Intel Core i7 MacBook Pro spotted, new Apple laptops imminent?

The MacBook Pro model designation is listed as "6,1"

Nick Spence and Agam Shah

A recent Geekbench post appears to suggest a Apple MacBook refresh will be with us sooner than later.

The Geekbench test report appears to reveal the results for an unreleased Arrandale MacBook Pro running at 2.66GHz reports MacRumors.

The processor shown is listed as an Intel Core i7 M 620 running at 2.66GHz with a Turbo frequency up to 3.33 GHz. The Intel Core i7 M 620 is a high end dual core processor with Turbo Boost and Hyperthreading technology.

The MacBook Pro model designation is listed as "6,1" and has a non-shipping build of Mac OS X 10.6.2 (Build 10C3067).

According to the company, Geekbench provides a comprehensive set of benchmarks engineered to quickly and accurately measure processor and memory performance.

MacRumors reports that supplies of MacBooks have been constrained according to international resellers, adding to the belief new Apple laptops are forthcoming. Several Macworld readers have also noted the higher than usual numbers of Apple Certified Refurbished MacBooks being offered in recent months.

Intel officially unveiled new processors at last month's CES trade show in Las Vegas.

The new chips fall under the brands of Core i3 for low-end systems, Core i5 for midrange systems and Core i7 for the fastest systems.

The new processors include dual-core laptop chips under the three brands running between 1.06GHz and 2.66GHz, and desktop chips running between 2.93GHz and 3.46GHz.

The new chips are manufactured using the 32-nanometer process, which makes them smaller and more power-efficient than earlier chips. Based on the Westmere architecture, the transistors are a step away from chips manufactured using the 45-nanometer process.

According to Intel, the Intel Core i5 processor features: "4-way multi-task processing that allows each core of your processor to work on two tasks at the same time, delivering the performance you need for smart multitasking."

Last month, Intel pulled an internal ad showing a MacBook running with the Core i5 processor. The MacBook was being offered as a prize as part of the Intel Retail Edge Program, and was sent out in promotional emails. The ad was later replaced with one offering an HP Envy laptop as a replacement.

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