Apple’s grand switchover to Intel processors was originally planned for summer 2006. Yet Apple CEO Steve Jobs took the opportunity at the recent MacWorld Expo in San Francisco to announce that the iMac would come equipped with dual-core processors from Intel effective immediately.
Apple also announced its intention of equipping its new high-end MacBook Pro laptops with the Core Duo chips from Intel. The devices are slated to hit store shelves in February.
In the words of Apple’s CEO, the new iMac will perform twice as quickly for many applications as its predecessor. The PowerBook successor MacBook Pro is reported to be four or five times as fast as the PowerBook G4. Yet these speed increases will only be realised in combination with software optimised for the new Intel hardware. Programs still written for IBM’s PowerPC platform and which hence need to run through the ”Rosetta” emulator will be much slower.
Yet by providing a version of its iLife multimedia suite optimised for the Intel processors, Apple is taking matters into its own hands to ensure that buyers of the new ”Macinteltoshes” will reap the fruits of the new chips’ speed.
Alongside improved variants of iPhoto, iMovie and iDVD, Apple is also rolling out a new iLife application called iWeb. It helps generate complete websites with just a few clicks of the mouse, including web logs and podcasts. Apple has also expanded its Garageband software, the iLife component designed for easy creation of podcasts.
The iLife program packet is one of the most important reasons for Apple customers to buy a Mac, says Archibald Horlitz, head of the retail chain Gravis.
”Anybody who has worked with iLife once knows how easy it is. And it works,” Horlitz commented in San Francisco. The iMac G5 has already enjoyed good sales, he claims. This leads him to suspect that sales will be good for the new iMac as well. ”And many PowerBook users are waiting urgently for faster machines.”
The iMac is offered in several versions, including a 17-inch version with a 1,83 gigahertz chip for €1 349 (about R9 800). A larger 20-inch model, on sale for €1,749 (R12 700), includes a two-gigahertz CPU. Like the new MacBook Pro, both iMacs come equipped with a built-in iSight video camera that can be used for video conferences.
The new MacBook Pro also takes the brave step of foregoing the standard array of ports. This means that neither a FireWire 800 nor a modem port is on hand.
”We live in a broadband world. People are more likely to look for a new hotel than dial into the internet using an analog modem,” is how marketing manager David Moody justifies this decision. Users who nevertheless need a modem can buy a USB version from Apple for €49 (R356).
With its MacBook Pro, Apple is leading the way among manufacturers by introducing the ExpressCard expansion slot, which is replacing the ubiquitous PCMCIA slot system. The bottom line is that older cards offering UMTS modem functionality, for example, will need to be replaced. Apple is banking on the fact that the peripherals industry will quickly discover the possibilities offered by the new ExpressCard slot and will be quick to provide appropriate devices.
Apple has gone the extra mile with the new laptop monitors.
These are 67% brighter than the old PowerBooks, and just as bright as an Apple Cinema Display. The 15,4-inch monitor offers resolution of 1 440 by 900 pixels and does not suffer from mirroring like other laptop monitors do.
Apple intends accompanying the introduction of its Intel Macs with a large-scale advertising campaign. A preview of this was offered to visitors of the MacWorld Expo in San Francisco, with Apple positioning its ad posters on every corner of San Francisco just minutes after Steve Jobs’s presentation: ”What’s an Intel chip doing in a Mac? A lot more than it’s ever done in a PC.” — Sapa-dpa