Thunderbolt MacBook 2011

Mac addicts rejoice. Just one day until the Macbook Pro 2011 line is revealed, or so the flock hopes.

Already the rumor mill is working overtime. What kind of heat will these laptops be packing and what is the mysteriously named "Thunderbolt?"

When the 2011 Macbooks will be reportedly revealed on Thursday, users can expect the usual list of annual tweaks. Official laptop specs are still unknown, but one notable upgrade is the use of Intel's new Sandy Bridge graphics chips, according to a report from CNET. Intel says the fastest of these new chips run at 2.7GHZ. Previously, Macbooks used two graphics cards to power their visuals, but it seems Intel has come out with a new chipset that satisfies the perfectionists over at Apple.

One of the most intriguing upgrade rumors is around "Thunderbolt."

The buzz around industry blogs is that Apple is going to include Intel's new "Light Peak" interconnect under the Thunderbolt moniker. The technology is like a USB port only much faster - like 10 gigabits per second fast, and potentially 100 gigabites per second in the future.

Intel released a statement on Tuesday saying it will "discuss a new technology that is about to appear on the market." Interesting timing, isn't it?

We can't know for sure until tomorrow, but for now it seems like where there's Thunder, there's Light Peak.