Six-core i7 would have new place in Mac Pro

A very tentative rumor today claims that Apple will launch a new Mac Pro next week using Intel's new Core i7-980X. The chip would be the first six-core model in a Mac and would give the same 3.33GHz clock speed as the custom-order Xeon but at a lower price. The system would be available Tuesday the 16th, but pricing and other details weren't mentioned in the ZDNet slip.

The supposed tip corroborates a similar rumor from a month earlier but carries significant doubt given the Mac Pro's history. Apple has always positioned the Mac Pro as a high-end workstation and since launching it in 2006 has always used Intel's costlier but often faster Xeons. Using a Core i7 would shed support for a second processor and error-correcting memory; it would also require that Apple use two distinct system chipsets for the Mac Pro line.

However, the tower Mac was last updated over a year ago and before Apple had orchestrated a new pricing strategy aimed at introducing systems that are significantly faster for the price. It also switched more overtly to using different chipsets as the Core i5/i7 and Core 2 Duo iMacs use separate Intel platforms.

Apple hasn't changed its shipping times or otherwise provided clues of its own, but Intel is known to be readying 32nm Xeons for this month in addition to the likely imminent i7-980X release.

By Electronista Staff