Intel says the next generation of Apple’s popular MacBook lineup could see as much as a 50% increase in battery life, thanks to the company’s Haswell processor platform.
In a media briefing ahead of the launch of its Haswell processor platform, Intel chief Rani Borkar said that the chipmaker had designed the line with notebooks and tablets in mind, according to PCWorld. That focus on mobile devices led to dramatic increases in battery life, with 50 percent longer operation in normal use and extending idle and standby battery life by up to 20 times.
Battery life for Apple’s MacBooks — already near the top of the heap for notebooks — could see considerable improvements.
The Haswell is the latest in Intel’s long line of chip architectures. Intel updates their lines about every two years, and this refresh may be one of the most important in the company’s history.
The popularity of portable devices, like Apple’s iPhone and iPad, has led to disappointing sales recently for the PC industry. Consumers are adopting mobile devices in increasing numbers, and Intel has struggled to gain acceptance in the mobile segment.
The Haswell platform is designed to address both traditional and tablet platforms, with some components of the line having their power usage reduced to as low as 7W.
Apple’s anticipated refresh of their MacBook lineup is widely expected to be based on Intel’s latest and greatest processor platform. Currently, retailers are reported to be running low on supplies of some MacBook models, and many observers expect Apple to announce its next-generation of notebooks during the keynote of its Worldwide Developers Conference in June.
