Intel Macs: 666?

The DigiTimes reports that while new Intel Macs may be demoed at Macworld 2006 in January, they will not be released until June 6, 2006. That long of a lag time seems strange, but it's interesting that 06/06/06 date was mentioned (and not just for religious reasons). First of all, the date is exactly one year from the announcement of the switch to Intel. More important however is the fact that "666" has a special place in Apple's history, since the original Apple 1 was released at $666.66 (in 1976, making 2006 the 30th year Apple has been selling computers).

If that date is true, it could make sense for iBooks and Mac minis, since the cheaper single-core 1 MB L2 version of Yonah is scheduled for release in Q2 2006. However, I still hold out hope for a 13" PowerBook announcement in January. Such a machine could use a dual-core 1.66 GHz Yonah, or perhaps more likely, a single-core 1.66 GHz Yonah with 2 MB L2. Both chips are on target for release in volume in January.

One curious tidbit in the article is the claim that the new Macs will sport an "Intel Inside" logo. That seems particularly out of character for Apple, given Apple's extreme emphasis on aesthetics for its computers.

The article should be taken with a grain of salt though, since when it comes to Apple prognostication, The Digitimes has no better a record than the usual rumour sites, and it could just be that the sources quoted are simply repeating the June 6 date suggested last year.