Intel Quietly Ships 2.33 GHz Core Duo

[bloodycape]

Centrino Duo is just a Core Duo + Intel Wireless.

Just like Centrino was a Pentium-M + Intel wireless.

Not all of AMD's low cost chips are 64-bit. There are 32-bit Semprons.

Alright does anyone know if the intel wireless is better than what we get in our macs or do we get the same one?

 

[Evangelion]

Given the rumors that Apple had outsourced the developement of the MacPro to Intel, and given the similarities of the "air-condition" in both the G5 PowerMac and this prototype, it COULD be the next MacPro in an ugly computercase.

No, no, and once more: NO! That is NOT going to happen! So Intel delivered a (more or less) generic server for testing, and you think that Mac Pro will look the same? No chance in hell! Intel might be designing the Moterhboard (according to Apple-specs), but they are NOT designing the actual computer! You can bet your ass that Mac pro will have Jonathan Ive all over it!

 

[kumbaya]

Previously speculated:

iMac at 1.83/2.0
"Mac" at 2.16/2.33 Conroe in July

an iMac speed decrease and a computer just called "mac"?
i highly doubt it.

The laptop, server, Mac mini and high end desktop configurations seem to be fairly easy to predict: Merom and Woodcrest.

The low-end desktop segment is where it's more interesting.

Apple has not bothered with low speed chips to date. I speculate this is to ensure that IntelMac computers bought now will be able to run Leopard when it comes out - making a good contrast with the upgrading that will be necessary to run Vista.

I do see an opening for a low-end desktop which is upgradeable. This would speak the language of PC switchers who tend to like more potential control over their boxes than the average MacHead. That calls for Conroe, but what minimum speed? What price point?

Apple wants its computers to be seen as fast. No Apple computer will be 'slow'. This supports its differentiation, and also higher margins.

I think it reasonable to see a marketing policy that all IntelMac chips will start from at least 2GHz. So the "Mac" computer would have choice of Conroe 2.13GHz or 2.4GHz as giving a sweetspot of price/performance.

I also see Mac mini moving to only dual core - timing depends on price drops for CPUs.

Having said that, once the minimum standards to run Leopard fast are met, there is scope for lower-end, lower priced systems for the education market. Sometime next year? The processor price wars might bring this about sooner rather than later!

 

[Orange-DE]

Evangelion
macrumors 6502

No, no, and once more: NO! That is NOT going to happen! So Intel delivered a (more or less) generic server for testing, and you think that Mac Pro will look the same? No chance in hell! Intel might be designing the Moterhboard (according to Apple-specs), but they are NOT designing the actual computer! You can bet your ass that Mac pro will have Jonathan Ive all over it!

You haven´t read my post accurately. -> I said, according to the airflow-system and dual woodcrests, it could be a protopyte (in a technical way).
I is just shure like the sun goes up, that JI will design an apple product, k?
That was a non-post, dude.

 

[playaj82]

I don't think I'm really liking that eventually there will be 85 different Apple computers. Pretty soon Apple will be like Dell.

The computer you bought one month ago for $1000, doesn't even sell on eBay for $200.

I'm afraid to see where all this constant processor upgrade nonsense is going to go.

 

[Evangelion]

You haven´t read my post accurately. -> I said, according to the airflow-system and dual woodcrests, it could be a protopyte (in a technical way).

Such airducts are not new. There were such setups before PowerMac G5, Apple's implementation was just more elegant than the others. The machine intel supplied was just a generic Woodcrest-server. I see no reason to believe that the system in question is somehow related to the PowerMac (apart from using the same CPU).

 

[Evangelion]

I don't think I'm really liking that eventually there will be 85 different Apple computers. Pretty soon Apple will be like Dell.

Not gonna happen. I see room for two lines of laptops, and 4 desktops (at most). That's nowhere near 85

The computer you bought one month ago for $1000, doesn't even sell on eBay for $200.

There were two reason why Mac held their price so well:

A) Quality-products do maintain their price

B) Because Macs weren't updated that freguently, the machines didn't get old that fast (as in, the old machine wasn't THAT much slower when compared to the brand-new machine)

A hasn't really gone anywhere. B has changed, since Macs are now updated more frequently (well, we can't be 100% sure yet, since we don't have much data yet). And having more up-to-date machines for sale is a GOOD THING. How many hear buy teir Macs because they retain their value, instead of actually DOING something with them? I don't know about you, but I buy my compters because I intend to do something with them, not because I plan to sell them.

I'm afraid to see where all this constant processor upgrade nonsense is going to go.

So, offering your customers a better product for same amount on money is a bad thing?

 

[boncellis]

NO WAY IN HELL will the 2.33 Yonah or even the 2.33 Merom go into a MacBook. Apple has to pay a significantly higher price for anything above 2GHz in the Yonah and Merom lines. No. MacBook is stuck at 2GHz for the foreseeable future. Only a very quiet switch to Merom is in the cards by November.My Quad G5 still seems to have significant functionality too.

I'm of two minds regarding the future of the MacBook. Part of me thinks Apple will keep the Yonah in them, but another part wonders about what that would mean when Apple software takes advantage of Merom's 64 bit functionality...I suppose we'll find out soon enough.

You're right about the cost, but that will come down relatively soon. The real question is whether the MacBook sticks with Yonah for a while--I could see it happen.

Your hyperbole only hurts the logic of your well-reasoned point. But what did I expect from someone whose histrionics led him to paste his own face all over this forum.

 

[Eidorian]

I don't think I'm really liking that eventually there will be 85 different Apple computers. Pretty soon Apple will be like Dell.

The computer you bought one month ago for $1000, doesn't even sell on eBay for $200.

I'm afraid to see where all this constant processor upgrade nonsense is going to go.

I just sold my iMac G5 after one year for 75% of its original value. Where have you been?

 

[WildCowboy]

I just sold my iMac G5 after one year for 75% of its original value. Where have you been?

I think his point was that that's what happens with PCs, and Macs are heading down that road with the Intel switch and the accompanying upgrade cycle.

 

[thogs_cave]

But what types of changes do you mean.....
processors, software, comm devices

I can understand some of these requiring re-certification, but not necessarily processors

Anything that changes the RFI profile, IIRC.

 

[shawmanus]

Apple should offer T2700. Why should a company not offer the fastest proc available. They should offer BTO for 15 and 17 inc macbook pros asap. Maybe even upgrade iMac.

Merom should not be available in quantities before Q4. I think Apple would update Macbook pro and maybe iMac in october.So upgrading processor speed would be good in the meantime.

 

[Multimedia]

Not Really

I don't think I'm really liking that eventually there will be 85 different Apple computers. Pretty soon Apple will be like Dell.

The computer you bought one month ago for $1000, doesn't even sell on eBay for $200.

I'm afraid to see where all this constant processor upgrade nonsense is going to go.

Wow. . How you deduce that from the presented info is hard for me to comprehend. There is no evidence to indicate that Apple Marketing, led by Phil Schiller, is going to complicate nor expand the lines beyond three per family at any one time. The KISS principle has been in place at Apple ever since Steve got back. Pretty soon Apple will NEVER be like Dell. Pretty soon Macs will continue to maintain high resale value. Pretty soon you need a drink.

"Constant Processor upgrade nonsense"? What the hell are you writing about? Are you writing that every two years is too frequent for Intel to introduce a new processor set of families? Are you writing that faster processors as a result of manufacturing progress is a BAD THING? . . I really don't understand your illogic at all. Or are you just kidding?

 

[Multimedia]

Merom @ 2.33 GHz May Be Necessary To Avoid MacBook Pro Meltdowns

Apple should offer T2700. Why should a company not offer the fastest proc available. They should offer BTO for 15 and 17 inc macbook pros asap. Maybe even upgrade iMac.

Merom should not be available in quantities before Q4. I think Apple would update Macbook pro and maybe iMac in october.So upgrading processor speed would be good in the meantime.

I think the 2.33 should replace the 2.16 and the 2.16 should replace the 2 in each MacBook Pro to further differentiate them from the MacBook. But heat may be the reason why Apple may not until the cooler Meroms are available, I hope in September. But you may be right about October.

Other brands may easily adopt the 2.33 due to their HUGE FAT Kludgy enclosures. But Apple's ultra slim form may need Merom @ 2.33 GHz to avoid Yonah meltdowns.

 

[AidenShaw]

Since Dell already ships computers with AMD-CPU's.

Actually, no. There are no Dell computers with AMD CPUs inside.

Dell recently bought Alienware, which has been shipping AMD chips in some systems, but those were existing product lines and do not carry the "Dell" brand.

Apple is the new apple in Intels eye .

Then why was Apple the last big vendor to announce Yonah, and why does Apple *still* not have a Woody when everyone else does? (http://www.supermicro.com/products/nfo/woodcrest.cfm)

Until there's evidence of Intel favoring Apple over its other customers, any "Apple is special" talk is fanboi fantasy.

 

[fastlane1588]

yea apple is really hurting themselves by not releasing either the xserve or the macpro w/ the woodcrest chip. if everyone else already has them then theirs no excuse as to why apple shouldnt have one out yet.....i hope this doesnt happen w/ the mbp and merom chips

 

[freestyleguy128]

My prediction:
Late August-Late September: Apple announces Merom MBPs with updated 8x superdrives, bug fixes, and at least 1 gb of RAM standard. Alongside this release comes a "quiet" refresh of the macbooks to a standard 2.16 ghz Yonah processer with an optional upgrade to 2.33 ghz. These notebooks wil be fully leopard and vista (gotta love bootcamp) compatible and will carry apple through the holiday season. I wouldn't be surprised to see a slight price hike as well. Well...We'll see come September.

 

[Evangelion]

Actually, no. There are no Dell computers with AMD CPUs inside.

Maybe not right now, but by the end of the year there will be Link. The source can't get any more official than that.

Dell recently bought Alienware, which has been shipping AMD chips in some systems, but those were existing product lines and do not carry the "Dell" brand.

I'm talking about real, honest-to-god Dells and not Alienwares.

Then why was Apple the last big vendor to announce Yonah, and why does Apple *still* not have a Woody when everyone else does?

Go talk to Steve about that one. Are you saying that Apple hasn't announced Yonahs because Intel did not give them chips? Apple is propably saving the big releases till August, co coincide with the keynote. The fact that they are relasing latr than others does NOT mean that Intel is screwing them over. Apple might have their own reasons to delau the launch

Until there's evidence of Intel favoring Apple over its other customers, any "Apple is special" talk is fanboi fantasy.

Are you calling me a Mac-fanboy? Heh, I'm actually anything but .

 

[shawmanus]

I think the 2.33 should replace the 2.16 and the 2.16 should replace the 2 in each MacBook Pro to further differentiate them from the MacBook. But heat may be the reason why Apple may not until the cooler Meroms are available, I hope in September. But you may be right about October.

Other brands may easily adopt the 2.33 due to their HUGE FAT Kludgy enclosures. But Apple's ultra slim form may need Merom @ 2.33 GHz to avoid Yonah meltdowns.

TDP of T2700 is not higher than T2600. Macbook pros get hot bcos steve wanted to make nano like laptops with regular proc. He should have used low voltage or ultra low voltage for that. If he had made Macbook pro slightly thicker with better ventilation we would not see so many complaints. Dell XPS M1710 with 7900GTX does not get as hot as macbook pro.

I hope rev2 fixes all issues.

 

[SiriusExcelsior]

Apple has not bothered with low speed chips to date. I speculate this is to ensure that IntelMac computers bought now will be able to run Leopard when it comes out - making a good contrast with the upgrading that will be necessary to run Vista.

I don't see how taxing Leopard can be. I've got a lime iMac DV 400 here running Tiger just fine (yea sure it's on the slow side but it's running~). That's a 6-7 year old computer running the latest Mac OS. How many 6-7 year old PCs can usably run XP? How many people even use 6-7 year old PCs as their main computer? (re. the longivity/resale value of Macs)

I don't think Leopard will support this old horse considering most of Apple's software now requires a minimum of G3/400. Looking at the difference between Tiger and Leopard, and XP and "Longhorn" (sorry, can't resist ), though, I doubt Leopard requires much to run. I'm pretty sure anything above 600MHz can run it.

On the other hand, there was an article somewhere about the MB and MBP's ability to run Vista. From what I remember, only the higher end MBPs can run Vista fully (with Aero and all), and even then it requires at least 1GB of ram. One word: Bloat.

 

[Multimedia]

Three Cheers For The iMac 400 DV Running Tiger

I don't see how taxing Leopard can be. I've got a lime iMac DV 400 here running Tiger just fine (yea sure it's on the slow side but it's running~). That's a 6-7 year old computer running the latest Mac OS. How many 6-7 year old PCs can usably run XP? How many people even use 6-7 year old PCs as their main computer? (re. the longivity/resale value of Macs)

I don't think Leopard will support this old horse considering most of Apple's software now requires a minimum of G3/400. Looking at the difference between Tiger and Leopard, and XP and "Longhorn" (sorry, can't resist ), though, I doubt Leopard requires much to run. I'm pretty sure anything above 600MHz can run it.

On the other hand, there was an article somewhere about the MB and MBP's ability to run Vista. From what I remember, only the higher end MBPs can run Vista fully (with Aero and all), and even then it requires at least 1GB of ram. One word: Bloat.

MacBook will run Vista but the eye candy will hurt with that level of IG. Fixed in Fall with 950 IG set. I agree with you, it's a shame how many old iMac owners don't run Leopard on their FW equiped models.

 

[AidenShaw]

From what I remember, only the higher end MBPs can run Vista fully (with Aero and all), and even then it requires at least 1GB of ram. One word: Bloat.

Give me a penny for every post in this forum that complains about Apples shipping with less than 1 GiB ....

 

[MacsAttack]

yea apple is really hurting themselves by not releasing either the xserve or the macpro w/ the woodcrest chip. if everyone else already has them then theirs no excuse as to why apple shouldnt have one out yet.....i hope this doesnt happen w/ the mbp and merom chips

Looking at most of the people who are offering Woocrest systems at this time, it would appear that they will not ship until closer to the end of the month...

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/06/26/woodcrest_intel/

Releasing a product that does not ship for weeks has happend before with Apple. The MacBook launch suggests they are trying to avoid doing that sort of thing again.

Come August I expect Steve will be able to stand up and say...

1. Transition complete (ahead of schedule)

2. 3 GHz Mac at last (see? this is why we went with Intel!)

3. So what is keeping those Universal Binaries?

Its all Marketing-speak of course (Apple is a business) and anything they can talk up to boost share prices is a "good thing" from their point of veiw. A fringe benifit is that we get faster Macs and OS X 10.5 in the pipeline.

 

[JosiahPB]

Is there a reason for "quietly" upgrading products?

 

[Multimedia]

What Is TDP? Thermal Design Point?

TDP of T2700 is not higher than T2600. Macbook pros get hot bcos steve wanted to make nano like laptops with regular proc. He should have used low voltage or ultra low voltage for that. If he had made Macbook pro slightly thicker with better ventilation we would not see so many complaints. Dell XPS M1710 with 7900GTX does not get as hot as macbook pro.

I hope rev2 fixes all issues.

TDP is an acronym for what? Thermal Design Point?

I'm now holding out for an entirely new MacBook Pro design that includes the easy user upgradable HD feature like the MacBook has. IE a reworked interior so we don't have to remove 25 screws to upgrade the HD.