Intel Updates Mac OS X Development Tools with Penryn Support

[MrCrowbar]

i think its due to a memory leak, i know its a memory leak, Yes i only have 768mb ram in my DA G4 but when i first start my Mac and open xchat and safari (on Apple's site) i have at least 400+mb of ram remaining, after a few hours of use with 1 safari window and xchat open i have only 20mb of ram remaining, this is with no tabs and on Apple's site.

even quitting safari and reopening it i still have only 20mb or so left of available ram. when it gets to this point the HDD starts going into swapping fits and slows down the entire OS. i have had activity monitor open and at random times there is a background prosess called find (with the username of nobody) that kicks in for a few minutes and takes like 60% of the cpu time.

i haven't had these issues in Tiger (mainly cause its mature), but Leopard is still immature yet and has a bit of bugs to be fixed.

but anyway safari should not be this slow on a intel Mac (especially a intel Mac) or G5 or G4.

Yea, Safari has a big memory fooprint, but so has every browser. I have an intel Mac with 2GB of RAM. It still annoys me Safari freezes almost completely when one site isn't loading fast. I can't even scroll or switch tabs, it's beachball time all over.

Also, the desktop in Leopard is kinda broken. The files are there (I can see them when opening a Finder window), but they don't show on the desktop until I restart Finder. I know we should now use Stacks as messy drag and drop space, but it's so impractical...

 

[AidenShaw]

Well, the new compact Mac Books with LED screens will be released at MWSF.

That's only a rumour (Ultra-Portable Mac Expected at Macworld Expo 2008), not a fact.

The rumour has some red flags about its validity (such as using the conflicting phrases "ultra-portable" and "13 in. screen" in the description).

Very likely to see new displays there too.

Not even any good rumours on this, but the current displays haven't been updated in ages and are more expensive and technologically way behind the higher tier models available elsewhere.

As will likely new iTV, iPhone, iTunes, and other consumer based products. After all, MW is a consumer based trade show.

Consumer show? How do you explain:

https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/4493913/

Originally Posted by AidenShaw
http://support.apple.com/specs/

MWSF 2006 - MacBook Pro announced
MWSF 2004 - Xserve G5 and Xserve RAID (SFP) announced
MWSF 2003 - PowerBook G4 announced
MWSF 2001 - PowerMac G4 and PowerBook G4 announced
MWSF 1999 - PowerMac G3 announced

It looks like the pattern is every other year for a Pro announcement - so MWSF 2008 is due!

Used to be that MacWorld (jan and late summer) were for all Macs, and WWDC was a little show for developers.

Then Jobs had the big hissy fit with IDG, and pulled out of the east coast summer MacWorld, saying "it's not necessary".

Of course, Apple's found out that it *is* needed, and has since been morphing WWDC into the summer MacWorld.

Anyway, when Apple has something to announce around January, it happens at MWSF - whether it's pro or consumer.

First is that they'll likely release when they have enough chips, AND enough of their redesign complete to ship. This means all the new configurations ready to go. The longer the wait, the more likely to see more significant upgrades. Not just to Penryn, but video cards (obviously), BluRay, and other cool options.

JIT ("just in time") should also apply to features - a new video card BTO option could be added at any time in a silent update.

It's insanely stupid to sell outdated systems for month after month just because you're waiting for a couple of minor options that might not even be interesting to the customers. (Do you need a Blu-ray in every machine in your render farm?)

The other factor to remember is that Apple did take a while to release Woodcrest. So it is possible that they will wait not until MWSF to release the MacPro's, but weeks, or months afterwards. Not likely, but possible. We could be waiting until March, or April at NAB to see the new, fully upgraded and overhauled Penryn MacPro...

If they wait until NAB, that will put the Mac Pro release *after* spring IDF - where Intel will be showing off all the new 16-core Nehalem-based workstations with the QuickPath crossbar memory interconnect.

I'd love to see the MacRumors threads if Apple introduced its first Penryn system after everyone's been wowed by Nehalem!

With Intel's roadmap showing a major bump every year, waiting six months to adopt Intel's latest isn't a good plan.

 

[arkitect]

I'd love to see the MacRumors threads if Apple introduced its first Penryn system after everyone's been wowed by Nehalem!

The way things are going you're probably right.

 

[aliquis-]

Just remove flash totally and you're done. To bad with youtube thought, but if iTunes get h264-youtube support it's all ok.

 

[takao]

If they wait until NAB, that will put the Mac Pro release *after* spring IDF - where Intel will be showing off all the new 16-core Nehalem-based workstations with the QuickPath crossbar memory interconnect.

and also quite interesting for the lower end are the oncoming CPU/GPU packaging in nehalem (one cpu /one gpu package just like the two dies for the 4 cores today)
amd has been developing on their "Fusion" architecture some while already too .. i wonder if intel can beat them to the market

and intel's quickpath definitly means bad news for AMD (who is still very popular because of this in the HPC cluster market)

 

[G4DP]

won't be long

Won't Be Long, Give It A Week Or So.

 

[AidenShaw]

As to the argument that Apple won't announce MacPro between now and the end of the year being confusing, obviously Dell didn't feel that way, announcing their Penryns yesterday.

Dell is also out there with a Blu-ray option....

For those who won't type http://www.dell.com into Safari , here's a recap of the new systems that Dell has announced (they've basically refreshed the entire workstation line with Penryns).

Main Dell workstation page

Single Socket Mid-Tower Dell Precision T3400 (replaces the PW390)

• Mid tower (70% size of Mac Pro)
• CPU options from 1.8 GHz dual core to 3.0 GHz quad core (all Conroe/Kentsfield, Yorkfield QX6950 not offered yet)
• Intel X38 chipset
• 1 GiB to 8 GiB RAM, ECC over 2 GiB
• Graphics from nVidia NVS 290 (256MiB) to dual Quadro FX4600 (1.5 GiB total)
• 4 hard drive bays (BTO options to 2.5 TB), SAS option available
• 3 year warranty
• Base price $1148, $2167 for quad-core 2.4GHz, 4 GiB, 500 GB

Dual Socket Mid-Tower Dell Precision T5400 (replaces the PW490)

• Mid tower (70% size of Mac Pro)
• All quad core Penryn Harpertown, 1333 MHz bus
• CPU options from single 2.0 GHz quad core to dual 3.16 GHz quad core
• Intel 5400 (Seaburg) chipset
• 1 GiB to 32 GiB RAM, all ECC
• Graphics from nVidia NVS 290 (256MiB) to dual Quadro FX4600 (1.5GiB total), or single nVidia Quadro FX5600 (1.5GiB)
• Blu-ray optical option
• 3 hard drive bays (BTO options to 2.25 TB), SAS option available
• 3 year warranty
• Base price $1717 -- $3027 for quad-core 2.5GHz, 4 GiB, 500 GB --$3756 for octo-core 2.5GHz, 4 GiB, 500 GB -- $5756 for octo-core 3.16GHz, 4 GiB, 500 GB

Dual Socket Full-Tower Dell Precision T7400 (replaces the PW690)

• All quad core Penryn Harpertown, 1600/1333 MHz bus
• CPU options from single 2.0 GHz quad core to dual 3.16 GHz quad core and dual 3.2 GHz quad core
• Intel 5400 (Seaburg) chipset
• 1 GiB to 64 GiB RAM, all ECC
• Graphics from nVidia NVS 290 (256MiB) to dual nVidia Quadro FX5600 (3GiB total)
• Blu-ray optical option
• 4 or 5 hard drive bays (BTO options to 4 TB), SAS option available
• 3 year warranty
• Base price $1848 -- $3258 for quad-core 2.5GHz, 4 GiB, 500 GB --$3987 for octo-core 2.5GHz, 4 GiB, 500 GB -- $6909 for octo-core 3.2GHz, 4 GiB, 500 GB

 

[joosteggink]

I really hope apple introduce the macbook pro in januari i'm waiting for a month allready and i think it's a wasted of money to buy a macbook pro before januari.

and when is the next event of apple where they introduce products?

 

[AidenShaw]

MacBook Pro in January is a "long shot"

I really hope apple introduce the macbook pro in januari i'm waiting for a month allready and i think it's a wasted of money to buy a macbook pro before januari.

and when is the next event of apple where they introduce products?

The next scheduled event would be the MacWorld keynote on 15 January, although Apple has made special press event announcements for products.

I wouldn't depend on new MacBook Pros shipping in mid-January.

The Penryn-mobile chips should be announced in January but, as we've seen with Penryn Xeons, there can be a month or two between "announced and a few systems shipping" and "whatever option you want is in stock". I would say that the start of March would be a more reasonable time to expect Penryn mobile systems to be shipping right away.

 

[digitalbiker]

The next scheduled event would be the MacWorld keynote on 15 January, although Apple has made special press event announcements for products.

I wouldn't depend on new MacBook Pros shipping in mid-January.

The Penryn-mobile chips should be announced in January but, as we've seen with Penryn Xeons, there can be a month or two between "announced and a few systems shipping" and "whatever option you want is in stock". I would say that the start of March would be a more reasonable time to expect Penryn mobile systems to be shipping right away.

It's always possible that Apple might demo a re-designed Penryn MacBookPro at MacWorld with a March shipping date.

In 2000, Apple released the PowerBook G4 Titanium and WOWED everyone with the new thin design. However the ship date was mid-March and most who ordered the day of the Keynote didn't get the PowerBook G4 until April.

In fact it used to be almost the de facto standard that Apple would announce but product wouldn't ship until 4 -6 weeks after the announcement.

Things have changed for the better recently except iPhone, which announced in January but didn't release until June.

 

[poe]

Dell or Mac?

Now that the Adobe video suite is available for Mac, I was about to make the switch to a Mac Pro, but I can't wait around forever. I have some projects that are due soon. Dell is starting to look enticing.

 

[monster620ie]

I must admit--now is a terrible time to buy! That is obvious.

My point is this: We'll probably see an update in January, and that's the time to make the next plunge. (Don't wait until 2011.)

I promise (guaranteed!) that some people will complain in January (or whenever the next update occurs) and just say that they are waiting for the next big thing. That's my point. Some people are always waiting, even when they see an update, they just wait for the next update.

I intended my post to be lighthearted. I agree: if you buy now, you will hate yourself when the Mac Pro is updated, which is (hopefully) soon!

Are you guys talking about me? I have been waiting for so long (years). Each time I am about to get a new macbook pro, then I hear something new is coming up and so I wait and wait. I hate reading this forum sometimes
Ofcourse I realize there is always going to be updates.
This time Jan will be the one. Or will it !?

(my lonely 23' Apple Cinema is just staring at me and gathering dust after my laptop was stolen from my apartment year and half ago)

 

[joosteggink]

i really hope the update is in januari

 

[AidenShaw]

i really hope the update is in januari

Announced in January, shipping in March.

 

[TripleCore]

I don't know if Amazon is much of a barometer, but their 8-core is sold out and not available for 3-5 weeks. They have a few of the dual 2.66 on hand, but they're moving verrry slowly. Apple can wait, but their sales will be flat until they throw an update out there. Amazon also has rebates on these systems--trying to clear out stock or just offer more reasonable pricing for older technology? Apple can wait until January, but that's a month of lost revenues. There is lots of pent up demand (especially from G5 owners), so when they do finally announce, there will be lots of sales of these new systems.

 

[Sleyn]

if the whole line is going 8 core then there is no way it will be a silent update. even the average consumer can understand that 8 cores are a lot better than 4.

But for the average consumer, 8 cores isn't better. It's just more expensive.

 

[digitalbiker]

I have been waiting for so long (years). Each time I am about to get a new macbook pro, then I hear something new is coming up and so I wait and wait.
(my lonely 23' Apple Cinema is just staring at me and gathering dust after my laptop was stolen from my apartment year and half ago)

You have been without any laptop for over a year and you didn't buy a new one because of rumors of better equipment in a few months.

Sorry, but you need to stop reading so much into these rumors otherwise you will always be waiting!

I bought my mac pro octo back in June. By comments from many members of this rumor site it was a ridiculous purchase. The tech was supposedly not the best, the gpu was outdated, not SS, blah, blah, blah.

However by my standards this has been the best computer purchase I have ever made. The system is beautiful and runs most of my key apps 5-10 times faster than my previous hardware. With Intel Mac, I can take advantage of virtual machines, I have much more disk space, I can multi-task multiple apps without a drop in performance on any one app. The hardware is quiet and rocksolid. Even the GPU blows away any previous card I ever owned. On top of all that, there was no update just around the corner. Here I am 6 months later and Apple is still offering the same system. When the Penryn Mac Pro comes out I doubt if real would perfomance will beat my Octo by more than 20 percent.

So all I am saying is, unless you have another reason not to buy, don't wait for futureware. Evaluate your needs and buy the best currently available to satisfy those needs. Don't worry about obsolescence because it will happen no matter what you do. If you really need or want a MacBookPro, buy it now!! Don't wait until January. Most likely it won't be updated until March at the earliest. When it is eventually updated, it probably won't be as great an update as the rumor mills expect it to be anyway. In the meantime, you will be enjoying your MacBookPro for months while others are only dreaming of the next big update.

 

[jeremyrader]

Now that the Adobe video suite is available for Mac, I was about to make the switch to a Mac Pro, but I can't wait around forever. I have some projects that are due soon. Dell is starting to look enticing.

Now that GPS units are becoming more available as installed options on cars, I was about to make the switch to a new BMW, but i don't know if I want to wait until next Spring for the all-new 1-series. I am going on vacation soon. The Ford Focus is starting to look enticing.

...or I could be realistic...

 

[gugy]

Announced in January, shipping in March.

No way man. If it will be announce in January, Apple will ship it immediately.

 

[madmax_2069]

Yea, Safari has a big memory fooprint, but so has every browser. I have an intel Mac with 2GB of RAM. It still annoys me Safari freezes almost completely when one site isn't loading fast. I can't even scroll or switch tabs, it's beachball time all over.

Also, the desktop in Leopard is kinda broken. The files are there (I can see them when opening a Finder window), but they don't show on the desktop until I restart Finder. I know we should now use Stacks as messy drag and drop space, but it's so impractical...

yea i have seen that where safari gives you the beach-ball wile loading s site and totally freezes safari and makes it unresponsive to where you cant switch tabs scroll or anything else in safari, i would have thought it would not be that way with a dual core CPU in place, but you having a intel mac and have the same issues is just not right.

i wonder how long it will take Apple to fix safari, it seems like it isnt multi threaded as some would think. one would think that Apple would have fixed this beach-ball issue with safari by now. and you would think that safari would not show this behavior on a intel Mac

 

[goosnarrggh]

Does the xcode toolset use foreign compilers?

Just to add to the excellent response that has been made to this question already...

XCode comes out of the box using the GCC compiler suite for most application-level programming. However, it is possible to use XCode as an IDE front-end for many different compilers in the background.

For example, you can purchase Intel's professional compiler, and it will automatically integrate into XCode.

As another example, I know of embedded systems programmers that use XCode as an IDE front-end (providing project/makefile management, syntax highlighting, class browsing, 3rd-party compiler invocation, etc) for projects targeted at certain 8-bit embedded microcontrollers which have nothing to do with OSX by any stretch of the imagination.

(Question: Since Intel's compiler is apparently C/C++ only, and Leopard's new 64-bit GUI API is only available in Objective-C/Cocoa, does this mean that 64-bit programs produced using Intel's toolset are limited to command-line applications only?)

 

[John Musbach]

Yahoo News reports that Intel has upgraded its software development tools today, introducing support for Mac OS X Leopard as well as their new Penryn processors.

The new tools can also take advantage of the new SSE4 instruction set that debuted with the Penryn processors.

Intel first announced the 45-nm Penryn processors on November 12th, 2007, with the first batch of Penryn processors focusing on the higher end server-class Xeon processors. Apple has been rumored to be buying up the high end 3.2GHz Penryn Xeon processors which feature a faster 1600MHz bus and 12MB of L2 cache for an upcoming Mac Pro revision. Apple currently uses the previous generation Xeon Woodcrest (Quad core Macs) or Xeon Clovertown (8-core Macs) processors in their Mac Pros.

Mobile versions of the Penryn processor are not expected until January 2008.

Article Link

As expected, Intel better keep their development tools up to date with regards to their processor releases!