MacBook Pro Ships, Graphics Problems with Intel iMacs, Future Intel CPUs, and More

Compiled by Charles Moore and edited by Dan Knight - 2006.02.16

This Week's Macintel News

Apple has begun shipping the Intel-based MacBook Pro - and at higher speeds than originally announced. Graphics problems with some Intel iMacs, USB 2.0 problems plague Core Duo under Windows, OS X hacked to run on regular Intel PCs, and looking ahead at future Intel CPUs. All this and more in this week's news roundup.

PowerBook, iBook, and other portable computing news is covered in The 'Book Review. General Apple and Mac desktops news is covered in The Mac News Review. iPod news is covered in The iPod News Review.

The Macintel Transition

• Apple's Intel Era Expands with MacBook Pro
• Graphics Problem Affecting Some Intel iMacs
• USB Can Sap Core Duo's Power (in Windows)
• OS X 10.4.4 for Intel Hacked for PCs
• Contest: Run Windows Concurrently with OS X

Intel News

• Intel's 'Conroe' to Blur Dual-core, Single-core Distinction in Q3
• Intel Moves Mobile 'Merom' Back to Q4
• Intel Previews 'Clovertown' Quad Core

The Macintel Transition

Apple's Intel Era Expands with MacBook Pro

TheStreet.com's Troy Wolverton reports:

"Apple Computer is rolling out its first notebook computers using Intel processors just when it said it would....

"Apple said Tuesday that it has begun shipping units of its new MacBook Pro line of laptop computers targeted at the professional market. When Apple announced the MacBook Pro line in January at the Macworld conference, CEO Steve Jobs projected that the company wouldn't begin shipping the computers until sometime in February - rather than immediately - but didn't give a specific date.

"Some analysts were concerned about the effect the delayed launch would have on Apple's overall computer sales. Last month, Apple itself predicted a soft quarter, relative to analysts' expectations, in part because of the delay in shipping the new notebook line. As it stands, the company is starting to ship the notebooks about halfway through its fiscal second quarter.

"Even if the shipping date wasn't much of a surprise, Apple did have some good news for customers. It is upgrading the chips in all models that it is shipping to faster processors...."

Link: Apple's Intel Era Expands

Graphics Problem Affecting Some Intel iMacs

CNET News.com's Ina Fried reports:

"Apple Computer said Friday that it is looking into reports that a video problem with the new Intel-based iMac is preventing some graphics from displaying properly.

"The issue, which has been the subject of a number of reports on Apple discussion forums, is particularly noticeable after launching Front Row, Apple's remote-controlled media software."

Link: Display Problem Affecting Some Intel iMacs

USB Can Sap Core Duo's Power (in Windows)

Processor IT Hub's John Spooner reports:

"Intel's Core Duo processor, the company's dual-core Pentium M replacement, has been in the news this week.

"The chip, which came out last month with a new Centrino platform that Intel calls Napa, has been working its way into the market. To-date big-names including Apple Computer, Gateway, Lenovo Group and Toshiba have announced plans to offer Core Duo in their business-oriented notebooks. Expect Dell and Hewlett-Packard to do so as well, later this quarter.

"But not all of the news has been good. TG Daily reports its sister publication, Toms Hardware Guide, has discovered a glitch in one Core Duo/Napa system that suggests machines based on the platform might see unexpectedly short battery life, when operated on battery power with USB 2.0 devices are attached to them.

"The issue TG Daily says it found relates to the intricate way in which USB 2.0 devices interact with the ACPI or Advanced Configuration and Power Interface drivers included with Microsoft's Windows XP Service Pack 2."

Link: USB Could Sap Core Duo's Power

OS X 10.4.4 for Intel Hacked for PCs

osx86project.org reports:

"The hacking guru has announced preliminary patches for Apple's latest release of OS X for Intel, version 10.4.4. According to his website....

"This is a preliminary release of my Patch Solution for the official Mac OS X on the Intel platform. Ultimately, it would allow you to run this Mac OS X release on a generic x86 computer (SSE2 required)."

Link: OSx86 10.4.4 Security Broken

Contest: Run Windows Concurrently with OS X

PR: Independence of OS choice is the main idea of this contest. The host is a stable, simple, accessible and secured platform (Mac OS X on new Intel Mac). Guests are a broad choice of operating systems from Windows to Linux. The result is an increased in inter-working and performances to go.

Indeed, why being satisfied running Windows on Mac, when Windows and Mac OS X can cohabit together? The slight loss of performance being balanced by an operational momentum.

Today using Aperture, Keynote or iMovie at the same time as AutoCAD or TM1 is technically possible as long as the become of certain editors is mapped to the future of Redmond. A virtualization application is a solution.

The person who will develop this application before June 17 will win the lolly. And you, generous donator, open (or deepen) your Mac wisdom without losing your reason. Donate! Thank you for him or the UNICEF (cf. the rules).

Regards,
Emmanuel

Link: Run Windows in Mac OS X for Intel Contest

Intel News

Intel's 'Conroe' to Blur Dual-core, Single-core Distinction in Q3

The Register's Tony Smith reports:

"Intel's next-generation architecture-based 'Conroe' desktop processor will ship as the Core E6000 series, the latest desktop roadmaps to leak out of the chip maker reveal, and finally begin to blur the distinction between single- and dual-core processors. The chips will debut, as expected, in Q3, at speeds of up to 2.66 GHz.

"The roadmaps come courtesy of Japanese-language site PCWatch, whose prognostications usually prove highly accurate. According to a report today, Q3 will see the debut of Conroe as the E6700, E6600, E6400 and E6300, clocked at 2.66 GHz, 2.40 GHz, 2.13 GHz and 1.86 GHz, respectively. The first two parts are dual-core, with a total of 4 MB of L2 cache; the second pair are single-core, 2 MB L2 chips. All four will support a 1066 MHz frontside bus speed."

Link: Intel's 'Conroe' to End Dual-core, Single-core Split

Intel Moves Mobile 'Merom' Back to Q4

The Register's Tony Smith reports:

"Intel's next-generation architecture-based 'Merom' notebook processor will not ship until Q4, leaked roadmap documentation suggests, lending weight to recent claims that 'Santa Rosa', the next generation of the chip maker's Centrino platform, will not debut until March 2007.

"According to a report on Japanese-language website PCWatch, Merom will launch as the 2.33 GHz Core Duo T7600 and the 1.83 GHz Core Solo T5600 in Q4. The two parts will be accompanied by the 2.16 GHz T7400 and the 2.0 GHz T7200.

"In light of Intel's apparent decision to stop making it immediately obvious which desktop chips contain two cores and which have just one - a move expected to take place with the launch of 'Conroe' in Q3 - Merom-based chips may lose the 'Duo' and 'Solo' tags and rely instead on their respective numbering schemes."

Link: Intel Moves Mobile 'Merom' Back to Q4

Intel Previews 'Clovertown' Quad Core

CNET News.com's Michael Kanellos reports:

"Just as the bragging rights for dual-core chip supremacy are dying down, Intel gave the first glimpse of a quad-core chip coming next year.

"Clovertown, a four-core processor, will start shipping to computer manufacturers late this year and hit the market in early 2007. Clovertown will be made for dual-processor servers, which means that these servers will essentially be eight-processor servers (two processors x four cores each)."

Link: Intel Shows Off Its Quad Core