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Apple adopting Merom (Core 2 Duo) Processors?

guzhogi said:
Duh, I mean what advantage would 64-bit processors & software over 32-bit?
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64bit OS & software on a 64 bit processor (especially a dual core) is much better at multitasking, for one.
 
MacBook Pro needs update!

digitalbiker said:
I think we will probably get an announcement about new designed MacBookPros at WWDC along with MacPro Desktops.

Rumor had it back in January that Apple wanted Intel to pre-release Merom chips to Apple for the MacBook Pro. Instead Apple was forced to rush to market a quick update to the PowerBook line using the Yonah processor.

My guess now is that Apple is going to finally get to roll out the new redsigned MacBook Pro for Merom.
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I agree completely. The MacBook Pro just looks like a transition model to me. Apple needed to update the PB badly and it made no sense for them to update with a new PPC chip but the Merom chip wasn't available yet even though it was Apple's chip of choice for a new laptop design.

Voila! slap a Yonah in essentially the same enclosure as a PB, tweak it a bit with new features and you get a MacBook Pro. Now that Merom is here and Apple has re-designed the ibook, the MacBook Pro is poised for a complete re-design.

I want my re-designed Merom MacBook Pro at WWDC.😱
 
twoodcc said:
maybe, but we don't have that yet
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sure we do. Developer Tools for example. also there are more 64 bit 3rd party apps out there, that I dont feel like looking up right now.

however, your right, consumer apps are primarily 32 bit, and os x apps like ical, mail etc, wont go 64 bit until leopard.
 
CellarDoor said:
sure we do. Developer Tools for example. also there are more 64 bit 3rd party apps out there, that I dont feel like looking up right now.

however, your right, consumer apps are primarily 32 bit, and os x apps like ical, mail etc, wont go 64 bit until leopard.
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yeah, but we don't know if Leopard will be totally 64-bit anyways (we'll find out soon enough)
 
CJM said:
I don't see why Apple would put a mobile chip into the iMac. I bought one for my work around a month ago and yes, its portable but not that portable,
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Well, there is a portable chip in it right now...

Remember, a chip is not "portable" because it is less heavy, but because it takes less power. Conroe takes twice the power of Meron. There is a heating problem with twice the power in an iMac. I am not saying it cannot be cooled down, but it would be really hard to cool it down without making it louder.
 
guzhogi said:
Duh, I mean what advantage would 64-bit processors & software over 32-bit?
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Usually there wouldn't be much advantage, except for applications that really need more than 4 GB of memory. In the case of x86 processors (both Intel and AMD), they have twice as many registers available in 64 bit mode; that is good for ten percent more performance.
 
of course they're adopting core 2 duo's... duh, so is every computer maker out there. intel is trying to transition very rapidly into core 2 duo and phasing out the "old" core duo. to do this they've priced the core 2 duos at exactly the same cost as the core duo's with the same clock speed/configuration. you would be stupid not to adopt. i just hope apple doesn't surcharge and tout core 2 duo as a monumental upgrade for the laptops, becase it's only incremental at best. the real gain is the conroe on the desktop processor. as long as the FSB in the portables isn't 1,000 mhz, merom won't be that much faster than yonah.
 
The 17" has a larger enclosure space than the 15.4" of course, so, better heat control and more space to put components. Perhaps the 15.4" would just get too hot / consume too much power with the 17" D/L SD inside it.

Doesn't the 17" use a different battery - higher capacity - than the 15.4"?


amols said:
3. The 17" MBP is as thin as 15.4". Why does it have faster D/L SD ??
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amols said:
3. The 17" MBP is as thin as 15.4". Why does it have faster D/L SD ??
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..but it is much wider which allows for more space for the drive since the trackpad (IIRC) doesn't overlap it. It really is an issue of vertical space that limits the 15" MBP to the drive it currently has.
 
Stella said:
Doesn't the 17" use a different battery - higher capacity - than the 15.4"?
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Yes it does.

MBP 17" - 68 watt-hour - "up to 5.5 hours of battery life"
MBP 15" - 60 watt-hour - "up to 4.5 hours of battery life"
 
Unless I am wrong and haven't looked lately ;-) though, there are NO 64-bit branches for the Intel developer tools. In other words, if you look at branching, you have 32-bit PPC, 64-bit PPC and Intel. A 64-bit app for PPC is not equal to a 64-bit app on Intel, and it certainly seems XCODE at this point (in it's publicly released version anyway) does not include 64-bit for Intel.
Obviously that is changing, obviously Apple is working on it internally, but really, I don't see any widespread adoption of 64-bit anytime soon. No good reason - for trivial tasks, running in larger OP Code registers will take more time, not less than 32-bit.

A good 64-bit/32-bit hybrid system (i.e.. no emulation either way) is a great solution, and allows to have apps that truly are 64-bit IF they can take advantage of the additional flat memory addressing (which, as cool as 64-bit sound, is still by far the most practical advantage over 32-bit)....

my 2 cents

dan


CellarDoor said:
sure we do. Developer Tools for example. also there are more 64 bit 3rd party apps out there, that I dont feel like looking up right now.

however, your right, consumer apps are primarily 32 bit, and os x apps like ical, mail etc, wont go 64 bit until leopard.
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September??

Intel said they expect Merom-based machines to be available for purchase toward the end of August. What's this about Apple receiving a large shipment of CPUs in September? They'd be a month behind the rest of the market by the time they started delivering systems. Intel said they were shipping Merom when they announced their earnings for last quarter.
 
amols said:
1. If you check Apple's knowledge database or the manual that come with MBP, it actually says not to put this laptop on top of your lap, or it'll cause discomfort and potentially a burn with prolonged use. Now that's a new thing for a Powerbook or iBook user. Almost all the reviews of MBP state one con throughout, and thats the heat it dissipates. I own a MBP 2.16 Ghz and let me tell you it is very uncomforting to keep this on lap even through the clothing. Forget about using it in shorts unless you are in Alaska.

2. Less than three hours is not outstanding when you compare MBP to its predecessor and not PC notebooks.

3. The 17" MBP is as thin as 15.4". Why does it have faster D/L SD ??

Don't get me wrong. MBP is a facinating machine. I just hope Apple make it as perfect as PB was instead of running for every new chip like other PC vendors.
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1 - This is nothing new, and Apple is just being honest...the PB 12 and 15 were famous leg toasters as well...the times of the cool G3 are over long ago.

2 - it's at least 3 hours...no similar PC notebook does that...and the G4 wasnt better either.

3 - more space, perhaps?
 
daveL said:
Intel said they expect Merom-based machines to be available for purchase toward the end of August. What's this about Apple receiving a large shipment of CPUs in September? They'd be a month behind the rest of the market by the time they started delivering systems. Intel said they were shipping Merom when they announced their earnings for last quarter.
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They could be shipping computers with Merom end of August, IMO maybe even earlier.

Recieving large shipment in September may indicate they are going into other computers to be ready for Paris (mini, MacBook, who knows).
 
I'm excited to see what happens but since I'm in no crunch I'm waiting for the best time to buy. I'll wait till the new year if I have to.
 
twoodcc said:
what do you mean, with 64-bit software or 32-bit software?
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Not to be rude, but are you really dumb enough to ask this? Ok, I'll try to make this as simple as possible: if I used a fully 64-bit OS & fully 64-bit software, that is software optimized for 64-bit processors, on a fully 64-bit processor, what would the advantage of using that set-up over using a 32-bit OS & 32-bit software on a 32-bit processor?
 
I got a question ... is the MacBook & MBP batteries Li-Ion or Li-Polymer? If the former then what i want MOST in the MBP is Li-Polymer and really fold the polymers and compress them to get a higher density of energy for longer battery life.

> The next generation of the MBP I'd really like to see the Intel technology for sub display (not unlike that on flip cellphones) to display AudioCD or running app information on the display or AirPort Ex hotspots within range (SSID, Signal Strength, VoIP signals etc). I'd also like to see a higher resolution - that maintains the same or much higher focus and zoom+Auto Focus - iSight thats built in and somewhat rotable (maybe somehow in the sell without external finger control).

> Magnesium or some kind of Metal Polymer combination that is very resistance or displaces heat efficiently but absorbing enough heat for hours of DVD, Video editing on our laps without burning them. Something thats much like ceramic tiles and how they displace heat efficiently.

> Me ... I'll settle for minimum 256MB video memory for ALL MBP and the built to order 512; and built to order 128MB on the Mac Books.

Question why do the old G4 powermacs of 933mhz or lower STILL selling highly used for such a high price - their almost obsolute in their abilities compared to new hardware. as an example on another forum sight someone is trying to sell a Dual 1Ghz QuickSilver for $1000 1.5GB total memory capacity (not that its filled with that much). Isnt this ridiculous?
 
guzhogi said:
Not to be rude, but are you really dumb enough to ask this? Ok, I'll try to make this as simple as possible: if I used a fully 64-bit OS & fully 64-bit software, that is software optimized for 64-bit processors, on a fully 64-bit processor, what would the advantage of using that set-up over using a 32-bit OS & 32-bit software on a 32-bit processor?
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yeah i'd say that's rude. maybe i misunderstood you, but you never said this. (or if you did, i missed it).

i do not know the technical stuff, but i do know that if you had all 64-bit stuff, then it'd be a lot better than all 32-bit stuff. (i know i should use better termanology, but oh well)
 
You know, considering that Sony has been able to cram a DL drive in something as tiny as the TX series (not to mention the SZ series), I'm not sure why Apple couldn't do something similar with the 15" MBP.
 
Zadillo said:
You know, considering that Sony has been able to cram a DL drive in something as tiny as the TX series (not to mention the SZ series), I'm not sure why Apple couldn't do something similar with the 15" MBP.
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Because the TX is thicker than the MBP...at least in the area of the optical drive. (Sony likes to use the tapered design that's thinner toward front edge and thicker near the back edge...it's always looked weird to me.)
 
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