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Macbook ultraportable and Penryn Mac Pro due for Macworld, 3G iPhone in June?
We've taken a "don't stop believing" approach to Apple ultraportable rumors up to this point, and there's no reason to think these "fresh" predictions from CNBC's Jim Goldman are anything different, but they at least serve as a nice refresher in the lead up to Macworld in January. Goldman predicts the new Pro laptop will be half the thickness of the MacBook Pro, the hard disk will be replaced with NAND storage, and Apple will be selling the thing for $1,500 -- the same price the black MacBook currently goes for. He's purportedly citing sources that claim to have seen the product, and says that the laptop is supposedly due to show up at Macworld. Jim's sources also say that the 3G iPhone is supposed to hit shelves by late May or early June of next year, which beats out some industry predictions of a late '08 release.Of course, since it's just a month before Macworld, it's about time the rumor mill heated up a little beyond incessant Macbook and iPhone rumorings, and MacBidouille is stepping up to stoke the flames. The French rag is claiming that the Mac Pro will get bumped to an 3.2GHz eight-core Penryn setup (totally believable) featuring NVIDIA QuadroFX graphics (sure) with a BTO Blu-ray burner available (maybe), and that DVD Studio Pro will be renamed Disk Studio Pro and refocused on BD authoring (another definite maybe). On top of that, MacBidouille also claims that OS X 10.5.2 will be released, and that it will be "the largest and most important intermediate system update ever released by Apple." We're a little less sure we buy that, but as always, only time and Steve will tell.[Thanks, L2 and Mark]Read - Jim Goldman predictionsRead - MacBidouille predictions
Apple releases Hard Drive Update 1.0 for iMac and Mac Pro
Got a Mac Pro or a Core 2 Duo iMac? Feel like installing 1.4 MB worth of updates for your hard drive? Sure you do. Apple released Hard Drive Update 1.0 earlier today, providing important bug fixes and firmware revs for the drives in these machines. What exactly it's doing, we can't say -- but that's where you, our loyal beta testers readers come in. If you install the update, let us know what happens.Thanks Laurie
Apple ships RAID cards for Mac Pro and XServe
Let me ask you something: do you like fast storage? Redundant, fast storage? Lots and lots of gigabytes of fast, redundant storage? Sure you do, buddy -- but what's with the software RAID on your Mac Pro or your Intel-based XServe? That's so last week, now that Apple is shipping the RAID cards for Mac Pro and XServe; you can now do hardware RAID 0, 1, 5, or (Mac Pro only) 0+1 arrays of SATA drives, or superfast SAS drives on the XServe, for the precise mix of speed and reliability that you're craving.Formerly only available as build-to-order options but now shipping as add-in parts for $999 each, the cards come with a raft of requirements. First, they're only for the machines mentioned above; G5 XServes are out of luck. Second, you can't mix and match drive types on the XServe, it's all SAS or all SATA please. Third, a minor point, barely worth mentioning really, but both these cards are listed as requiring some sort of OS update. Yes, on the heels of this morning's announcement of the MacBook revisions, we now have a total of three pieces of Apple hardware that demand Leopard to work at all.Update: Clarified that the cards were previously available as BTO parts. Note that even though the specifications say Leopard-only for these cards, existing RAID cards (and possibly these as well, for anyone brave enough to spend a grand to test them) continue to work with Tiger.via Apple Hot News -- thanks Nelson
Apple's waiting on Intel's Penryn for revamped Mac Pros?
Apple's desktop warrior Mac Pro doesn't get half the play of Apple's laptops and iMac in the rumor mill, but that doesn't mean there isn't plenty of pent up love for the beastly machine. AppleInsider is reporting that Apple has a revision ready with a significant overhaul of the internals. Apparently what's holding things up is Intel's 45nm Penryn chips, which should be available around the middle of November. Of course, rumors had the Mac Pro in quite similar shape last year, with Apple holding up production for upcoming Clovertown chips. Those arrived right on time, but Apple held up the 8-core Mac for five months in anticipation of Creative Suite 3. The theories this time around are that now that demand is raging for pro machines thanks to Adobe's quite successful product, Apple's going to try to get a new high-end machine -- which could be up to 45 percent faster -- out the door as soon as possible. Rumored specs top out at dual quad-core Xeon "Harpertown" chips running up to 3.2GHz with 1600MHz bus and 12MB of L2 cache, which would be 8 cores of thunder indeed. Who knows if Intel can be shipping enough of those by the end of this year to warrant a Mac Pro release, but it seems like however it goes down, professionals are going to have a new and pricey toy from Apple before too terribly long.
Forget iPhones and iPods, the Mac is where it is at
We've been a little loopy about the iPhone around these parts, it is true. However, that tends to happen with any new product Apple releases, I mean we are sort of expected to exhibit a little more than passing interest in what the good folks in Cupertino are up to. That being said Fortune's Brent Schlender has penned a very good article about the great bugaboo of the Mac Web: market-share.Schlender contends, and I agree, that while Apple's market-share is in single digits Apple is still sitting pretty. Every quarter more and more people are snapping up Macs (the iPhone/iPod halo effect perhaps?) which is very good for Apple's bottom line. Apple has fairly high margins on Macs, and even a slight up tick in market-share translates to lots and lots of dough for everyone's favorite fruit company (this is what I call the 'BMW theory of computer success'). Despite the fact that Apple dropped 'computer' from its name, the Mac is still a pillar of its success. The other two are some phone and a music player of all things![via The Mac Observer]
Mac Pro SMC Firmware Update 1.1
I bet the Mac Pro felt a little left out of all the excitement yesterday, since the iMac got all the press. Worry not, Mac Pro, today Apple is updating something that impacts you! That's right, Mac Pro SMC Firmware Update 1.1 has hit the street. This firmware update, 'adjusts fan behavior in the Mac Pro.' As with any firmware update it is very important to read the directions carefully, so don't go saying I didn't warn you.Thanks, Jt Hollister.
Mac Pros gain RAID storage option
Oh Apple, you sly devil, what with all the secretly upgrading hardware and not even telling us. Thanks to eagle-eyed reader Eric Wortman, we now also found that the Mac Pro gained a RAID card option for those who need mounds of storage and a secure, redundant system with which to manage it. The card supports RAID 0, 1, 5, 0+1, and Enhanced JBOD. The card also features a 256MB cache and a 72 hour battery with which to protect that cache, and it occupies the top PCI Express card slot, connecting to all four internet drive bays.What's all this RAID connectivity going to cost you? A cool $999 on top of the price of your Mac Pro.
Apple offers PCI Express RAID Card in Mac Pro
As if Cupertino didn't give you enough to chew on today, it looks like the Mac Pro received a small update as well. 'Course, it seems pretty minute until you check out the pricetag ($999, for those wondering), but nevertheless, users looking to maximize their machine can now opt for a PCI Express RAID card to come built right in. The card promises "up to 304MBps of sequential read performance in RAID 0" and supports RAID levels 0, 1, 5, 0+1, and Enhanced JBOD. Moreover, it sports 256MB of cache and an integrated 72-hour battery for protection, and while the machine ships with each hard drive individually configured in the Enhanced JBOD level, you can migrate the drives into a RAID setup of your choosing without reinstalling OS X by tapping into Apple's RAID Utility software.[Thanks, Alex]
Rumor mill: August 7 iMac announcements... likely NOT true
[Update 1:15 pm -- And this is why we don't often post product rumors... indications are that this is coming from someone posing as our "reputable source," and other sites have received and debunked the rumor. We tried to reach the source for verification but were not able to do so. Our apologies if this turns out to be complete bunk. -Ed.]We don't often post product rumors hereabouts, although we're certainly not above reporting on them and linking to them; it's just not the regular beat. That said, when an email comes in from a reputable source (thanks, Mr. X) with supposed details on Tuesday's product announcement... well, we gotta let you all know. Pile on the disclaimers (this is a rumor!) and here we go. Our source says that there are plenty of new products coming on Tuesday:Two new iMacs, with 20 and 24 inch screens, and entirely covered in brushed metal (!) plus the previously hinted new keyboard design and a slightly slimmer enclosure. Even more surprising, our source says the iMacs are shipping with a 2.4GHz Intel Penryn chip. Intel's first 45-nm CPU was originally slated to ship at the end of the year, and it's not clear that Apple could get enough parts to actually build these puppies before October, so take this with a grain of salt. The machines might ship with the dual-core Conroe part instead.Three new Apple Displays at 20, 24, and 32 inches. These are supposed to have an iSight camera built in.The Mac Pro will get a speed bump as the Xeon/Woodcrest chips are swapped out for Penryn chips, running at a brisk 2.4, 3.0, and 3.33GHZ.Lastly, the long-expected end of life for the Mac Mini may finally come around as the machine is expected to be dropped from the product matrix. *sniffle*Again, this is all unconfirmed. We'll know for sure on Tuesday!
Rig of the Week: The "Boogie Hustler" sessions
This week's rig - and we're only guessing here - is owned by a musician. Here we see a Power Mac G5, Cinema Display, LaCie external HD, speakers and a slew of recording equipment. Looks cool, ryan.gilligan, though the stickers on that beautiful Mac kind of make us cringe."ay yes" posted by ryan.gilliganIf you'd like to see your own rig featured here, simply upload photos into our group Flickr pool. Each Sunday we'll comb through the most recent entries and declare a "Rig of the Week!"
PCIe Gigabit Ethernet Desktop Adapter for Mac Pro/Power Macs
This news may not excite too many folks out there, but I imagine one or two of you are interested in using a PowerMac or Mac Pro as a server. Doing that correctly means you need at least 2 ethernet ports but sometimes even that isn't enough. Luckily for our server wanting friends Small Tree Communications has just released their Single Port Copper Gigabit Ethernet Desktop Card for PCI Express Power Macs and the Mac Pro. This $99 PCI express card adds a single 10/100/1000 baseT ethernet port to your Power Mac or Mac Pro. Not too shabby.Let the serving commence![via Macworld]
8-core Mac Pro hands-on, Apple NAB booth tour
Behold, Apple's mammoth, sprawling NAB booth. Ready to show off all the pro apps it announced yesterday, the Apple complex came complete with two demo theaters, dozens of demo kiosks, a few octo-core Mac Pros (which we finally got our hands on for a hands-on -- not that it looks any different), and a small army of black-clad employees ready to school you in the ways of pro media production. We asked for a Compressor 3 demo showing off the octo-Pro's multithreaded rendering, and while the demo didn't actually successfully wrap, we did get to see those eight cores burn through a bit of HD encoding right quick. Also, be sure to check out Apple's massive, 40 Xserve RAID equipped demo media SAN -- it's almost too much aluminum-clad enterprise gear.%Gallery-2604%
The 2006 Engadget Awards: Vote for Desktop of the Year
Now's your chance to cast your ballot for the 2006 Desktop of the Year! Our Engadget Awards nominees are listed below, and you've got until 11.59PM EST on Monday, April 16th to file your vote. You can only vote once, so make it count, and may the best tech win! The nominees: Alienware Area-51 ALX, Apple iMac 24-inch, Apple Mac Pro, Dell XPS 710, Sony VAIO L / LS, and Sony VAIO RC. %Poll-346%
Apple unleashes 8-core and quad-core Mac Pro
After a very brief bit of downtime for the store, Apple whipped out the big guns this morning: quad-core and 8-core Xeon workstations. The quad-cores are two dual-core "Woodcrest" Xeons inside, in the 2.0GHz, 2.66GHz, or 3.0GHz flavors. The 8-core monster is a duo of "Clovertown" Quad-core Xeon's-- and you only get it in 3 GHz. Naturally there are a zillion* options to go along with all this hot'n'steamy power, but the cores make the Mac, as they say.*actually 33 million configurations, according to Apple's product page.
Apple Mac Pros: now with 8-cores
So long Woodcrest, hello Covertown! Rumored since October, Apple finally got around to loosing an octo-core Mac Pro -- that's 8-cores of Intel processing power spread across 2 of Intel's latest Clovertown quad-core chips. Arriving just in time for Adobe's Intel optimized Creative Suite 3.0. Quad-core models are still available with processor speeds maxing out at 3GHz. Prices start at $2,499 for 2.66GHz quad-core action or tack on an additional $1,498 for a total of 8-cores running at 3GHz. Shipping now -- hoozah!
TUAW Tip: switch to the Mac on the cheap
The word that there might be as many as 9000 switchers a day got us thinking: maybe all those switchers could use some tips on how to save a few bucks while hopping the fence to white, black and aluminum pastures. Sure, Apple typically doesn't offer much in the way of excitement when it comes to zany blow-out sales on their products, but who says you have to buy your Apple stuff from Apple? There are plenty of resellers who offer some great deals to lure customers away from Apple's shiny stores, and discount watching sites can help you jump on time-sensitive sales. If you take our tips to heart, we guarantee both you and your credit card will sleep better at night with your next (or first) Mac purchase. Read our recommendations after the jump.
Apple sends NAB event invites, 8-core Mac Pro on fanboy wishlists
No surprises here, but Apple is hosting another invite-only media event at next month's National Association of Broadcasters Conference in Vegas, and is almost sure to unveil a new version of its Final Cut Pro editing software. Luckily, Apple's NAB unveils aren't always limited to software, so hopes are high for word on that 8-core Mac Pro that's been squeezed through the rumor mill a few times in the past months. The "Lights Camera Apple" happenings will take place on April 15th at 11am.
Apple Store UK leaks 8-core Mac Pro
An 8-core Mac Pro wouldn't exactly be the surprise of the century -- it would've made sense for Apple to launch such a beast back last year when such rumors first emerged, and so much more so now -- but we can't help crack a grin when air-tight Apple leaks a product release onto its very own online store. Apple Store UK had just such a snafu today, advertising Mac Pros complete with "quad-core or 8-core processing power." Apple has since revised the page, and we're sure we won't hear a peep from the company about the release until it's good and truly ready, but there's pretty much no denying that 8-core Intel action is due any day now for big spendin' power users.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Apple Store error reveals 8-core Mac Pro?
TUAW reader Drew sent us a juicy tip: the UK online Apple Store is listing an 8-way Mac Pro under the search results for "mac pro." It reads "Now quad-core and 8-core processing power," however, if you click on the link it takes you to the standard Quad core page. Given that the quad-core Intel chips have been available for a while now (and even installed in the Mac Pro by some enterprising souls), it was only a matter of time until this happened officially. Nonetheless, this looks like good evidence that a new Mac Pro is coming soon, and it wouldn't be the first time a website screw-up has revealed an upcoming Apple product.Update 7:13p EDT: The UK Apple Store is currently in "Be Right Back" mode... presumably to correct the unintended information release.
Hang Your Mac - Sonnet MacCuff Pro
It's common knowledge that Mac Pro is one of the most powerful pre-configured desktop computers out there, but who knew it was hung? With a little help from Sonnet Technologies, your Mac Pro or PowerMac G5 can hang elegantly from under your desk instead of taking up valuable floor real estate. The MacCuff Pro is made of solid steel and retails for a pricey $129. While the idea of hanging a tower is cute, I'd be cautious to try it on anything but the sturdiest desks, and definitely only those made of solid wood instead of particle board. [via CrunchGear]
