Citing “sources from notebook players,” Taiwanese publication DigiTimes this afternoon reports that chipset manufacturer Intel may be set to move up its launch announcement of its ‘Ivy Bridge’ processors to April 23 – a full six days earlier than the chipset’s original reported launch date of April 29.
With the next-generation of ultra-portable notebooks expected from manufacturers such as Asustek Computer, Acer, Lenovo and Hewlett-Packard (HP), in May, Kirk Skaugen, Vice President and General Manager of Intel’s PC Client Group at Intel’s developer Forum (IDF) in Beijing this week is said to have pointed out that ultrabook prices in the next few months will “drop rapidly to US$699 from US$999 currently as shipment scales become large reducing costs.”
News that Intel could now be planning to launch its next-generation processors earlier than expected follows on from another report from last week, in which it was rumored that Apple could be planning to launch both Core i5 and i7 Ivy Bridge-powered iMac models, as early as this June.
Pushing its ultrabook future, Intel is also said to have setup a US$300 Million fund to “assist its partners for ultrabook design and R&D.” The chipmaker is also “integrating the upstream supply ecosystem to allow its partners to connect with each other.”
iLounge reported back in February last year that it had received reliable word that Apple’s MacBook Pro could be in line for a complete revamp. At the time, the publication outed its own beliefs that such a revamp may bring with it support for Intel’s Light Peak (Thunderbolt) technology.
AppleInsider later backed up these claims, noting the future models would feature new, ultra-thin unibody enclosures that “jettison yesteryear technologies like optical disk drives and traditional hard drives” in favor for models with “lightweight chassis that employ flash-memory based solid-state drives, instant-on capabilities, extended battery life, and rely on digital distribution for software and media.”
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