Intel's Centrino Pro (codename Santa Rosa) has just been released yesterday and already, companies Lenovo and LG, as well as other lesser known PC vendors, have laptop offerings carrying the fourth-generation Centrino platform.

Apple consumers are now wondering when they will see this technology in their MacBooks. Gadget site Gizmodo reports that one of its chain partner revealed that a new model of MacBook is coming out next week.

It is believed that Apple will eventually shift to Centrino Pro as well but we wonder if that they will be able to do so in seven days. It should be remembered that it took them three months after Core 2 Duo was released to shift platforms.

As you know, Apple will be holding its annual conference - WWDC - this June and if they are indeed making the shift, it is highly possible that they will announce it during the said event. After all, the initial shift to Intel was announced in WWDC 2006. Apple will change platforms, there's no question about that. The only vague thing here is when.

Just so you know, Santa Rosa Centrino Pro features an updated mobile Core 2 Duo microprocessor. The Front Side Bus speed of the chipset has been increased to 800 MHz but it can also be altered to save power.

 

There are some who believe that the Mac OS X Leopard will be released some time around May. How do they come up with this predicted release date? These are some hints:

• At WWDC 2006 (August 2006) Steve Jobs announced a "Spring 2007" Leopard release
• Apple executives continue to highlight a "Spring 2007" release
• The latest Leopard Build (9A377a) was released to Apple Developer Connection members on March 4, 2007 - buzz in the Apple community is that the release is far from stable and not ready for release
• Steve Jobs's WWDC speech indicated Leopard had several "Top Secret Features" that could not be announced until a later date
• Macworld 2007 (January 2007) didn't disclose any "Top Secret Features"
• No details of any top secret features have emerged since then
• Mac OS X 10.4.9 Tiger has been released

Aside from these, some other factors that say that Leopard will be released in May: Spring begins March 21, and Summer begins June 21. In short, Leopard will be released between these two dates, given the "Spring release". The release dates of Leopard books also happen around May and June.

And lastly, iPhone will be released at the WWDC 2007. The darling of Apple products deserves a strategic release date, and many think that the release of Leopard will not coincide with the release of the iPhone.

At Apple's Word Wide Developer's Conference (WWDC) last week, the developers of the Mac OS X, surveyed by PiperJaffray analyst Gene Munster, were pretty unanimous in their observation that Apple's Intel transition is progressing optimally.

Munster said that all developers who had ported an application from PowerPC to Universal Binary reported that the process went easier than they had actually expected. Meanwhile, 15 out of 16 developers predict that there will be a greater number of Mac applications in the future because of the Intel transition.

A total of 90% of the developers also believe that the enhancement on Mac's ability to run the Windows operating system - which Munster believes will be integrated in the release of Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard - will positively impact Mac application development.

If the Intel transition continues on its progressive path, it is without a doubt that it will not be long before Mac applications get an upgrade that consumers will definitely enjoy.

Unlike other previous "leaks" that turned out to be hoaxes, this one "looks" legit. But then again, it's strange because Apple just doesn't leak things.

It's called APPLE.MAC.OSX.LEOPARD.V10.5.WWDC.PREVIEW-OSX. The claim, if you believe it, is that it's build 9A241.

It hit FTP and Torrent sites. Unfortunately, getting your hands on one was (and still is) complicated by the bandwidth congestion in the rush to get a copy. And beware the presence of fake links (if you see a macosx.10.5.prerelease.dmg on Torrent, you can bet your bottom dollar it's a fake).

We're not too sure that this build is enough to go nuts about. For one thing, it's nothing new. Sources say the 9A241 was the same one installed at the WWDC. If that's true, it's not like nobody's ever seen this before. If it's not the 9A241, it still won't be the final build.

Who wants this build? Maybe you want to download and "hack" into this build to get some street cred. Personally, what would really impress me is to find out about somebody managing to hack this and get it working on the next-gen consoles; PSP Leopard or Xbox 360 Leopard sounds fun. Also, in my own humble way, I still wonder if this is a hoax. But if it's the real thing, can somebody rip the applications because I don't need the whole OS just yet (ha ha ha).

And while we're on a roll throwing around unwanted opinions, here's a question for you guys:

What do you think of all this talk about how Microsoft is going to hack into this build and "steal all the good ideas?" I mean, OS X versions have already been on the market for a long time, and there hasn't been a Windows OS out that imitated or emulated them. Probably because it's a bad marketing move for Microsoft if they are seen as "following" or "trying to be" Apple. So whenever we see "Windows is going to steal this OS" on the forums, our first reaction would be "this is a bunch of X-Files fans with nothing better to talk about except corporate espionage." But you see, some of us here are X-Files fans, and we fantasize about seeing a game called "Splinter Cell 3: Apple OS Espionage" (ha ha).

Merom, which is the code name of the mobile variant of the Intel Core 2 processor, is allegedly going to replace Yonah. Yonah is another code name for the Intel Core Duo chip found in the iMac, MacBook, MacBook Pro and Mac mini, and now it is one step away from being somewhat outdated, but not obsolete.

When asked for more info on Merom, Intel could only say that it is "a mobility-optimized, dual-core processor based on the new, state of the art, Intel Core microarchitecture". Their selfishness on details resulted to more backfence talks about the product which was recently announced together with its desktop counterpart -- the Conroe. One of those rumors that have been gaining ground is that Merom will be marketed as the Intel Core 2 Duo Mobile and is destined to replace the current 2MB Yonah chips found in MacBook Pros.

Merom comes with a 667 MHz frontside bus and 4 MB of L2 cache, double the 2MB found in current MacBook Pros. Intel is offering Merom in 2.0, 2.16 and 2.33GHz clock speeds. Apple will most likely announce new Intel-based Mac Pro desktops at WWDC on August 7. And until nothing official comes out from Apple, this will just join the long list of WWDC 2006 Apple rumors.

A new Mighty Mouse (the single-button right clickable mouse) is on the way, if a FCC filing by Apple is any indication to go by. It will feature a very similar look to the current Mighty Mouse, but minus the wire!

Pictures shown here are from the FCC filing by Apple, and it is reported that this new incarnation of the Mighty Mouse will use two standard AA batteries and will be compatible with Tiger (Mac OS X 10.4) and later. If you are still using Jaguar (Mac OS X 10.2) indications are that, like the current Mighty Mouse, it will be operational with reduced functionality. A couple of questions remain about the new mouse, namely the price (expected to fall around the US$70 mark), battery life (it's powered by AA batteries), and the side-squeeze buttons (which have had a lukewarm reception).

No date has been announced by Apple for the release (codenamed 'M6'), but it is expected to be announced during the WWDC 2006 Conference spanning August 7 - 11.

The 2006 Worldwide Developer Conference this August is becoming home to all sorts of Apple rumors. Recently, we reported that not one, but two crucial announcements will be made by Apple's top honcho, Steve Jobs in his keynote address. The first bombshell according to the grapevine is the announcement of iTunes Movie Rentals, the second surprise is all about the unveiling of the second-gen iPod Nano.

Apparently, the rumors do not end there. Since there were earlier speculations that Apple will take the wraps off the new Mac Pros and Intel-based pro desktop replacements for the PowerPC line during the said keynote address that will kick off the WWDC 2006, the question now is this: if these backfence talks are proven to be true, will updated Cinema Displays follow?

If new Apple computing devices are unveiled on August 7, it would definitely makes sense if the $14-Billion Computer company will revamp its display line and include more features.

Or let's say that Mr. Jobs and company have no plans of updating the Cinema Display Line, hopefully they will release a new standalone iSight with enhanced functionality. If such updated monitors are in the drawing boards, it will be interesting to observe if Apple will offer them with glossy and non-glossy screen options as it does with the MacBook. We have until August 7 to speculate about Mr. Jobs' keynote address.

We earlier reported about a rumored bombshell that Steve Jobs plans to drop during his keynote address at the WWDC 2006 this coming August. Apparently, Apple has got a lot of things up its sleeves. There are gossips circulating the web that the $14 Billion Computer company will roll out the second generation iPod nano music player at - you guessed it - the Worldwide Developers Conference 2006.

The new nano has its similarities with the current ones in store shelves, but the new ones will feature increased capacity and be available in multiple colors, some of which will feature a metal alloy enclosure which was also mentioned in our earlier reports.

There has been no word on just what are their exact capacities, but speculations point towards the 6GB and 8Gb figures. The announcement is expected to arrive alongside the release of movie rentals through the iTunes Music Store during CEO Steve Jobs' keynote presentation on August 7. As for the rumored higher-capacity iPods (those with 40GB and 80GB variants), they are not expected to grace the WWDC.

We have been covering the upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC 2006) that will be happening this coming August. We also mentioned in our earlier reports that Steve Jobs will be showing a preview of the Mac OS X "Leopard" at the August 7 event at the San Francisco's Moscone West. But there has been rumors that aside from the OS presentation, the Apple CEO will use his keynote address to announce the debut of movie rentals through the iTunes Music Store.

If this is true and all that, then this just goes to show how Apple is planning on dominating the field of digital media downloads. I bet some movie and studio execs are trembling with fear right now and how much more afraid could cinema operators be? According to the same rumor mills, Apple is said to have inked agreements with Walt Disney, Universal Studios, Paramount Pictures, and Warner Bros., and is currently in talks with other major movie studios as well.

So how would the rent-a-movie-the iTunes way work? Well, according to backfence talks, because the movies will be rented and not sold, people familiar with the situation report downloads will be coded with a date stamp that will restrict playback. The coding system is still a hazy area, but most likely the coding system will limit the number of playbacks or will provide unlimited viewing for a period of time...until it expires, and won't play anymore.

According to Apple sources that claim to be reliable, "we knew that Steve (Jobs) saw the rental model as the only viable option...we knew it was a matter of time before he signed on." Whether it will be a click or a flop, will heavily depend on the price tag, that is if this rumor ever becomes true. We have until August 7 to speculate about that.

Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2006 is to kick off on August 2006. The event will feature Steve Jobs as its keynote speaker. A preview of the Mac OS X "Leopard" will also be shown by Jobs come August 7, 2006 at the San Francisco's Moscone West.

During the WWDC 2006, there will be special sessions on performance optimization using the development tools of Apple software. The developers will also be receiving detailed information on developing applications that take advantage of the Intel-based Macs' performance.

This annual developers conference will be attended by other Apple executives like Bertrand Serlet, senior VP of Software Engineering, Philip Schiller, senior VP of Worldwide Product Marketing, and Scott Forstall, VP of Platform Experience. The conference, which is to last five days, will cost $1600 per attendee.