Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News
    • Mobile
    • Networking
    • PC Hardware
    • Storage

    Apple MacBooks Will Use Intel ‘Sandy Bridge’ Processors: Report

    By
    Nicholas Kolakowski
    -
    December 9, 2010
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Apple will use Intel’s Sandy Bridge processors in its new MacBooks, replacing the current models’ Nvidia GPUs, according to one online report.

      “MacBook models with screen sizes of 13 inches and below are expected to switch to Sandy Bridge-only graphics,” reads the Dec. 9 posting on CNET, which cites unnamed industry sources apparently familiar with Apple’s roadmap, “while higher-end MacBook Pros are expected to use graphics from Advanced Micro Devices.” The presence of Nvidia in those higher-end MacBooks is “unclear.”

      Sandy Bridge is Intel’s attempt to integrate a number of nominally separate processor features, including graphics and management, onto a 32-nanometer chip. “Basically, we are very much putting together all that is required on a single piece of silicon,” David Perlmutter, executive vice president and general manager of the Intel Architecture Group, explained in September.

      Intel’s Turbo Boost technology, which increases power in individual cores based on workload demand, will allow Sandy Bridge to increase core power beyond thermal limits. And with its $7.68 billion acquisition of security IT provider McAfee earlier this year, Intel will almost certainly integrate increased security features into its upcoming offerings.

      Intel CEO Paul Otellini has spent the past several months trumpeting Sandy Bridge’s performance, even suggesting during an October earnings call that the processor represents “the largest increase in computing performance in our history.”

      Intel is also prepping an “Oak Trail” Atom microprocessor aimed at tablets and other form-factors. The general expectation is that, once that chip is released in 2011, companies like Microsoft will use it to aggressively push into the tablet space. “Oak Trail is designed to be lower power,” Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer told analysts during this summer’s Financial Analyst Meeting. “Lower power is good in a lot of ways. It leads to longer battery life, no fan, lower kind of noise levels, a lot less weight-a lot of things people like.”

      For its part, Apple engages a number of processor options for its products. The company’s bestselling iPad runs on the proprietary A4 microprocessor, which research firm iSuppli once suggested allows “the design of a system with a minimal space and cost dedicated to core electronics.”

      Intel competitor AMD is prepping Fusion APUs (Accelerated Processing Units) under the code-names Llano and Ontario, due out in the first half of 2011, which will also consolidate computing and graphics technologies onto a single die.

      Nicholas Kolakowski
      Nicholas Kolakowski is a staff editor at eWEEK, covering Microsoft and other companies in the enterprise space, as well as evolving technology such as tablet PCs. His work has appeared in The Washington Post, Playboy, WebMD, AARP the Magazine, AutoWeek, Washington City Paper, Trader Monthly, and Private Air. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Big Data and Analytics

      Alteryx’s Suresh Vittal on the Democratization of...

      James Maguire - May 31, 2022 0
      I spoke with Suresh Vittal, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx, about the industry mega-shift toward making data analytics tools accessible to a company’s complete...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×