Category: Mac Pro

Apple Updates Consumer Desktop Line And More

Here’s a quick run down of what Apple released yesterday:

Apple Keyboard
Compact design of the Apple wireless keyboard without the need for battery switching and with the benefit of two USB 2.0 ports

AirPort Extreme Base Station
Simultaneous dual-band Wi-Fi broadcasts on both 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands so you have maximum range and full compatibility with all Wi-Fi devices. Guest networking broadcasts a second Wi-Fi network for guests to use the internet without having access to all of your network devices.

Time Capsule
Gained the same features as the AirPort Extreme.

MacBook Pro
Added 2.66GHz and 2.93GHz Core 2 Duo options.

Mac Pro
The entry level is now $300 cheaper, at $2,499. It also received brand new Nehalem processors, and obviously Mini DisplayPort.

Mac Mini
5 USB ports, Mini DisplayPort (exactly as the leaked picture suggested, take that doubters), Geforce 9400M graphics.

iMac
Entry level now has a 2.66GHz Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB of memory, 320GB hard drive, Geforce 9400M graphics, for the same price of $1,199. 24″ iMac now starts at $1,499.

Apple Updates Consumer Desktop Line.

Nvidia Geforce 8800GT For Older Mac Pros

Apple released a new graphics upgrade kit today for older Mac Pros. The $279 Nvidia Geforce 8800GT offers a video upgrade path for previous generation Mac Pro owners.

When Apple released the early 2008 Mac Pro they offered the 8800GT as an upgrade option but because of firmware issues that 8800GT was not compatible with previous generation Mac Pros, but this upgrade card allows you to have 8800GT graphics in those older Mac Pros.

“For advanced graphics performance, choose the latest-generation NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT with 512MB of GDDR3 video memory. With a unified shader core and massive memory bandwidth, the NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT brings advanced performance to graphics-intensive applications like motion graphics, 3D modeling, rendering, and animation. It features a PCI Express interface for a high-bandwidth connection to the Mac Pro and two dual-link DVI ports for connecting up to two 30-inch Apple Cinema HD Displays.

Compatibility:

  • Requires Mac Pro (bus speed 1.33GHz) with PCI-Express
  • Includes a DVI to VGA connector for easy connection to VGA-based displays

Note to owners of Mac Pro (early 2008): Please select the NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT (early 2008) Graphics Upgrade Kit for Mac Pro.”

Nvidia Geforce 8800GT (1st Generation) Graphics Upgrade Kit for Mac Pro

Apple Updates Mac Pro Before MacWorld

Apple gave all the pro level Mac heads a little treat this morning by updating the Mac Pro.

Apple’s Phil Schiller is calling these machines the “fastest Mac we’ve ever made,” and they better be, especially after seeing the specs.

Standard Configuration:
2GB of 800MHz DDR2 RAM
ATI Radeon HD 2600XT 256MB
320GB Hard Drive
Bluetooth 2.0+EDR
New Apple Keyboard that have been shipping with the iMacs

The updates aren’t too surprising, the new configurations are using Intels brand new 45nm quad-core Penryn Xeon 5400 CPUs at up to 3.2GHz.

New options include the Nvidia Geforce 8800GT or Quadro FX 5600 graphics cards.

Surprisingly there is no Blu-Ray drive as an option with these new Mac Pros, a lot of people were speculating that Blu-Ray would finally make an appearance in a Mac but I guess we’ll have to wait at least another few months for that.

Apple Store

September 5th Apple Event – Confirmed

The rumored Apple event has been confirmed, and the date has been set on September 5th. The event will take place at the Moscone West exhibition centre in San Francisco and will begin at 10 a.m. pacific time.

The picture to the left was part of the invitation handed out to the press. As you can see it says “The beat goes on.” and pictures someone holding an iPod on a coverflow album cover. Of course this must mean iPods, no, well, maybe. No one really knows except the guys in Cupertino. However, I, like every other blogger in the world have a prediction. My prediction is a new iPod, not a nano but actually a regular video iPod. One that has the same size screen as the current iPods except it is slightly thinner and slightly shorter, with a similar aluminum style to the iPod nano. Maybe it would look a little something like this:

About a week ago I posted this picture from 9to5mac.com saying, like everyone else that these were nanos but today I say that they are most likely regular sized iPods. As you can see they look similar to the Nanos the only difference is that they are a little bit larger.

I’m also going to theorize that these new iPods will have a new interface. No, not the iPhones interface, that could cannibalize iPhone sales and hurt new AT&T recruits. But instead the new iPods will be sporting the interface from these videos that I wrote a post about last month.

User interface video 1
User interface video 2
User interface video 3

Now I’m not doing anything crazy here guys, I’m just piecing together rumors that have been around for a month. The only difference is Apple hasn’t sent me a take down notice about them (Apple: mike@cybersurge.org just in case you need me for anything).

But just like any other well formulated Apple rumor I have to take it one step further adding something that probably won’t happen but I would like to happen, I predict that the Mac Pro will get some different graphics options, just to add the ability for DX10 if you run Windows under boot camp. My guess is something like a Radeon HD 2900XT or a Geforce 8800GTX.

Alas this is just speculation I, just like all of you, will have my face glued to my monitor on September 5th hitting refresh in Firefox waiting for the next update on one of the live blogs. And I just can’t wait.

8-Core Mac Pro Leaked on UK Apple Store

MacRumors is saying that 2 days ago if you searched for the word “mac” on the UK Apple Store you would see this:

If you can’t quite read it underneath the Mac Pro it says this: “Now quad-core or 8-core processing power. Configure yours today.”

Apple quickly found the leak and fixed it immediately.

Apple Hosting Special Event at NAB

On April 15th Apple will be holding a special event at the National Association of Broadcasters. Of course there are rumors flying about what Apple may be announcing but none of them are for sure.

I’m going to throw my hat into the ring and predict 8 core Mac Pros maybe a 12″ MacBook Pro. I don’t have any real evidence pointing towards this, its kind of like Merlin Mann’s predictions.

802.11n in Core Duo MacBook

Hard Mac has put an 802.11n Mac Pro card in a Core Duo MacBook. The task involves removing several screws and the keyboard from you MacBook but it does work. Its amazing that the MacPro and the MacBooks are using if not the same, then extremely similar Airport cards.

I’m actually considering this because I am in the market for a new Router and the Airport Extreme looks very appealing to me, but I don’t have 802.11n in my notebook now I can hack myself 802.11n and get the greater throughput of N.

Check out there little step by step guide here.

What could Apple be up to?

The Apple store is now showing a “We’ll be back soon” sign. their were some rumors yesterday that something would be updated. I hope we’ll bet some of the stuff that we thought we were going to get at the MacWorld Keynote. Like, updated Mac Pros, new cinema displays, updated Mac Minis?

New Mac Pros and Displays at January MacWorld

Well, the isight is now dead and Quad-Core processors have debuted. Is it time for a new Mac Pro, I believe so. Now this is just speculation but wouldn’t it make sense for Apple to come out with a second configuration that is more expensive than the current Mac Pro that features 8 Cores inside.

There are also some rumors out there that Apple will be revising and possibly dropping the price of its monitors. Adding an isight camera to the top of the display and since Apple has seemed to be starting to make things a little bit better bang for your buck then it has in the past with the drop in price of the iPod. I think it would just make sense for apple to drop the price of its displays.