Apple Watch: New MacBook Pros, iPads Coming

Ken — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 16:57:12 +0000

It's being widely reported that there will be a new MacBook Pro lineup tomorrow. A German site has posted what may be the tech specs for the 13" model. Key stats: Intel Core i5 CPU at 2.3 GHz, "Sandy Bridge" chipset with Intel HD3000 graphics, and a new "Thunderbolt" connector (which is Apple's name for the copper version of what Intel calls Light Peak... it's a high-speed interface for peripherals that may eventually replace USB, Firewire, SATA, and HDMI). The new connector would only make sense if there are peripherals designed to connect to it, so keep an eye out for a new Apple Display, or perhaps external hard drive options from third-party manufacturers.

An earlier report suggested that some of the MacBook Pro models may incorporate a small (8-16 GB) SSD designed to store the operating system installation only; this would allow for fast bootup times but still allow for larger and less expensive conventional hard drives. It seems plausible but there's no hard evidence for this yet. There were also reports that the optical drive might be removed, a la the MacBook Air. This seems unlikely.

Meanwhile, Apple has a media event scheduled for March 2; it's quite obvious that this will be an iPad 2 introduction.

There's also a rumor that Apple has scheduled a secret all-employees meeting for Sunday. I'm speculating that Apple will start rolling out an iPhone-based point of sale system, but most Internet rumor sites are pointing to a new business-oriented Genius Bar concept called "Joint Venture"; the idea is that Apple would provide businesses with a paid support option that includes on-site visits.

Finally... Steve Jobs: not dead yet. He thinks he'll go for a walk.

Stay tuned for more news!