Compiled by Charles Moore
and edited by Dan Knight
- 2005.07.28
This Week's Mac-on-Intel News
Low End Mac has standardized on Macintel as our official
informal label for the forthcoming OS X-on-Intel Macintosh
computers, although you'll probably find just as many people
calling them "Mactels". Whatever we call them, Apple's decision to
switch to Intel CPUs means we live in very interesting times.
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.
News, Analysis, and Opinion
Tech Developments
News, Analysis, and Opinion
Developers Impressed with Speed of Macintel
Development Systems
Mac on Intel reports:
"According to AppleInsider, developers leasing Apple's $999
Intel-based Macintosh development system are quite impressed with
the speed of the 3.6 GHz Pentium 4-based unit as compared to
current, high-end PowerPC-based Macs."
Macintel to Expand Mac Base
Computer Dealer News' Paolo Del Nibletto says:
"If Apple stuck to its core base of creative and desktop
publishing, then maybe Intel isn't necessary, but Apple isn't
sticking to its guns. It is getting aggressive in the marketplace
and wants to gain share against other desktop rivals. The only way
to make more systems is to partner with a chipmaker who knows a
thing or two about mass production. That is Intel and not
PowerPC....
"IBM and the PowerPC, really in all honesty, didn't need Apple.
Sure it was great to have them, but they are interested in making
super fast chips for Moon rovers, not some poor schmuck doing
desktop publishing in Calgary.
"If Apple stuck to its core base of creative and desktop
publishing, then maybe Intel isn't necessary, but Apple isn't
sticking to its guns. It is getting aggressive in the marketplace
and wants to gain share against other desktop rivals."
Resellers Unsure about Apple's Transition to
Intel
The Channel Insider reports:
"The dust has largely settled following Apple Computer Inc.'s
announcement that it would use Intel Corp. microprocessors in its
Macintosh computers - a shift that will start in some models by
mid-2006 and will include all Macs by the end of 2007 - but
resellers are still trying to analyze the impact the big switch
will have for their customers and business."
Why Apple Chose Intel
Business 2.0's Owen Thomas says:
"Apple's announcement last month that it was switching from IBM
PowerPC chips to Intel chips was one of those seismic events whose
aftershocks continue to be felt for a long time. Now that Apple has
started to ship its first Intel systems - test machines for
developers who want to port their applications over to the new
Intel-based Macs went out late last month - it's worth examining
why the company made the move and what the impact on the rest of
the tech world will be.
"The reason for the switch is a basic one. Nearly a decade ago,
Apple ran ads about how its chips toasted Intel's Pentiums. At the
time, that seemed like a good thing. But now heat is a problem
that's threatening Apple's burgeoning computer sales."
Why Do They Always Think Apple is Lying?
The Mac Night Owl's Gene Steinberg writes:
"First of all, I was seated in the press section when Steve Jobs
uncorked the news that Macs would have Intel processors beginning
next year. I heard every single word, took copious notes on my
PowerBook, and watched the slides as Steve delivered his
presentation. It was short, sweet, and to the point. Yes, some of
the fine details were missing, but there could be no doubts about
why Apple was changing chip suppliers and when it would
happen."
Some Resellers Disappointed by Vague Transition
Plan
Computer Dealer News' Howard Solomon reports:
"U.S.-based microprocessor analysts Dean McCarron of Mercury
Research and Nathan Brookwood of Insight64 said Intel's Pentium M
platform, now used in laptops, is the most likely CPU Mac
processors will be built around. Intel has indicated the Pentium M
architecture will be used on both desktop and notebook CPUs in the
not too distant future, said McCarron.
"Weeks after Apple Computer's decision to start switching to
Intel processors, the industry is still digesting the news.
"However, not all of the company's resellers think the news is
juicy, with at least one disappointed at the holes in the
announcement.
"For example, missing are details about which Intel processors
will be in the new Macs, to be released 12 months from now. That
will affect the ease of porting Apple applications to the new
system."
Tech Developments
Intel Plans First 45nm Fab for 2007
Extreme Tech reports:
"Intel Corp. said Monday that the company plans to build its
first 45nm wafer fab in Chandler, Ariz., capitalizing on tax
incentives and the know-how the chipmaker already has on site.
"The new fab, designated as 'Fab 32', will begin production in
2007 with the 45nm parts, most likely shifting to a more advanced
process over the course of its life span. The 45nm node is two
generations away; the intermediary 65nm step is scheduled to begin
later this year."
Tomorrow's CPUs Today
Extreme Tech's Nick Stam reports:
"It's no secret that AMD and Intel have struggled to increase
clock speeds lately. In early 2004, Intel estimated the Prescott
processor would quickly rev to 5 GHz in its 90nm manufacturing
process. But initial 3-GHz chips ran wicked hot, dissipating over
90 watts (and 3.8 GHz Prescotts hit 115W). Eventually, Intel
realized it needed to shift focus from pushing gigahertz to
designing chips with two or more processor cores, improving heat
dissipation, and other ways to keep pushing the market
forwards.
"Meanwhile, there have been many neat advances from companies
other than 'The Gruesome Twosome,' including Transmeta with its
low-power Crusoe and Efficeon processors...."
Itanium 2 CPUs Get Faster Bus Architecture
PR: Intel Corporation has introduced two Intel Itanium 2
processors which deliver better performance over the current
generation for database, business intelligence, enterprise resource
planning and technical computing applications.
For the first time, Itanium 2 processors have a 667 MHz front
side bus (FSB), which connects and transfers data between the
microprocessor, chipset and system's main memory. Servers designed
to utilize the new bus are expected to deliver more than 65%
greater system bandwidth over servers designed with current Itanium
2 processors with a 400 MHz FSB. This new capability will help set
the stage for the forthcoming dual core Itanium processor, code
named "Montecito," which will feature the same bus
architecture.
"Intel continues to bring new capabilities to the Itanium
architecture, evolving the platform to further improve performance
for data intensive tasks," said Kirk Skaugen, general manager of
Intel's Server Platforms Group. "Looking forward, we are coming up
on the next major milestone for the Itanium processor family -
dual-core server platforms based on Montecito. We are extremely
excited about the customer and industry feedback we are getting,
and the preliminary performance results we are seeing on
Montecito-based systems will further expand Itanium's leadership in
its targeted market segments."
Itanium-based servers continue to make strides in three target
market segments: RISC replacement, mainframe migration and
high-performance computing. Today, more than 40 percent of the
Global 100 corporations have deployed Itanium-based servers and 79
of the Top 500 list of the world's fastest super computers are
powered by Itanium processors. The ecosystem continues to grow with
more than 3,600 applications available, while eight of nine RISC
vendors and six of seven mainframe vendors sell mainframe-class
Itanium-based servers.
The improved front side bus bandwidth allows for 10.6 gigabits
of data per second to pass from the processor to other system
components. In contrast, the current generation 400 MHz FSB
transfers 6.4 gigabits of data per second. The ability to move more
data in a very short period of time is critical to compute
intensive applications in the scientific, oil and gas and
government industries.
Hitachi, which will adopt the new Itanium 2 processors with the
667 FSB into new Hitachi BladeSymphony servers coming in the next
30 days, has also designed a chipset (the communications controller
between the processor and the rest of the computer system) to take
advantage of the new bus architecture.
Platforms using Montecito are expected to deliver up to twice
the performance, up to three times the system bandwidth, and more
than 2-1/2 times as much on-die cache as the current generation of
Itanium processors. While boosting performance, Montecito is
expected to also deliver more than 20 percent lower power than
previous generations of Itanium processors due to new technologies
for power management. Montecito will also have Intel®
Hyper-Threading technology, enabling four times the threads as the
current generation.
The Intel Itanium 2 processor at 1.66 GHz with 9 MB of cache
with 667 FSB is available for $4,655 in 1,000-unit quantities. The
Intel Itanium 2 processor at 1.66 GHz with 6 MB with 667 FSB
of cache will be available for $2,194 in 1,000-unit quantities.
NOTE: We know of no plans for Apple to use the Itanium CPU in
future computers. LEM
Three New Mobile Chips from Intel
CNET News.com's Michael Kanellos reports:
"On the same day it said it would build its factory in Arizona,
Intel introduced three new mobile chips.
"The Pentium M 780 runs at 2.26 GHz, sports a 533 MHz bus and
comes with 2 MB of cache memory for rapid data access....
"The Celeron M, meanwhile, runs at the same speed and features a
similar bus as the low-powered chip, but it comes with only
1 MB of cache. It also consumes 21 watts.
More Mac News
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.
