Apple EFI Update Fries Vista Installs
13 November 2006 10:19 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
If you have an Intel Mac with Vista on Boot Camp... prepare to reinstall Vista after applying the latest EFI update. The Apple CSM (Boot Camp) runtimes have changed, and because Vista is semi-EFI and GPT sensitive... changing those runtimes fries the install. The good news is that Apple made these changes now so that when Vista comes out users won't have to reinstall.
Update: Running Windows Startup Repair does try to fix the problem, but does not fix it fully. Windows will still not boot.
Apple EFI Update Fries Vista Installs - PCS Intel Forums
technorati tags:vista, bootcamp
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Apple Begins Production of Core 2 Duo MacBook Pro
09 October 2006 08:34 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
Apple Computer this month has begun to slow production of its existing Core Duo MacBook Pro professional notebooks ahead of refreshed models that will sport Intel Corp's higher-performance Core 2 Duo microprocessors, AppleInsider has learned.
While Apple's online store continues to list immediate availability of Core Duo MacBook Pro models, the company this week is quoting some of its distribution and reseller partners wait times of 2 to 3 weeks for new custom-configured orders.
These reports are joined by tips from insiders who say the Cupertino, Calif.-based company is preparing to begin -- if it has not done so already -- manufacturing ramp of its holiday line of MacBook Pro notebooks.
AppleInsider :: Apple prepares for Core 2 Duo MacBook Pro ramp
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Intel: Let Apple Be Apple
04 October 2006 09:32 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
Intel is cool with Apple keeping its entire user experience to a closed platform despite its underlying complexities, at least according to Eric Kim of Intel's Digital Home Group. He told reporters at the CEATEC exhibition in Japan that "Clearly, Apple's orientation is to deliver the best possible user experience from end to end by being closed. That's what they do, and they are very, very good at it." He went on to say: "We have a little motto inside Intel: 'Let Apple, be Apple.' We are happy to serve them," he said.
Infinite Loop: Intel says "Let Apple be Apple"
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PC World: Notebook Core 2 Duo Only 7 Percent Faster; Same Battery Life
02 October 2006 11:21 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
PC World tests indicate that you shouldn't sweat it too much. Whereas Core 2 Duo desktops racked up dramatically higher test scores than their Pentium D-based counterparts, notebooks got only a small performance boost from the mobile Core 2 Duo… The biggest performance increase over laptops with same-speed Core Duo CPUs was 7 percent — enough to shave a few seconds off day-to-day business operations, but nothing more. PC World didn't find any boost in battery life either. So, maybe Apple's saving all those early adopters from a healthy does of holiday grief.
Spymac.com :: Waiting for Pro: This one goes past '2'
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Intel's 80 Core Processor
26 September 2006 09:47 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
Intel's CEO (pictured at right) told the audience that the chipmaker has already built a prototype with 80 processing cores on a single chip that can perform a trillion floating-point operations per second -- that's a teraflop to the layman -- and is aiming to ready commercial versions within five years.
Otellini also teased everyone with announcements of the new 45nm-based architecture, code-named "Nehalem", which will ship in 2008, and the new "Gesher" 32nm chips by 2010, which would allow for a 310 percent increase in Intel processors' performance-per-Watt by that time...
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Merom MacBooks Delayed/Not Delayed?
11 September 2006 11:45 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
The Inquirer.net originally reported that Apple's Core 2 Duo notebooks would be delayed until 2007, but then updated their post claiming that MeromBooks would indeed arrive in 2006. Maybe they'll arrive... tomorrow?
Unless you have had your head buried in the sand, you know that Woodcrest is getting the lion's share of production, over 70% of Xeons will be new. Conroe is next in line with 20+%, followed by a syphilitic trickle of Meroms. The keen among you will notice that these proportions are in relation to the pain Intel feels from AMD.
Apple to delay Merom notebooks
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Core 2 Duo Notebooks Available From Dell, Toshiba, Samsung and Alienware
29 August 2006 08:20 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
Intel yesterday announced their new Core 2 Duo mobile processor (a.k.a. Merom) and PC notebook manufacturers are already out of the gate with models utilizing the new chip. Suspiciously absent from the list is Apple, who may rev the MacBook and MBP as soon as 12 September (at Apple-Expo in Paris) or in the October/November time frame.
Now that Intel has officially launched its Core 2 Duo processors for mobile platforms, notebook manufacturers are scrambling to release new products based on the chip. Core 2 Duo processors bring 64-bit functionality to Intel's mobile platform and all Core 2 Duo processors will feature virtualization technology.
Dell announced today that it is adding Core 2 Duo processor options to all of its mobile XPS systems and Precision mobile workstations. Dell will also make Core 2 Duo processors available on select Inspiron and Latitude models. The Core 2 Duo processors will be available in the low-end starting with the Inspiron E1705 at $1,124 going on up to the XPS M2010 which will start at $3,500 when configured with a Core 2 Duo processor.
DailyTech - Core 2 Notebooks on the Way
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Rumor of a Merom Refresh at WWDC
03 August 2006 06:48 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
They're not sure if it's going to be a new iMac or MacBook Pro but MacRumors has a page 2 story indicating that we could see a Merom refreshed Mac as soon as next week's WWDC:
Also mentioned was a slight design update and Merom (Core 2 Duo Mobile) upgrade for one of Apple's products. Currently, MacRumors believes this to be in reference to the MacBook Pro, however with iMac supplies dwindling at many retail locations, the possibility exists that it could also be the target of an upgrade.
Mac Rumors: WWDC Keynote Info? XServe, Mac Pro, Displays?
technorati tags:Merom, MacBookPro, WWDC
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Video: MacBook running Windows Vista with Aero Glass
17 July 2006 10:12 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
I missed this when it made the rounds about a month ago, but if you're considering a MacBook this video is a good example of how Windows Vista Beta 2 performs on the MacBook's shared GMA 950 graphics. (Spoiler: it runs pretty darned good!)
In previous articles, I said that Vista should run fine on the MacBook, even with its poor GMA 950 graphics. The Vista Beta 2 download was made public last week, and I finally got around to installing it on my MacBook. The full Aero Glass indeed does work fine on my 2.0 GHz Core Duo MacBook. Below is an H.264 Quicktime video (in two sizes) demonstating what Aero Glass looks like:
Everything Apple: Video: MacBook running Windows Vista with Aero Glass
technorati tags:MacBook, Microsoft, Vista, Beta2
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Startup key Combinations for Intel-based Macs
23 May 2006 09:37 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
Although you probably know most of these already, it's always good to review...
These are the startup key combinations you can use on Intel-based Macs:
Startup key combinations for Intel-based Macs
(Thanks Neal)
technorati tags: Intel, Mac, Startup, Combinations
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Intel Leaks New PowerMac Desktop Plans
24 April 2006 08:25 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
Intel's Asia Pacific sales and marketing group general manager (John Antone) appears to have leaked that Apple's Intel PowerMac desktopswill be launched in Q3 2006:
In the face of increased competition, not just from arch-rival AMD but also from upstarts like Nvidia and ATi, Intel has been forced into a complete turnabout regarding micro- processors.
The about-turn message was hammered home by Asia Pacific sales and marketing group general manager John Antone. It’s time Taiwanese manufacturers moved away from hot CPUs, running at multi-Gigahertz clock speeds, to the more computationally and power efficient designs developed in Israel that debuted in Intel’s Centrino notebook range, he says.
That transformation is now complete, and Intel wants the Taiwanese OEMs that dominate world electronics production to get ready for the Merom (mobile), Woodcrest (server) and Conroe (desktop) CPUs, which are all scheduled for commercial release this year...
Apple customers may be the first to enjoy Intel’s new CPU goodies, with the Woodcrest family of processors making it into Macintosh workstations as early as the third quarter. Woodcrest systems will be symmetric multi processing (SMP), with dual processors with up to four cores each. One such machine was demonstrated at IDF, running benchmarks under Windows XP 64-bit edition, showing eight active cores.
Computerworld > Forget hot and heavy, Intel's new mantra is lean and mean
technorati tags: apple, intel, powermac
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Triple Booting a MacBook Pro
16 April 2006 08:50 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
TUAW has posted a link on how to triple boot a MacBook Pro into OS X, WinXP and Linux.
Booting only two OSs on your MacBook Pro is, like, totally so last week.Aside from earlier reports, it apparently is possible to bring a third OS to the party, as OnMac.net has posted a how-to wiki for booting WinXP, Mac OS X and Linux on a MacBook Pro via Boot Camp (so far, this is untested on other Intel Macs).
Triple boot your MacBook Pro - The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)
technorati tags: MacBook, Pro, Intel, OSX, Windows, Linux
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Intel iMacs have Socketed CPUs
31 January 2006 10:14 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
One of the most exciting developments in the announcement of the Intel Core Duo iMac (and it's subsequent dissection) is that the CPU is socketed. This means that it isn't soldered to the logic board like most Macintosh CPUs have been for years and can be upgraded.
In an article in the Japanese magazine MacFan a reader claims to have upgraded the processor in a 17-inch Intel iMac from 1.83GHz to 2.0GHz without issue.
Although it's not yet cost effective to upgrade (the 2GHz T2500 chip costs over US$700 and the 2.16GHz T2600 chip costs almost US$800) it looks promising that Mac users will finally be able to buy CPU upgrades in the future.
The real question is whether or not the MacBook Pro will also ship with a socketed CPU? Please Apple, tell us it's true!
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Intel Mac Benchmarks Suspect
25 January 2006 10:02 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
I, probably like you, couldn't re-load the Apple Store fast enough to place my order for a MacBook Pro after they were announced on 10 January 2006. But I have to admit to being concerned about the spate of reports that the Intel iMacs aren't benchmarking anywhere near the advertised "twice as fast" promised by Apple.
A story on Gizmodo (via RegHardware and Macworld) claims that the new Intel iMacs are only about 25% faster than the G5 version when running non-native applications in the Rosetta emulator.
So does this mean that the MacBook Pro will only be 50% faster? Please, Steve, say it ain't so! If the new MacBook's aren't anywhere near the "two to four times faster" than the PowerBook G4 (running native apps), be prepared for an angry mob of Macophiles with sticks and torches to march on Cupertino. And if the MBP battery won't get through a full-length DVD on a charge matters will be even worse.
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Apple in the Way (Updated)
20 January 2006 11:23 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
It looks like my suspicions were correct, Apple didn't put the Compatibility Support Module (CSM) into the final firmware for the iMac. If I had to suspect reasons why, it was probably to motivate Microsoft to continue supporting Mac versions of Office, and give them a market for Virtual PC.
Without CSM, the only future OS that's going to run is Vista, and not until Beta 2 goes GM (EFI support is in the feature set, but the bootloader won't have it until the last minute... if not later). The good news is that if Vista stays on-track, it should make it out about when MacBook Pros start arriving.
But, that said, Apple is clearly standing in the way of running Windows, Linux, or anything other than Mac OS on a Mac. There is no technical reason CSM cannot be in the firmware, and, Intel has said very publicly all Intel Chipset manufacturers (including Apple) have free access to CSM, and Intel will even custom-build CSM for a developer licensing a chipset.
Contributed by: Christopher Price.
UPDATE:
From the EFI Framework FAQ:
What is the Intel Platform Innovation Framework for EFI?
The Intel Platform Innovation Framework for EFI is new software code that allows BIOS vendors to replace the obsolete PC BIOS. It implements the EFI 1.1 interface. It provides the ability to add new features to the pre-boot environment, such as improved platform manageability, serviceability and recovery and improved administrative interfaces, which previously could not operate in the pre-boot environment. The Framework is a product-strength implementation of EFI that is an all-new firmware implementation for platforms all the way down to silicon. The Intel Platform Innovation Framework for EFI, the name of the product, is now Intel’s recommended implementation of the EFI Specification across all Intel Architectures.
Read more about the EFI Framework in this Intel FAQ.
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Core Duo and Battery Consumption
17 January 2006 11:08 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
From a mailing list posting by Jason Watkins, SAS Computing:
Here are some facts about "Core Duo" that may shed some light on the questions of battery consumption in the new MacBook Pro laptops."Yonah," the code-name that Core Duo previously went under, features 151 million transistors on a single die, dual core chip. Each core is equipped with 2MB of L2 "smart" caches, which can be combined when only one core is in use (4MB L2 Cache!). To preserve processing efficiency, both of the core's L1 cache is kept full of data, regardless of core usage.
Bus speeds range from 533MHz to 667MHz. Power consumption is said to be equal to its predecessor, Pentium M. Intel plans to close the book on the Pentium M, following the release of Core Duo processors. Data is moved in and out of the cores as quickly as possible, and L2 is then flushed to RAM. After that the cores can be shut down, saving power. Will we need RAM defragmenting utilities now?
Information was obtained from Intel, and Maximum PC Magazine.
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Apple Commercial Controversy: Round II (Updated 2x)
17 January 2006 01:45 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
The Spunker has a blog entry calling out Apple for their latest television commerical. Apparently the new TV ad is almost an exact copy of a music video by The Postal Service for their song "Such Great Heights."
Check out this video of the Apple television commercial side-by-side with The Postal Service video. (Thanks J. Haas)
UPDATE:
Leander Kahney, Mac fanatic and author of Cult of Mac and Cult of iPod, has been tracking this issue over at his blog, Cult of Mac and has determined that the Apple commercial and music video were directed by the same people. Case closed.
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Battery Life: Other Intel Core Duo Notebooks
13 January 2006 11:05 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
More insight on the potential battery run time of the MacBook Pro can be gleaned by looking at the specs of other notebooks using the Intel Core Duo processor.
According to PowerPage reader Brad Laue, the Acer TravelMate 8200 with similar specifications (Intel Core Duo 2.0GHz CPU, Radeon X1600, 1GB DDR2 667, 160GB SATA 5400RPM, 15.4 WSXGA+ screen) has an advertised runtime of approximately 6 hours when CPU performance is set to the Mac OS X equivalent of 'automatic' (CPU frequency scaling during idle).
You can review the specs on other notebooks with the Intel Core Duo chip by searching on NotebookReview:
- Acer TravelMate 8200
- Dell Inspiron e1705 Intel Core Duo
- Dell XPS M2010 - Mobile Concept PC
- HP dv1000t
- Compaq v2000t
- Toshiba Qosmio G30/596LS
- Dynabook VX/780LS, SS SX
- Gateway NX860, M685-E, NX560 and M465-E
- Fujitsu LifeBook N6410 and E8110
- Sony VAIO FE and SZ Notebooks
- Lenovo ThinkPad T60
What other Core Duo notebooks are out there? What are the battery run time specs you're seeing?
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Apple's Double Standard on Benchmarking
11 January 2006 10:28 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
When Apple tried to prove that G5 was better than Intel, they used a generic non-optimised GCC compiler for the Intel machine. This time, they used an optimised Intel compiler to prove that Intel is better than the G5. How quickly we forget!
Read the full article at ExtremeTech.com. (Thanks Digg).
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Intel's Yonah Processor to Take the Stage in SF
13 December 2005 07:55 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
MacRumors recently posted this entry about Intel's impending announcement of their new low-power portable CPU (code-named "Yonah") that will be the heart of the 2006 iBooks and PowerBooks:
CoolTechZone claims to have insider knowledge of Intel's official launch date of the newest processor from Intel -- codenamed Yonah.Intel’s Yonah is a dual-core chip based on the 65nm fabrication process. Yonah will also mark the first launch with Intel’s new strategy in place – performance per watt. The debut is expected on January 6th, 2006.
Hmm, does that date sound familiar? It should because it's three days before the start of Macworld Expo in San Francisco. Click through to MacRumors for the links.
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Intel Starts an 'Apple Group'
22 November 2005 10:16 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
An article from eWEEK Intel Starts an 'Apple Group' indicates that Intel is taking this Apple thing seriously. This is probably the best indicator yet that Apple will introduce Intel-driven Macs sooner rather than later:
Industry analysts and others have confirmed that Intel Corp. has formed an internal "Apple group." This group, formed in the wake of Apple Computer Inc.'s decision to base its next generation of Macintosh computers on Intel processors, is comprised of engineers and sales staff.(Contributed by Walt Atwood)Intel has similar groups for other large clients such as Lenovo and Hewlett-Packard. Specifics on the Apple group are sparse, however.
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Intel iBooks in January
20 November 2005 09:22 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
Think Secret is reporting that Apple is prepping new Intel-based iBooks for January.
It is not known exactly what processors or price points the new models will debut at, but it is thought Apple will expand the iBook line with one additional model and will lower prices-in some cases possibly $200 or more-to entice current Windows users and prove to the market it will be more competitive with the likes of Dell, Gateway, HP and Sony.
It blows me away that Apple would consider giving the iBook the "Intel treatment" before their bread-and-butter PowerBook—and at a price drop no less! This goes against everything that Apple has done in the past. They usually reserve the fastest chips for their high margin and most expensive machines, like the PowerMac G5. Why on earth would they Intel the iBook first? If true, the PowerBook would essentially become the bottom of the product line, which would be a shame.
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What Does Steve Know That we Don't?
10 November 2005 08:56 EST
Sometimes you want to be a fly on the wall and hear what actual is going on behind closed doors in tech labs and board rooms. A article over at NEWS.com states the CELL triad has released a 1000 page developer kit. The article brings out a few unique directions that the CELL Processor will be used in: Toshiba will be using it in their TVs (the next step making the TV as the digital hub), Mercury Computer Systems will use it in their own custom made computers, Sony in the Playstation 3, and variations of the chip will appear in mobile phones and PDAs.
Click through for the rest of the story...
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Why Apple hasn't used Intel processors before
18 October 2005 09:46 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
Roughly Drafted: When Steve Jobs announced the plan to move Macs to Intel processors, Bruce Chizen, CEO of Adobe, joked, “The only question I have, Steve, is what took you so long?” Good question! Here's a look at the circumstances that kept Apple and Intel apart until today.
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