Taking into account the surge in popularity, the rumors that Apple will either add a 15-inch MacBook Air or slim down its MacBook Pro line don't come as much of a surprise. What about Apple's plans for future MacBook Airs? They could include ARM chips, SemiAccurate also claimed. Instead, the MacBook Air, which Apple debuted back in July, is supported by Intel's Sandy Bridge i5 and i7 processors with integrated graphics. "Sources indicate that ARM CPUs are still on tap as soon as the 64-bit chips show up," SemiAccurate also said. One thing is certain: the MacBook Air isn't going anywhere.
According to a Morgan Stanley report that surfaced last week, these ultra-thin laptops now comprise 28 percent of Apple's notebook shipments, up from just 8 percent in the first six months of 2011.The uptick was most likely prompted by Apple's summer update to the Air line.
For more from Leslie, follow her on Twitter @LesHorn.
For the top stories in tech, follow us on Twitter at @PCMag.
Apple's current MacBook Air isn't the original notebook the company had planned. SemiAccurate has claimed Apple had a MacBook Air based on Advanced Micro Devices' (AMD) Llano chip very close to production last spring, but it cancelled it last minute.
"If you are wondering why the Air wasn't really revamped much this last time, it is because you are looking at plan b," SemiAccurate wrote. "Plan A was basically a low power Llano in an Air shell, and that would have been a really tasty machine."
So just why didn't Apple go the AMD route? SemiAccurate said that "AMD dropped the ball." On top of that, Apple allegedly had concerns with supply, and it ultimately chose Intel over AMD.
Apple did not respond to questions about its chip choices.
From http://www.pcmag.com
0 comments:
Post a Comment