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 iNews Review.
Windows on Macintel
The Macintel Transition
Intel News
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."
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
