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It’s no secret that Apple refreshes its MacBook and iMac line-ups on a near-yearly basis, so we know that new ones are expected at some point during 2012.
We’ve also heard plenty of rumours about a new breed of MacBook Pros, which will be slimmer, lighter and faster according to many in ‘the know’. Faster is now a certainty thanks to results for some new, as yet unannounced iMac and MacBook Pro models showing up in benchmarking software.
GeekBench is a very popular piece of software used to test how fast, powerful and capable a computer is, and recently somebody submitted some test scores from unknown Mac models. First, a ‘iMac,13,2’ was tested, which is reportedly the new 27-inch iMac with a new quad-core Intel Core i7-3770 processor running at 3.4GHz.
Scores for a 13-inch MacBook Pro with a new quad-core Intel Core i7-3820QM running at 2.7GHz also surfaced on GeekBench. The new MacBook Pro was also interestingly running a version of Apple’s forthcoming OS X update called Mountain Lion, so this could be very close to the finished product.
The current crop of MacBook Pro laptops uses Intel’s Core processors, although they are based on a slightly older ‘Sandy Bridge’ chipset. The new ‘Ivy Bridge processors have a 10-15% increase in power over the current range, and the integrated Intel HD graphics processing shows a whopping 20-100% (depending on the situation) improvement over the Intel HD 3000 chip currently found in the MacBook Pro and MacBook air.
A big jump in graphics power is likely to be linked to another feature in the 2012 range of MacBook Pro – a high resolution Retina Display. This has been hinted at by high resolution app icons found in the developer version of OS X 10.8.
With Apple expected to slim down the MacBook Pro, many anticipate the CD drive to be thrown out in favour of more flash memory and cloud storage with iCloud. 9to5mac confirms this, reporting that Apple will launch a new 15-inch MacBook Pro this summer with an Ivy Bridge processor, Retina Display, slimmer design and faster USB 3.0 connectivity.
The company may reveal new MacBook Pro and iMac models at WWDC next month, along with Mountain Lion, the next major OS X update. What would you like to see in the new models?
UPDATE:
Bloomberg has confirmed that Apple will indeed launch new MacBook Pro models at its WWDC event next month. Quoting sources familiar with the company – which is probably actually Apple themselves, they sometimes provide ‘controlled leaks’ of information to high profile publications – Bloomberg reports that Apple will launch ultra-thin models with Retina Displays:
The MacBook Pro machines, to be unveiled at Apple’s annual developers conference starting June 11, also will feature high- definition screens like those on the iPhone and iPad, as well as flash memory to cut startup times and extend battery life, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the plans haven’t been made public.
Let us know your thoughts on our comments below or via our @Gadget_Helpline Twitter page or Official Facebook group.
Via: Slashgear
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