Gotta hand it to Apple...

Intel computers out way ahead of schedule... and probably the best marketing slogan they've ever come up with:

"What's an Intel chip doing in a Mac? A whole lot more than it's ever done in a PC."

And $1299 for the Intel iMac... wow. Can't wait to get one!

They're really pushing for this. What's particularly funny to me is how PowerPC G5 chips used to have controversial performance benchmarks when compared to Intel microprocessors. Soon they'll not have to do any of that, so they've gone full-fledged steam ahead. I can't find the old G5 vs. Pentium 4 benchmarks either. Seems to compare the Power Mac G5s (which don't have commercially-released Intel equivs yet) to previous models of the towers.

I'm hopeful I can make a return to my Mac roots in a way!

(On that note, can't hardly wait for Resis to start reporting what SL is like on one of these Intelitoshes.)

Not to hijack or anything, but I've seen you use the term Resis in various posts around SL. I tried dictionary.com and google to find out what that means, but I'm stumped. What does it mean? Been wondering this for a while, and figured I might as well as well just go ahead and ask.

I was really impressed with the MacBook Pro. It's 4x to 5x faster than a 1.8 GHz G4 PowerBook. That would make it 16x to 20x faster than our aging 15" PowerBook Titanium and 8x to 10x faster than our newer 17" PowerBook.

I was told at MacWorld that the new MacBook will not dual boot into WinXP. Must be an OpenFirmware thing. :/

~Ulrika~

I am not at MacWorld, but the word I heard from the people with the secret test boxes, is that they *dont* run Windows, and they dont really intend it ever to be so (although you know someone will do it).

The idea is to keep the same kind of super high quality on the Intel boxes as they did on the PowerPC architecture, so they arent shooting for being able to run Mac OS on any old wintel box anyway.

"Resis"=Residents of Second Life

We need an SL -specific dictionary...

Thank you!

Good of ya to ask, Gladius, and yup, like Sansarya said!

/me starts saving her pennies!! *WANT!!!!*

-Ghoti

How about Linux?

Wonder how they will try to rationialize the next step, macs running on Windows.

Apple systems are coming ever closer to being just a pc with an apple logo on the case.

Maybe, eventually, Windows will run only on IntelMacs giving you a choice of Operating Systems of either Windows or Mac OS

I've heard that the MacWorld information I've heard is false and that it's only a matter of time before WinXP and Linux are running on Apple hardware. Personally, I'd prefer software virtualization like VMWare over a multiboot.

~Ulrika~

That's like saying that Mercedes automobiles are coming ever closer to being just a Ford with a Mercedes logo on the front. Granted they might have switched engine manufacturers but I assure you it's still a Mercedes.

OK. Now that I have the obligatory luxury-car reference out of the way, let me tell you what I really want to talk about -- iLife and iWork. These folks are blowing my mind with their low-cost (US$79), high-quality software. Take the quick tours and drool if you're a Mac user or cry if you're a Win user.

http://www.apple.com/ilife/
http://www.apple.com/iwork/

~Ulrika~

Well, Linux works on PPC apple hardware, so it's probably a matter of time.

There is nothing great about coming up with a slogan that only promotes your product by bashing another. I will never understand the arrogance of Apple and a lot of Mac users. If you like your computer, that's great, I am glad that you do. It comes down to personal preference. I don't see why it always necessary to bash the PC or Windows just to try to prove how great the Mac is.

Actually as a Mercedes owner I can testify to the fact that the relationship with Chrysler has not been good for Mercedes - they are looking more and more like Chryslers with each redesign. I hate what they have done to my beloved CL model. I am in the market for a new car as I have a 2002 model, and I don't think I will be going with Mercedes again. A Mercedes is not a Mercedes any longer when it uses more and more commodity parts and starts sharing the platform with a Dodge.

Now onto your comments about iLife/iWork. You accuse others of being fanbois over things, but my word Ulrika, you are practically have an orgasm over this stuff. There is nothing for Windows users to cry over. If anything, it is amusing to watch the cult get themselves all worked up over the silliest of things. OOOOH a blog with templates. How original. If only PC users could create blogs! You are so lucky

I know what you're talking about. Jaguar has been destroyed.

There isn't a company on the planet except for Apple that offers programs like Pages, Keynote, iDVD, iMovie HD, Garage Band, iPhoto, and iWeb (all integrated with .Mac) that are so highly polished, tightly integrated, cutting edge, and yet cost only 80 bucks. And what's nifty is that iLife is bundled for free with all new Apples.

That's not being a fanperson, that's reporting a fact.

~Ulrika~

Fear not, Windows-users. A time-honored axiom is on your side:

If you can't buy it, steal it.

Yes and no. Keep in mind, paying that 80 bucks (or getting it bundled "free" comes only after paying top dollar for the machine to run it. $1299 for 1.83 Ghz, come on. Gotta love the spin on this "New iMacs available for same prices". Well gee wiz, what a relief. We can all rest snuggly in our beds now, secure in the knowledge that they won't be raising their prices to be even more outlandish than they already were. Never mind that the prices should actually be coming DOWN now that they're using less expensive hardware under the hood.

Their prices were always rediculous, but at least the proprietary hardware argument sort of made some kind of sense to justify the cost if you closed your eyes, pretended real hard, and clicked your heels together 3 times while listening to old Dire Straits records played backwards (Money For Nothing, and all that). Now that they're using the same off-the-shelf stuff as everyone else, there's simply no way to defend it. At least not to anyone who didn't drink the Coolaid.

Don't get me wrong. I'm glad they're going the Intel route. I do believe it's a great step forward for them. I just wish they'd rethink their business model of "Let's build a machine that no one wants except for a select few who we'll target specifically. And who are those lucky few? Who's the group we'll bombard with endless elitist hype about how this is the only thing in the world that can possibly do the job, and how all other products are laughable and inferior? Why, artists, of course. You know, the people who have less money than anyone, the people least likely to be able to afford anything at all, let alone something pricy. Then, to top it all off, we'll charge 3 times as much as our competitors. Yeah, that makes sense. Throw a bunch of weird lucite and chrome on the box, and they'll swallow anything."

Oh, I kid the Mac people. I kid the Mac people.

Anyway, back to the serious discussion. I could be missing something, but while iLife looks like a cool little set of bells and whistles for sure, it didn't strike me as being able to do anything that Adobe's Video Collection and Creative Suite couldn't do a thousand times better. And considering that more than a few of those Adobe programs are must-haves for the typical Mac user anyway, the "savings" on that $80 package don't seem to be much of a bargain.




(Responses to this post that are aimed at spelling will be ingnored, as will those focusing on any other kind of typo, and any comments about what the presence of said typos may mean about the "quality of thought" that went into the post. Those who insist on demonstrating their own inability to communicate with maturity and intelligence by engaging in such folly know who they are. 'Nuff said.)

Sorry got to step in here.

When you say "mac on windows" you mean emulation the mac itself (hardware) or running OSX (the operating system) on windows.

OSX, due to the change in Apple's chips, runs on an intel processor now. To keep people from running it on any ol' Pentium they have code to prevent that. But.. if you can hack a bit you can get your sony viao to load up OSX(intel version)

So..

Apple = Name of company
Macintiosh = Name of computer
OSX = Operating system.

*goes back to his power book which also runs DOS, XP and NT 2000 side by side.

Actually, I'm a PC user, and am looking forward to getting a Mac because the PC world has not advanced, has not dealt with core issues of security, privacy and stability.

I think Apple lashes out at the PC world because the PC world's been lashing out at it for decades. I also see Apple as the little geeky, yet witty, kid in school who fought against the bullies by out-thinking them and making them look stupid in front of the class. Yeah, they got beat up on the playground, but in the end, they are the ones who ended up with good jobs, nice cars and meaningful lives.

I read that OSX(10.4.4) is Mactel capable. I wonder if it would be possible to pop in a 10.4.4 disc to a Wintel machine and get OSX running on it...of course with a few requirements to your hardware perhaps?

Hmmm...let's compare the new iMac to a similar Windows-based all-in-one computer. Here's a butt-ugly one that's $100 less than the iMac:
http://www.tangent.com/products/gen/desktops/pLCD75.htm
Windows all-in-one features:
Single 2.8 GHz processor (iMac is dual core @ 1.83GHZ). Only 256 MB memory (512 for iMac). Integrated Intel video (iMac has an ATI Radeon X1600/128MB VRAM). No wireless capabilities (iMac includes Bluetooth and Wi-Fi).
Yeah, that iMac sure looks like a lousy deal.

"Sales of Macintosh line had jumped 43% in third quarter of 2005." - http://www.123jump.com/market-update/Apple-Revenue-at-$5.7-B/16460/
Yup, people just aren't interested in Macintosh computers.

You're comparing Adobe's pro apps to Apple's consumer apps? Isn't it kind of obvious that they cater to completely different audiences?
Adobe Creative Suite Standard (pro applications) - Amazon price $899/upgrade $499
Apple iLife (consumer applications) - $79/free on new Macs
Keep in mind they have very little functionality in common.

Also, this is how you spell "Kool-Aid."

<sigh>

I just wish I had been WARNED of a 400% increase in power in the laptop... A 20%, heck, even 50% would not have been so bad, but the problem with this jump is that the older system are going to be left out in the cold when it comes to the new software coming out.

Seriously: When computer hardware makes a massive jump like this, it only takes 3 months to a year before all the new software begins to NEED that power. You think the programmers are going to use any restraint at all?

C'mon: a duel-core CPU, at 2-4 times the speed, plus remote and iCam... I lose a TV out port I never used, and a PCMCIA slot...

<sigh> <again>

Well. I have been backing up my powerbook's harddrive and getting ready to take it back to Comp-USA for store credit. I'll just have to get the new one when it comes out.

Would it have killed Apple to ramp up over time? Seriously! a 25-50% power increase every six months would have stopped them from geting the returns they are about to get for system purchased in the last two weeks. This is financially damaging.

...

Or was this a tax season trick of some kind?