“The MacBook Pro and MacBook Air should benefit from Intel’s chip makeover in 2019,” Brooke Crothers writes for Forbes. “Intel is slated to move to its Sunny Cove microarchitecture, the chipmaker said recently — which would put 10-nanometer Intel processors in Macs for the first time.”
“Intel has been stuck at 14nm since 2014 — though it has made iterative improvements to that manufacturing process over the years ,” Crothers writes. “Enter 10nm Sunny Cove, which is designed to increase performance per clock and improve power efficiency. But the more interesting upgrade will be Gen11 graphics that roughly doubles the performance of Gen9 graphics… Intel, in effect, skipped Gen10, according to Anandtech. For more details see Anandtech on what it calls Intel’s ‘failed 10nm Cannonlake chip.’”
“If Apple follows past practice, a future 13-inch MacBook Pro will get Intel’s top-of-the-line Gen11 graphics with revved up quad-core processors, while the 15-inch MBP will get updated to Intel’s latest many-core mobile processors,” Crothers writes. “A 2019 MacBook Air update would use a follow-on to the very-low-power (7-watt) Y series dual-core Amber Lake — used in the current late-2018 MBA.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: As for the 12-inch MacBook, could we see the first Apple processor-powered Mac in 2019? We’re hoping against hope that we will (but 2020 is likely the earliest to reasonably expect such a magnificent beast).
There is no reason why Apple could not offer both A-series-powered Macs and Intel-based Macs. The two are not mutually exclusive… — MacDailyNews, January 2015
SEE ALSO:
Ming-Chi Kuo: Apple A-series Macs coming in 2020 or 2021, Apple Car in 2023-2025 – October 17, 2018
MacBooks powered by Apple A-series chips are finally going to happen soon – September 18, 2018
Apple A-series-powered Mac idea boosted as ARM claims its chips can out-perform Intel – August 16, 2018
Did Apple just show its hand on future low-end, A-series-powered MacBooks? – July 13, 2018
How Apple might approach an ARM-based Mac – May 30, 2018
Pegatron said to assemble Apple’s upcoming ‘ARM-based MacBook’ codenamed ‘Star’ – May 29, 2018
Intel 10nm Cannon Lake delays push MacBook Pro with potential 32GB RAM into 2019 – April 27, 2018
Why the next Mac processor transition won’t be like the last two – April 4, 2018
Apple’s ‘Kalamata’ project will move Macs from Intel to Apple A-series processors – April 2, 2018
Apple plans on dumping Intel for its own chips in Macs as early as 2020 – April 2, 2018
Apple is working to unite iOS and macOS; will they standardize their chip platform next? – December 21, 2017
Why Apple would want to unify iOS and Mac apps in 2018 – December 20, 2017
Apple to provide tool for developers build cross-platform apps that run on iOS and macOS in 2018 – December 20, 2017
The once and future OS for Apple – December 8, 2017
Apple ships more microprocessors than Intel – October 2, 2017
Apple embarrasses Intel – June 14, 2017
Apple developing new chip for Macintosh in test of Intel independence – February 1, 2017
Apple’s A10 Fusion chip ‘blows away the competition,’ could easily power MacBook Air – Linley Group – October 21, 2016
Sorry I could give a damn about anything other than the massively neglected and mismanaged Mac Pro. And I’m already anticipating my immense dussappointment once it finally is introduced later in 2019. For the first time I’m not hopeful of Apple coming up to the challenge but instead designing themselves once again in a misguided anti-pro direction in yet another sad example of their hubris. AKA The Homer II.
Surely it would be better to introduce a new line with A class processors if they aren’t going to be the Air brand which would have been the obvious present product to change. The MacBook would be an odd choice as by name it is the consumer version of the Pro product so splitting the chip type between them would be a confusing and conflicting naming convention and concerning for Pro users/buyers as it puts their preferred choice in potential dead end territory real or perceptually (so with this Apple not out of the question then). Much better to start a new line like they did with the Air and hey why not make it some sort of hybrid while they are at it to add a bit of innovation with the sort of device MDN has long called for but in this case not having to use separate OS and silicon. Would therefore generate interest in its own right and over the following few years cuts te the direction of the Mac without making Intel Macs look or feel like they are end of line. Makes the Air a more logical product too while it remains. However that concept is perhaps not a likely 2019 product sadly.
“splitting the chip type between them would be a confusing and conflicting”
Not sure how it would be confusing. As long as each are running macOS and can both do the same non-Pro things using the same non-Pro software (Safari, iMovie, Numbers), then it’s the non-Pro version of the thing called MacBook Pro. I don’t think Apple’s going to announce any hybrid products. All the products will run macOS, some of them will run other OS’s, (but that’s something your average person never does and doesn’t care about).
When macOS is announced to run on A series chips, Intel WILL be end of the line. Folks buying them will be doing so because they need to run non-macOS software. Those running only macOS software will likely be treated to a side by side comparison showing A-series chips running things like Logic and Final Cut Pro faster than a similarly powered Intel chip. The decision will be: A-series if you want the fastest possible OS and Pro app performance, I-series if you need to either run a) Old apps where the developer is not going to recompile for A-series (and you may want to SERIOUSLY look into switching apps or platforms in the future) or b) non-macOS apps that require Boot Camp or other virtualization.
I think the obsession with “small and light” is a fallacy for pros.
You can buy a 17″ Dell laptop with high end CPU & graphics today (not cheap), but it runs my 3D CAD very well. I would love to have a MBPro which I could put CAD software in via Boot Camp.
Just my sorely neglected opinion.
Knowing that anything Apple made that matches those specs would cost more, you’d love to spend more money on a MBPro that you can then gimp with some other OS via Boot Camp rather than spend less money on a machine that comes built to run your software out of the box (no additional OS to purchase)?
Now, if you REALLY also need to run some Mac Only apps like Final Cut or Logic in a professional system, then, yeah, the upcharge you pay would be for that benefit. Otherwise, it just wouldn’t seem to make financial sense to spend more money to do the same work.
The more powerful the chip, the faster it will thermal throttle in an Apple laptop. Apple would rather build a quiet laptop than a powerful laptop. There must be a way Apple could find some better heat-pipe hardware or design some high airflow fans to stop instant thermal throttling. I’m no engineer but there must be something Apple can do about improving heat dissipation on all their computers.
Windows PCs have huge heat-sinks and multiple fans with fan control software. Apple doesn’t seem to believe in offering Mac users any of that good stuff.
“I’m no engineer but there must be something can do about improving ”
Must be a manager then 🙂
Because everything is packed into too thin an enclosure that does not allow high capacity airflow or other better heat sink material. Simple…
KenT, if you put a u in your name instead, everything becomes clear.
Glimpses have been seen before but never came to fruition. Intel gave up on Gen10, but they won’t give up on Gen11, right?? Actually, I’d thought they were still working on Cannon Lake. If they’ve officially given up, then that’s Intel vaporware isn’t it?