With the launch of the next MacBook Pro about 3 months away, we're pretty sure to see Intel's latest Ivy Bridge chip inside. But this chip could really open the doors for Apple. And when the doors are opened for Apple, great things happen.
First off, this processor could power a retina display, presumably a 2560 by 1600 one, which is the resolution Kirk Skaugen of Intel mentioned at a Beijing conference. He specifically used the word retina. Currently, it would be hard for Apple to use a retina display on its MacBook Pro, because a Sandy Bridge processor doesn't have enough power to support a retina display without impacting speed and battery life. But just as a quad-core A5X processor allowed the new iPad to get a retina display, an Ivy Bridge processor could allow the next MacBook Pro to have a retina display. Besides some pages on Macs, like the system preferences window, have a resolution of a retina display (though this resolution can't be displayed through current Mac displays), which means Apple is already upgrading its OS to support retina.
Second, a USB 3.0 port could be paired with a Thunderbolt port on the next MacBook Pro, which could boost upload speeds significantly.
Finally, Apple would make the MacBook Pro thinner, as the price of SSDs is dropping rapidly. A 128 GB SSD now costs less than $100, which means Apple could allow battery life and thinness to improve despite the added burden of a retina display without increasing the cost of the MacBook Pro.
This new processor will allow Apple to do much more with their line of MacBooks. And when technology improves, Apple makes good use of it. Time and time again.
