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One last groundless rumor before Low End Mac takes a week off for
Thanksgiving....
Just when you thought it was safe to recommend an eMac, Apple
thows another wrench into the works, the eMac II, or so our
anonymous janitor at One Infinite Loop leads us to believe based
on reconstructions of shredded documents and late night visits to the
design labs while in a drunken stupor.
Some of you may remember back in July 2000 when Apple, unavailable
to get G4 processors faster than 500 MHz, created the first dual
processor Power Mac G4 models. Apple claimed that two
brains were better than one, but before OS X was a reality,
two brains weren't generally much better than one. Only a few classic
Mac applications were ever written for multiple processors.
Mac OS X changed everything. It's Unix at the core, and
this means that support for multiple processors is built right into
the operating system. Even if some applications didn't utilize
multiple processors, the OS can balance the load so every program
gains something when multiple processors are present.
Until now, Apple has only incorporated dual processors on their
top-tier models, but that's coming to an end at the January
Macworld Expo, right Rupert (er, scratch that, don't
want Apple to know our survivor's name).
With all the performance tweaks in Panther, the OS X
has less bottlenecks than ever before, but that G4 processor still
tops out this side of 1.5 GHz - while the more modern, generally
more powerful G5 CPU starts at 1.6 GHz.
The eMac II
Choosing to give Dell a real run for the money, Apple will
have multiple eMac II models available in January. At the top
is a model with a pair of 1.25 GHz G4 processors, a 512 MB DDR memory
module, and one empty memory expansion socket. With the availability
of 1 GB modules, the eMac II will be officially supported to
2 GB of RAM.
But that's not all. Like the slot-loading iMacs, the eMac II will
be nearly silent. You'll still hear the hard drive, but taking
several lessons from the Power Mac
G5, the eMac II will have various cooling zones and six
different fans to move air as necessary.
The case itself will be about 1" narrower, 2" shorter, and an inch
less deep. Weight will drop to about 42 pounds. The internal drive
will use Serial ATA. And the case will be made from machined
aluminum.
Oh, alright, that's made up. The case will still be plastic, but
using the kind of technology seen in the Dalmatian and flower power
iMacs, the iMac II will have a brushed metal look - just like
the OS!
A step down will be the dual 1 GHz eMac II, followed by a dual 867
MHz model. Even the entry-level 733 MHz dual G4 eMac II will offer
more performance and far better process balancing than today's
1 GHz eMac.
And it will cost less.
Heading straight for the Gates of Dell, the eMac II/733
will sell for US$599 including OS X 10.3, AppleWorks, and all
the usual iApps. The stock hard drive will be 60 GB, and a Combo
drive will be standard, although CD-ROM and CD-RW versions will be
available to education customers ordering in bulk. Consumer will also
be able to upgrade to a SuperDrive when ordering from the Apple
Online Store.
Recognizing the realities of OS X, even the 733 MHz model will
include 256 MB of memory.
The 867 MHz model will sell for US$699 with a Combo drive, US$899
with a SuperDrive. It will have the same 256 MB RAM, but a slightly
larger 80 GB hard drive.
At 1 GHz, the SuperDrive becomes a standard feature, as does 512
MB of RAM. This will be Apple's most powerful sub-$1,000 model at
US$999.
Topping the line, the dual 1.25 GHz eMac II will sell for US$1,199
- a hundred bucks less than the original iMac of 1998.
It Gets Better
We expect a similar upgrade for the semi-volleyball iMac as
well, although even we aren't gullible enough to believe in a 42"
model. This may not be announced in January though.
There's another place where two brains can be better than one:
laptops. The PowerBook line will be upgraded with dual G4
processors. There won't be a speed bump, but a pair of G4s running at
a lower speed can provide the same performance as a single faster G4
while drawing less power, providing greater battery life, and
generating less heat.
Later in the year we anticipate the iBook G4 line going with dual
processors as well.
Using a pair of CPUs provides about an 80% overall boost
vs. a single CPU, and slower CPUs are a lot less costly than faster
ones. For those used to 233 MHz to 600 MHz G3 Macs, even the eMac
II/733 is going to feel like a whole new level of performance.
That eMac will offer about the same performance as the recently
discontinued single CPU 1.25 GHz Power Mac G4!
As expected, there will be no headless eMac or iMac. Steve
Jobs is adamantly opposed to people hooking ugly monitors to new
Macs.
- Anne Onymus
Recent Rumor Mills
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October 12 in LEM history: 98: Beyond HFS+ nightmares - 99: iMacs for all - 00: The future of low-end gaming - 01: Tips on buying a new computer - 05: iMac G5 (iSight) - Simple backup strategies - 06: Bring back flexible, easy to upgrade 'Books - 07: Road Apple nominations - PB 150 boots from Compact Flash - Leopard to slow down PowerPC Macs?
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Used 2.66 GHz 4-core, $1,799; new, $1,949 after rebate; 2.8 4-core, $2,099 shipped; 8-core, $2,599 shipped; 3.0 $3,399 shipped; 3.2, $4,099 shipped.
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If your old Mac is too slow, too noisy, too plain looking, or has too little room for expansion, you might want to mod it.
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Best Mac OS X 10.4 'Tiger' Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.09.
DVD upgrade from 10.3, $75; upgrade bundle with 10.3, $118; full version, $129; family pack, $200; 10-user Server, $350; unlimited, $400.
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