Peter Cohen
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Talkcast tonight, 7pm PT/10pm ET: CES Edition!
All-new dial-in experience! See below -- do not call into Talkshoe, we won't be there. Be sure to set up Fuze Meeting before the show if you want to join in live. As with most Sundays, we're going to wrap up the weekend with the TUAW talkcast! Last week's show included a variety of predictions and a nice discussion of where we think Apple is headed in 2014 (spoiler: We decided they were headed to Awesomeopolis). This week we have special guests! Adam Christianson of MacCast fame will be joining us, as well as beloved friend of the show, iMore's own Peter Cohen! Along with my compatriot Mike Rose, we will spend a bit of time discussing CES and look ahead to when some of those announcements might become reality (because Kelly loves a good crazy theory), and cover a little bit of the (Apple) gaming news we've had lately. Reminder on new-style talkcasting: With some help from the fine folks at Fuze, we're using a new system to record the show. This should let everyone listen in live -- and, if you want, raise your hand as you would in the Talkshoe room to get unmuted and chime in. You can join the call in progress (meeting # is 20099010) at 10 pm ET from any computer via this link; if you download the Mac or Windows Fuze clients ahead of time, you'll get better audio and a slicker experience, but browser-only will work fine. Just click the phone icon to join the audio once you're in. Using an iPhone or iPad? Grab the native clients from the App Store and get busy. (Even Android users can join the party.) Still feel like using the conventional phone dial-in? Just call 775-996-3562 and enter the meeting number 20099010, then press #. While the Fuze web and native clients have a chat channel, we'd like to reserve that for host participants, requests to talk and other real-time alerts... so the full-on chat for the show will appear in this very post at 10 pm tonight. You'll need Twitter, Facebook or Chatroll credentials to participate in the chat. We'll remind everyone to check back in at that time. Your patience and forbearance with our new tech is appreciated in advance. For the time being, the podcast feed of the show will continue to originate from Talkshoe and should be there within 24-36 hours. See you tonight!
Get new life out of an old Mac Pro (Updated)
You've been drooling at the video of the new Mac Pro, but realize that your chances of having enough money to buy one of the cylindrical black speedsters when they ship this fall are slim to none. Not to worry -- iMore's Peter Cohen has just the answer if you'd like to add some life to your existing Mac Pro. What Cohen wisely suggests is replacing your old Mac Pro's hard drive with a solid-state drive (SSD). He borrowed a couple of SSDs from Other World Computing (aka OWC) and put 'em through the test. The first was a SATA-based drive, the Mercury Extreme 6G (480 GB for US$549.99), while the second drive was a PCI Express-based drive called the Mercury Accelsior_E2 (up to 960 GB for $1,289.99). The Mercury Accelsior_E2 is unique in that it's a PCI Express card with an SSD built on. Cohen notes that you can upgrade the SSDs down the road, as the PCIe card-based devices have removable SSDs on them. Any Mac Pro from 2008 or later should work just fine with this drive placed into one of the two 16x slots, while 2009 and newer Mac Pro models will get the best possible performance from any slot. I won't divulge all of Cohen's test results, but let's just say that the SSDs -- especially the Mercury Accelsior_E2 -- smoked the basic hard drive in terms of performance. While the maximum capacity versions of these drives aren't exactly cheap, they're certainly less expensive than any new Mac Pro will likely be. Update: An OWC spokesperson noted that Cohen was working with incompressible data, and that using the QuickBench suite of tests, they were able to show that the Accelsior_E2 can achieve read and write speeds that are in the 671 - 686 MB/second range (see below). Since the QuickBench suite tests more day-to-day usage, those who aren't using their Mac Pro primarily for video editing or manipulation of large files will see an even better improvement in performance.
TUAW Talkcast tonight, 10PM ET/7PM PT/4PM HT: Hot factual edition!
On a warm summer Sunday night, there's really only one option: Get yourself a nice cold beverage and settle in with the TalkCast! This week we're done with some of the speculation at long last, since Lion is finally available, so we'll have hard facts to discuss. On top of new software, we have a pretty impressive list of hardware updates to discuss as well. Did I mention that even before both of these that Apple reported stupendous quarterly earnings? We have a lot to cover this week, which is why I'm bringing in reinforcements! On top of the usual suspects, I'll have Peter Cohen, Angry Mac Bastard and editor of The Loop joining me. I'll also have Jeff Gamet of The Mac Observer on the show. With guests like this, I can't even imagine the aftershow. Oh, I'll be there. I just can't imagine it. It's really all about you, the community, so please join me won't you? To participate, you can use the browser-only Talkshoe client, the embedded Facebook app, or download the classic TalkShoe Pro Java client; however, for +5 Interactivity, you should call in. For the web UI, just click the Talkshoe Web button on our profile page at 4 HI/7 PDT/10 pm EDT Sunday. To call in on regular phone or VoIP lines (Viva free weekend minutes!): dial (724) 444-7444 and enter our talkcast ID, 45077 -- during the call, you can request to talk by keying in *8. If you've got a headset or microphone handy on your Mac, you can connect via the free Blink or X-Lite SIP clients, basic instructions are here. (If you like Blink, the pro version is available in the Mac App Store.) Talk to you tonight!
GeForce 9-Series motherboards maybe coming to the Mini
I think that at this point, the Mac mini has moved up into the ranks of the TRS-80 and the Apple IIe as one of my favorite computers of all time. Though it's been rumored dead more times than disco, it's still puttering along as the tiny little computer that could, racking up (we assume -- the mini doesn't carry with it any of the sparkle of the iPhone or the raw beauty of the MacBooks, and so Apple is relatively mum on info) enough sales to keep moving. And there might even be new life in store: Peter Cohen over at MacWorld suggests that after the recent MB and MBP updates, the mini is last in line to ditch the old Intel integrated motherboard design.Sounds great to us. The mini's so under the radar that you wouldn't even expect Apple to announce an upgrade for it -- it just sort of slipped up to Core Duo 2 the last time it got upgraded, like a cute little baby bear following the family. And it's a versitile little cubby, too, from taking it out to sea to turning it into a Mac Pro mini.What a great little computer. We hope that the Nvidia GeForce 9-series motherboards do find a home in there, and (more than anything else) that Apple sees fit to remember their roots and keep creative computing with the tinest Mac alive.
Gamers and the faster iMacs
Peter Cohen over at Macworld continues his sideline analysis of Apple's gaming chances with a post about how the brand new faster iMacs are indeed faster, but still not fast enough for gamers. And to a certain extent, he's right -- gaming on the Mac is like that old beat-up, "someday I'll fix it up" convertible your father's had in the garage covered with a tarp since you were a kid. Getting it out and putting a new engine in it might help it run better, but it's still not going to turn it into a car that anyone wants to drive around.But (and we talked about this extensively on the Talkcast a few weeks ago with Brian Akaka from Freeverse) it's a step. A faster video card, even if it isn't blazing, will run games better than before, and it'll do a little to bring not only gaming customers but developers back to the Mac. Cohen is right -- that old convertible needs an actual mechanic to take a look at it, and it needs the seats to be reupholstered, and sooner or later it's going to need a new can of paint (not that, like your Dad's actual convertible, these things aren't ever going to happen -- we continue to hear rumblings that Apple is aiming for gamers).But something is something -- the very fact that Apple is offering faster video cards is a sign that they're interested. And, other than simple profiles of games on their website and cameos by game execs at keynotes, that's more than we've had in a while.
Next up for gaming: the MacBook
Peter Cohen's got a good commentary up at Macworld about Apple's should-be next target for gaming, the Macbook. Finally, as of the iPhone SDK announcement, we've seen some serious movement on the gaming front from Apple -- they brought EA in and commissioned their own programmers to punch out some game software to show off the iPhone SDK implementation (and as I've said before, including on the talkcast a few weeks ago, we're only seeing the beginning of what's possible with gaming on the iPhone). So maybe they're finally seeing the light on gaming.But as is, the Macbook isn't winning any awards as a gaming machine. As Cohen says, yes, the integrated graphics card puts the consumer Mac laptop hopelessly behind the times, but the problem isn't just upgrading the hardware -- the software itself needs to be optimized and redesigned. Apple has always been at the forefront of development, and Leopard especially, with Core Image functionality, looks great in the OS and in applications.But when even mainstream sports titles, the kind that are on all platforms from day one, can't even play on your hardware, it's time to go back to square one. As Cohen says, we're not asking for much -- but games are a core part of the personal computing experience, and Apple shouldn't sideline that demographic any more than the others they serve.
Mac game releases slow in 2006
Peter Cohen looks back on the year's Mac game releases and next year's schedule for his January Macworld column. Cohen says that 2006 was a lean years for Mac games, but the drought has been building for a while; he doesn't pin the situation on the switch to Intel processors.What's caused the receding numbers of Mac game releases -- and Mac game sales -- then? Cohen speculates that it could be any number of sources, like satisfaction with game consoles, users being unaware of Mac game choices, and Mac users being uninterested in games.Many of us Joystiq writers have long -- or current -- histories as Mac gamers, but we're also stumped about the Mac games slump. Mac users, have any anecdotes about why you don't play as many Mac games anymore?
Macworld lists best games of 2006
Peter Cohen, the Macworld gaming guy, has compiled a list of the top Mac gaming gear of 2006. Now, I am not much of a gamer, but there are some interesting games on the list. I am sure you will be able to find the prefect holiday gift for any Mac gamer that is in your life on this list.Any Mac gaming list that has Freeverse on it is OK in my book.
Whither Mac gaming?
Peter Cohen, Macworld's 'Game guy,' has penned an article wondering if in a world full of next gen consoles (Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and the Wii) the Mac has any relevance as a gaming platform. Not too surprisingly, since he is probably the most recognized of all Mac gaming columnists, Peter thinks that the Mac still has a lot to offer in the gaming arena.Peter points to games that have a social networking aspect as the place where the Mac shines. These games, at least the ones he mentions, are online games which can be played on either Mac or PCs so lumping these in as 'Mac games' seems a little disingenuous to me (though they can be played on a Mac).Peter expounds on the benefits of computer gaming as compared to console gaming, but I think he falls short of crafting an argument for the Mac as a gaming platform.Are there many Mac gamers out there? None of my Macs have any games installed on them, but perhaps I am in the minority.
Mac devs not invited to iPod party
Mac game developers have been shut out of iPod game creation, as described in a Macworld article; none of the new iPod games comes from a third-party Mac developer. In the report, Peter Cohen interviews a variety of Mac developers and publishers -- some anonymously -- about the situation. They tell tales of asking to create iPod games ever since the iPod Photo released, but they've always been ignored or denied. Some even took Apple's dismissal of iPod games seriously and were surprised by the nine releases.The biggest issue is that Apple hasn't released an SDK (software development kit), required by developers to understand and program for the iPod hardware. Most of the third-party software that has been released for the iPod has relied on exploiting the Notes program or other loopholes to create simple text guides. For graphical games, that just won't work.Look, we didn't want to do this, Apple, but this is an intervention. They have those for relationships, right? You had to balance the secrecy of the iPod game announcement with making the SDK available, we get it. But imagine how those Mac companies -- which have only love for you -- felt on that cold morning when you showed off those internally and EA-developed iPod games. Steve wasn't even wearing his turtle-neck; we thought we saw him in that shirt the day before.Okay, what's done is done. But remember, with Boot Camp, Cider, and other concerns, your Mac game development relationships are in danger. If it's time to move on and you've outgrown Mac gaming, so be it. But whatever happens on the Mac side, let them into the iPod-games piece of your heart.
Cohen on Mac Pro's gaming prowess
Macworld's Peter Cohen (author of the magazine's recently vanished GameRoom column) has posted an online idolatry to Apple's new Mac Pro workstation, in which he praises the G5 successor's potential as a gaming tour de force.Cohen summarizes, "With Leopard coming next spring, Universal Binary games here today and Cider-wrapped games coming within the next couple of months, Mac gaming is on the upswing, and the Mac Pro is a rig that should really be able to take advantage of everything that's offered." Do you agree? Some of the comments we received for our original post on the Mac Pro raised issues with the Xeon's shortcomings as a gaming chip (which Cohen also addresses), while other Joystiqers engaged in a healthy debate on cost comparisons with similarly configured PCs.
A sign of the Mac gaming apocalypse?
Anyone else notice that Peter Cohen's monthly Game Room column is conspicuously absent from the September issue of Macworld? Has the preeminent Mac magazine abandoned gaming coverage in favor of more productive, ad-friendly content?Let's examine the facts. Peter's column has appeared in every issue for at least the past three and a half years without skipping a beat. However, the availability of top tier Mac games has been increasingly on the thin side -- even more so than usual. In the August issue, for example, Call of Duty 2 was the featured game. But like a quality starter with a bad bullpen, the bestselling WWII shooter was backed up by Flip or Flop Home Edition, Jets'n'Guns, and Lumox 2 - not exactly chart-burning stuff in the Windows gaming lineup. There was also a re-review of Quake 4 (but recycled content doesn't count). Macworld's Game Room web site, which includes Peter's blog, is still up and running and interestingly enough, Jason Snell's editorial in the September issue discusses the advantages of publishing online over hardcopy. Perhaps, the dearth of Mac games no longer affords the privileges of the printed page, and in the age of Boot Camp, Mac gamers must now seek sustenance in *gasp* PC Gamer. Or maybe Peter just took a much-needed vacation.
Molyneux - "Apple needs to get behind games"
Last week I carried out an interview with Peter Molyneux (the founder of Lionhead Studios which has games like Black & White, Fable and The Movies to its name) over at TUAW sister site Joystiq. I made sure to ask him a question or two about the state of Mac gaming because one, I *used* to be a relatively hardcore Mac gamer and two, Lionhead has a track record of bringing all of its games to the Mac. That isn't changing with Microsoft's recent acquisition of the company (haven't we heard all this before?!).The relevant part of the interview:"There's this Catch 22 situation where not many people play games on the Mac and therefore developers don't want to make games for the Mac. Exactly. I think it would need Apple to get behind games. There's nothing in their operating system that panders to games at all and I take my hats off to Microsoft. I think they've realized that games are important."Macworld's Peter Cohen suggested that Molyneux was referring to Apple's lack of a unified application programming interface that would make the jobs of game programmers much easier. I think this suggestion is spot on, but not the only thing that Molyneux was referring to. One passive improvement could include getting Apple to kick its recent integrated graphics habit (Molyneux called my MacBook "a perfect thing" in the interview - pity it can't play games). Sure, we'd all like an iTunes Games Store, a mid-range upgradeable Mac with a decent graphics card and an Apple that publishes games, but it ain't gonna happen while you-know-who is still around.Unless Apple gets off its arse and gives game developers more than the bare minimum of support, Mac gaming is going to disappear thanks to the rapid emergence of easy access to Windows games via Boot Camp or GPU virtualization (when it finally appears). Only then will we see articles on Apple.com about how awesome Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter looks on the Mac, instead of long features about how the GRAW music was composed using a PowerMac G5.
