The latest mobile processor chips from Intel could result in laptop computers like the MacBook Air having dramatically longer battery life than current generation models (via 9to5Mac). The new Haswell chips, the successor to the Sandy Bridge architecture processors found in the current generation Macs, consume 20 times less power than the current line up of processors. The new chips were showcased today at an Intel Developer Forum.
The new chips are also faster than the current generation of Sandy Bridge processors and operate in such a lower power state that they can be run by batteries charged by ambient light sources even while operating. The new chips are scheduled to launch in 2013 which, when combined with battery technology improvements and novel charging methods, could see a whole new generation of MacBooks appear.
Of course, Apple’s own ARM chips can also operate in an extremely low power state which, if used with a comparable size of battery, could potentially result in equivalent battery life. The development of improved speed and power requirements of ARM chips is therefore likely to rival that of Intel in the coming years as both companies look at new ways of transforming how laptop devices operate.
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