Early in 2015, Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) introduced an all-new laptop, branded MacBook. The device's claim to fame was that it was extremely thin and light and didn't use a fan to keep the processor inside of it cool, which made the device extremely quiet.

The first iteration of the device used Intel's (NASDAQ: INTC) then-new Core m series of processors, based on its then-new Broadwell architecture. Those initial processors were fairly slow (since they consumed substantially less power than Intel's typical mobile processors), but were serviceable.

Image source: Apple.

In 2016, Apple upgraded the MacBook to include updated processors from Intel, based on its much-improved Skylake architecture. This led to a dramatic improvement in performance. Indeed, in its review of the Skylake-based MacBook, CNET said the following, "At the same time, there's a sizable enough boost to performance and battery life that the system can no longer be considered an outlier only suited for a very limited audience that values portability over productivity."

Then, in 2017, Apple updated the MacBook once again with further upgraded processors from Intel, known as Kaby Lake. Kaby Lake was based on the same basic architecture as Skylake, but thanks to improvements in the implementation of that architecture and manufacturing technology, Kaby Lake provided the MacBook with a welcome performance bump.

In the first half of 2019, I expect Apple to upgrade the MacBook to include new processors from Intel based on the company's upcoming Ice Lake architecture. This will probably be the single biggest jump in performance that Apple has ever delivered with the MacBook.

Let's go over what to expect, shall we?

An epic performance boost

According to information posted by noted leaker "chrisdar" on the PTT forums (via ComputerBase, article in German), Intel's Ice Lake-Y processors -- "Y"-series chips are those intended for MacBook-like systems -- will have the following specifications:

• Four processor cores

• GT2 graphics configuration

• LPDDR4 3733MHz memory support

It's worth noting that while not in the leak, it is well known that the Ice Lake processors will incorporate an enhanced processor core compared to the ones in Skylake/Kaby Lake, an all-new graphics and media engine (known as Intel Gen. 11 graphics), as well as improvements elsewhere in the chip.

Image source: Intel.

For some perspective, the current Kaby Lake processors in the MacBook have only two processor cores that incorporate Intel's relatively dated Gen. 9.5 graphics.