First Intel Arrandale (MacBook Pro) Processors Due January 3rd?

Fudzilla claims that Intel is planning on launching three Arrandale-based processors on January 3rd, 2010. These Arrandale processors are based on the advanced Nehalem architecture first introduced into desktop Macs earlier this year, and should represent a significant performance improvement over the Core 2 Duo processors that are currently found in Apple's MacBook Pros.

The three new processors will be branded under the "Core i5" and "Core i7" names and range from 2.4GHz to 2.66GHz with prices ranging from $225 to $332 in quantities of 1000. While Fudzilla describes their TDP (thermal design power) of 35W as "not so attractive", it matches up with the current high-end processors used in the MacBook Pro. This means Apple could use these processors in a new MacBook Pro update.

These new mobile processors are said to eventually also come in low-voltage variants that will also make them suitable for ultra-thin notebooks such as the MacBook Air.