#hardware Articles


Yet another iMac benchmark

I'm sure you're all getting sick and tired of my publishing everything I can about the new Intel iMac and are expecting me to finally get some real news or at least movie reviews in here, but I just can't pass up this article from MacSpeedZone that specifically addresses the …

What's the real scoop about the Intel iMac

There's a lot of FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt) going around, and not a small number of benchmarks. Frankly, the two benchmarks I've cited in previous posts are a good example of the two ends of the spectrum, with MacWorld's being pretty shallow and Ars Technica's being well thought out …

Bounty for Windows on Intel Mac dual boot rises

Ah, yes, the market. If Apple and Microsoft don't give you what you want, put a bounty on it and see if the Internet will provide. This is exactly what Colin NederKoorn has decided to do, and he's getting help. As of 10pm last night, people had pledged (and paid …

First Macworld iMac tests misinform

Not that I expect that the folks at Macworld magazine are technical rocket scientists, but this latest piece of "lab" work has me puzzled as to what they're trying to prove and who they're working for. In a series of "tests" performed on the iMac Core Duo and the iMac …

Ars Technica reviews iMac Intel

Ars Technica has a review of the new Apple iMac with Intel CPU(s). The review is pretty favorable, with reasonable caveats for non-native code (running under Rosetta) and the fact that it won't be replacing the big iron (G5 Quad or Dual).

ExpressCard/34?

So, what's an ExpressCard/34? Can I use my PCMCIA (PCCARD) cards in it? Apple's latest laptop announcement, the MacBook Pro has what is referred to as an ExpressCard/34 slot on it in the place of the usual PCCard slot. So, what is it? ExpressCard is a new standard …

Are Apple's benchmarks misleading?

Another Stevenote, another controversy about benchmarks. An commentary by Tom Yager on InfoWorld states that "Apple used multiprocessor benchmarks to skew the performance advantage." I have some issues with this. First, Apple has this time almost completely disclosed the information about their benchmarks, including compilers (IBM optimizing compilers vs. Intel …

Oracle unveils free database

Following up a story from late last week (and a smidgen late in my follow up), Oracle has indeed announced Oracle(r) Database 10g Express Edition (XE). Unfortunately, the details aren't exactly to my liking. The biggest complaint that I see with the product in the initial release is that …

Apple goes Quad, requires reading glasses

I'm sure you're thinking "Wow! sure took Gaige long enough to write about Wednesday's Apple announcements". You're right... it did. However, Apple definitely is sending the PowerPC out with a bang. (Thanks for the phrasing, Amanda) I have no good excuse, but here's the wrap up: Gone are the Dual-processor …

Transitive CEO talks about Macs on Intel

Wired has a short interview with Bob Wiederhold of Transitive, the makers of Apple's Rosetta technology that allows you to run old PowerPC software (built for OS X, not Classic) on an Intel-based Macintosh. Not lengthy, but some interesting commentary, especially in the end about the need to innovate.


Ars' take on the Apple Intel switch

An article from Ars Technica attempts to put a different view on why Apple announced their switch from IBM's PowerPC chip to the Intel brand processors. Whereas the article had some interesting, and probably correct assertions and ideas, I do think that there are some points that are either glossed …

PowerPC still looking good for supercomputing

Although Apple is moving away from IBM's PowerPC CPUs for desktop and laptops in the future, IBM is still sitting pretty on the most recent Top 500 list (Just 2005) of the fastest supercomputers. An explosion in clustered computing leaves IBM in the 1,2,5,6,8, and 9th …


Apple announces move to Intel chips

So much for being pretty sure that Apple wasn't going to roll this one out today. According to everybody's press releases, reports, etc. and what I heard sitting in the Keynote (now available via QuickTime), Apple will begin shipping Macintoshes that are based on the Intel CPU architecture by June …

Rampant speculation over PPC->Intel switch at Apple

CNet is again reporting that they have heard strong rumblings that Apple will announce on Monday a switch to Intel-based CPUs in the Macintosh line. I'm skeptical, but we were all skeptical when people discussed the switch to the PowerPC from the 68xxx architecture in the early 1990's, so we'll …

Initial reviews point at AMD over Intel in dual-core

According to an article from CNet that discusses reviews at Tom's Hardware and Anandtech that each show AMD's dual-core chips with an advantage over the Intel chips with dual-core technology.The Anandtech review is a bit more neutral, but the reviewer at Tom's gives early adopters a clear choice: AMD …

Intel quietly releases chipset with hardware DRM for M$

Intel and Microsoft have started to quietly insert pieces of Microsoft's new Digital Rights Management (DRM) into Intel's latest hardware. According to an article from Digit, Intel's Pentium D (dual core chip) and 945g chipset include support for the DRM technology, although neither Microsoft nor Intel is disclosing how much …

Airport Express USB port handy for IR control

I realize that Keyspan released the Keyspan Express Remote in November, but I have to admit that I didn't pay much attention to it. After taking some time to read about it, this is a pretty cool device. Hook it in to the USB port on the Airport Express and …

iMac G5 announced in Paris

As predicted, Apple announced the iMac G5 this morning. Also as predicted (by the rumor sites), you could easily mistake this sleek computer for a display. Pricing runs from $1,299 for a 17" 1.6GHz version to $1,899 for the 20" 1.8GHz version. Technical specs are pretty …