By Slash Lane
Published: 03:55 PM EST (12:55 PM PST)
A new report claims that Apple could release updates to its MacBook, MacBook Pro and MacBook Air notebook computers in April, with alleged Intel processor supply issues said to be resolved.
Taiwanese newspaper
Apple Daily reported on Monday that Apple
plans to release updated MacBooks, MacBook Pros and MacBook Airs this month. The report alleged that the computers have taken longer than expected to hit the market because of shortages of Intel's newest chips.
The roughly translated report claims that the new MacBook Pro systems will sport 640GB hard drives, or have an option of 248GB solid state drives. It also states that the computers will offer 8 hours of battery life.
Last month it was revealed that Intel was
struggling to meet demand for its new family of Core mobile processors. The CPUs have been widely expected to turn up in the next round of updates to Apple's MacBook and MacBook Pro lines. The report claimed that Intel's Core i3, Core i5 and Core i7 processors are all facing tight supplies due to a large order from manufacturer Acer.
AppleInsider has also shared
alternative factors that are possibly contributing to the lengthy wait for MacBook upgrades, with dual graphics improvements expected to turn up in new MacBook Pros sometime this year. Sources have said the Mac maker has tested several next-generation notebooks that can switch between their integrated and discrete graphics processors automatically.
For months there have been rumors of new MacBook Pros based on Intel's new
Core i7 and
Core i5 mobile processors. The 32-nanometer chips offer improved speed, better graphics capabilities and lower power consumption than their Core 2 Duo predecessors.
