Apple unveiled the Mac Pro and Xserve yesterday, completing the
transition from PowerPC to Intel and moving Apple into 64-bit
Intel-based computing. The top-end 3 GHz MacPro offers up to
twice the power of the 2.5 GHz Power Mac G5 Quad.
There are persistent rumors that the MacBook Pro will move to
Core 2 CPUs later this month, and VMware has announced another
solution for running multiple operating systems on the Mac. Time
will tell how well it compares to Parallels Desktop,
the current front runner.
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.
Apple Unveils New Mac Pro Featuring Quad 64-bit
Xeon Processors
PR: At WWDC yesterday, Apple unveiled the new Mac Pro, a quad Xeon, 64-bit desktop
workstation featuring two new Dual-Core Intel Xeon processors
running up to 3.0 GHz and a new system architecture that delivers
up to twice the performance of the Power Mac G5 Quad*. With advanced
performance, greater expansion, higher performance graphics
options, and unprecedented customization, the newly designed Mac
Pro is the ideal system for the most demanding user. The
introduction of the Mac Pro marks the completion of a rapid and
seamless transition for Apple, with the entire Mac family now using
Intel's latest processors.
"Apple has successfully completed the transition to using Intel
processors in just seven months - 210 days to be exact," said Steve
Jobs, Apple's CEO. "And what better product to complete it with
than the new Mac Pro, the workstation Mac users have been dreaming
about."
The new Mac Pro features the new Dual-Core Intel Xeon 5100
series processor based on the revolutionary Intel Core
microarchitecture, delivering breakthrough performance and power
efficiency. The new Mac Pro is up to twice as fast as the Power Mac
G5 Quad running industry standard benchmarks and features two
Dual-Core Intel Xeon processors running up to 3.0 GHz, each with
4 MB of shared L2 cache and independent 1.33 GHz frontside
buses. With 667 MHz DDR2 fully buffered memory, the Mac Pro also
boasts a 256-bit wide memory architecture for amazing
bandwidth.
With more
than 4.9 million possible configurations, the Mac Pro delivers
unprecedented customization to meet even the most demanding
performance, expansion and storage needs. The newly redesigned Mac
Pro features an all new, direct attach storage solution for cable
free, snap in installation of up to four 500 GB Serial ATA hard
drives for a total of 2 TB of internal storage - the most ever
on a Mac - and support for two optical drives to simultaneously
read and/or write to CDs and DVDs. Every Mac Pro includes three
full-length PCI Express expansion slots and one double-wide PCI
Express graphics slot to support high-powered, double-wide graphics
cards without sacrificing multiple slots. Providing quick and
convenient access to connect the most popular external devices, the
front panel of the Mac Pro includes a FireWire 800 port, a FireWire
400 port and two USB 2.0 ports with additional FireWire 800,
FireWire 400 and three USB 2.0 ports on the back panel. Mac Pro
also includes dual Gigabit Ethernet ports, optical digital input
and output, analog audio input and output, and optional built-in
support for AirPort Extreme and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR.
Every Mac Pro comes standard with the Nvidia GeForce 7300 GT
with 256 MB of video memory, providing built-in support for
dual-displays and Apple's 30" Cinema HD Display. The ATI Radeon
X1900 XT and the Nvidia Quadro FX 4500, both with 512 MB of video
memory, are available as build to order options and provide
built-in support for up to two 30" Apple Cinema HD Displays. The
Quadro FX 4500 also includes a stereo 3D port to connect goggles
for stereo-in-a-window applications and is ideal for the most
demanding animation, special effects and scientific visualization
applications. The Mac Pro supports up to four PCI Express graphics
cards to drive up to eight displays at once for advanced
visualization and large display walls.
The latest release of the world's most advanced operating
system, Mac OS X version 10.4.7 Tiger, comes with every new Mac
Pro, including Safari™, Mail, iCal and iChat AV, running
natively. Tiger includes an innovative software translation
technology called Rosetta that lets customers run most Mac OS X
PowerPC applications seamlessly.** Intel-based Mac customers have
more than 3,000 Universal applications to choose from including all
of Apple's own consumer and professional applications. Universal
Mac software includes versions of Xsan, a high performance,
enterprise class Storage Area Network (SAN) file system and Mac OS
X Server, Apple's award-winning server operating system. An updated
list of Universal applications for Mac OS X is available at
guide.apple.com/universal and is growing each day with hundreds of
developers announcing support for Mac OS X Intel-based
applications.
Apple's award-winning widescreen flat panel Cinema Displays
offer the perfect match for the Mac Pro and are now more affordable
than ever. The 30" Cinema HD Display with an industry-leading
2560-by-1600 pixel resolution and the 23" Cinema HD Display with a
1920-by-1200 pixel resolution, ideal for editing High Definition
Television (HDTV) content, are now priced at $1,999 and $999,
respectively. The 20" Cinema Display is now just $699 and offers a
1680-by-1050 pixel resolution, more than enough space to edit full
size images with plenty of room for onscreen palettes.
The Mac Pro is shipping now with the standard prebuilt
configuration, including two 2.66 GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon
processors and priced at $2,499, through the
Apple Store, Apple's retail stores and Apple Authorized
Resellers. The 20" Cinema Display, 23" Cinema HD Display and the
30" Cinema HD Display are available through the
Apple Store, at Apple's retail stores, and Apple Authorized
Resellers for a suggested retail price of $699, $999 and $1,999,
respectively.
The Mac Pro, with a suggested retail price of $2,499,
includes:
- two 2.66 GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon processors;
- 1 GB of 667 MHz DDR2 fully buffered ECC memory expandable up to
16 GB;
- Nvidia GeForce 7300 GT with 256 MB of GDDR2 SDRAM;
- 250 GB Serial ATA (3 Gb/s) hard drive running at 7200 rpm;
- 16x SuperDrive™ with double-layer support (DVD+R
DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW);
- four PCI Express slots: one double-wide graphics slot and three
full-length expansion slots; and
- ships with Mighty Mouse and Apple Keyboard.
In addition to the standard configuration, the Mac Pro offers
more than 4.9 million build-to-order options including: two 2.0 GHz
or 3.0 GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon processors; up to 16 GB of 667 MHz
DDR2 fully buffered ECC memory; up to four 500 GB Serial ATA hard
drives running at 7200 rpm; up to two 16x SuperDrives with
double-layer support; ATI Radeon X1900 XT and Nvidia Quadro FX 4500
graphics cards, both with 512 MB of GDDR3 SDRAM; AirPort Extreme
module, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR module; Apple USB Modem; Apple Wireless
Keyboard and Apple wireless Mighty Mouse; Mac OS X Server Tiger;
Apple Xsan; and Apple Fibre Channel PCI Express Card. Complete
build-to-order options and pricing are available online.
*Based on estimated results of industry-standard
SPECint and SPECfp rate tests. SPEC is a registered trademark of
Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation (SPEC); see
www.apple.com/macpro for more information.
**See www.apple.com/rosetta/ for information on
Rosetta supported Apple software. Contact the manufacturer directly
for third party software.
Apple Introduces Xserve with Quad 64-bit Xeon
Processors
PR: At WWDC yesterday, Apple announced the new Xserve, a quad Xeon, 64-bit server
featuring Mac OS X Server Tiger on two Dual-Core Intel Xeon
processors running up to 3.0 GHz, resulting in performance that is
over five times that of its predecessor.* With an industry-leading
high bandwidth server architecture that includes PCI Express,
independent 1.33 GHz front side buses with 4 MB of shared L2
cache, and fully buffered DIMMs (FB-DIMMs), the new Xserve delivers
up to four times the I/O bandwidth, up to three times the memory
bandwidth and twice the storage bandwidth of the Xserve G5. The new
Xserve is Apple's most customizable server yet with dozens of
options, including faster processors, larger hard drives and dual
power supplies. With over one million possible build to order
configurations, the Intel-based Xserve delivers unbeatable
flexibility, manageability and price performance that make it ideal
for everything from creative workgroups to scientific
computing.
"Xserve has always been the perfect server for Mac workgroups
and now it will run over five times faster for the same
breakthrough price," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice
president of Worldwide Product Marketing. "With new Intel
processors, a redesigned hardware architecture, and an unlimited
Tiger Server client access license, no one can offer better price
performance and manageability in a 1U server."
Configurable with two Dual-Core Intel Xeon processors running
either 2.0, 2.66 or 3.0 GHz, the new Xserve supports up to 32 GB of
667 MHz DDR2 ECC FB-DIMM memory with twice the capacity and three
times the bandwidth of the Xserve G5. Two eight-lane PCI Express
expansion slots provide up to 2 GB/s of throughput each to
support the next generation of fibre channel, networking and
graphics cards. Apple delivers industry-leading storage flexibility
with support for up to three 3 Gb/s SATA or SAS drives that can
achieve an unrivaled 2.25 TB of hot-plug storage in a 1U server
while advanced thermal management capabilities take advantage of
the low power of the Intel processors, running as low as 65W.
Apple has made the system even easier to manage with quick
deployment rails for rack mounting, a new lights out management
system that lets administrators control the hardware from a remote
location and by including Apple's Server Monitor software and
Remote Desktop agent.
The new Xserve ships with internal graphics that can drive up to
a 23 inch Cinema Display as well as industry standard VGA devices
and offers an ATI Radeon X1300 256 MB PCI Express graphics card for
professional graphics and video applications as a build to order
option.
The Intel-based Xserve will be the first system to ship with a
preinstalled unlimited client edition of Tiger Server software that
is optimized to run on Intel-based systems. Tiger Server integrates
over 100 leading open source projects and standards-based software
applications with easy-to-use management tools that make it easy to
deploy for Mac, Windows and Linux clients.
Apple offers a choice of world-class services and support
programs for Xserve including AppleCare Premium Service that offers
four-hour on-site response and 24x7 technical support. For self
servicing customers, Apple offers complete Service Parts Kits to
address the majority of potential field problems.
Pricing & Availability
The new Xserve is scheduled to be available in October 2006
through the
Apple Store and Apple Authorized Resellers. The Xserve base
configuration includes two 2.0 GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon processors
with 1 GB of 667 MHz DDR2 ECC FB-DIMM RAM, a single 80 GB 3 Gb/s
SATA Apple Drive Module, dual Gigabit Ethernet onboard, internal
graphics, three FireWire 800 and two USB 2.0 ports, and an
unlimited client license of Mac OS X Server version 10.4 Tiger for
a suggested retail price of $2,999. Build to order options and
accessories include dual 2.66 or 3.0 GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon
processors; up to 32 GB of 667 MHz FB-DIMM RAM; 80 GB and 750 GB
7200 rpm 3 Gb/s SATA or 73 GB and 300 GB 15,000 rpm SAS Apple Drive
Modules; ATI Radeon X1300 graphics card with 256 MB SDRAM; Combo or
SuperDrive™; and 650W redundant power supply.
*Based on estimated results of industry-standard
SPECint rate tests. SPEC is a registered trademark of Standard
Performance Evaluation Corporation (SPEC); See
www.apple.com/server/ for more information.
MacBook Pro to Go Core 2 Duo This Month?
The Register's Tony Smith reports:
"Expect Apple to upgrade its MacBook Pro to include Intel's
mobile Core 2 Duo microprocessor - better known by its codename,
'Merom' - at the end of the month or early September, Mac buyers
have been told...."
Link:
Apple to Bring Core 2 Duo to MacBook Pro This Month?
Apple Goes All Intel All the Time
The Register's Ashlee Vance reports:
"The great Intel sellout is now complete with Apple today
revealing the new Mac Pro workstation.
"The Mac Pro runs on a pair of Intel's latest dual-core Xeon
server processors, giving it plenty of horsepower to handle the
clunky Safari browser. The box offers up twice the performance of
older IBM chip-based Power Mac G5s. Apple's black-shirted crusader
Steve Jobs revealed the system to customers at the company's
developer conference in San Francisco.
"'Today the Power Mac is going to fade into history,' Jobs said,
going on to describe the Mac Pro as a 'beautiful machine.'"
Link: Apple Goes
All Intel All the Time
Windows on Mac: Boot Camp vs. Parallels
Desktop
The Register's Tony Smith reports:
"Almost as soon as Intel-based Macs were available to buy,
clever coders were trying to figure out how to run Windows XP on
them. Mac OS X not good enough for you, guys? Well, in some
cases no, it's not. Mac OS X may be the better product -
discuss... - but Windows has access to far more software
applications and hardware toys that the Apple operating system
does. From gamers to software developers to business users, there
are solid reasons why a Mac user might want to run the 'other'
operating system....
"But there's a basic question that needs to be answered before
we can all enjoy tinkering with alternative operating systems on or
Macs: how is this duality to be achieved? Both Windows and Mac OS X
access hardware resources in different ways, so there's no way
literally to turn a Mac into a PC. You can't format the hard drive
and install Windows on top of it. There have been hacks to make
this possible and to allow an Intel-based Mac to play host two both
Mac OS X and Windows, and they've been followed up by more
commercial tools. This month, Apple updated its offering, Boot
Camp, while a small company called Parallels released the final
version of its own Windows-on-Mac tool...."
Link:
Windows on Mac: Boot Camp vs. Parallels Desktop
VMware Announces New Product for Macintel OS X
Users
PR: Intel-based Macs will be able to simultaneously run
Mac OS X, Windows, Linux, and NetWare
VMware, Inc., the global leader in software for
industry-standard virtualized desktops and servers, today announced
a new product that will enable Intel-based Macs to run x86
operating systems, such as Windows, Linux, NetWare, and Solaris, in
virtual machines at the same time as Mac OS X. VMware will
demo the product today during the Apple Worldwide Developers
Conference 2006 in San Francisco.
"We are excited to bring our desktop platform product to Apple
Macs. The demand for this has been unbelievable and it is clearly
front and center for Mac users," said Diane Greene, president of
VMware. "VMware is in the business of providing the most advanced
and robust virtualization platforms as well as phenomenal add-on
functionality that leverages our virtualization platform. This
announcement brings our desktop platform and add-on capabilities to
Mac users, and it will allow them to run a wide variety of
operating systems without rebooting. Mac users who also use the PC
will be able to use this product to consolidate onto the Mac."
The new Mac product is based on VMware's robust and advanced
virtualization technology, shipping for more than seven years and
used by more than four million people today. Moving forward,
virtual machines created with any of VMware's products will run on
Intel-based Macs and, similarly, non-Mac OS X virtual machines
created with the new product will run on the latest versions of
other VMware platform products.
In addition, Mac users will be able to leverage more than 250
virtual appliances for solutions such as security, load balancing,
collaboration, databases, development, communications and business
applications that are available for download from VMware Technology
Network (VMTN) at www.vmtn.net . Virtual appliances are prebuilt,
preconfigured and ready-to-run software applications, all packaged
within virtual machines that can be run using VMware virtualization
products, including VMware Player and VMware Server which are both
available for free download at www.vmware.com/download/
The beta release of this product is expected to be available
later this year. Interested parties will be able to sign up for
early access online.
Link: VMware
for Mac OS X
ATTO Supports Mac Pro, Xserve
PR: ATTO Technology, Inc., a global leader of storage
connectivity and infrastructure solutions for data-intensive
computing environments, announces support for the Apple
Macintosh® next generation Intel Server architecture for its
complete line of SCSI, Fibre Channel, and SAS Host and RAID
adapters.
ATTO ExpressPCI SCSI adapters, Celerity Fibre Channel adapters,
and ExpressSAS RAID adapters are the only PCI Express (PCIe)
adapters available today that support Mac OS X on the Intel
platform. As members of the Intel Storage Community and Managed
Developers Program, ATTO worked closely with Intel to design our
host adapters to take advantage of the innovative performance of
the 64-bit dual-core Intel® Xeon® Processor and achieve
immediate market delivery.
Link: ATTO
