Some inside word on Intel Mac's

Ham'nd'egger · 14-11-2005 1:07am #1

Hi folks.

Recently have been onto a friend of mine who is working for a well known IT company on some new "products" they will have out soon. What he told me was words to the effect that there will be two series of CPU coming for Mac for the Intel Generation, which will be adapted takes on the Intel 200 and 800 series processors. These will have specially manipulated boards for Mac that will be seriously performance enhanced on the Windows equivilant units, including higher end busses and more capabilities on graphics.

Interesting to note that Intel are working a lot with AMD on the Mac product and given that AMD are ahead of Intel on the roll out of dual core units, this is an interesting development certainly for the long haul towards more powerful CPU's.

I will try dig out more info in due course, and any questions will be welcome this end....

TempestSabre · 14-11-2005 1:18am

Intel are working a lot with AMD? That can't be true.

HomunQlus · 14-11-2005 10:36am

Intel and AMD are competitors. They have never been and never will be a joint-venture.

Secondly, Apple said it's gonna be Intel Pentium 4. In Power/iBooks it will be the "Yonah" processor, a new mobile version of the Pentium 4. They will all have the same specifications as the normal ones.

It's not about speed you know. Apple went to Intel because their processors are CISC, while PowerPC (G3, G4, G5) is RISC.

CISC = Complete Instruction Set Computing
RISC = Reduced Instruction Set Computing

Dr_Teeth · 14-11-2005 11:29am

Their decision has nothing to do with CISC/RISC the whole concept of CISC/RISC is very out-dated anyway. They have gone with intel because they want vast quantities of reliable, cheap, powerful, energy-efficient processors with a future.

JustHalf · 14-11-2005 4:10pm

Yonah is more Pentium M than Pentium 4.

Clank · 14-11-2005 8:29pm

HomunQlus wrote:

Intel and AMD are competitors. They have never been and never will be a joint-venture.

Secondly, Apple said it's gonna be Intel Pentium 4. In Power/iBooks it will be the "Yonah" processor, a new mobile version of the Pentium 4. They will all have the same specifications as the normal ones.

It's not about speed you know. Apple went to Intel because their processors are CISC, while PowerPC (G3, G4, G5) is RISC.

CISC = Complete Instruction Set Computing
RISC = Reduced Instruction Set Computing

Apple have said they wont use Pentium 4s.
They will use chips based on the Pentium M.

Inspector Gadget · 14-11-2005 9:23pm

I don't think we'll know for sure until they're actually released, but it would stand to reason that they'll be based on the P-M, as that seems to be the direction that Intel are going generally anyway...

On the subject of CISC vs. RISC, I think the last fully-CISC x86 Intel processor was the Pentium I - all subsequent designs have a RISC core and instruction set translation stuff thrown in. Like Dr_Teeth said, the concept is largely irrelevant these days anyway - technologies like Transmeta's Code Morphing mean that one can emulate another if required anyway...

Intel and AMD collaborating? Not since AMD got into the processor business for themselves, that's for sure - and it's highly unlikely it'll happen in the near future...

Gadget

HomunQlus · 14-11-2005 9:59pm

Clank wrote:

Apple have said they wont use Pentium 4s.
They will use chips based on the Pentium M.

It's Pentium 4 in normal Desktop Macs and Yonah in Laptops.

Shadow_2k5 · 15-11-2005 12:12am

TempestSabre wrote:

Intel are working a lot with AMD? That can't be true.

Kinda Like Lex working with Superman thats gota be untrue

Thraktor · 15-11-2005 10:54pm

HomunQlus wrote:

It's Pentium 4 in normal Desktop Macs and Yonah in Laptops.

Intel will have dropped the Pentium "4" moniker by the time the new Macs come out, they'll be replacing it with a class-based nomenclature (such as Pentium M for mobile chips). That being said, Intel's new line-up of processors for 2006 looks more to be based off Pentium M initially (focussing on energy-efficiency and multi-coring rather than pure Ghz), with a move to a nearly completely new type of architecture for true 64-bit systems as they move into late 2006/2007.

That being said, I find it quite odd that Apple haven't taken this processor-switch opportunity to move to purely 64-bit computing, rather taking a bit of a back-step to 32-bit Yonah-based chips for the first gen of Intel machines.

SixShot · 15-11-2005 11:51pm

First off i work for Apple & have been to most of there meetings the intel macs are not gona be in Oparation Till 2007.
or so Apple have told us.
the New Range of Mac Computers are all ready out & There still useing G5 & G4 sets for an other year or so. However they are planing on upgrading Tiger to The Next Mac OS to best suite the Intel Mac's.
if your waiting for intel Mac's its pointless.
The New Power Mac G5 Quad is one of the best Systems out there.

Laguna · 16-11-2005 3:18pm

Hey SixShot, any news on Mac OSX being released for the PC in the future, considering that Apple are moving to Intel processors?

Bluehair · 17-11-2005 2:14am

Laguna wrote:

Hey SixShot, any news on Mac OSX being released for the PC in the future, considering that Apple are moving to Intel processors?

I sure as hell hope not, trying to ensure compatability with ridiculous combinations of hardware is one of the numerous things that screwed windows.

Keep the hardware and software in-house Apple it's one of the biggest advantages you have.

ZENER · 17-11-2005 10:46am

Agreed, that's why everything Mac works so cleanly.

CISC = Complete Instruction Set Computing???

Is it not COMPLEX Instruction Set Computer.

ZEN

HomunQlus · 17-11-2005 12:37pm

SixShot wrote:

First off i work for Apple & have been to most of there meetings the intel macs are not gona be in Oparation Till 2007.
or so Apple have told us.
the New Range of Mac Computers are all ready out & There still useing G5 & G4 sets for an other year or so. However they are planing on upgrading Tiger to The Next Mac OS to best suite the Intel Mac's.
if your waiting for intel Mac's its pointless.
The New Power Mac G5 Quad is one of the best Systems out there.

Apple publicly said that Intel-Macs gonna be in stores from the 2nd half of 2006. Steve Jobs said so at the Keynote where the switch was announced.

spartacus93 · 18-11-2005 10:03pm

HomunQlus wrote:

Apple publicly said that Intel-Macs gonna be in stores from the 2nd half of 2006. Steve Jobs said so at the Keynote where the switch was announced.

Ya, I thought that two. I was holding out buying any new hardware until the new PowerBooks. Ya sure about this SixShot?

EDIT: Interesting read here http://www.thinksecret.com/news/0511intelibook.html .

ThinkSecret wrote:

Apple is planning to release its first entry-level iBook laptops with Intel processors next January at Macworld Expo in San Francisco, highly reliable sources have confirmed to Think Secret.

It is not known exactly what processors or price points the new models will debut at, but it is thought Apple will expand the iBook line with one additional model and will lower prices—in some cases possibly $200 or more—to entice current Windows users and prove to the market it will be more competitive with the likes of Dell, Gateway, HP and Sony.

Those behind the report of Intel-ready iBooks are the same sources responsible for past reports of the Mac mini and photo iPod, first reported by Think Secret.

SouperComputer · 19-11-2005 12:00am

[rant] I dont understand why people are holding out for intel macs. The release time could well be delayed not to mentions the fact that there will almost certainly be bugs, no matter how well the test them.

Not to mention the fact that apple plan to support PPC for 4-5 years and sell it in tandem for at least 2-3.

If you need a mac now, buy it now. They wont suddenly become worthless when Intel based units are out, in fact its entirely possible that the opposite will be true! [/rant]

spartacus93 · 19-11-2005 12:24am

SouperComputer wrote:

[rant] I dont understand why people are holding out for intel macs. The release time could well be delayed not to mentions the fact that there will almost certainly be bugs, no matter how well the test them.

Not to mention the fact that apple plan to support PPC for 4-5 years and sell it in tandem for at least 2-3.

If you need a mac now, buy it now. They wont suddenly become worthless when Intel based units are out, in fact its entirely possible that the opposite will be true! [/rant]

I completly understand what you're saying. In my case I dont need a Mac, or a new laptop just yet. My current one is hitting 4 years old and can still cope OK.

The thing about it in my case is I wouldnt be paying for it. The parents would be, it would be a family computer. Mac OSX, which im sure will be great is certainly different that XP. While I have dipped in Linux etc. and think i'd be able to manage it, it would be re-assuring to know that OSX could be wiped and XP installed if it was causing problems.

Whether this will be possible, I suppose is yet to be seen. But as far as I have read this was possible on the test units Apple sent out to Developers etc.

So, i'm waiting because I dont really have the money to spend on something that may or may not work for me/us. If I wait hopefully I will have XP on a Power book to fall back on (which im sure I wont do). It is a lot of money, I would rather wait

SixShot · 21-11-2005 4:51pm

Laguna wrote:

Hey SixShot, any news on Mac OSX being released for the PC in the future, considering that Apple are moving to Intel processors?

Apple have said that they are not going to be come a Software Company Like Microsoft at the Moment there will not be OSX release for PC.

SixShot · 21-11-2005 4:58pm

HomunQlus wrote:

Apple publicly said that Intel-Macs gonna be in stores from the 2nd half of 2006. Steve Jobs said so at the Keynote where the switch was announced.

its True they did say that but they keep changing there Minds.
I know Mr Job's said it will be out second half of 2006. however I do beleave they are trying to keep People buying the G5 & G4 which are still being made till bout 2007.
If I get more infomataion on it I will keep ya all posted.
in Apple worlds subject to Change.

Apple are pritty good at keeping stuff under wraps even from some staff after the Tiger Beta was avalable all over the web from P2P even the intel P4 version of Tiger is aparently avalable in P2P & torrents but who knows .

gutta · 23-11-2005 11:26am

SixShot wrote:

First off i work for Apple & have been to most of there meetings the intel macs are not gona be in Oparation Till 2007.
or so Apple have told us.
the New Range of Mac Computers are all ready out & There still useing G5 & G4 sets for an other year or so. However they are planing on upgrading Tiger to The Next Mac OS to best suite the Intel Mac's.
if your waiting for intel Mac's its pointless.
The New Power Mac G5 Quad is one of the best Systems out there.

Uhhh, let me guess, with spelling, grammar and English like yours, you work in the legal department? The PR department? Ummmm, marketing?

Somehow the standard of your post doesn't lend too much credence to your words. Most of the rumour sites are talking about January 2006 for new portables.

gutts

rsynnott · 27-11-2005 12:05am

HomunQlus wrote:

Secondly, Apple said it's gonna be Intel Pentium 4. In Power/iBooks it will be the "Yonah" processor, a new mobile version of the Pentium 4. They will all have the same specifications as the normal ones.

Yonah is NOT a P4 in any shape or form. It is rather similar to the P-M, in itself very different to the P4. In fact, by the time the Intel Macs start coming out, the P4 will be being phased out.

HomunQlus wrote:

It's not about speed you know. Apple went to Intel because their processors are CISC, while PowerPC (G3, G4, G5) is RISC.

CISC = Complete Instruction Set Computing
RISC = Reduced Instruction Set Computing

Why do you believe this? Neither design IN ITSELF means that the processor is better (although generally, most higher-end chips have been RISC). Before the PPC, Macs used the 68000, a CISC chip. In any case, the lines have been blurred rather severely lately.

Some inside word on Intel Mac's

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