Apple has already switched to using blistering fast SSDs on its MacBook lineup. Beside being incredibly fast that help in greatly improving the overall system responsiveness, SSDs also occupy less space than a traditional HDD and sip less power than them.
To further improve the disk performance on MacBooks, Apple even switched to an NVMe-based SSD on its MacBooks last year that allows them to provide read/write speeds of nearly 2GB/sec and 1.2GB/sec.
Not satisfied with the current speed of SSDs though, Intel has been working on a new type of SSD — dubbed Optane — that is based on its 3D Xpoint technology. This new memory is up to 10 times denser than traditional DRAM chips used in SSDs, and can be up to 1000x times faster and reliable.
Optane based SSDs will use the NVMe interface, which is already found in certain MacBooks. It was initially unclear what interface Optane based SSDs would use, since they need a high bandwith interface. Since NVMe uses PCIe lanes of a chipset, it is the perfect connector for Optane based SSDs as it has plenty of bandwith available.
Since Optane based SSDs will only work with Intel’s Skylake based platform or higher, it automatically makes all existing MacBooks incompatible with it. However, Apple has always been a forefront in using technologies that can greatly improve the disk performance, so don’t be surprised if you see the first commercial use of Optane inside a laptop in Apple’s MacBook a few years down the line.
[Via MacWorld]
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To further improve the disk performance on MacBooks, Apple even switched to an NVMe-based SSD on its MacBooks last year that allows them to provide read/write speeds of nearly 2GB/sec and 1.2GB/sec.
Not satisfied with the current speed of SSDs though, Intel has been working on a new type of SSD — dubbed Optane — that is based on its 3D Xpoint technology. This new memory is up to 10 times denser than traditional DRAM chips used in SSDs, and can be up to 1000x times faster and reliable.
Optane based SSDs will use the NVMe interface, which is already found in certain MacBooks. It was initially unclear what interface Optane based SSDs would use, since they need a high bandwith interface. Since NVMe uses PCIe lanes of a chipset, it is the perfect connector for Optane based SSDs as it has plenty of bandwith available.
Since Optane based SSDs will only work with Intel’s Skylake based platform or higher, it automatically makes all existing MacBooks incompatible with it. However, Apple has always been a forefront in using technologies that can greatly improve the disk performance, so don’t be surprised if you see the first commercial use of Optane inside a laptop in Apple’s MacBook a few years down the line.
[Via MacWorld]
