Apple MacBook

Roundup: Apple MacBook rumors

by Vincent Chang | 15 May 2012

Since Apple announced the dates for this year's WWDC, there has been speculation whether the notoriously-secretive company would be introducing any new products at the event. Apple's annual developers conference covers both iOS and OS X, which suggests either new laptops or the next iPhone. Of course, it's possible that just like last year, there won't be any hardware announcements at the event.

However, there are reasons for us to be optimistic. Recent rumors indicate that new MacBooks are imminent and given how prescient such rumors can be nowadays--the ones about the latest iPad were mostly accurate--we are reasonably confident that Apple's notebook refresh will be coming next month. Here's what you can probably expect from the new MacBooks.

A thinner design

According to Bloomberg, the new MacBooks will feature a slimmer chassis powered by Intel's latest third-generation Core-i processors, codenamed Ivy Bridge. 

The choice of processors is a no-brainer. PC laptops with quad-core versions of these Ivy Bridge processors are already in the market--you can find our regularly updated list here--and with Intel holding back on the dual-core and ultra-low-power models till June, it only makes sense that the new MacBooks will feature these chips. If you need more persuading, there are some screenshots from Geekbench, though note that these could still be fake.

With Ivy Bridge processors and its chipsets featuring native USB 3.0 support, the USB 2.0 ports on MacBooks will probably get the upgrade. Despite the fact that its Thunderbolt technology hasn't been widely adopted, Apple is likely to keep faith with Thunderbolt. However,the thinner chassis could lead to the removal of the Ethernet port, which if you remember, is available on the Air only via an adapter.

Apple last revamped the design of the MacBook Pro in 2008 and since then, it has been frequently imitated (though often, unsuccesfully) by others. With the increased competition posed by sleekUltrabooks, especially the mainstream 14-inch and larger models that are most similar to MacBook Pros, the time is ripe for change.

To achieve this thinner design, it is speculated that Apple will ditch the optical drive on the MacBook Pro. It's a logical move, particularly as Apple has championed its online store in favor of physical media. The company doesn't even ship Blu-ray drives with its laptops and there's no native support in the operating system. 

Of course, removing the optical drive would blur the lines further between the 13.3-inch MacBook Air and the equivalent MacBook Pro, which brings us to the next rumor tidbit.

Nvidia graphics

The next MacBook Pro will come with the latest Nvidia discrete graphics. If both The Verge and ABC News are to be believed, this is not just a rumor, it's a fact. Instead, the uncertainty is about the specific Nvidia graphics chip, with the GeForce GT 650M identified as a possible candidate.

Using this chip would mean that the MacBook Pro would perform similarly to the HP Pavilion dv6, which comes with a quad-core Ivy Bridge processor and identical GT 650M graphics. We're pretty confident that you'll be able to play some of the latest games on this configuration at medium settings. It would also be perfect for Blizzard's latest blockbuster, Diablo 3, which incidentally is available natively on OS X. 

We suspect that the discrete graphics option will not be available for the MacBook Air. This would provide a crucial distinction between the two series and ensure that the more portable Air would have good battery life. Besides, Intel's latest HD Graphics 4000 isn't too shabby and it's probably capable enough for less graphically intensive games.

Retina Display

It seems inevitable after the latest iPad that Apple would have to increase the screen resolution on its laptops to match the Retina Display on its tablet. We have been hearing that MacBooks would be getting an ultra-high resolution display since last year, but the 2,880 x 1,800-pixel screen that has been reported seems a bit far-fetched. 

The latest rumors haven't exactly stated any specific screen resolution, but we feel that anything less than 1,920 x 1,080 pixels would be disappointing. After all, even Asus' upcoming Ultrabooks will have full-HD displays.

To add to the chorus of rumors surrounding this high-resolution display, users testing the developer preview of OS X Mountain Lion, the next version of Apple's operating system, have reported finding high-resolution icons and other graphics resources designed for a Retina-class display.

OS X Mountain LionHowever, the main task of a graphics chip is to drive the laptop display and if the rumors are to be believed, it's going to be some screen. In short, a Retina-class display.

Given the need for Retina-class graphics assets, we believe that Mountain Lion will be ready in time for the new MacBooks. WWDC is after all a developers conference, so it's likely that the next version of OS X would be a key highlight. Apple previously launched OS X Lion together with the current MacBook Air, so it's reasonable to assume that the company will once again bundle the new OS with the refreshed MacBooks. This would help drive sales of the new notebooks.