Apple Makes a Switch of its own Part 1: The first MacIntel computers fall short of expectations By Kevin Henry Last June, at the World Wide Developers Conference, Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer, made a startling announcement. Apple Computer would be switching from their PowerPC processors to Intel processors. This announcement sent shock-waves through not only the Macintosh community, but the entire computer community.
On January 10th, the reality of this move came true. At the annual MacWorld Expo event, Steve Jobs made his traditional announcements of the new Apple products during his keynote address. It was here that the first Intel based Macintosh computers were announced. The MacBook Pro and the new iMac.
Over this next year, Apple will continue to phase in Intel versions of their current lines of computers. The entire transition to the Intel processors should be over by the end of 2006.
Both new computers use Intel’s Core Duo processors. The MacBook Pro is a new laptop computer, replacing the current PowerBook G4 line. The new Intel iMac will replace the current G5 based iMacs. During the announcement, Jobs boasted that both the new Intel computers run faster than their preceding counterparts. The MacBook Pro is said to bring a speed improvement of four times over current PowerBook G4 computers, and the Intel iMac is twice as fast as the G5 model.
With all the excitement of the new Intel based Macs, they are not without controversy. Already lab testing has been performed that shoots down Apple’s claims. Tests have only shown an speed of only 25 percent in the new Intel iMacs over the G5 models. This is a huge difference from Apple’s claim of being twice as fast. Tests on the MacBook Pro cannot take place until it’s official release on the 15th of February.
There has also been some controversy over the number of flaws already found in the Intel chips. The Core Duo processors already have a reported 34 separate bugs in the processor. Some bugs being “potentially catastrophic.” Although, some have pointed out that all processors contain bugs.
With all the excitement, buzz and controversy from Apple’s switch, we should be reminded that this is only the beginning. Over the next year, as more products sporting Intel processors are phased in, and as all the problems and kinks are smoothed out, we’ll soon see if the potential that Apple claims to be in the new Intel processors is there.
Stay tuned for future installments about the history of Apple’s processors, a deeper look at the controversies behind Apple’s bold move, and a glimpse into the future of what may come to Apple.
