Intel made a quiet release of an updated processor price list this week, according to AnandTech. The list included several Skylake chips that could be used in an updated 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro.
Intel Skylake to power MacBook
Several quad-core chip options could be used in the 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro, including a 2.6 GHz Core i7-6770HQ, a 2.7 GHz Core i7-6870HQ, and a 2.8 GHz Core i7-6970HQ. The pricing of all of them is the same as the Haswell variants that are currently used in the MacBook Pro.
Intel could also release a series of new mobile Xeon E3 chips. Though the chances of this happening are slim, the idea is more intriguing. Though these chips improve the performance of the CPU, graphics and memory, the pricing is an important issue with these highest performing chips in the family.
Intel has made several performance improvements in the new Skylake platform, which is a follow-up to its Broadwell. The new platform helps boost CPU speed by 10% to 20% and integrated graphic chips speed by 16% to 41%. With its smaller 14-nanometer architecture, it also continues the trend towards efficient power use. This platform also has the ability to increase battery life by as much as 30%.
Mac lineup update long overdue
In September, Intel made an announcement regarding the chips appropriate for the 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro, but it also suggests that it wouldn’t launch the chips until early 2016. Though these chips have been in its price lists for several months, they have been slow to show up.
Apple’s Mac lineup needs an update, but Intel’s Skylake delay has hampered Apple’s ability to launch refreshed models. Now the Skylake logjam has started breaking finally, so Apple is expected update its entire notebook lineup over the next several months. It is possible that Apple will introduce major products at the rumored March media event or at WWDC, which is scheduled to take place in mid-June.
Recently, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted that Apple will push its MacBook line up sales this year, helped by upgrades arriving in June, says a report from Apple Insider.
On Wednesday, Intel shares closed down 0.43% at $29.81. Year to date, the stock is down by over 13%, while in the last year, it is down by over 18%.
