AppleInsider is reporting that Apple is set to pass on Intel’s Montevina chipset for forthcoming notebooks and desktops. Instead, Apple may use another company’s chipset or one that is has developed internally. Apple would continue to use Intel processors though.
There may be two reasons for the move. First, Apple wants to further differentiate its computers from those of its competitors. Second, the performance and power consumption of Intel’s recent mobile chipsets have not met expectations. A different chipset may be able to deliver better results for Apple.
Among the companies that could partner with Apple on its future Mac chipsets are both AMD and VIA.
AppleInsider suggests that we could find out about these next generation Macs in the next couple of months.
Meanwhile, there is another rumour that the upcoming MacBooks could also come with a glass trackpad, allowing for multi-touch and gestures (as on the iPhone and iPod touch). They would also come with a body made out of a single piece of aluminium, 16:9 displays, and the MacBook Air could get a refresh that includes an Intel Atom processor. Interestingly, this rumour also suggests a late September announcement.