Compiled by Charles Moore
and edited by Dan Knight
- 2006.02.09
This Week's Macintel News
We have
several comparisons of the G5 and Core Duo this week, and it all
boils down to this: Core Duo is faster for software compiled for
Intel, and G5 is faster for PowerPC code.
Other News
PowerBook, iBook, and other portable computing news is covered
in The 'Book Review. General
Apple and Mac desktop news is covered in The Mac News Review. iPod news is covered
in The iNews Review.
Are You Ready to Buy a Macintel?
Gene Steinberg, the Mac Night Owl, writes:
"Consider this: Your old computer, Mac or Windows, has seen
better days, and you have decided you need something new. A trip to
the Apple Store or that controversial ad announcing the presence of
Intel chips on Macs has tempted you, so you start to read the
reviews and see whether to consider a new iMac, or place an order
for the forthcoming MacBook Pro."
Link: Are
You Ready to Buy a MacIntel?
Switching to Intel
Apple X Net's Trent Lapinski says:
"I was born a Mac user, my Father was in the music industry and
it was simply what everyone used. I have never personally owned a
PC, and I have been online and active in the Mac community since
the 4th grade. I spent countless hours in AOL chat-rooms defending
the PowerPC architecture against the x86 masses, I reveled in the
Think Different campaign, I was part of the Mac elite. For years
I've lived in this 90's Mac bubble. As of yesterday, the bubble has
been broken.
"It was of course a shock to find out Apple was moving to Intel
and I had to go with them. I was in denial at first, but I'm over
it. I now look forward to the new Intel Macs and I can't wait to
see what they come up with. On the other hand, I have had to
rethink all of my previous notions about Intel and x86 hardware. I
admit I was swayed by Jobs to believe that PowerPC simply was
better than x86, and in some instances it actually is, but in 2006
it really isn't much of an issue from a user stand point. They are
both fast enough. The debate has boiled down to mere seconds and
minutes to complete tasks, nothing really worthy of actually caring
about. So here I am with the idea that maybe x86 isn't so bad."
Link:
Switching to Intel
Core Duo Performance Revisited
On his blog, Mike McHargue says:
"I've read two interesting articles about the Core Duo that have
reinforced some of my thoughts and educated me in others. One is
over at AnandTech and the other is on TG Daily. I'm sure most
really hardcore users in the Mac community have read and digested
this information, but I still get a lot of emails from people who
want to know more about the performance delta between the Core Duo
and the G5. So, I'm going to do my best to provide a summary
here."
Link:
Core Duo Performance Revisited
iMac G5 vs. iMac Core Duo
AnandTech's Anand Lal Shimpi says:
"It seemed so far away when, in June last year, Apple announced
their two-year transition to Intel architectures; it also didn't
exactly add up. At their World Wide Developer Conference, Apple let
the world know that every version of Mac OS X since 10.0 has
been compiled and running on x86 hardware, so the OS was ready.
Apple's iLife and iWork suites are a great supporting cast to the
OS, and those applications were either ready or very close to being
ready. Yet, Apple was telling everyone that they would start the
transition by June of 2006 and be done with it a year later....
"When Apple announced at this year's Macworld San Francisco that
they were ahead of schedule with the move, it was most likely more
of a nice spin to put on things than truly being ahead of schedule.
....
"Now that Intel's Core Duo has finally been launched, Apple
could go ahead with their PowerPC to x86 transition, but there's
another problem. A very smart man at Intel once told me that you
should never launch a new microarchitecture alongside a new
manufacturing process...."
Link: Apple Makes the
Switch: iMac G5 vs. iMac Core Duo
Macworld's Lab Tests and Analysis: Core Duo vs.
G5
Macworld's Jason Snell reports:
"Since the publication of Macworld's first lab tests of the
Intel-based iMac and our subsequent review, there's been a massive
amount of discussion about our results. There's also been a lot of
confusion and plenty of heated discussion. All the while, we've
continued to test the new Intel Macs, including adding some new
tests as new Universal applications arrive on the scene.
"So as the Intel transition moves into the second month of 2006,
here's an update on what we've learned so far about how Intel-based
Macs perform."
Link: Inside
Intel: Macworld's Updated Lab Tests and Analysis
Adobe Software for Intel Mac: Not Until
2007?
Publish's Daniel Drew Turner reports:
"Although Adobe Systems has touted its "consistent track record"
of releasing "significant updates" to its products every 18 to 24
months, sources have indicated to Publish that Intel-native
versions of the company's professional graphics applications might
not see the light of day until the spring of 2007."
Link: Adobe
Mactel Software: Not Until 2007?
Intel Tweaks Chips for Power Efficiency
xtremeTech's Mark Hachman reports:
"Having converted to the gospel of low power, Intel researchers
continue to preach it with heartfelt fervor.
"Although many of the papers the company is presenting at the
International Solid State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) in San
Francisco this week mention clock speed, the subjects Intel
highlighted in a press briefing with reporters Monday afternoon
emphasized power.
"Of note: Intel's 'Tulsa' Xeon processor, which increases
frequency but reduces power dissipation from the previous
processor; papers on minimizing power at the register and cache
level, in part by integrating voltage regulation into the processor
die; and a third paper, which bolted two Wi-Fi chips together for
greater bandwidth."
Link: Intel
Papers Tweak Chips for Power, Efficiency
Apple Ads Make Things Awkward for Intel
CNN/Money's Amanda Cantrell reports:
"In its ad blitz announcing the first ever Intel-based Macs,
Apple skewers PCs - which happen to be Intel's biggest
customers.
"While Apple is known for controversial ads, the newest spot
puts Intel in a potentially uncomfortable spot. Clearly, Intel is
happy that its newest customer - one that's especially rich on
cultural cachet at the moment - wants to celebrate the partnership,
and gets some free advertising to boot. But the commercial also
takes a swing at Intel-based PCs, which some analysts believe could
alienate Intel's other customers."
Link: Apple Ads
Make Things Awkward for Intel
