Hasta La Gadget!

The rumor gears are really starting to churn with regard Apple’s upcoming MacBook Pro refresh and now we have a purported leak of the upcoming spec sheet for the new 13-inch model. The highlight is a note (and image, above) seemingly confirming that Apple will implement Intel’s Light Peak high-speed interconnect, renaming it the Thunderbolt. Yes, we know there’s an HTC handset headed to Verizon with that very same name — and we’ve checked the USPTO archives, Verizon’s the only tech company with any trademark claim filed for “Thunderbolt” — but Apple has done weirder things before. Also notable are the apparent inclusion of an SDXC card reader and the absence of a discrete GPU chip, indicating that perhaps the new Core i5 integrated graphics from Intel are finally good enough to convince Cupertino to rely on them full time. Jump past the break to see the full data sheet.

Update: We now have an image claiming to show the new Thunderbolt port, which happens to look exactly like the Mini DisplayPort but has a tidy little lightning logo next to it. That’s extremely easy to Photoshop, as is the accompanying photo displaying a broader trackpad on the MBP, but we’ll let you judge the validity of those images for yourself. Check them out after the break.

Update 2: One more image of the spec sheet, this time in English, provided by MacRumors along with the note that it’s for the “low-end” 13-inch MacBook Pro. The doc states that the Thunderbolt port supports “high-speed I/O and Mini DisplayPort devices,” which would explain why it looks the way it does.

[Thanks, Leon and Rodney]

Continue reading Apple’s Light Peak implementation called Thunderbolt, coming in new MacBook Pros?

Apple’s Light Peak implementation called Thunderbolt, coming in new MacBook Pros? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Feb 2011 06:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Saying that the Motorola Atrix is the best Android phone isn’t a big deal; that throne gets usurped every few months. But even though the Atrix’s accompanying laptop dock is slow and and expensive, the idea behind it is one of the first innovations in mobile technology in quite a while. More »

Excuse us for a moment while we ponder Sony’s product naming scheme. The company’s VAIO S thin-and-light laptop range got upgraded specs at CES this January, which also happened to be the place and time that we first laid eyes on a set of “prototype” machines that seemed to target the same market segment. Lo and behold, after making some cameos at European online listings, the newly redesigned Sony 13-inchers are here, only they’re still called… the VAIO S Series. For the trouble of figuring out which is which, you’ll be rewarded with a 3.9-pound mobile computer with a 1366 x 768 screen, a 500GB hard drive, 4GB of 1333MHz DDR3 RAM, 802.11n WiFi, optional VAIO “everywair” 3G, a Radeon HD 6470M GPU with up to 1GB of dedicated memory, and what will presumably be a selection of Core i5 CPUs from Intel (at present we’re only seeing the i5-2410M listed). Windows 7 is the inevitable OS on board, though Sony’s enhanced it with a Fast Boot sequence that’s said to halve the usual bootup time. Launch is scheduled for the end of March and you’ll find a full spec sheet and release after the break.

Continue reading Sony VAIO S Series get an updated design, Core i5-2410M CPU and Radeon HD 6470M graphics

Sony VAIO S Series get an updated design, Core i5-2410M CPU and Radeon HD 6470M graphics originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Feb 2011 04:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sure, it was only about four months ago that Dell released its XPS 14, but unfortunately, those looking to snatch up the Core i5, NVIDIA GeForce 400M-powered laptop today will have a mighty hard time. Some keen-eyed tipsters noticed that Dell’s 14-inch mainstream system was out of stock, and a quick call to one of our friends at Dell confirmed that the smallest version of the series won’t actually be making a comeback. However, that’s not because the system didn’t sell well — Dell maintains that it actually exceeded sales expectations. Considering it was a very aggressively priced rig that doesn’t really surprise us, but why not bring it back? That’s where things get interesting, and we’ll give you Dell’s exact quote on this one…

“With the transition to Sandy Bridge technology, we chose to re-focus our efforts on incorporating this feedback into future thin and light products launching later this year. Stay tuned!”

Yep, it seems like Dell is gearing up to bring some Adamo qualities back in to the XPS brand, which is actually what were told last year when the company killed off the Adamo brand altogether. We’re staying tuned alright!

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Dell XPS 14 discontinued, will be replaced with something thinner and lighter originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 20 Feb 2011 23:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Welcome back to our annual tradition of speculating on just when and how Apple will freshen up its laptop range. AppleInsider is citing multiple sources today in support of its assertion that the MacBook Pro line will be getting upgraded by Apple, potentially as soon as next week. The Mac OS vendor is reportedly briefing folks to be ready for a “significant product launch” soon, which is narrowed down to its laptop division by a couple more pieces of circumstantial evidence. Apple’s Asian online stores have shifted their promised MBP delivery times from 24 hours to “one to five days,” indicating potentially lower stock quantities, while Italian blog iSpazio has dug up five new product SKUs that could be the markers for new laptop models. None of that sets anything in stone, of course, but we’re also hearing the expected upgrade to Sandy Bridge won’t afflict Apple’s new machines with that Cougar Point chipset flaw, so whenever Apple deigns to bring us this upgrade it should be nice and pristine.

MacBook Pros may be in for an imminent refresh, about time too originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Feb 2011 16:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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