NASA's Perseverance rover, which recently made history landing on the surface of Mars, is powered by the same processor used in an iMac more than 23 years old.
As reported by NewScientist (via Gizmodo), the rover includes the PowerPC 750 processor, the same chip used in the G3 iMac in 1998.
The main chipset is the same; however, there are differences between the version of the processor shipped in a consumer computer and the one exploring space. The processor in the rover is built to withstand temperatures between -67 and 257 degrees Fahrenheit (−55 and 125 degrees Celsius) and comes with an added $200,000 price tag.
The PowerPC 750 processor was ahead of the game for its time, featuring a single-core, 233MHz processor, 6 million transistors (compared to today's 16 billion in a single chip), and based on 32-bit architecture.
Apple used PowerPC chips in Mac computers until it transitioned to Intel in 2005. Right now, Apple's going through a similar change, moving away from Intel to deploy its own custom Apple silicon in Macs.
Because super-reliability is more important than compute power. The G3 is also used e.g. as mission computer in fighter jets. The feature is called fail-safe
if a more than two decade old processor is good enough to find out evidence of extraterrestrial past life, then I got no excuse to be buying anything that [S]Tosser[/S] Prosser is predicting anytime soon
It's also radiation hardened, which is where the price tag comes from (and also the most important thing setting it aside from the actual PowerPC 750 found in the iMac G3)
Apple has announced a new, redesigned 24-inch iMac, featuring an M1 chip, a 4.5K display, and a range of color options, as well as an improved cooling system, front-facing camera, speaker system, microphones, power connector, and peripherals.
The new iMac features a completely new compact design, and comes in a range of seven striking colors, including green, yellow, orange, pink, purple,...
Despite having begun the transition towards using its own custom silicon across the Mac product lineup, somewhat surprising recent rumors have suggested that Apple may continue to use Intel chips for one Mac model.
Last year at WWDC, Apple announced plans to transition away from Intel chips to Macs built with its own Apple Silicon, such as the M1 chip, starting in late 2020. It set out its ...
While announcing its latest chips yesterday, Intel launched another aggressive public attack on Mac devices, focusing on the experience of gaming (via PC Gamer).
Intel yesterday announced two new 11th Generation H-series laptop processors, featuring clock speeds up to 5GHz, Intel Wi-Fi 6/6E, and 1080p gameplay on popular titles, in high-volume, thin designs. Following the announcement, the...
Apple's more powerful "M2" chip is set to come to a wave of new Macs, bringing significant performance and efficiency improvements to a range of new models, according to recent reports.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman previously said that Apple is working on higher-end Apple silicon chips that are expected to "significantly outpace" the performance of the latest Macs that still contain Intel chips,...
Apple in November started releasing Macs with Apple-designed M1 chips, and the Apple silicon technology will eventually replace all the Intel chips that Apple has used in its Mac lineup for years.
Intel appears to be having a difficult time with Apple's transition. Last week, the company launched an anti-M1 Mac ad campaign starring Justin Long, and now, Intel is pinning its hopes on...
Apple is working on an updated model of its Mac Pro that may feature an Apple silicon chip with as many as 32 high performance cores, and a 128 core option for graphics, according to a new report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Bloomberg has reported in the past that Apple is working on an updated Mac Pro that will feature an Apple silicon chip rather than an Intel processor. Today's new...
Today is the official launch day of the new M1 iMac, M1 iPad Pro, and second-generation Apple TV 4K. We picked up one of each, and we're starting with a quick hands-on and overview of the iMac.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Our 24-inch iMac is in orange, which is one of the colors that Apple isn't selling in its stores (stores only have stock of blue, green,...
Wednesday March 24, 2021 12:15 pm PDT by Sami Fathi
In an interview with Yahoo Finance today, Intel's newly appointed CEO Pat Gelsinger said that the ongoing competition between his company and Apple is "fun," while also saying he hopes to make amends with the Cupertino tech giant.
Over the next two years, Apple will transition its Mac lineup away from Intel processors to its own Apple silicon chips. Apple is already well underway on the...
Tuesday April 27, 2021 1:38 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple's custom next-generation Mac processor entered mass production this month, claims a new report today from Nikkei Asia. Tentatively dubbed the "M2" after Apple's M1 chip, the processors take at least three months to produce and could begin shipping as early as July in time for incorporation in Apple's next line of MacBooks, according to the paper's sources.
The next generation of Mac...
Wednesday May 12, 2021 10:03 am PDT by Juli Clover
Apple's M1 iMacs are set to start delivering to customers next week, and ahead of the official launch day, benchmarks for the machines have been showing up on Geekbench, likely from reviewers who are testing them.
It will come as no surprise that M1 iMac benchmarks are right on par with benchmarks for the M1 MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and Mac mini, coming in with an average single-core score...
Top Rated Comments
The feature is called fail-safe
Behind closed doors at Apple HQ they are currently working on pricing for the new M1x line.
They stop and wonder for a second if the people are ready for a 6 figure Mac.
Thanks NASA.