Apple Computers Inc. has begun the transition to the new Macintosh
Line running the Intel "Core Duo" and "Core Solo" processors.
The new processors are currently available in the iMac, the 15"
MacBook [powerbook replacement] and the Mac Mini.
We have been evaluating the new "Core Duo" processor in a new 17" iMac.
Overall we are very happy with the computer. It is very fast and it has been
very reliable. There are, however, a few things you should know before you
order an Intel based Macintosh.
Quick note on new terms:
There are two new processors from Intel. The Core
Duo is a dual-core processor. This is one physical chip that has two processors
on it.
The other model is the Core Solo. The Core Solo is the same architecture
but it only has one processor core on each physical chip.
In short, Core Solo
machine are single processor computers and Core Duo machines are dual processor
machines. You'll notice that Apple's new MacBook Pro notebook is now a dual
processor computer just like the big desktop computers.
Can I run my old software?
Older OS X native applications that were compiled for the PowerPC processors
will generally run just fine. Apple has provided a compatability layer called
"Rosetta" which recompiles PowerPC applications into Intel X86 applications
on the fly. There are some exceptions and some caveats to using Rosetta though.
First, a background on OS X Applications. The current Mac OS X can run old
"Classic" Macintosh Applications by booting the OS 9 compatability layer. "Classic"
Applications were written before OS X. There is a transitionary class of Applications
called "Carbon" applications. They use a special library that bridged the Classic
Mac OS and OS X. "Carbon" Applications will run in either Operating System.
The
last class are "Cocoa" applications. These are written specifically
for OS X. No Cocoa applications will run in the "Classic" Mac OS,
but All Cocoa applications should run in emulation on the new Intel Macintoshes.
It is easy to detect a Classic application from a Carbon or Cocoa Application.
In OS X, the OS 9 compatability layer will load before a Classic application
will run. You'll also notice that your Mac looks like OS 9 when you are running
a Classic application.
It is more difficult to detect a Carbon application from a Cocoa application.
They run identically in Mac OS X. In General.. most brand new applications
will be Cocoa and they should run fine on a PowerPC or Intel Mac. Some of the
larger applications that have been around for a long time are Carbon because
it hasn't been worth the effort to completely rewrite them yet. The Adobe products
have been updated over the years, some of them recently, but they are all still
Carbon because it would require a lot of work to 'port' them to Cocoa Applications.
There is a new class of Applications that you'll begin to hear about. Apple
has been pushing developers to create "Universal" applications. Universal Apps
can run natively on the Intel Macs and natively on the Power PC Macs. All of
Apple's consumer software (iLife, iWork) are not Universal.
When in doubt, check with your software vendor to see if your software will
work on a new Intel Macintosh.
How well do emulated applications run?
In general, Emulated PowerPC applications run about as fast on the new computers
as they do on the older G4 machines. So, if you purchase a new MacBook Pro
or a new Mac Mini, it should run old applications as fast as you would expect
them to run on a PowerPC Powerbook. New Applications will run much faster though.
The new Intel Macs appear to be as fast or slightly faster than the G5 PowerPC
Macs. We can't compare the desktops yet so it's difficult to say but the Single
processor G5 iMac seems to be slightly slower than the new Dual-Core [similar
to dual processor] iMac with the Intel processor. These are absolute comparisons
though. If you require high performance in PowerPC native applications and
no Universal versions will be available for a while, then a PowerPC G5 machine
will continue to perform faster. A good example of this would be Adobe Photoshop.
Photoshop will not be updated to run natively on the Intel processors until
late this year at the earliest. As a result, if you require top Photoshop performance,
you would likely be better off with a PowerPC Macintosh.
Other Comments..
The Intel Macs require significantly more memory when running applications
in Rosetta emulation. You should plan on increasing your installed memory by
at least 50% to compensate.
OS 9 (Classic) applications will NOT run on the Intel Macintoshes. Check with
your software vendors for available updates or upgrades.
Some Carbon applications will NOT run in Rosetta on the Intel macs. If you
have older software packages that run natively on your PowerPC Mac, you should
still check for campatability before you upgrade. Even if the software was
recently updated, you should still check with the software vendor to confirm
it will run on the new Intel Macs.
Software we have tested with the Intel Macintoshes:
Functional:
Microsoft Office
Kalediagraph (current release)
TeXShop (now Universal)
Mathematica (Universal version available)
No Longer Runs:
Virtual PC will not launch
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