Compiled by Charles Moore
and edited by Dan Knight
- 2006.05.04
This Week's Macintel News
. 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.
Macintel News
Intel News
Macintel News
Has Apple Embraced the Dark Side?
Mail on Sunday's Rob Waugh reports:
"It's bold of Apple to let its computers run software from a
rival firm that holds 97 percent of the market - but as soon as you
start up Boot Camp, it begins to look like a very sharp move.
"Mac aficionado actor Stephen Fry recently voiced what many
think of its rival: 'God rot Windows and all its ugly, clunky,
badly designed horror.'
"Now, though, Apple has just released Boot Camp, a free download
for its newest Macs, which lets you install Windows XP and run
Windows software without disturbing your existing Mac OS X
Tiger operating system, applications or files....
"Installation is painless, and after you've skipped past a
couple of dire-sounding Windows warnings, the MS 'Start' button
pops up.
"From that point, it is awe inspiring."
- Link: Has Apple Embraced
the Dark Side?
Dual-Boot Enabler from Apple Kicks Butt
InformationWeek Desktop Pipeline's Richard Hoffman says:
"Apple Computer's switch to Intel CPUs for its new desktops and
laptops brought up a fascinating question: Can the Intel-based Macs
run Windows operating systems and software natively? Indeed they
can, thanks to the beta release of Boot Camp, a free dual-boot
enabler designed to let users install Windows XP on Intel-based
Macs. Apple says dual-boot capability will be built into Leopard,
the next major release of its OS X operating system.
"I ran Boot Camp on a new iMac with a 2-GHz Intel Core Duo
processor and installed Windows XP Pro almost without a hitch - so
smoothly you'd hardly know Boot Camp was beta software. Just be
sure not to choose anything other than the C: partition to install
Windows to, as you could instantly wipe out your OS X
partition accidentally. I then ran a full range of Windows
software, including Office, Visio, Outlook, Photoshop, and
graphics-intensive games."
- Link:
Dual-Boot Enabler from Apple Kicks Butt
Some Thoughts and a First Look: Windows on
Macintel
Mac Companion's Ted Bade says:
"Most dedicated Mac users have at one time or another wanted to
run a program that is only available for Windows. It might be a
silly game, a utility program that would appeal only to some
people, or piece of specialty software. It's not that we are
dissatisfied with what is available for Mac OS X, but there is
a special little need, interest, or curiosity.
"Up until Apple released the Intel-based Macs, there were very
limited options. You could purchase a Windows-based machine and use
it for those special needs, but that solution was for people
willing to part with the cash for the hardware and who had a place
to put it. Emulation programs, such as Virtual PC were another
solution. They are a lot cheaper then hardware, but you always get
a speed hit with emulation. Programs run dreadfully slow; don't
even try to play a game in emulation! But it was good enough for
many purposes.
"When Apple announced the Intel-based Macs, many people realized
that getting Windows and thus Windows-based applications to run on
these new machines was a possibility. A person with an Intel Mac
would have the best of both worlds. You could live and work in the
safe and easy to use Macintosh environment, with the ability to run
those specialty apps when needed. But because this wasn't
emulation, but actual hardware, you don't get the emulation speed
hit. Also, since you were going to buy a new Mac anyway, there is
no cost of extra hardware to consider. What could be a better
solution?"
- Link:
Windows on an Intel Macintosh - Some Thoughts and a First
Look
Parallels Workstation Reaches Beta 6
PR: Parallels Workstation 2.1 Beta 6 for Mac OS X is Now
Available!
Parallels Workstation is not simply a "dual-boot" solution;
rather, it empowers users the ability to use Windows, Linux, and
any other operating system at the same time as Mac OS X,
enabling users to enjoy the comfort of their Mac OS X desktop
while still being able to use critical applications from other
OSes.
New in version 2.1b6:
- USB fixes (more devices supported: PDA, scanner, etc.)
- Shared Folders fixes (added support for guest Windows
2000)
- Network improvements: host-only networking
- Custom video resolutions support added
- Image Tool introduced
- Auto update introduced
- Kernel panic in virtual memory manager fixed
- Shutdown in full screen mode hang fixed
- Virtual disk sync() problem with Linux guests fixed
Parallels Workstation 2.1 Beta 6 for Mac OS X offers users a
number of important features, including:
- Broad OS Support: Use any version of Windows (3.1, 3.11, 95,
98, Me, 2000, NT, XP, 2003), any Linux distribution, FreeBSD,
Solaris, OS/2, eComStation, or MS-DOS in secure virtual machines
running alongside Mac OS X.
- Great Performance: Driven by full support for dual-core
processors and Intel Virtualization Technology (included in almost
every new Intel-powered Mac), virtual machines created using
Parallels Workstation 2.1 Beta 6 offer near-native performance and
rock-solid stability.
- Unmatched Ease of Use: Download the program and install it with
a single click. Build a virtual machine in seconds using helpful
wizards. Configure virtual machines using a simple web-inspired
interface.
- Works on any Intel-powered Mac: Any Intel Powered Macintosh
running OS X 10.4.4 or higher is compatible with Parallels
Workstation 2.1.
NB: Please update Parallels Tools for guest Windows
NT/2000/XP/2003 installed in previous betas! To do so boot guest OS
and click on menu VM->Install Parallels Tools.
Participate in this important Beta program! Get your copy of
Parallels Workstation 2.1 Beta 6 for Mac OS X now.
- Link: Parallels
Workstation
Intel News
90% of Intel Cores to Be Duo by Year End
The Register's Tony Smith reports:
"Intel will begin producing more dual-core chips than
single-core parts this quarter, the chip giant has revealed.
Indeed, by the end of 2006, 90 per cent of the mobile CPUs it
produces will be dual-core chips, rather more than the company
previously forecast."
- Link: Intel:
90% of Cores to Be Duo by Year End
Intel to Offer New Architecture Every 2
Years
The Register's Tony Smith reports:
"Roadmap Intel will ship 'Conroe' in July and 'Merom' in August,
CEO Paul Otellini said yesterday, illustrating his announcement
with a slide using the icon of new buddy Apple's iCal application
to indicate the ship dates.
"Both CPUs are the first, respectively, desktop and notebook
incarnations of Intel's upcoming performance-per-Watt targeting
next-generation microarchitecture. 'Woodcrest', the server chip
based on the same technology, will ship first, Otellini revealed,
in June. It's in the server space that the company feels most
vulnerable to AMD, and it's looking to the claimed 3x performance
boost Woodcrest gives over a 2.8 GHz Xeon DP to start winning
business back from Opteron."
- Link:
Intel to Offer New Architecture Every Two Years
