Mac on Intel :: Your information resource for Apple's transition to Intel

Visit our new FORUM

PowerPC CPUs

Current Intel CPUs

Future Intel CPUs

Other Sites:

It's official...

Apple has begun transitioning the Mac to the Intel processor platform.

In mid-2005, Apple announced that the company would be transitioning the entire Macintosh line from the PowerPC to Intel processors. For the past six years, Apple has maintained a secret, in-house Intel build of Mac OS X as a "safety net," making this transition possible. During his Macworld Expo 2006 keynote in January, Steve Jobs unveiled the first Macs powered by the Intel "Core Duo" processor. The transition has begun.

Farewell Motorola, Freescale, and PowerPC. Hello, Intel....

• Photos: Core 2 Duo MacBook Pro disassembled

Tue, 31 Oct 2006 13:08 EST

iFixit has posted the first internal photos of Apple's recently released Core 2 Duo 'Merom' MacBook Pro. The disassembly guide/gallery can be seen here.

The disassembly features high resolution images of the redesigned logic board and Intel's new Merom chip. Also included is the first photos of Apple's 802.11n draft board for the MacBook, and Apple's new 6x dual-layer 9.7mm SuperDrive.

An appropriate Halloween story...digging into the guts and gore of a new MacBook Pro. Mwwhhaaa haaa haaa....

[ 25 Comments ]

• Apple releases Core 2 Duo based MacBook Pros

Wed, 25 Oct 2006 15:44 EDT

As anticipated, Apple has released an updated MacBook Pro model that dispenses with the Intel Core Duo processor in favor of the new Intel Core 2 Duo (codename: Merom) based on the Intel Core microarchitecture (which the Core Duo was not). The new units bring a variety of performance increases and enhancements; Apple claims up to a 39% performance increase over the previous MacBook Pro.

15-inch MacBook Pro specification tree:

2.16GHz or 2.33GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor w/ 4MB shared L2 cache
15.4-inch TFT display, 1440x900 native res. (67% brighter than previous PowerBook displays)
667MHz frontside bus
PC2-5300 (667MHz) DDR2 SDRAM

2.16GHz model: 1GB, single SODIMM (one slot free)
2.33GHz model: 2GB, dual SO-DIMMs

ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 w/ dual link DVI support

2.16GHz model: 128MB GDDR3 memory
2.33GHz model: 256MB GDDR3 memory

Serial ATA hard drive

Standard: 120GB 5400-rpm drive
Optional: 160GB 5400-rpm, 200GB 4200-rpm drives

6x Slot-loading SuperDrive (DVD+R DL/DVD+-RW/CD-RW)
Integrated iSight camera
Expansion:

Single FireWire 400 port
Single FireWire 800 port
Two USB 2.0 ports
ExpressCard/34 slot

Communications:

54Mbps AirPort Extreme (802.11g) networking
Bluetooth 2.0+EDR
10/100/1000BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet (RJ-45 connector)

Audio:

Combined optical digital input / audio line-in
Combined optical digital output / heaadphone-out
Built-in stereo speakers
Internal microphone

Backlit keyboard with light sensor
Physical specs:

Height: 1.0 inch (2.59 cm)
Width: 14.1 inches (35.7 cm)
Depth: 9.6 inches (24.3 cm)
Height: 5.6 pounds (2.54 kg)

Bundled 6-button Apple Remote
Bundled Mac OS X v10.4 and iLife '06 suite, Front Row, and Photo Booth

17-inch MacBook Pro specification tree:

2.33GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor w/ 4MB shared L2 cache
17-inch TFT display, 1680x1050 native res. (67% brighter than previous PowerBook displays)
667MHz frontside bus
2GB PC2-5300 (667MHz) DDR2 SDRAM, dual SO-DIMMs
ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 w/ 256MB GDDR3 memory and dual link DVI support
Serial ATA hard drive

Standard: 160GB 5400-rpm drive
Optional: 100GB 7200-rpm, 200GB 4200-rpm drives

8x Slot-loading SuperDrive (DVD+R DL/DVD+-RW/CD-RW)
Integrated iSight camera
Expansion:

Single FireWire 400 port
Single FireWire 800 port
Three USB 2.0 ports
ExpressCard/34 slot

Communications:

54Mbps AirPort Extreme (802.11g) networking
Bluetooth 2.0+EDR
10/100/1000BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet (RJ-45 connector)

Audio:

Combined optical digital input / audio line-in
Combined optical digital output / heaadphone-out
Built-in stereo speakers
Internal microphone

Backlit keyboard with light sensor
Physical specs:

Height: 1.0 inch (2.59 cm)
Width: 15.4 inches (39.2 cm)
Depth: 10.4 inches (26.5 cm)
Height: 6.8 pounds (3.1 kg)

Bundled 6-button Apple Remote
Bundled Mac OS X v10.4 and iLife '06 suite, Front Row, and Photo Booth

Currently the MacBook and Mac mini are the only remaining Macs that have not moved to a Core 2-based processor.

[ 43 Comments ]

• Core 2 Duo-based MacBook Pros expected today

Tue, 24 Oct 2006 07:43 EDT

As MacRumors reports, an update to the MacBook Pro line is expected in the very near term - likely today. The new units are expected to feature the Core 2 Duo processor, larger hard drives, FireWire 800 support, as well as upgraded SuperDrives. As an indicator, several European vendors have been unable to acquire the current MacBook Pros for some time.

[ 26 Comments ]

• (PRODUCT) RED iMac and MacBook on the way?

Tue, 17 Oct 2006 07:20 EDT

As you may be aware, Apple recently rolled out the iPod nano (PRODUCT) RED in support of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria in Africa; Apple donates $10 for every nano (PRODUCT) RED sold to the fund. It seems the iPod may not be the only place where Apple sees red.

According to Think Secret's sources, CEO Steve Jobs and the Global Fund's Bono have discussed bringing to market PRODUCT (RED) versions of the iMac as well as the MacBook. See an artist's rendering of the concept at LoopRumors. Stay tuned....

[ 19 Comments ]

• Video of Counter-Strike: Source running smoothly under CrossOver Mac

Thu, 21 Sep 2006 12:13 EDT

We've written a number of times about CodeWeavers' CrossOver Mac, a WINE-based system that allows certain Windows applications to run under Mac OS X for Intel (at great speed) by way of native DLLs. CodeWeavers offers a 60-day free beta of the application, making it easy take for folks to get a feel for its performance. Those that haven't given it a try may find a recently posted YouTube video interesting (and perhaps even surprising).

User FragTek posted a video of Valve's Counter-Strike: Source, a Windows first-person shooter, running under CrossOver Mac beta on a MacBook Pro from within Mac OS X. Have a look. We think you may be surprised at the smooth framerate.

We're all pretty avid gamers here at Mac On Intel, but booting into Windows via Boot Camp is quite a hassle, and Parallels Desktop isn't suited for gaming, so it's been pretty much Mac-only games for us. (And despite folks' griping, there's a pretty good selection out there!) But this really opens up a whole new world of gaming possibilities for the OS X-entrenched. We're excited!

Related links:

[ 15 Comments ]

• Intel Cloverton in a Mac Pro: 8 core goodness

Fri, 15 Sep 2006 17:53 EDT

Towards the end of the year, Intel will be rolling out a quad-core version of the Core 2 and Xeon processor lines, codename Kentsfield and Clovertown, respectively. These processors utilize the same LGA-771 sockets as their dual-core brethren, a fact that raises the question as to whether or not these new processors can serve as drop-in replacements for the Mac Pro's dual-core Xeons.

Current indicates are: yes, indeed they can.

The folks over at AnandTech took a couple of 2.4GHz Cloverton engineering samples and replaced the Woodcrests in a Mac Pro with them. They worked like a charm, with Mac OS X detecting and fully utilizing all eight cores. The test setup ran with a 1066MHz front-side bus, but AnandTech expects that the final chip will utilize a 1333MHz FSB.

Current indications are that the quad-core units will run at a lower clockspeed than their dual-core siblings, but in situations where heavily threaded applications (or many, simultaneous lesser threaded applications) are run, more cores means a more powerful system.

The future looks bright for those hoping to extend their investment in a Mac Pro with upgrades down the line.

[ 13 Comments ]

• Core 2 Duo-based iMac benchmark results

Sun, 10 Sep 2006 12:24 EDT

Macworld Labs recently took a look at Apple's new iMac Core 2 Duo and posted some early benchmark results.

According to Intel, a similarly clocked Core 2 Duo will provide 20% more computing power than a Core Duo (the chip that previously powered the Intel-based iMacs) at the same voltage. Macworld's comparison between a 2GHz Core Duo iMac and a 2GHz Core 2 Duo iMac showed an overall performance improvement of 10%, with some individual tests showing a gains of up to 20%.

Not surprisingly, Macworld's tests revealed that the quad-core, Woodcrest-based 2.66GHz Mac Pro handily outperformed the Core 2 Duo iMacs:

With twice the number of processor cores, all running faster than the iMac, the Mac Pro had a definite advantage in this match up. But because not all applications and tasks take full advantage of the Mac multiprocessing capabilities, most results showed the Mac Pro between 20 and 30 percent faster than the 2.16GHz iMac.

[ 37 Comments ]

• 24-inch iMac unpacking photos

Sun, 10 Sep 2006 12:12 EDT

Have a look at a photo series posted by a lucky user who just received his 24-inch iMac. A rather capable machine with some serious desktop real estate.

[ Leave a comment ]

• Core 2 Duo iMacs arrive, 24-inch model at high-end

Wed, 06 Sep 2006 10:24 EDT

Apple, today, updated the iMac line by replacing the Intel Core Duo processor with the recently released Intel Core 2 Duo, utilizing the chipmaker's new Intel Core Microarchitecture, also used in the Xeon 5100-series (aka "Woodcrest"), used in Apple's recently released Mac Pro line. At the same time, Apple introduced a new, high-end iMac featuring a built-in 24-inch display.

These new iMacs offer a performance increase of up to 50% over the previous iMacs thanks to the improved efficiency of the Intel Core Microarchitecture. The specs are impressive. Though the Xeon used in the Mac Pro is a more powerful processor, there is certain overhead in the Mac Pro's DB-DIMM memory subsystem that have lead some to speculate that a Core 2 Duo-powered machine using DDR2 memory (which is used in the iMac) may outrun a Xeon + FB-DIMM system. Benchmarks should be interesting.

[ 13 Comments ]

• CodeWeavers' CrossOver Mac free beta released

Fri, 01 Sep 2006 19:01 EDT

Codeweavers has released a public beta of CrossOver Mac for the Intel-based Macintosh.

CrossOver Mac is a system through which Windows applications can be run alongside Mac OS X applications in a "rootless" fashion - not contained within a emulation or virtualization window. How does Codeweavers work that magic? CrossOver Mac has WINE (Wine Is Not an Emulator) at its core, a compatibility layer that provides alternative (native) implementations of the DLLs that Windows programs call at runtime. What's more, CrossOver Mac is tuned to run a select list of applications and games (about 2000 titles in length) with particularly high performance. We're not just talking MS Office and Lotus Notes, but 3D games such as Half-Life 2.

If interested, grab your 60 day free beta from CodeWeavers now.

See our original look at CrossOver Mac back in June 2005, one of our first articles.

[ 23 Comments ]

50 latest "Mac on Intel" external news links...

04.25.2006 - The Reflector Online: Mac sees Intel chip upgrades
04.25.2006 - AppleInsider: Apple to ship Shake for Intel Macs next month
04.25.2006 - Digital Home: Apple announces 17 inch MacBook Pro
04.25.2006 - TechSpot: OS X, Windows and Linux all on your Mac!
04.25.2006 - The Apple Core: Apple announces 17-inch MacBook Pro
04.25.2006 - MacGrass: Retro! MacBook Pro OpenStep!
04.24.2006 - Madshrimps News: Intel Duo Core clocked at 3.4Ghz beats P4 overclock to 7.2Ghz!
04.24.2006 - Macworld UK: Apple ready to steal market share
04.24.2006 - Wired: The Cult of Mac Blog: NeXT OpenStep 4.2 Runs on Parallels Workstation
04.24.2006 - Tailrank: NeXT's OpenStep up and running on a MacBook Pro
04.22.2006 - ArsTechnica: Adobe CEO comments on Boot Camp, Universal Binaries
04.21.2006 - O'Reilly: Blast From the Past: NeXT OpenStep on MacBook Pro
04.21.2006 - PC Pro: What's NeXT for MacBook Pro
04.21.2006 - Mac Observer: Running OPENSTEP on Your Intel Mac
04.21.2006 - Macworld UK: Mac sales up, despite Intel switch
04.21.2006 - MacNN: Office '04 benchmarks under Rosetta
04.20.2006 - Macworld UK: Apple confirms second best quarter in its history
04.20.2006 - MarketWatch: Apple profit rises 41% on iPod sales
04.20.2006 - GameSHOUT: Apple iPod earnings down, Mac earnings up
04.19.2006 - ZDNet: Apple to build additional campus
04.19.2006 - MacFixIt: Intel Mac mini (early 2006) firmware update 1.0.1 released
04.10.2006 - TUAW: Microsoft to Apple: Happy Birthday!
04.10.2006 - The Eagle: From Macs to iPods, Apple marks 30 years
04.10.2006 - Stuff: Apple move will help lift sales
04.09.2006 - PC World: Apple officials, analysts weigh in on Boot Camp
04.09.2006 - InformationWeek: Virtual Machine Loads Windows, OS X On Intel Macs
04.09.2006 - Tech News Daily: Parallels Workstation 2.1 Virtualization Software
04.09.2006 - iTnews: Parallels virtual machine loads Windows, OS X on Intel Macs
04.07.2006 - The Australian: Apple unveils new software
04.07.2006 - Wired: Just Another Windows Box
04.07.2006 - MobileMag: Apple's Boot Camp lets you run XP on your Mac
03.18.2006 - OnMac.net: Windows on Mac Wiki
03.14.2006 - Slashdot: WinXP on a Mac, Hoax?
03.14.2006 - PCPro: Apple storms through Intel switch
03.14.2006 - Mac Observer: Captain FTP 4.5 Gets Intel Mac Support
03.14.2006 - Email Battles: Apple worries that fans won't follow its Intel migration
03.14.2006 - Engadget: XP on MacTel: game over?
03.14.2006 - TechSpot: Apple drops 20in iMac G5
03.14.2006 - IdahoStatesman: Intel-based MacBook still has that Apple shine
03.14.2006 - IT Week: Microsoft axes Vista Bios replacement
03.14.2006 - internetnews: Apple Shines, AMD Stumbles
03.14.2006 - MacFixIt: Intel-based Macs and FireWire interference (#3)...
03.14.2006 - MacNN: BigFix supports Intel-based Macs
03.14.2006 - MSN Money: Apple Shares Gain on Upgrade
03.14.2006 - MacDailyNews: Paul Thurrott runs his pie-hole a bit more...
03.13.2006 - TechNewsWorld: Intel's Bright Future: Are There Implications for Apple?
03.10.2006 - PC World: Apple, Intel Show Interface for High-Def Displays
03.06.2006 - mathcaddy: Windows XP boots on a MacBook Pro !!
03.02.2006 - Xbench.com: Intel Mac Mini Xbench results
03.02.2006 - ArsTechnica: MacBook Pro Review

[ View all external news links in the system ]

From Apple...

6.06.2005 - developer reference: Universal Binary Programming Guidelines [PDF document]
6.06.2005 - video stream: WWDC 2005 Keynote Address video [QuickTime MPEG-4]
6.06.2005 - press release: Apple to Use Intel Microprocessors Beginning in 2006

Important points to consider...

Apple is not porting Mac OS X to the PC. The vast majority of Apple's revenue comes from hardware sales—not software. As such, OS X will continute to run only on Macs. An Intel-based Macintosh will be structurally similar to current Macintosh hardware—not based on PC BIOS, and will be unencumbered by the need to maintain compatibility with the legacy PC architecture, now over 20 years old. An Intel-based Mac will not boot Windows. It would not be a "PC." Apple is simply altering the CPU around which the system is structured.
The original operating system from which Mac OS X evolved is known as NEXTSTEP. NEXTSTEP was released with and ran only on NeXT hardware, based on the Motorola 68K series CPU. In time, NeXT expanded NEXTSTEP to support four different CPU architectures: Intel, Motorola 68K, SPARC, and HP PA-RISC. The operating system was ported to each of these four platforms and the developer tools were able to generate "fat binary" executables which contained common resource data and four separate versions of the executable. The approach worked well and users of the various platforms were able to use any fat binary application with ease. This is the same approach that Apple is calling "universal binaries" in this OS X transition. (A great "how we got here" article can be seen here.)
The PowerPC and Intel x86 each have their strong points. It will be mid-2006 before any Intel Macs hit the market, and mid-2007 before the transition is complete. Until then, if you have been intending to get a Mac...get a Mac. The "universal binary" application structure will support PowerPC for many years and holding off on a Mac purchase because of this announcement makes little sense. Today's Macs are great performers.

Technical / developer considerations...

Apple has dictated a "universal binary" approach to handling the dual-platform nature of the future Macintosh. A universal binary is an application that contains a single set of resource data and two separate binary executables—one for each platform. While OS X itself, being highly portable, would exist in a native version for PowerPC and a native version for Intel, a single universal binary application would be able to run on either. The latest developer tools, Xcode 2.1, allows (right now) compiling of universal binaries. PowerPC native applications that have not yet been compiled for the Intel processor will be able to run at approximately 80% full execution speed using Apple's new "Rosetta" dynamic translation technology.

Apple has made some indication as to the complexity of porting existng applications to the new platform:

Dashboard widgets, AppleScripts, and Java applications - work without porting
Cocoa appliactions - require minor "tweaks," possibly a few days
Carbon applications - several weeks

This website is not owned by, licensed by or a subsidiary of Apple Computer, Inc. or the Intel Corporation.
The content of this website is not supplied or reviewed by either of the aforementioned companies.
Macintosh and the various Macintosh models are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.
Pentium, Core Duo, and various other Intel electronics are trademarks of the Intel Corporation, registered in the U.S. and other countries.
All logos and trademarks in this site are property of their respective owners. Comments are property of their posters.
Copyright © 2006 MacOnIntel.com
Admin contact: admin @ maconintel . com

Mac On Intel | Mac On Intel Forums