Latest MacBook rumors: New chipset, glass trackpad?

Word is that Apple's redesigned laptops might skip Intel's successor to the Santa Rosa chipset; meanwhile, how would you feel about a trackpad made of glass?

First up: AppleInsider, which is reporting that Apple may well pass on Intel's recently announced "Montevina" chipset, instead going with a proprietary chipset or one built by a third party (think NVidia, AMD, and the like). Apple's current MacBook and MacBook Pro offerings use Intel's "Santa Rosa" chipset.

While the (purported) new MacBooks would still pack an Intel CPU under the hood, a new, potentially non-Intel chipset could help Apple make its laptops even smaller and lighter, boost battery life, and even add "new features" above and beyond those in any upcoming Montevina-based competitors, AppleInsider speculates. What might those "new features" be, exactly? Let the guessing game begin.

Next, this from Computuerworld: Whispers that new MacBooks/MacBook Pros could boast glass trackpads that would support gestures and multi-touch.

Interesting … and as MacRumors notes, that could account for the "MacBook Touch" name that's been bandied about in the past week or so—meaning that a tablet version of the MacBook might not be in the cards after all.

Oh, and one other tidbit from Computerworld: Apple might release its new MacBook and MacBook Pro lines by the last week in September.

Again, keep in mind that these are all just rumors for now; Apple (per usual) hasn't said a peep, and likely won't until the actual announcement comes, whenever that is. Stay tuned.

Related:
Apple's next-gen Macs to have something special under the hood [AppleInsider]
Rumor: MacBook updates to include glass trackpad, other goodies [Computerworld]