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Intel’s Broadwell chip makes rumored fanless MacBook Air a real possibility

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Rumors of a fanless 12-inch MacBook have been doing the rounds for quite some time now, and Intel’s announcement last night of a new 14nm Core M Broadwell processor could make it a reality.

The Intel® Core™ M processor will deliver the most energy-efficient Intel Core processor in the company’s history. The majority of designs based on this new chip are expected to be fanless …

Intel says that the first devices to use the new chip will go on sale later this year.

The rumored 12-inch MacBook was said by KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo to be launching in Q3. He said that it would be no larger the current MacBook Air 11, have a Retina display, be thinner and lighter than current models and potentially sold at a lower cost.

While a fanless MacBook Pro would be theoretically possible, it’s likely there that Apple will prioritize performance, so they’re likely to retain fans for some time.

Via The Verge. Photo: Wired.

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Comments

  1. if its performance is roughly similar to that of the MBA, then I’m all for it. I was looking for something to replace my 2011 MBA and this looks just right.

    • Coastal Guy - 10 years ago

      Yia Sou Τριαναφυλλοσ
      I’m looking forward to the fabless 12″ MBA too.
      Διμοκριτοσ Βερασ

  2. David Williams - 10 years ago

    unclear how many cores this will have and what clock speed it will offer.

  3. Jonathan Lee - 10 years ago

    Argh, I just decided on buying the current, refreshed MBA by the end of this summer! Any guesses on release date for this?

  4. valanchan - 10 years ago

    With the advances given by Swift and Metal and A8 looming, does Apple really need Intel hardware?

    • Why would any of those things make a difference?

      With the exception of the A8, they’re software related and the majority of exisiting creative applications that people purchase macs to use in conjunction with will need to be re-written for ARM-based devices.

      Microsoft has already found out that trying to port an ecosystem to ARM is not a smart move (at the moment).

  5. Fel - 10 years ago

    Cool hope to see how thin it gets

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Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Ben Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!


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