Hi,
The strange thing is that Mac Rumors talks up the Core i5 2537m, which actually was launched back in February and is already used in the Samsung series 9. In a
review, CNET Asia determines the performance to be about the same as the current MBA 13". Fudzilla writes about the i7 2657M as the top model. According to the
Intel site, this one was also launched in Q1, but I can't find reviews of laptops that are actually shipping with this processor. It has the same 17W TDP, integrated graphics etc launch price $317. Clock speed is 1.6GHz, with one variation (the 2617M at 1.5GHz for $289).
There are a couple of considerations about these processors. On their own, they consume more than the current 10W processor in the MBA 11". That may mean the laptop could become hotter, even if the 20W NVidia 320M can be removed, because the heat is more localised in one spot instead of in 2 chips. Also, the price (particularly of the 2657M) is quite high. Add to that a bigger SSD and we'll probably see much more capable, but much more expensive MBAs.
As for the impact on the Apple notebook range, I can't see Apple pulling out of the market segment around $1000. I expect them to launch a new but rather low spec 11" and a more expensive one, like they have now, but with a much bigger step between the two models. For example, the baseline one could be the i5 with a 128GB SSD and the higher end one would have a 256GB SSD with an i7 option (say, the 2617M). The 13" would get this processor by default, maybe adding a more powerful graphics accelerator (but that's really speculation). The higher end 13" has the option of upgrading to the 2657M. If Apple gets good prices on their components, this could mean the end of the white MacBook, because these new MBAs will whip its pants.
I certainly hope that all models will be able to take at least 8GB.
Peter.
