'Yonah' to Ship at 2.16 GHz, Diskless Macintel Future?, Virtualization and Switching, and More

Charles Moore - 2005.11.23

This Week's Macintel News

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 iPod News Review.

News, Analysis, and Opinion

• Intel 65nm 'Yonah' to Ship at 2.16 GHz
• Revealed: Your Future Mac With Intel. Maybe
• Intel iMacs Won't Have a Any Type of Disk Drive
• Virtualization in Intel Macs and the Art of Fast User Switching

Tech Developments

• Intel 975X Multi-GPU Chipset Slips Out
• Intel Files for 'Intel Core' Trademark

News, Analysis, and Opinion

Intel 65nm 'Yonah' to Ship at 2.16 GHz

The Register's Tony Smith reports:

"Intel's upcoming 65nm, dual-core notebook chip, 'Yonah', will ship as the Pentium M T2600, computer manufacturer moles have claimed.

"The sources, cited by Japanese-language website PCWatch, claim the T2600 will be clocked at a mere 2.16 GHz. It will be accompanied by the T2500, T2400 and T2300 - all dual-core parts, hence the '2' -clocked at 2 GHz, 1.83 GHz and 1.66 GHz, respectively....

"Low-voltage Yonah's are on the cards too, model numbered the L2400 and L2300, clocked at 1.66 GHz and 1.50 GHz. Ultra-low Voltage Yonahs will appear as the U1400 and U1300, clocked at 1.2 GHz and 1.06 GHz, respectively, the sources allege."

Yonah is widely expected to be the heart of Apple's Intel-based iBooks and PowerBooks - and possibly the Mac mini as well.

Link: Intel 65nm 'Yonah' to Ship at 2.16 GHz

Revealed: Your Future Mac With Intel. Maybe

mac360.com's Tera Patricks says:

"Change is the one constant most relevant to many Apple users the past few years. Change is here to stay.

"Apple plans on a flurry of Mac products in 2006, starting with a unique iBook using Intel chips. Can we keep up with the changes Apple has in store for us?

"Notice that I used the term 'Apple users' instead of the more typical 'Mac users?' That's a subtle but significant difference as Apple branches out and extends product branches to non-Mac users.

"Over the past few years, Windows users have bought and own many more iPods than Mac users, though, as usual, Mac users were the pioneers; first iTunes, then iPod, then iTunes Music Store.

"The changes of the past two years show us that Apple is expanding the market for Apple-branded products to the other 90-percent or so of the computer world.

"Deeply embedded in the Windows world are Intel chips and Apple wants Intel's chip-making capability to show up in future Apple products.

"Notice that I used the term 'Apple products' instead of 'future Macs.' That's a subtle but significant difference, too. Why? Because Apple is changing. Rapidly. Mac users will be required to change, too."

Link: Revealed: Your Future Mac With Intel. Maybe

Intel iMacs Won't Have a Any Type of Disk Drive

Applle Matters' James R. Stoup says:

"The year is 1998 and Apple is in trouble. Steve Jobs has come back and started to work his magic but never the less pundits are loudly proclaiming that soon Apple would exit the business all together. But wait, suddenly the iMac comes out and everything changes. Sales go up, profits increase, and as the ref gets to the count of 9 Apple gets up off the mat and sucks in a breath of air and just like that they are back in the fight.

"And yet, the critics were not silent. It has no floppy drive, they howled! How could anyone be so stupid as to forget something like that? How will people move their files? What will they do? How will we ever live without that drive? THE WORLD WILL END!

"As it turned out it wasn't that bad, Apple was just ahead of the curve. Maybe a little too ahead but not by much. Jobs realized that floppy drives were an old technology that would soon become obsolete. Between accessing data via a network or with a USB device, the need for a floppy disk was fading....

"When Apple finally releases the new, Intel iMac it won't have a disk drive in it. No CD drive, no DVD drive and no HD/Blu-Ray drive. Those technologies will be obsolete. What it will have is the next generation of Bluetooth and wireless technology. It will have plenty of ports to dock an iPod, flash drive or other portable media drive. And it, along with the rest of Apple's lineup, will get a redesign...."

Editor's note: Interesting theory, but I think not. cm

Link: The Intel iMacs Won't Have a Disk Drive

Virtualization in Intel Macs and the Art of Fast User Switching

Architosh Staff reports:

"Intel has launched this week the beginnings of its future line of processors that will support 'virtualization'. These new chips are known as Intel Pentium 4's 672 and 662. Essentially virtualization technology (or VT) enables a processor to run multiple operating systems or applications in independent partitions, or what is often called 'containers', on the same chip....

"However, what is new is this type of technology inside of a typical personal computer. And this begs the question: was this part of the consideration in Apple choosing Intel?

"Today Apple has mastered the art of moving from one computer user's space to another with its graphic cube effect. This is commonly known as Fast User Switching and is a system preference in Mac OS X. This feature, unique in OS X, allows a truly graceful way in which multiple users can utilize one shared computer, and Apple's Expose technology is at the heart of this interface transformation.

"But imagine a world wherein you can cube the cube? Imagine that each user account can have multiple instances of operating systems (perhaps OS X and Windows, or Linux and OS X) running simultaneously. From the Apple menu a user would select an OS environment and an Expose cubic switch would literally swing around a different OS environment, just like today's Fast User Switching."

Link: Virtualization from Intel in Future Macs and the Art of Fast User Switching

Tech Developments

Intel 975X Multi-GPU Chipset Slips Out

The Register's Tony Smith reports:

"Intel this week quietly launched its anticipated 975X Express desktop chipset, pitched at the dual-core Pentium Extreme Edition processor.

"As expected, the 975X builds on the company's existing PEE chipset, the 955X. Like its predecessor, it has support for twin graphics cards, this time connecting to the North Bridge across two PCI Express 8x slots. The 16 PCI-E lanes can also be configured into a single 16x slot. The 955X has a single 16x slot and a 4x slot."

Link: Intel 975X Multi-GPU Chipset Slips Out

Intel Files for 'Intel Core' Trademark

The Register's Tony Smith reports:

"Intel has formally applied to trademark the phrase 'Intel Core', a key component of what is believed to be its forthcoming move to re-brand its processor product lines.

"The trademark registration request - serial number 78714166 - was filed on 15 September 2005, but according to the US Patents and Trademarks Office website is 'not yet assigned to an examining attorney'."

Link: Intel Files for 'Intel Core' Trademark

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 iPod News Review.