Intel Mac rumors everywhere

[Magnus]

The frenzy before the MacWorld Expo starting January 9 in San Francisco is worse than usual. The reason is of course that everyone seems to think that Macs based on Intel chips will be announced.

Hardmac.com reports that the 12-inch iBook is listed as "End-of-Life" in France, hinting that the Intel iBook is imminent.

Amanda Cantrell writes for CNN Money:

"I don't have any independent confirmation on that, but I'd say it's a pretty good bet," said Roger Kay, an analyst with Endpoint Technologies. Kay added that Apple may bill the Intel Mac as the penultimate announcement, but then tack on a surprise announcement following that, a formula he said Apple has down cold.

"They try to roll out (new products) at a pace where just as you're catching your breath with the last one you get whacked with the next one," he said.

Gardner believes the Intel Mac launch will coincide with the introduction of Intel's new dual core "Yonah" processors at the Consumer Electronics Show, being held the previous week in Las Vegas. He thinks Apple's PowerBook will be the first product line to get Intel chips.

NEC has announced plans to launch Intel Yonah (which is what the rumored Intel Mac notebooks will use) based laptops:

NEC Corp. disclosed plans on Monday for its first laptop computer based on Intel Corp.'s Yonah dual-core mobile processor. Yonah is the code-name for the dual-core version of Intel's Pentium M processor for laptops and small desktops. The chip is scheduled for release in the first quarter of 2006 and is expected to be one of Intel's main new products for next year.

The Lavie RX LR900 laptop was announced on the same day as NEC's 2006 PC lineup. The company disclosed full technical details for the computer with the exception of the processor and chip set, which it listed as Yonah and Mobile Intel 945 Express family, respectively.

NEC said the LR900 will be based on Windows XP Home Edition, come with 512MB of main memory and a 100GB hard-disk drive. It will have a 14.1-in. LCD, DVD Super Multi drive (DVD-R/+R, DVD-RAM, DVD-RW/+RW), 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The machine will weigh about 2 kilograms, and the battery will provide enough power to last about four hours.

Anandtech has tested the Yonah and come to some interesting conclusions:

With updated benchmarks and a more level playing field comparison to the Pentium M and Athlon 64 X2, we're truly able to see the potential of Intel's Core Duo processor. Our initial analysis still holds true, that for a notebook processor, the Core Duo will be nothing short of amazing for professionals. Looking at the performance improvements offered everywhere from media encoding to 3D rendering, you're going to be able to do a lot more on your notebook than you originally thought possible (without resorting to a 12-pound desktop replacement). In the past, power users on the go had to sacrifice mobility for CPU power, but with the Core Duo, that is no longer the case. You will still most likely have to resort to something larger if you need better GPU performance, but at least your CPU needs will be covered. The one thing that Intel's Core Duo seems to be able to do very well is to truly bridge the gap between mobile and desktop performance, at least in thin and light packages.