The French site Hardmac, provided some more fuel to the rumor mill.  Apple will update its Mac Pro desktop at the end of this summer, and its all-in-one iMac a few weeks later, adding USB 3.0 and faster FireWire to both.

Apple is expected to adopt Intel’s Gulftown processor, the 32nm Core i7-980X with six cores.  Apple usually doubles the processors in its high-end workstations, so it’s possible the new Mac Pro system could have a total of 12 cores and 24 threads.

WWDC is only 10 days away, and I’m hearing that not only will Apple debut the new iPhone, but a new Apple TV which will run on the iPhone hardware and have a cloud based streaming of 1080p content. 

The Apple TV set top box reportedly based on iPhone OS 4, powered by Apple’s custom-built A4 processor, and offering 1080P cloud-based streaming content — all starting at just $99.

But I’m most excited about the announcement of a new Mac Pro which I hope to be getting asap.  The MacBook Air will also get an update.

Mockup of existing 24” LED display (left) next to 27” model (right)

Apple is planning an update to its pro lineup that would include only its second LED-lit Cinema Display, a couple of sources claimed today. The 27-inch iMac screen would be used as a standalone monitor with the same 2560x1440 resolution and image quality. AppleInsider claims Apple had wanted to release the screen earlier but had to wait until the 27-inch panel dropped in cost.

The new Mac Pro could be released at the same time. The workstation would get at least one 12-core model using two of Intel’s six-core Xeon 5600 processors. Rumors have circulated of a 3.33GHz Core i7 model at the entry level, but this would require an entirely different Intel chipset and memory support.

This is getting old, with all the rumors.  I was expecting the Mac Pro to be announced March 16th of this year per all the rumor sites.  My G5 can’t even be upgraded to Snow Leopard..so I feel left out:)

Hardmac is predicting that the new Mac Pro will arrive around March 16th.  At first it will be available only with the Intel Xeon Core i7-980X and be clocked at 3.33GHz and reach 3.6GHz with TurboBoost.  I for one can’t wait for the new machines, since right now the iMac’s are kicking Mac Pro butt in most tests.

Update on Wednesday, March 10, 2010 at 10:52PM by Jon Arnason

From macrumors:

ZDNet reports that it has received information from tipsters claiming that Apple will release new Mac Pro models next Tuesday, adding a hexacore Core i7-based model to its lineup.
I’m getting tips in from sources who claim that Apple is set to revamp its high-end Mac Pro line, adding a ‘hexacore’ Core i7-980x model to the line up.

All information points to this happening next Tuesday, March 16th.

Some confusion has arisen over what chips Apple will use in its next-generation Mac Pro. Hardmac has been keeping a close eye on Mac Pro developments, and has been talking up Intel’s hexacore Core i7-980X as the next chip for the Mac Pro as cited in today’s ZDNet report. That processor is reportedly scheduled to be launched next Tuesday, coinciding with rumors of Apple’s Mac Pro refresh.

Apple, however, has typically used server-branded Xeon chips in its Mac Pro line, and Intel is also expected to debut a number of new Xeon 5600-series chips on that day. In particular, the Xeon X5680 rumored for release on Tuesday is very similar in many respects to the Core i7-980X and could also be a candidate for inclusion in the Mac Pro.

Looks like Hardmac was right over a month ago.

Intel’s forthcoming “Gulftown” 32nm, six-core processor will be known as the Core i7-980X and could be a part of new Mac Pro systems from Apple in early 2010.

Contrary to earlier reports, the new processors will not adopt the Core i9 name, and will allegedly keep the Core i7 title, according to leaked information relayed by Hardmac, the English-language version of French Apple site MacBidouille. The new processor, code-named “Gulftown” will fall under the i7 “Extreme Edition” category, the first of which will be the i7-980X.

The alleged roadmap from Intel shows that the processor will clock in at 3.33GHz. That chip is expected to arrive in March 2010, but in the past, Apple has reached exclusive agreements with Intel to be the first to carry its new processors.

Previous reports have suggested Apple is testing the new Xeon chip, based on the Gulftown architecture, in its Mac Pro desktop. The new, upgraded processor features more horsepower and lower power consumption, and will be the first dual-socket, six-core processor for Intel.

The new 32 nanometer chips have 12MB of L3 cache, and six cores with 12 threads for each CPU. Apple usually doubles the processors in its high-end professional workstations, so it’s possible the new Mac Pro system could have a total of 12 cores and 24 threads. The new hardware could be released sometime in the first quarter of 2010.

source:appleinsider

I don’t want to give up the tower (aging G5) with all its versatility for an iMac no matter how fast it is.  So I’m waiting for the next Mac Pro and want it faster than the iMac i5-7.

HardMac reports that Polish website PCLab prematurely leaked performance numbers on Intel’s upcoming Xeon Gulftown (Core i9). The results have since been pulled but is summarized by HardMac:

First figures indicate that this CPU is very promising. At equivalent clock speed, it is 50% faster than the corresponding quad core Xeon for parallel tasks. Despite having 50% more transistors, the CPU strongly benefits from 32-nm engraving as it drains 50% less power in idle mode and 10% less in full loading mode.

According to their sources, Apple is planning on using the Gulftown processor in a future Mac Pro revision due in early 2010. When placed in a dual-processor configuration, this would give the Mac Pro 12 physical and 24 logical cores. Such massively multi-core designs have been expected for some time with under-the-hood changes in Snow Leopard specifically preparing for such a possibility.

The use of the high-end Gulftown processor in the Mac Pros make more sense now that we’ve seen Apple using the Core i7 processors in the iMacs. Benchmarks have shown that the performance of these high-end iMac rivals that of the entry level Mac Pros which cost considerably more. The use of Gulftown would presumably reestablish a larger performance gap between Apple’s consumer and professional desktop computers.

source:macrumors

HardMac citing sources is reporting that Apple is planning to bring Xeon Gulftown CPU to a future Mac Pro revision.

The Xeon Gulftown chip offers several enhancements over the processors used in the current Mac Pro’s, namely 32 nanometre engraving, 12MB of L3 cache and 6 cores with 12 threads.

If current Mac Pro configurations are anything to go by, Apple will most likely put two Gulftown processors in, giving the workstations 12 cores. The new processors which have only been demoed by Intel a few times are not expected until second quarter 2010 which could give Apple exclusive access.

HardMac offers additional information about the revision which is expected in the first quarter of 2010 including changes to the Mac Pro motherboards allowing support for 8 and 16GB RAM modules and 10Gbps ethernet ports.