Merom-based 'Books are anticipated for September - or maybe not.
Reports that Merom generates too much heat may keep it off the
'Books until later in the year.
For those disappointed at the loss of Classic mode in OS X
on Intel hardware, Sheepshaver lets you run Mac OS 9.1 and Mini
vMac lets you run System 6 through 7.5.5 via emulation. You can
even run Mini vMac from a USB flash drive.
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.
'Merom' Runs Hot, 'Yonah' Might Be the Better
Chip for Notebooks
Daily Tech's Sven Olsen reports:
"Intel began releasing specifications of the new Merom processor
to its motherboard partners today. For those expecting Merom to
increase performance over Yonah while simultaneously decreasing the
thermal envelope, think again....
"Those expecting to pop in a Core 2 Duo Merom processor to
alleviate an overheating MacBook Pro, look not here. Merom is a
better performing processor than Yonah, but its thermals on paper
show its advantages are only in performance and not in thermals at
all."
Link: 'Merom' Runs Hot,
'Yonah' Might Be the Better Chip for Notebooks
Merom-based 'Books in September?
The Apple Core's Jason D. O'Grady says:
"There has been plenty of speculation as to when Apple will
upgrade MacBooks and MacBook Pros from the Intel Core Duo
(code-named 'Yonah') chips to the faster and cooler Merom (a.k.a.
Core 2 Duo) processors.
"Initially I heard that Merom was on tap to land in MacBook Pros
in time for the holidays - late October or early November. Then
last week, DigiTimes reported that the new chip was imminent and
that it was expected to turn up in MacBook Pros and MacBooks in
September.
"Sources at PC and notebook component makers indicated that
Apple will launch its MacBook laptops using Intel's new 64-bit
Merom CPU in September, with associated OEM makers, such as Asustek
and Quanta Computer, expected to benefit from that, according to a
Chinese-language Commercial Times report."
Link: More on
Merom Ship Dates
Apple Increases Share in Notebook Market,
Desktop Sales Decline
DigiTimes' Celia Lin and Steve Shen report:
"Global shipments of Apple Computer's Intel-based laptops
totaled 780,000-800,000 units in the second quarter of this year,
with the MacBook becoming a hot model in the mainstream market,
according to sources at Taiwan notebook makers, citing data
available from IDC and Gartner Dataquest....
"However, Apple did not do so well in the desktop segment with
its Intel-based systems in the second quarter, with its sales
volume declining 20% on year, the sources indicated."
Note that the Mac Pro
wasn't released until the third quarter, but Mac customers have
been anticipating it since early this year. Third quarter results
should be interesting. dk
Link: Apple
Increases Its Share in the Notebook Market, but Desktop Sales
Decline
Windows User: Next PC May be a Mac
The Houston Chronicle's Dwight Silverman reports:
"I don't have to make a decision for a while - my 3.4-GHz
Pentium 4 system will last me a bit longer. But if I had to make
the choice today, and if some of my concerns could be allayed, I'd
lean toward getting a Mac
Pro.
"Apple completed its transition to Intel chips with the launch
of powerful Mac Pro desktop computers last week and in doing so is
positioned to break out of the prison it built for itself.
"The market share for Apple's Macintosh computers has been
stalled in the single digits forever. Its reliance on the Mac
OS X operating system - more than 90 percent of the computing
world uses Microsoft's Windows - doomed it to be a niche
platform.
"But no longer. With its new lineup of machines that can run
both Windows and the Mac OS, Apple is now more than a contender and
is a serious option for even the most die-hard Windows user.
"I can say this with absolute certainty because there's a very
good chance that the next time I buy a new PC, it will be a
Mac.
"The more I think about it, and the more I examine the muscular
specs on the Mac Pro desktops, the more intrigued I become. But I'm
not necessarily interested in buying a Mac for the Mac OS. I want
it because it will run Windows - and therein lies the genius in
Apple's strategy."
Link: Allure of Mac Pro
May Move Windows Fans to Convert
You Can Run Mac OS 9 on an Intel Mac
uneasysilence.com's Dan says:
"Who said you can't use Mac OS 9 because you have an Intel Mac?
It is completely possible with a little bit of tinkering, and a
really cool universal application called Sheep Shaver, which came
to us via tip from Kazaki. Sheep Shaver is a full speed 'Classic'
emulator for Windows, Linux, and Intel based Macs, that runs older
Mac OS's at shockingly full speed!
"For the purposes of this tutorial, we will only illustrate how
to run the classic environment on Intel Macs, but you can do this
procedure on other OS'es as well. So lets teach your fancy Mactel a
new, old trick."
Link: Run Mac OS 9
on an Intel Mac
Mac-on-Stick Is a Trip Down (Flash) Memory
Lane
MacUser's Dan Moren says:
"If you're a Gadgetbox reader, you'll know I've been engaged in
a battle over getting a USB thumb drive. I love the idea of having
one, but I haven't quite managed to acquired one yet (mainly
because I'm cheap). Meanwhile, the useful things you can do with
them continue to mount up. Here's the latest in a long line: make a
Mac-on-Stick.
"The idea is to use emulation software to run the Classic Mac OS
off a thumb drive, allowing you to run it anywhere you want. The
example used boots System 7.0.1 (though up through System 7.5.5 are
available from Apple)."
Apple Boot Camp 1.1 Released
PR: Apple Boot Camp allows users with a Microsoft Windows
XP installation disc to install Windows XP on an Intel-based
Mac
More and more people are buying and loving Macs. To make this
choice simply irresistible, Apple will include technology in the
next major release of Mac OS X, Leopard, that lets you install and
run the Windows XP operating system on your Mac. Called Boot Camp,
you can download a public beta today.
As elegant as it gets
Boot Camp lets you install Windows XP without moving your Mac
data, though you will need to bring your own copy to the table, as
Apple Computer does not sell or support Microsoft Windows.(1) Boot
Camp will burn a CD of all the required drivers for Windows so you
don't have to scrounge around the Internet looking for them.
Optional alt. At startup, hold down the option key (alt) to
choose between Mac OS X and Windows.
Run XP natively
Once you've completed Boot Camp, simply hold down the option key
at startup to choose between Mac OS X and Windows. (That's the
"alt" key for you longtime Windows users.) After starting up, your
Mac runs Windows completely natively. Simply restart to come back
to Mac.
What you'll need
- Mac OS X Tiger v10.4.6 or later
- The latest Firmware updates
- 10 GB free hard disk space
- An Intel-based Mac
- A blank recordable CD
- A printer for the instructions (You'll want to print them
before installing Windows, really.)
- A bona fide installation disc for Microsoft Windows XP, Service
Pack 2, Home or Professional (No multi-disc, upgrade or Media
Center versions.)
Boot Camp burns a CD with all the Mac-specific drivers for
Windows:
- Graphics
- Networking
- Audio
- AirPort wireless
- Bluetooth
- The Eject key (on Apple keyboards)
- Brightness control for built-in displays
Changes in Boot Camp 1.1 beta
Boot Camp 1.1 beta contains many updates and is intended for all
new and previous Boot Camp beta users.
Boot Camp 1.1 beta includes:
- Support for the latest Intel-based Macintosh computers
- Easier partitioning using presets for popular sizes
- Ability to install Windows XP on any internal disk
- iSight camera support
- Support for built-in microphones
- Right-click when pressing the right-hand Apple key on Apple
keyboards
- Improved Apple keyboard support including Delete, PrintScreen,
NumLock, and ScrollLock keys
System requirements: Mac OS X 10.4.6 or later, Intel-based Mac,
blank recordable CD, purchased copy of Microsoft Windows XP,
Service Pack 2, Home or Professional (No multi-disc, upgrade or
Media Center versions.)
System support: Intel
Free
Link: Boot
Camp
Avid to Deliver Content Creation Tools for
Intel-based Macs
PR: Avid Technology, Inc. has announced its plans to
expand the wide range of video and audio content creation solutions
that will be available for Intel-based Mac systems, including the
new Mac Pro workstation introduced last week at the Apple Worldwide
Developers Conference (WWDC). The Avid Video division expects to
deliver new versions of its industry-standard Avid Xpress Pro and
Media Composer systems for all Intel-based Macs by December.
Following the arrival of the new Mac Pro workstation, Avid's Audio
Division, Digidesign, expects to release a compatible update to its
acclaimed Pro Tools HD 7.2 software in September. Full
qualification for the existing Intel-based Mac versions of Pro
Tools LE and Pro Tools M-Powered on the new Mac Pro workstation is
also expected in December, although preliminary testing indicates
that both applications will run without problems. In addition,
Digidesign's business unit, M-Audio, expects to qualify various
hardware interfaces for the Mac Pro workstation by December. A wide
range of Digidesign and M-Audio systems are already compatible with
the Intel-based computers that Apple released earlier this
year.
"As the only nonlinear editing manufacturer to offer video
applications on both the Mac and PC, we'll be able to leverage our
cross-platform development expertise to fully harness the power and
performance of Apple's new Intel-based Mac workstations. This is
great news for our audio and video customers who prefer to run our
industry-standard video and audio systems on the Mac," said Mike
Rockwell, vice president and CTO of Avid Technology. "Throughout
the Mac's history, we've supported every version of its OS, and
since 1998, we have optimized our products, codecs and software
processing routines for Intel chipsets. Avid, Digidesign, and
M-Audio customers will experience tremendous performance
enhancements compared to previous Macs, and we're looking forward
to innovating even greater video and audio solutions on this
platform in the months and years ahead."
In addition to continuing development on Intel-based Mac
systems, Avid's video and audio businesses plan to maintain
backward compatibility with PowerPC-based Mac systems. Avid and its
businesses also expect to support future versions of the Mac OS,
including the forthcoming Leopard OS announced this week at the
Apple WWDC. Specific timing for Leopard OS support will be
announced after Apple begins shipping the new OS some time in
2007.
Link: Avid
Blackmagic Design Announces Support for Mac Pro
Systems
PR: Blackmagic Design Inc. has announced support for the
new Apple Mac Pro systems based on Intel Xeon processors. All
Blackmagic Design PCI Express based video capture cards are
supported as a free update from the Blackmagic Design website.
Supported products include DeckLink HD Extreme, DeckLink HD Pro
4:4:4 PCIe, DeckLink SP PCIe, DeckLink Extreme PCIe, and
Multibridge Extreme and Multibridge Pro.
Blackmagic Design customers will be able to purchase these new
Mac Pro systems and use any PCI Express based DeckLink card or
Multibridge editing system.
In addition, Blackmagic Design's testing has shown, that when
the new Apple Mac Pro is populated with 3 x 500 MB SATA disks
internally mounted and striped with RAID 0 configuration,
approximately 170 MB/sec disk array performance was achieved. This
allows customers to build lower cost HD disk arrays for simple
capture and playback tasks. For higher performance editing
solutions, Blackmagic Design's testing has shown Apple's Xserve
RAID works well as a high performance uncompressed HDTV disk
array.
"This is an exciting time for our customers because the
processor to memory speed of these new systems is dramatically
higher than previously available on the Mac platform. This allows
more video effects, more layers, and more complex design work to
run real time, while providing much higher performance for
uncompressed HD and uncompressed 2K feature film rendering," said
Grant Petty, CEO, Blackmagic Design Inc. "These new systems are a
perfect match for DeckLink cards and our new Multibridge Pro
editing solution."
Blackmagic Design software for Intel systems will ship later
this week, and be available as a free update from the Blackmagic
Design website. Once downloaded, any PCI Express Blackmagic Design
product can be installed and operated in these new systems.
Link: Blackmagic
Design Announces Support for the New Apple Intel-Based Mac Pro
Systems
