In the pantheon of Apple rumors, some refuse to die. Among these is the idea that Apple should team up with Advanced Micro Devices to offer its chips inside Macs.
That team-up may be coming sooner rather than later, perhaps during the first half of 2011. AMD’s forthcoming Fusion line of processors, due near the end of this year, will combine two chips — a main central processing unit and a specialized graphics chip — onto a single, fast-performing piece of silicon. If Apple decides to use the chips, breaking a lock on using only Intel CPUs in Macs, they would supply Apple computers with graphics muscle for a variety of applications in a small, low-power package. AMD could get a key design win and a big psychological boost.
One scenario could be Apple including AMD chips in some models of its Mac Mini, MacBook, or 13-in. MacBook Pro. “AMD has a better-than-average chance at landing a chip in an Apple system,” says Jim MacGregor, an analyst with market research firm In-Stat. “Apple would be crazy not to seriously consider all the options it has available.”
Lower End of the Lineup
If Apple uses AMD CPUs, it would join DELL, Hewlett-Packard, Acer, and Toshiba as computer makers that use the chips in some of their machines.
Fusion may fit in the lower end of Apple’s lineup. It could be used in one version of the Mac Mini, the stripped-down consumer desktop that’s about the size of a box of tissues and has a starting price of $599. A mobile version of the Fusion chip might also work in lower-priced models of Apple’s MacBook notebooks. If Fusion’s performance is good enough, it could also be an option for the ultrathin MacBook Air. “Fusion is a chip that is designed for low cost, low power consumption, and…