Filed under: Hardware, MacBook Air
MacBook Air to get 'imminent' speed bump?
PhoneNews claims they can "confirm" that Apple will speed-bump the MacBook Air with a Penryn-class Intel Core 2 Duo processor, increasing the clock speed to 2 GHz and up. The story also notes that, since the processor requires more power, the Air will ship with a higher-capacity battery and 60-watt power adapter.
Engadget goes further, noting that clock speeds could (theoretically) reach 3.06GHz. Also, they speculate that the Air could feature improved integrated graphics if it adopts the Intel Centrino 2 chipset.
Alternatively, Engadget notes that Intel plans to release several flavors of low-voltage Penryn chips in September, which might indeed be slated for the MacBook Air. Using these chips, however, would decrease the power requirements noted by PhoneNews, not increase them.
PhoneNews says national retailers have been alerted "to be prepared for the upgrade." This may be part of several laptop announcements rumored to be happening in September.
[Via IGM.]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Corey said 1:18PM on 8-14-2008
Buying an Air as soon as the speed bump + better graphics + 128GB SSD drops.
So I hope this is true.
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punkassjim said 1:44PM on 8-14-2008
Apple doesn't alert retailers "to be prepared for the upgrade." It just doesn't happen.
I'm sure it'll get a speed bump sooner or later, but yeah...
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nick said 2:01PM on 8-14-2008
it's about time apple seemed to get at least somewhat more interested in computers again and not the iPhone. i'm so tired of hearing about nothing but the iPhone when apple's notebooks and displays have been untouched for years now!
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Chad Zeluff said 2:10PM on 8-14-2008
Couldn't agree more. I love my iPhone, but yeah...
required said 2:32PM on 8-14-2008
Won't the speed bump make it thicker? I hope they implement a speed increase instead.
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Nick said 2:44PM on 8-14-2008
How about a price drop on a laptops...
I'm still dreaming for a 13" macbook pro...
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john said 2:44PM on 8-14-2008
if only they would do the same for the mac mini
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nick said 2:45PM on 8-14-2008
oh and a nice tablet too
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Simon Arch said 4:41PM on 8-14-2008
3ghz? "Introducing the MacBook Air, Griddle Edition!"
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Michael Jennings said 5:12PM on 8-14-2008
>however the hard drive version of the
>MacBook Air will likely be upgraded
>to 120 GB, and optionally 160 GB,
>due to falling prices for 1.8-inch hard drives.
This is the bit that makes me question the whole article. The reason that the hard drive capacity on the Air tops out at 80Gb is not the cost of 1.8 inch drives, but the fact that the Air is so thin that a single platter 1.8 inch hard drive is all that will fit in the enclosure and 80Gb drives are the largest that exist. These have been around for just on a year, so it wouldn't surprise me at all if Toshiba or Samsung have a 100Gb drive in time for the next Air. 120Gb strikes me as just possible (but not very likely), but a 160Gb single platter drive just isn't going to happen on that timescale. (Toshiba does have a 5400rpm single platter 80Gb drive though. That would certainly improve performance but not capacity).
I don't believe the "full power Penryn" part either. The low voltage chips will give speeds at least as good as the present Air but with less heat and longer battery life. I think that means more to the market for the Air that a bit more CPU speed.
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Dave S said 9:32PM on 8-14-2008
The speed bump may be "imminent", but you can't get an "imminent" speed bump.
I'm not usually the grammar police, but come on TUAW.
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Kahless said 10:33PM on 8-14-2008
Maybe the MacBook Air IS the new MacBook?
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zerocalories said 2:28AM on 8-15-2008
A new model would be nice. Then the price of the 1.6Ghz would go down.
http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/B0006HU4DK/ansi-20/
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