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The Power Mac stands as the last PPC Mac
Oh, the poor Power Mac G5. Apple's "Big Kahuna" now looks downright elderly, being the only Mac that isn't sporting a rockin' Intel chip. I'm guessing that Apple's pro level machine won't make its Intel debut until January's Macworld Expo, but it's fun to speculate on what could be in store for that machine.Perhaps an all-new case design? Will the name "Power Mac" be replaced? Maybe an as-of-yet unreleased Intel processor(s) will power the beast. The mind boggles.Have at it, TUAWers. Configure the successor to the Power Mac G5.
Universal OS X, NetBoot OS X, courtesy of MacOSXHints
Of all the people who could create a Universal OS X boot disk (*cough* Apple *cough*), is anyone surprised that MacOSXHints (as far as I know) got there first? Top it off with the fact that they also created a NetBoot image and, well... now they're just making everyone else look bad (*cough!*).This article at MacOSXHints describes the first half of the process - creating a Universal, bootable image of OS X - and it sounds pretty darn easy. The second step - enabling the Universal image with NetBoot superpowers - is right here. I haven't used either of these (since I don't have a shiny Intel Mac anyway), but they both sound like pretty simple little tricks. Enjoy.
Intel Mac mini take-apart
What's the first thing you do when you get your new Mac home? Set it up and start playing around, maybe transfer all of your files? No, you grab some tools and take it apart! If you're itching to rip a new Intel mini wide open, take a look at this fully illustrated how-to at Apple Fritter. Prying apart the case seems to require the same process as the PPC mini (get yourself a very thin putty knife), but the innards are a bit different (two RAM slots...finally!).Check it out...but don't try this at home.[Via Make:Blog]In related news, TUAW reader Tim just received his Intel mini and has posted some nice unpacking pics. Thanks, Tim!
10.4.5 Available via Software Update (for both PPC and Intel-based Macs)
As a Valentine's day present to us all, Apple has released Mac OS X Update version 10.4.5. Run Software Update now to download and install the System Update, but be warned: a restart is required. My Intel-flavored version of the update weighs in at 40.6MBs (Scott reports that his PPC version is only 6.4MBs in size) and "is recommended for all users and includes general operating system fixes, as well as specific fixes for the following applications and technologies: iChat video conferencing, Safari rendering of web pages, usability of Dashboard and widgets, viewing of QuickTime streaming media behind a firewall, printing to some Epson printer models, iDisk and Portable Home Directory syncing, time zone and daylight savings for 2006 and 2007, VPN connections to Cisco servers when using NAT, compatibility with third party applications and devices" and a slew of other "previous standalone security updates."You can find more info about the update via this KBarticle. Lock and load.Thanks to everyone who sent this in!
