Comments on the new Intel Macs? - DPChallenge Forums

Mattel Barbie Photo Designer Digital Camera

01/10/2006 08:05:41 PM · #1

Let's have everyone's opinions on the new Intel Macs!

-Chad

Message edited by author 2006-01-10 20:07:39.

nsbca7

01/10/2006 08:15:05 PM · #2

Guess we would just have to use them first. I think most of the problems now with PCs is the operating system and not the processor, but I could be wrong. I'd love to see this work out as a great combination. I will, however, wait the prescribed 3 months to let them work the bugs out and see what problems arise before buying one.

kirbic

Canon EOS R5

Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS

01/10/2006 08:23:50 PM · #3

PC hardware running Linux is about as stable as it gets in mainstream retail computing hardware. That gives a positive indicaton of what the hardware iss capable of. Now the Mac OS shares the Unix heritage, so we can hope the combination is a good match; somehow I believe it will be, Apple has a track record of thinking these things through pretty well. I'm sure there will be a few minor bumps in the road.
It is really interesting that pretty much the only remaining difference between PC and Mac will be the OS, LOL. Hopefully Microsoft will see how well an OS can really run on PC hardware, and address the bloat in Windoze. Nah, prolly not.

JoshuaM

Canon EOS-50D

01/10/2006 08:45:59 PM · #4

Well, if Apple wanted to take Microsoft head on, they would release an OS that could be installed on a PC. I dont think they want to do that though, they need the money from hardware sales.

strangeghost

Canon EOS-7D

01/10/2006 09:06:58 PM · #5

Originally posted by JoshuaM:

Well, if Apple wanted to take Microsoft head on, they would release an OS that could be installed on a PC. I dont think they want to do that though, they need the money from hardware sales.

I suspect that Apple is headed in this direction, but doesn't want to antagonize Microsoft just yet. When they start competing head to head with OSes on the same platform, any semblance of friendship between the two will be history. Look for Apple to explicitly support dual boot sometime in the near future, but look for a brand new "switch" campaign sometime too (dump Windoze and install OSX on your Dell/Compaq/HP, etc. Maybe even licensing agreements with those manufacturers to ship OSX PC hardware. But you're right Joshua, Apple will have to surrender its reliance on Mac hardware first. Maybe all those iPod sales will shore up the bottom line...

JoshuaM

Canon EOS-50D

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

01/10/2006 10:09:05 PM · #6

I think the first step would be getting more people using OSX. I have seen I don't know how many ipod commerials, but not one for a mac mini. If someone will spend $300 to listen to music, they can spend $500 on a computer. They just need to get the word out.

donniev

Canon EOS-50D

01/10/2006 11:07:31 PM · #7

I use a Mac dual G5 as my workstation and I love it. Of course I came from a Linux not Windows background so was already comfortable with a unix like OS. I expect to order one of the MacBooks in the spring. I have never been a huge fan of Intel but unless you want a 25 lb laptop you were not going to see the G5 and Apple really had little choice.

Bobster

Canon EOS-20D

01/12/2006 01:28:11 PM · #8

strange how their marketing department now says Intel hardware is 4x faster than their G4 ;)

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM

01/12/2006 01:48:00 PM · #9

Originally posted by Bobster:

strange how their marketing department now says Intel hardware is 4x faster than their G4 ;)

The Intel chip is a brand new dual-core processor introduced last week. Apple is comparing the new dual core processor to a single core G4 that they abandoned in high-end desktop models years ago.

theSaj

Canon EOS-20D

01/12/2006 03:30:42 PM · #10

Good point....so it was only 2x as fast as the G5.

;)

Brent_Ward

Canon EOS-5D

Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L USM

01/12/2006 03:38:12 PM · #11

Also keep in in mind that the new intel chips have more cache then normal intel chips of the past.

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM

01/12/2006 03:54:36 PM · #12

Dual Core G5 chips are about the same speed as dual core Athlons and Pentiums (the Quad Core G5 smokes 'em all). The new Macs use a just-introduced Intel Yonah chip and the 2X comparison was to the single core G5 processors used in the prior iMacs. We'll have to wait for actual benchmarks, but I'd guesstimate that dual core Yonah chips are about the same speed as dual core G5s.

theSaj

Canon EOS-20D

01/12/2006 04:13:01 PM · #13

The truth of the matter, and often the question...

What processor is the application "optimized" for. (And the PowerPC has always been a respectable processor. The P4's were crap. AMD's Athlon have always been very respectable as well.)

And I will bet you that the performance gains they mentioned "upto 4-5x" are because Intel has some extremely good software resources and does exemplary well on optimization. I know that the last several months have been focused largely on optimization. (As BSD which is the core of Apple OSX was already compatible with Intel processors.)

I am definitely looking forward to seeing the future. I am surprised they didn't offer a 17" widescreen notebook.

(Does anyone know how long their agreement with Intel is for? how many years?)

01/12/2006 04:22:42 PM · #14

Originally posted by theSaj:

...I will bet you that the performance gains they mentioned "upto 4-5x" are because Intel has some extremely good software resources and does exemplary well on optimization.

...or that it's just a new dual core chip being compared to a last-generation single core chip (the Powerbooks used G4 processors). Compare an Intel Duo to a G5 Dual and you won't get those numbers.

17" and 12" notebooks will come, probably within a month or two, they just weren't ready yet. I think the Intel agreement is for 5 years.