New Macs

[Brian Lesser]

So Mac World San Fransisco was today...

and with that said, There were a few announcements...

-iLife '06
-iWork '06
-new version of .Mac
-More video content from ABC sports, ESPN, and Disney
-Content from SNL ("We need more cowbell")

And last, but certainly not least...

The introduction of the first two Apple computers that will use Intel's new processor, Intel Core Duo

iMac: http://www.apple.com/imac/
MacBook Pro: http://www.apple.com/macbookpro/

Here are the specs for the iMac (both the 17" and the 20" )

17-inch widescreen LCD with 1440x900 resolution
1.83GHz Intel Core Duo processor with 2MB shared L2 cache
512MB (single SO-DIMM) 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (PC2-5300)
160GB Serial ATA hard drive
Slot-load 8x double-layer SuperDrive
ATI Radeon X1600 graphics with 128MB GDDR3 memory
Built-in AirPort Extreme and Bluetooth 2.0
Price: $1,299.00

20-inch widescreen LCD with 1680x1050 resolution
2.0GHz Intel Core Duo processor with 2MB shared L2 cache
512MB (single SO-DIMM) 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (PC2-5300)
250GB Serial ATA hard drive
Slot-load 8x double-layer SuperDrive
ATI Radeon X1600 graphics with 128MB GDDR3 memory
Built-in AirPort Extreme and Bluetooth 2.0
Price: $1,699.00

And now the specs for the MacBook Pro. Surprisingly, this one only has one display option, but two separate models due to processor speed and other configurations...

15.4-inch TFT display with 1440x900 resolution
1.67GHz Intel Core Duo processor with 2MB shared L2 Cache
667MHz frontside bus
512MB (single SO-DIMM) 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (PC2-5300)
80GB 5400rpm Serial ATA hard drive
Slot-load SuperDrive (DVD±RW/CD-RW)
ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 128MB GDDR3 memory
Price: $1,999.00

15.4-inch TFT display with 1440x900 resolution
1.83GHz Intel Core Duo processor with 2MB shared L2 Cache
667MHz frontside bus
1GB (single SO-DIMM) 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (PC2-5300)
100GB 5400rpm Serial ATA hard drive
Slot-load SuperDrive (DVD±RW/CD-RW)
ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 256MB GDDR3 memory
Price: $2,499.00

NOTE: All information (and more info) was from Apple.com

[Billfred]

The MacBook Pro looks perfect. I especially like that magnetic power connector. That should solve the gripe many portable Mac owners (myself included) have about the plugs being easily-busted.

I don't know if I'll be shelling out for iLife '06, but I am quite tempted by iWork '06. Simply beautiful stuff.

[Brian Lesser]

Originally Posted by Billfred

The MacBook Pro looks perfect.

Well, I wouldn't say perfect, but I would agree that there are some really huge advancements in the technology being used...

I did a little more research about 10.4.4 (Tiger for Intels) and noticed a new, built-in program that will be available...

http://www.apple.com/rosetta/

Named after the Rosetta Stone (insert "duh" here), this program can translate the majority of the PowerPC-based software so that it works with the Intel-based Macs.

And multimedia software? Oh yeah! They get some upgrades too...

Examples
3D Rendering with the program Modo is 4.1 times faster
Gaming performance with Doom 3 is 2.2 times faster
Music playback with GarageBand is 2.1 times faster

Anyways, the one thing I am skeptical about IS the battery life. While I'm positive that it will be AT LEAST six hours, they show no definite number. Instead, it's "based on configuration." So I was thinking of everything possible that uses power...

1. The drives (Super drive and Hard drive)
2. The processor, but the Intel Core Duo, supposedly, doesn't use as much power as the other processors to run.
3. Mouse (optional)
4. The illuminated keyboard feature
5. The display (a big duh), especially if the MacBook Pro's is (according to the site) 67% brighter than all the other displays (the stand-alone as well as the previous notebook displays)
6. USB/FireWire
7. Any device that is plugged into the system that uses USB or FireWire
8. Heck, why didn't I just say "any bit of internal hardware" in the first place? =/

Oh well. Thoughts?

[JoeXIII'007]

The difference between the last time I said the following and now is that I now have a job:

I want a mac.

The intel change and the failure of Microsoft to surpass the power of OS X in Vista (which is a horrible name by itself) has really gotten me to start thinking of ways to get at the very least a Mac mini with an intel processor.

[petek]

What I really want to see:
Inventor on a Mac. According to Apple, you can install Windows and dual-boot...

[Brian Lesser]

Originally Posted by petek

What I really want to see:
Inventor on a Mac. According to Apple, you can install Windows and dual-boot...

I would not surprised if that was the case.

After all, lots of changes were made to OS X in the first place just so it can accept the Intel Core Duo.

[Greg McCoy]

http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~gmccoy/images/inventor.png



Okay, so maybe it's a little slow, but it works...

I don't expect it to be long before you can run Windows apps on an Intel Mac without having to dual-boot...there are several groups who are probably working on an x86 version of "Virtual PC" for OS X already (maybe even Microsoft, hard to say what they're thinking about all of this).

It's awful nice to have a UNIX system under that pretty GUI for development.

I'm not real fond of the name "MacBook Pro", but I guess with the end of the PowerPC processor "PowerBook" had to go.

[Brian Lesser]

Originally Posted by Greg McCoy

http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~gmccoy/images/inventor.png



Okay, so maybe it's a little slow, but it works...

I don't expect it to be long before you can run Windows apps on an Intel Mac without having to dual-boot...there are several groups who are probably working on an x86 version of "Virtual PC" for OS X already (maybe even Microsoft, hard to say what they're thinking about all of this).

WOW, how did I completely forget about Virtual PC? >_<

It's awful nice to have a UNIX system under that pretty GUI for development.

Indeed, it is. I was actually starting to Google some stuff about UNIX. You know...so I can get an idea of what it's like...

I'm not real fond of the name "MacBook Pro", but I guess with the end of the PowerPC processor "PowerBook" had to go.

Yeah. Not really fond of the name either... =/

But with specs like that? I'll take it, even with the weird name...

[Rombus]

Im begging you Apple! TABLET MACBOOK! If they released a Tablet macbook i would sell my TC1100 in a heartbeat and buy one. They could do such a great job on the design.

also im in love with the magnetic power connector, i tend to damage mine (have done so on both my previous laptop and my tc1100). Its not that im rough or anything, its just poor design on imho.