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Apple to use Nvidia Ion platform

by on19 January 2009

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Likely to be the basis for the new Mac Mini


Our sources are confirming for us that Apple will be using the Nvidia Ion platform to make up the basis for the new Mac Mini. One of our sources went as far as to say that Nvidia had the Ion platform prototypes before it was shared with any other partners.

We have been digging on this one for the past couple of days and it seems that some are disputing that Apple will be using the Nvidia Ion for the new Mac Mini, but instead the company plans to use the Ion to make up the basis of a new Apple TV platform. The use of the Ion platform in a new version of the Apple TV does also seem very possible, as well, but a bit more unlikely, as the Mac Mini has been rumored for refresh much longer than the Apple TV. Still, it could perhaps find its way into both products before it is all said and done.

A Mac Mini powered by the Intel Ion platform would likely be packaged much smaller than the current Mac Mini of today. The advantage of the Ion platform is clear because of the use of Nvidia’s 9400M GPU to power the graphics on the Ion platform, which is clearly a benefit over the Intel graphics that the Mac Mini uses today. We suspect that the Intel Atom 330 will be used at a speed 1.6 GHz riding on a 533Mhz front side bus which, when combined with the Ion, would make a very capable Mac Mini platform.

We suspect that Apple will launch the Mac Mini in March during the CeBit time frame. We have not been able to get a feel for what the pricing will look like for an Ion platform-based Mac Mini, but we suspect that it will be in the $500 to $600 price range, depending on the exact configuration that Apple chooses to go with.

Last modified on 19 January 2009
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