards are pretty compatible chip-for-chip, and I don't mind figuring out the DSDT's to get it done.
For those who think I'm wrong to install OS X on a hackintosh, it simply replaces my previous machine for which I bought a genuine copy of SL (Lenovo S10e). And I bought several brand new Macs over the years, particularly during the times when it was hard for Apple and maybe every sale counted. Besides, I can't get the right hardware at the right price from Apple, don't have anything like the ££££ to throw at a Mac Pro.
For those who think I'm wrong to install OS X on a hackintosh, it simply replaces my previous machine for which I bought a genuine copy of SL (Lenovo S10e).
Don't think it's wrong at all, it just happens to be illegal.
Regardless of which way is correct, if the Intel chips have several good SATA ports on them, that is probably enough for a laptop. Usually laptops have only one SATA device. Thus I don't see why this would delay the release of new Apple laptops.
Well, they advertised 6 lol. The chip might also be used in computers other than laptops as well...
Being discontinued in April sometime. Core 2 Duo obsolete now.
If my c2d is obsolete, then these new chips must be absurdly fast. I have an E6600 I still work with and am very happy with. Maybe I should look into building a new system
Now P4 - THAT is obsolete
If my c2d is obsolete, then these new chips must be absurdly fast. I have an E6600 I still work with and am very happy with. Maybe I should look into building a new system
Now P4 - THAT is obsolete
Even a P4 can be put to good use.
In the case of Core2, the chip that replaces it is a very nice improvement in some aspects. Well atleast the parts that work right. Sandy Bridge is a interesting turning stone for Intel as it is it's first SoC and is improved in many ways.
With this chip problem I'm worried that if the new laptops only need two SATA ports, the early run machines will contain the defective chips. That won't be a problem if the flaw is simply confined to the chips, but what if Intel has failed to notice something? I'd prefer it if Apple would play it safe here, even though I have been waiting a long time for this update.
I want a 15 inch Macbook Pro with an Express Card slot. Whether or not it has an optical drive, I'm not too concerned (although it had better have a third USB port if it doesn't have an optical drive). But we should not have to get a desktop-sized machine just to get fast input and output.
USB 3 is faster than ExpressCard and matches ExpressCard 2. Light Peak exceeds both. I'd be fairly confident that we will never see ExpressCard again and I think it will be better that way because when IO ports are very specialised, the peripherals are expensive and hard to get. With USB 3 and Light Peak in the mainstream, there will be lots of good external peripherals and competitive pricing.
Regardless of which way is correct, if the Intel chips have several good SATA ports on them, that is probably enough for a laptop. Usually laptops have only one SATA device. Thus I don't see why this would delay the release of new Apple laptops.
One SATA device on a laptop? What do you think the optical drive is connected to?