Intel’s new graphics-boosting chips
What improvements can we expect from Intel’s latest processors?
In January, Intel revealed models of its latest generation of processors, codenamed Kaby Lake, including models that will almost certainly find their way into future MacBook Pros, iMacs, and Mac minis (possibly even by the time you read this in the case of the desktops, though we expect it to take a little longer). Many of Intel’s recent releases have focused on battery life improvements, but Kaby Lake will offer similar battery life to existing chips in most cases. In terms of performance, it will be optimized for some specific tasks (including working with and viewing 4K video), but mostly you’re looking at a slightly faster version of what we have now. The biggest gains will probably be in Intel’s integrated graphics chips, which Apple relies on heavily in many Macs, where performance may increase by around 20% (with the GPUs rebranded to Iris Plus instead of Iris Pro, presumably just to annoy tech writers who have to explain the difference).
As ever, we don’t know exactly what Apple will use, but Intel announced some chips that are right in Cupertino’s comfort zone. For example, the obvious chips for the stock 27-inch iMacs would raise speeds from the current 3.2GHz and 3.3GHz to 3.3GHz and 3.4GHz (the actual improvement would likely be better than those numbers suggest), though the 4K 21-inch iMac is less clear, since Intel has yet to announce any Iris Plus desktop parts. Chips suitable for the MacBook Pro were released too, but we wouldn’t expect to see an upgrade for those until late in the year, though these chips would also work nicely for a Mac mini: we might see one with 3.1GHz and 3.3GHz dual-core Core i5 processors as standard, with Iris Plus graphics.
Kaby Lake also supports Thunderbolt 3 across the range, and should be able to lift the 16GB RAM limit of the new MacBook Pros, according to reports. It also supports a new faster type of storage, named Octane, but we suspect Apple is happy with its current ridiculously fast storage.