MacRumors.com

With Apple's upcoming move to Intel-based processors in 2006, rumors and news about upcoming Intel processors will creep into Mac sites.

MacCentral kicks it off by citing informed sources who claim that Apple will utilize Intel's Pentium M processor for Macintosh computers starting in 2006.

The Pentium M uses the same x86 architecture as the Pentium 4, but consumes far less power than Pentium 4 chips and its design philosophy is expected to be the model for Intel's future processors.

The high performance per watt ratio of the upcoming Pentium M falls in line with the features Steve Jobs cited as reasons for the switch from IBM's PowerPC processor.

eWeek provides some additional details and speculation about Intel processors.

The [Pentium M], which currently tops out at 2.13 GHz, typically performs as well or better than all but the fastest Pentium 4 chips, which clock in at 3.6GHz and 3.8GHz, even for applications such as computer-aided design, Intel and analysts say, while consuming roughly a quarter of the amount of power those chips use.

Of note, a higher performance Pentium M (Yonah), is reported to arrive later this year. The Yonah is reported to be a dual-core version of the Pentium M using a 65-nanometer process.

More details of the Yonah chip can be found in this article. Yonah will reportedly be the first mobile dual-core processor as well as the first processor manufactured in the 65-nm process.

For what it's worth, Digitimes is also claiming that Yonah will be used by Apple.

Ars provides speculation on possible time-line for Intel-Mac releases.