A friend tipped me off to this interesting tidbit on the new Apple MacBook Pro features page. Read it closely (bold added for emphasis):
The 15- and 17-inch MacBook Pro models come standard with automatic graphics switching. It’s a breakthrough technology from Apple that switches graphics processors on the fly to give you performance when you need it (when you’re playing the latest 3D game, for example) and better battery efficiency when you don’t (such as when you’re reading email). MacBook Pro transfers the workload between the powerful discrete NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M graphics processor and integrated Intel HD Graphics so seamlessly, you won’t even notice.
Now, what they’re describing is the NVidia Optimus technology that enables this switching, but Apple is claiming they developed it themselves. Nowhere on the page does the word “Optimus” even appear (not even in the footnotes). Has Apple really re-invented the Optimus technology internally, or are they not giving NVidia the credit they are due?
You be the judge. Find a complete copy of the page after the break (In case Apple changes it).
Update 1pm: I just heard from people inside NVidia that Apple is not using NVidia’s Optimus technology in these laptops, but rather has built their own custom solution. Few details exists right now about it, but I’m very curious to know how it stacks up against the new ASUS laptops performance-wise.
via Apple – MacBook Pro – Performance – Even faster processors and graphics..
