“Intel’s next generation notebook chip is due to be announced today alongside Conroe, the corresponding desktop chip. Merom will be marketed as the Intel Core 2 Duo Mobile and is destined to replace the current 2MB Yonah chips found in MacBook Pros,” Jason D. O’Grady blogs over on ZDNet.
“Merom comes with a 667 MHz frontside bus and 4 MB of L2 cache, double the 2 MB found in current MacBook Pros. Intel is offering Merom in 2.0, 2.16 and 2.33GHz clock speeds, a perfect fit to drop into the MacBook Pro lineup,” O’Grady writes. “A source I spoke with mentioned that Apple already has Merom chips in hand and has been testing them for a while. They’re probably waiting for inventory of existing MacBook Pros to sell down and/or for the official announcement to come from Intel.”
O’Grady writes, “Apple will probably roll out the new Merom MacBook Pros some time in late August.”
Full article here.
Related MacDailyNews articles:
Survey: 33% more likely to buy an ‘Apple’ in the future thanks to use of Intel chips – July 17, 2006
Intel Core 2 Duo ‘Conroe’ vs. AMD Athlon FX62 – July 17, 2006
Apple chose well: Anandtech – Intel Core 2 Duo ‘the fastest desktop processor we’ve ever tested’ – July 14, 2006
Microsoft should fear Intel Macs – July 13, 2006
RUMOR: Intel’s Woodcrest to power Apple’s next-gen high-performance Mac Pro desktops – July 11, 2006
Intel aims for 32 cores by 2010 – July 10, 2006
PC Mag: ‘Top Ten’ list of things to know about Intel’s new Core 2 Duo processors – July 07, 2006
RUMOR: Apple to unveil ‘Mac Pro’ with new enclosure design, Intel Core 2 Duo at WWDC next month – July 03, 2006
I have one question for O’Grady.
Where’s that Apple big screen TV?
I’m getting confused with all these chips. What CPU will I eventually be able to drop into my iMac Core Duo in the future as an upgrade? I would like to perhaps tie a nice hardware upgrade at the same time as the next version of OSX comes out.
yeah b, I agree. Apple very easily could compete with SONY in the HDTV market.
I am enjoying how quickly INtel is moving with these procs! Very cool.
“They’re probably waiting for inventory of existing MacBook Pros to sell down and/or for the official announcement to come from Intel.”
Is there writer that much of an idiot? Apple is waiting for WWDC.
Someone please confirm? Are these new chips 64 bit? Was Yonah 32 bit?
Apple is NOT waiting for WWDC to introduce new MBPs. There is too much to show already and they don’t want to draw attention from Leopard or have the new MBPs get “lost” in the news. They will either announce next week to create some WWDC buzz and then ship in a couple of weeks or they will do just what O’Grady is saying (which I and others have thoughts all along) and just wait for a couple of weeks after the buzz has died. At the point people will know what to expect from Leopard and are going to be juiced to get a new pro machine (desktop or laptop) that will be able to shine when leopard is released iin January. I think he’s spot on.
Gil,
See “Related MacDailyNews articles.” That’s why they’re listed.
Oh, forget it. Go here, read it, and then click the link for the full article for more:
PC Mag: ‘Top Ten’ list of things to know about Intel’s new Core 2 Duo processors – July 07, 2006
G-Spank,
You didn’t get it. You didn’t get it at all.
-TFMG
perhaps a decently priced Apple branded projector..
If I can’t get 4 GB of RAM in a 17″ MBP, it isn’t much of an upgrade.
Thanks Wise@ss
First we were PPC G4 (32 bit), PPC G5 (64 bit), Intel Core Duo (32 bit) and now Intel Core 2 Duo (64 bit). (in the background my head just exploded).
Gone are the days, I suppose, when your Mac laptop would at least be top of the line for a year…
yes, yes, yes. but when are we going to see the iPod inviso???
I was thinking the same thing-as nice as the future is with Intel chips, one of the nice things about my switch from Doze was the ability to have the top of the line chip for longer than it took me to learn the ins and outs of the new box.
That is a ridiculously selfish, and idiotic way to look at the processor switch.
What morons you people are.
so tell me about the pin compatibility of the Core 2 Duo with the current Core Duos. I have a 20″ iMac Core Duo and wouldn’t mind the ability to upgrade. Anybody keen on this information?
For those who may not know, Merom is both a region in Israel’s Galilee and the name of a Biblical lake in the Hula Valley. The chip was designed by Intel’s development centers in Israel. Developers from Intel’s Haifa center are currently working from underground facilities linked by wireless while rockets continue falling on Haifa and the Galilee. Microsoft sent most of their folks home. FYI
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3278630,00.html
Glad I’ve waited till upgrading to the MBP from the iBook…will there be a corresponding jump in price though? (Need to figure out how much to ask for the iBook when I put it on eBay; the fact that it’s still got the dial-up modem port might make it a good value…)
I don’t care what they call a new chip as long as you see a meaningful gain in performance. And I would mind a new laptop that doesn’t burn a hole right through my underwear. Now that would be an upgrade worth having.
and of course ! meant to say wouldn’t mind
marcus arelius: so tell me about the pin compatibility of the Core 2 Duo with the current Core Duos. I have a 20″ iMac Core Duo and wouldn’t mind the ability to upgrade.
As far as I’m aware the chips are interchangeable – you can replace a Yonah CPU by a Merom later on.
This doesn’t work as easily, however, with the soldered-in notebook chips (although upgrade services may be offered by suitably equipped companies as well).
Intel is cranking out its new processors faster than expected and AMD is slashing prices by as much as 57%. I hope that this translates into faster, cooler, and cheaper chips for Macs.