Hasta La Gadget!

Today’s big Apple rumor concerns Intel’s super-fast Light Peak connection, an optical (or copper) cable which can transmit just about anything along its skinny length. The rumor goes, quite convincingly, that the new range of MacBook Pros expected Thursday will incorporate Light Peak, and that Apple will rename it “Thunderbolt.” Then the rumors start to go awry.

The evidence consists of a supposedly leaked spec sheet for the new machine, along with a photograph of the actual Thunderbolt port and a screenshot of a promo page. Of these, the Thunderbolt logo looks pretty good, the port looks like it is a Mini DisplayPort with an icon Photoshoppped next to it, and the specs may or may not be legit.

Light Peak allows multiple protocols to travel along the same wire, where they are interpreted by a chip inside the computer. Thus you could plug displays, USB printers and even iPods into the same port. It is also faster than USB 3.0. It’s easy to see what the minimalist Apple likes about it.

The German language specs amy be real. In them, the Thunderbolt port is combined with the Mini DisplayPort connector, which fits with the photo of the port at least.

Possibly leaked specs of new 13 inch MacBook Pro from FSCKLOG

I’m skeptical of the photo, but the name and logo both have a ring of truth about them. Couple this with reports that Intel is launching Light Peak this Thursday and we have a pretty good pile of clues. And if Apple does launch Thunderbolt, how long will it be before it replaces the decrepit 30-pin dock connector?

The photo of the new port Thunderbolt! [Mac4Ever]

Photo: Specs of the new 13 “MBP with Core i5 and Thunderbolt port [FSCKlog]

See Also:

• Intel's Light Peak Technology Could Kill USB 3.0
• High-Speed Laser Chips Move Data at 50 Gbps

Apple fans! Apple detractors too! Exciting new stuff is almost here. Keyboards around the world are clacking with anticipation over new MacBooks and iPads—but rather than scouring the internet wastes, check out everything you need to know below. More »

Best Buy’s laptop discovery tool is doing a slightly overzealous job this morning by listing a set of “new SKU” laptops from Apple Computer before said company has had a chance to announce them. This seems to corroborate recent rumors of a MacBook Pro refresh coming next week, as do the $1,199, $1,499, $1,799, and $2,199 price points, all of which are presently occupied by current-gen 13- and 15-inch MBP variants. There is an additional $2,499 sticker for a laptop identified only as “New SKU I,” which presumably points to an upgrade to Apple’s 17-incher. Regrettably, there’s nothing more than the pricing for us to go on, but feel free to fill your time until Best Buy populates its listings with speculation about the hot new processing, storage, and interconnect options Apple might have in store for us.

[Thanks, Michael]

Best Buy adding new Apple laptop SKUs to its systems, foreshadows MacBook Pro refresh originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 20 Feb 2011 08:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple isn’t much of one for customer surveys, but this recent missive to select MacBook Air owners has all sorts of goodies inside it. Most notable is the large amount of questions on 3G data connectivity, a feature that Apple has so far avoided adding to any of its laptops, even though it sells a tablet computer with the functionality. Interestingly, Apple has waited so long on this feature that its primary objection — the need to pick a specific carrier over another — has disappeared thanks to Qualcomm’s Gobi chipset. On the other hand, most people get 3G data onto their laptops these days through tethering, whether it be with their phone or a dedicated MiFi-style device, and Apple’s survey seems to be designed to pick up on the prevalence of all these tendencies. Other aspects of the survey deal with data storage and syncing (MobileMe and Dropbox get shout outs), missing functionality that keeps the Air from being a primary computer, and other miscellany. If you want to get overanalytical with the whole thing, Apple might actually be trying to feel out the dividing line between an iPad and a MacBook Air, instead of the dividing line between a MacBook Pro. Perhaps this year’s expected Sandy Bridge or (we wish) Fusion refresh of the MacBook Air could have something more in store? Check out the source link for the whole thing.

Apple MacBook Air survey gets chatty about 3G originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 12:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Yesterday I hiked eight miles with my 11-inch MacBook Air in my bag. Didn’t even notice it was there. These MacBook Air owners sound sycophantic, but discount this praise at your own peril—especially if you’re a laptop manufacturer. More »