Apple will not only ship Core 2 Duo-based MacBook Pro notebooks next month, but also versions of its consumer-oriented MacBook fitted with Intel's latest mobile processor - and its first 64-bit laptop chip - Asian reports have claimed.

According to a story in the Chinese-language newspaper the Commercial Times, Taiwanese contract manufacturer Asustek - best known, perhaps, for its Asus-brand products - will punch out MacBooks based on the new CPU, codenamed 'Merom'. Apple's MacBook Pros are said to be manufactured by Quanta. Together, the two producers will punch out 200,000-300,000 laptop Macs, the paper claims.

That the higher-end machines are to get a Core 2 Duo upgrade late this month or early next was signalled last week, but today's report is the first indication the mainstream models will get Merom too. ®