Apple Adds Intel Core Duo to PCs, Notebook Line
January 11, 2006
Apple Computer this week unveiled notebook and desktop machines based on Intel's recently
announced Core Dual dual-core processor, a move that simultaneously inaugurates Apple's processor vendor switch and, in the case of the new laptop, the launch of a new product line.
The 15.4-inch widescreen MacBook Pro notebook is based on a 1.67GHz or 1.83GHz Intel Core Dual processor, and will become Apple's professional-level laptop offering, replacing the PowerBook brand.
Switching to the new platform required tweaks to Mac OS X, but paid off for the company in terms of lower heat generation and power requirements -- both a necessity for increasing mobile performance. Apple said the 1.83GHz model is up to four times faster than the previous-generation 15-inch PowerBook G4, which used a 1.67GHz PowerPC G4 processor.
Similarly, Apple said its newest iMac is twice as fast as previous product generations. The unit comes in two models, based on either a 1.83GHz or 2.0GHz Intel Core Dual processor.
History was made on a number of fronts with the product launches. The new MacBook Pro also became the first Apple notebook with PCI Express, Serial ATA storage, and the ATI Mobility Radeon X1600, which ships with up to 256MB of graphics memory. The model sports a 2MB L2 "Smart Cache" (available to both cores) and 667MHz front-side bus and memory -- also the fastest in Mac history.
The new iMacs also sport PCI Express-based graphics, courtesy of the ATI Radeon X1600 with 128MB GDDR3 memory; a 17- or 20-inch widescreen LCD display; 512MB of 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM; a 160GB or 250GB 7200RPM SATA hard drive; and built-in video camera. The iMacs also include an infrared remote control, Apple's Mighty Mouse and keyboard, and come with build-to-order upgrades of up to 2GB DDR2, 500GB drives, and 256MB of video memory on the 20-inch version.
Both iMac and MacBook Pro also ship with built-in 802.11g, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR and Gigabit Ethernet networking, and an internal 8x DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW drive.
Despite the fact that Apple has transitioned from the IBM-designed PowerPC chip to the Intel Core Dual -- the same processor, of course, now powering new PCs from a variety of other vendors -- the new machines will not run Windows natively, Apple has said. And Apple still remains scrappy about differentiating itself from other PC vendors, despite taking on one of the PC industry's prominent driving forces as a partner. The company's home page, for instance, reads: "What's an Intel chip doing in a Mac? A whole lot more than it's ever done in a PC."
The new machines were introduced by Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs and Intel CEO Paul Otellini during the MacWorld trade show this week in San Francisco. During Jobs' presentation, Otellini came onstage wearing a white "bunny suit," the protective clothing work chip factory workers and featured prominently in Intel advertising of the past. Jobs said that while Apple currently manufactures products still using the PowerPC processor, he expects all Mac products to have transitioned to Intel by the end of 2006.
Source: http://www.sysopt.com/news/article.php/3576851 |
