Xlr8yourmac.com provides some detailed comments from one of the developers at WWDC describing the current development Intel-Mac which currently features a 3.6GHz Pentium 4.
Minor highlights:
- "the thing is fast". All iLife apps are already universal binaries
- Pentium 4 660 at 3.6GHz, but will not be used in the shipping product (of course, since the high end Intel-Mac is 2 years away)
- DDR-2 RAM at 533. SATA-2.
- Presently uses the Intel GMA 900 integrated graphics chip set which supports Quartz Extreme.
- Regular video cards will be supported, but need drivers
- No Open Firmware. Uses Phoenix BIOS.
Major highlights:
- "They run Windows fine. All the chipset is standard Intel stuff, so you can download drivers and run XP - on the box."
- Game devs optimistic. "They look forward to the day they don't have to support PPC."
- Cell and AMD were evaluated. Cell not intended for PCs; AMD with supply constraints.
Photos of the Intel PowerMac at WWDC.
Note: It is impossible to tell if final shipping Intel Macs will share features common with this development Mac.... there has been suggestions that the final Intel-Macs will not simply be PC Bios/Motherboards. We'll have to wait and see...
