Intel’s product roadmap reveals some clues to future Apple’ products

Apple Store“As always, Apple is tight-lipped on future product plans, but a good look at Intel’s product roadmap may reveal some clues,” Daniel Drew Turner reports for eWeek.

Turner reports, “Apple has legendarily been mum on its future product plans, but its relatively recent switch to Intel processors in its Macintosh line of computers has tied these products, as least in processor capabilities, to Intel’s public product plans.”

“Though Apple will no doubt have surprises to reveal, looking at Intel’s plans can at least give hints as to when Mac users could expect to see big jumps ahead.

“It should be noted that the release of a new Intel processor may not mean immediate availability of Apple products sporting these changes. For example, Intel introduced its Core 2 Duo line, supplanting the Core Duo, in July 2006; however, Apple did not release Core 2 Duo-equipped MacBook Pros and MacBooks until October and November of that year, respectively,” Turner reports.

Turner reports, “Still, 2007 could show a great deal of promise for Apple.”

Full article here.

[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “LinuxGuy and Mac Prodigal Son” for the heads up.]

Related articles:
RUMOR: Apple prepping completely redesigned Intel Mac Pro, new display line – February 14, 2007
RUMOR: Intel’s breakthrough ‘Penryn’ processor family coming six months early – first half 2007 – February 11, 2007
Intel reinvents the transistor – January 28, 2007
Intel announces breakthrough ‘Penryn’ processor family; slated for production in second half 2007 – January 27, 2007
Intel processor breakthrough biggest chip advance in 40 years; coming before year end – January 27, 2007
Intel to announce processor breakthrough; new chips will run faster, consume less power – January 27, 2007
Intel pledges 80-core processor within five years – September 26, 2006
Apple chose well: Anandtech – Intel Core 2 Duo ‘the fastest desktop processor we’ve ever tested’ – July 14, 2006
Apple chose well: Intel poised to take massive lead across the board over AMD – June 07, 2006
Intel first to demonstrate working 45nm chips – January 26, 2006
Intel-based Macs running both Mac OS X and Windows will be good for Apple – June 10, 2005
Apple to use Intel microprocessors beginning in 2006, all Macs to be Intel-based by end of 2007 – June 06, 2005

14 Comments

  1. Just because Intel released the Core 2 Duo in July didn’t mean that they had enough of the processors in the channel in order for Apple to immediately release systems with them at that time. It takes 2-3 months sometimes for Intel to ramp up enough production for everyone to get the chips.

  2. Turner states that Core 2 Duo chips did not make it into the laptops immediately. I don’t recall, but would imagine that they were used in the desktop machines first. Were low power laptop versions of the chip available immediately?

  3. I can hardly believe some of the comments being made by posters. This is an excellent article. So many of the rumors posted run afoul of the realities of what is actually available to Apple and when those things are available. Apple chose wisely when it moved to Intel for CPUs. Apple was screwed by every other supplier. But concocting rumors as if Apple had instant access to all of its wet dreams goes too far. This article should serve as a guide to judging if rumors have much chance of being true or not or even being possible or not.

  4. Yes, legendarily IS a word. All this article points out is: whatever Intel is doing will indicate what kind of capabilities the new Apple products will have.

    It also means we STILL get to wait for the WWDC’s and other *early Christmases* with just as much impatience as before. 😀

    ~War is Peace

Reader Feedback

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.