Rumors are still circulating about the upcoming refresh of the Apple Macbook Pro 2011. The shipments are allegedly in and retailers and consumers are just waiting with bated breath for Apple to make the official announcement.
One of the primary new features many are looking for is the implementation of Intel’s Light Peak high-speed interconnect technology. According to a leaked spec sheet, Apple is calling their implementation “Thunderbolt,” which is already trademarked by Verizon for their upcoming HTC handset, so the entire situation seems weird.
Some of the specs for the new Macbook:
- 2.3GHz Core i5 Processor
- 4 GB DDR3 @ 1333 MHz
- 320 GB HDD
- 13.3-inch display @ 1280×800 pixels
- Intel HD Graphics 3000 with 384 MB shared memory
- FaceTime high-definition camera
- Thunderbolt connector supporting High-Speed-E/A and MiniDisplay-Port devices
- SDXC, Firewire 800, and two USB 2.0 slots
- Backlit keyboard
- 2.04kg weight
What is Light Peak?
Light Peak is a new high-speed data transfer technology that could replace all of those random ports running up and down the sides of your laptop. AppleInsider offers a good description:
Apple and Intel have been publicly working together to deploy Light Peak for years, with Intel first demonstrating the technology on a Mac desktop system. Apple reportedly asked Intel to develop a new cabling standard with the ability to handle “massive amounts of data,” and serve as a replacement for a variety of ports now in use, including USB, Ethernet, FireWire, and DisplayPort.
Intel has aimed the technology at achieving 100Gbps throughput via light using fibre optic strands, reflected in the technology’s moniker. But Apple is rumored to be using an electrical variant using copper wire that can achieve 10Gbps, and has filed patents that describe lower powered mobile versions suitable for devices like iPad.
At any rate, there is also an image allegedly showing what this Thunderbolt port looks like. It looks just like the MiniDisplay Port with a shiny new lightning bolt symbol next to it. Very easy to fake, but is good for keeping the buzz going.
