Intel Xeon delay points to WWDC Mac Pros

Intel has reportedly told resellers not to expect its 6-core Xeon 5600 chips in significant quantities until the end of the spring, in June. No reason has been given by the MacBidouille tipster, although the same lack of 32 nanometer processors that has triggered the current mobile processor shortage may be affecting the Xeon as well.

A delay of the sort may partially explain the lack of updates for workstations like Apple's Mac Pro, which hasn't been updated since March of last year. As Apple's fastest computer, it's often been heavily dependent on Intel's update schedule to determine when new releases can appear. Mac Pros usually have the longest release cycles of any Mac and have never had more than one major update per year since being unveiled in 2006.

At the same time as Intel has sent word of delays, its affinity for Apple has been reinforced through a contest used as an incentive for resellers in at least France to buy its current 160GB solid-state drives. Those who buy a minimum of five SSDs are being entered into a contest to win an iPad, a free 160GB drive, or a 100 euro Amazon gift certificate. The contest is somewhat ironic as the iPad uses an ARM processor and has virtually no Intel technology inside.

By Electronista Staff