Windows on Macintel a Nightmare or Blessing?, Adobe's Transition Challenge, Quad-core Intel CPUs in 2007, and More

Compiled by Charles Moore and edited by Dan Knight - 2006.03.30

This Week's Macintel News

Most of this week's Macintel news is about Windows XP running on the new Apple hardware, including some benchmarks. Users are already questioning the wisdom of this, while on the other side a Dell user reports that it's easy to get OS X for Intel running on a Dell.

Intel launched a 3.73 GHz dual-core Pentium this week and promises quad-core CPUs in early 2007, something that may make its way into Xserves and whatever Apple decides to call Power Macs once they have Intel inside. All this and more in this week's news roundup.

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 iPod News Review.

Windows on Macintel

• The Windows on Macintel Nightmare Begins
• Keep Off My Mac, Windows XP!
• Windows XP Tested and Benchmarked on Macintel
• Now That Mac Can Run Windows, What's Next?
• Windows on Macs - Part 3

The Macintel Transition

• Adobe Discusses Apple's Transition to Intel
• OS X on a Dell Easy

Intel News

• Quad-core Intel CPUs Due Q1 2007
• Intel Launches 3.73 GHz Extreme Dual-core Pentium
• Intel Takes New Tack to Trim Power Consumption

Windows on Macintel

The Windows on Macintel Nightmare Begins

Computing.co.uk's Alistair Dabbs reports:

"Jef Raskin, inventor of the Mac OS, died a year ago, but his grave is already experiencing intense centrifugal forces now that Mac users are falling over themselves to run Windows XP on their systems. They are genuinely excited about it, which confirms my suspicions that inside every Mac lover is also a closet Windows admirer.

"One thing is clear: Mac enthusiasts have at least temporarily lost interest in trying to run Mac OS X on Intel PCs. Even accepting the fact that Apple will sue anyone that does, there's no point to it any more...

"What is worrying is that organisations with mixed environments now risk a surge in IT support calls as users start fiddling with their Macs to install Windows in a dual-boot configuration. If you have Mac users in your firm, I'd start keeping a close eye on them from now on."

• Link: XP on Macs: The Nightmare Begins
• Link: Jef Raskin, Creator of the Macintosh, 1943-2005
• Link: Jef Raskin, the Visionary Behind the Mac

Keep Off My Mac, Windows XP!

Business Week Online's Arik Hesseldahl says:

"To paraphrase Aragorn's rousing speech before the final battle in 'Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,' a day may come when it makes sense for Apple to get serious about offering Macs that boot to Windows easily - but it's not this day. This is the time to fight.

"I said I wanted it: A Mac that can run Windows.

"With Apple Computer's transition to Intel microprocessors well under way, I joined the chorus of Macheads who said they wanted to boot Microsoft's Windows in addition to Mac OS X. Now that it's possible, I'm not so sure I'm willing to take the leap. At least not yet."

Link: Keep Off My Mac, You Damn, Dirty XP!

Windows XP Tested and Benchmarked on Macintel

Gearlog's Sascha Segan reports:

"Since narf2006 and blanka announced their solution for booting Windows XP on Intel Macs last week, many aspiring dual-booters have been posting on the OnMac forums trying to get Bill's baby running on Steve's systems. We thought, what can we add to all of this? Why, we can boot XP on a 20" iMac, a MacBook Pro, and a Mac Mini Intel Core Duo all in the same room, of course. And we can make all three of them remotely access a fourth Mac system via VNC, so we're looking at Mac OS as a window in Windows XP Pro.

"(This is all 100% legal, by the way. Apple has said it's not opposed to booting other OSes on Macs - Linux has run on Macs for years - and our copy of Windows is legally licensed.)

"Installation isn't difficult, thanks to the guides now available at the OnMac Wiki....

"Why do this, other than that we can? Well, we saw our friends at ExtremeTech boot Mac OS X on a homebrew Intel box last year, so we wanted to match that feat. More importantly, this opens up a world of Windows software to Intel Mac users, especially since there's no Intel-optimized version of Virtual PC...."

Link: Windows XP on Macs: Tested, Benchmarked

Now That Mac Can Run Windows, What's Next?

The Evansville Courier & Press's James Derk says:

"If Windows ever could run natively on Apple hardware - with or without Apple's consent - it would open up a rather large market, considering Apple's hardware is so much better than anything else out there.

"Well, that didn't take long. It's only been a couple of months since released its new line of computers running on Intel processors - the same processors that run many Windows-based computers. Pundits said it would be only a matter of time before Apple hardware would run Windows.

"Well, the time has come.

"Thanks to an ad hoc contest, a guy named Jesus Lopez is US$13,854 richer....

"What will this likely mean for the rest of us?"

Link: Now That Mac Can Run Windows, What's Next?

Windows on Macs - Part 3

AppleTalk's iSlayer reports:

"Part 3 of our series on running Windows on Macs is a special one.

"We have been lucky enough to have had a chance to talk to Jesus Lopez (otherwise known as blanka) who was part of the two man team that successfully managed to install and run Windows XP on an Intel Mac."

Link: Windows on Macs - Part 3

The Macintel Transition

Adobe Discusses Apple's Transition to Intel

The Consumer Electronics Stock Blog reports:

"Adobe Systems discussed the impact on its business from Apple Computer Inc's transition to Intel chips in the Q&A session of its conference call last night."

Link: Adobe Systems Discusses Apple's Transition to Intel Chips

OS X on a Dell Easy

Mac a Dell reports:

"Install Apple OS X on a Dell computer? It can be done easily.

"Run the new Intel Apple OS X on a Dell computer? It can be done with little more difficulty than it takes to install Windows XP.

"Apple knows it. But will they cash-in?"

Link: Mac a Dell

Intel News

Quad-core Intel CPUs Due Q1 2007

The Register's Tony Smith reports:

"Intel's quad-core processor, 'Kentsfield', may come to market earlier than anticipated. Intel's official release window spans the whole of 2007, but when the details of the chip emerged late last year, it was said to be earmarked for a mid-2007 debut. Now, apparently, it's coming out in Q1 next year.

"So, at least, claim Taiwanese motherboard-maker sources cited by DigiTimes. The motivation behind the decision to ship in the first quarter appears to be that it will allow the chip giant to compete more effectively with AMD's quadies, due in the same timeframe."

Link: Intel Quad-core CPUs 'to Ship Q1 2007'

Intel Launches 3.73 GHz Extreme Dual-core Pentium

The Register's Tony Smith reports:

"Intel has quietly rolled out the dual-core Pentium Extreme Edition 965, its anticipated upgrade to the gaming-oriented CPU family that ups the clock speed to 3.73 GHz. Due in Q2, the part is already making appearances on the chip giant's website.

"In other respects, the new chip matches the previous top-of-the-range PEE processor, the 3.46 GHz 955. The new part supports a 1066 MHz frontside bus clock frequency, each core has 2 MB of L2 cache, it's fabbed at 65nm, it has Virtualisation Technology, HyperThreading, support for Windows XP Service Pack 2's 'no execute' anti-virus technique, and has 64-bit addressing."

Link: Intel Launches 3.73 GHz Extreme Dual-core Pentium

Intel Takes New Tack to Trim Power Consumption

eWeek's John G. Spooner reports:

"With energy efficiency creeping up enterprises' evaluation criteria list, Intel knew it couldn't afford to allow its future chips to use more power.

"The Santa Clara, Calif., company went back to the drawing board to create a new chip architecture - a replacement for the circuitry that underpins its entire x86 product line-that would both increase performance and cut power consumption.

"'Energy is on everyone's mind,' said Intel Chief Technology Officer Justin Rattner during a keynote at the March Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco, where he announced the architecture. 'There's a fundamental tension here between performance and energy consumed. It's a classic trade-off.'

"Touting greater energy efficiency - and, no doubt, attempting to thwart Advanced Micro Devices, which has been making headway in servers as of late - Intel will roll out three dual-core chips based on the new Intel Core Microarchitecture later this year."

Link: Intel Takes New Tack to Trim Power Consumption