MacRumors

Barefeats provides benchmarks comparing the Quad 3GHz Mac Pro (Xeon) vs the Quad G5 2.5GHz Power Mac (G5). This represents the new top of the line vs the old top of the line Mac.

They provide benchmarks for both non-Universal and Universal applications between the Mac Pro 3GHz, Mac Pro 2.66GHz and PowerMac G5 Quad 2.5GHz.

The top-end Mac Pro performed well compared to the Quad G5 with both Photoshop CS2 and After Effects 7.0 despite running under Rosetta emulation on the Mac Pro. Universal upgrades to these applications should provide additional performance boosts.

Meanwhile, Universal applications iMovie HD 6, Final Cut Pro 5, FileMaker Pro 8.5 and Cinebench 9.5 generally showed substantial improvements even in the 2.66GHz Mac Pro vs the 2.5GHz PowerMac.

There's no doubt that both versions of the Mac Pro are faster than the G5 Quad-Core running Universal Binary apps like iMovie, Final Cut Pro, etc. As you can see from the four UB tests we ran in this session, the Mac Pro 2.66GHz was as much as 62% faster than the Quad-Core G5/2.5GHz. The Mac Pro 3.0GHz was as much as 85% faster.

Update: AnandTech provides their review/benchmarks of the Mac Pro.

MacNN describes a new Apple patent filing which reveals that Apple has been working on displaying "visual information on the surface of a device, while using the same area or visual out display to act as an input device."

Essentially, Apple describes the use of buttons which provide visual display on the button itself to provide dynamic information. While it could be used in any electronic device such as laptops, PDAs, cell phones, the application describes the possibility of its use in a "standalone device" such as a remote control.

The goal of this technology would be to streamline the user interface for users.

"By reducing or eliminating the input devices, the display of the electronic device can be maximized within the user interface portion of the electronic device, or alternatively the electronic device can be minimized to the size of the display."

There have been previous unconfirmed rumors that Apple was working on incorporating "color LCD buttons" alongside the trackpad on Macbooks. A similar concept is used on the much publicized Optimus OLED keyboard.

Digitimes claims that Apple is expected to launch an iPod that supports "wireless capabilities" to compete with Microsoft's upcoming Zune-branded MP3 players.

Apple's headquarters has begun dispatching its staff to its major markets in Asia, to teach local sales how to demonstrate the new products, the sources noted.

While Digitimes has not been an especially accurate source of information in the past, there has been a lot of buzz and discussion about wireless iPods as well as a new Apple phone, along with some possible middle ground between the two.

Steve Jobs was rumored to have been talking-up an upcoming Apple phone. Meanwhile, one analyst expects Apple to release a new wireless iPod this fall to compete with Microsoft's Zune which will feature over-the-air music downloads. Finally, previous Apple patent applications show that Apple has been working on this technology as well.

Update: According to this article Zune will not be offering over-the-air downloads.

Apple has quietly posted an update to Boot Camp to version 1.1. According to the Boot Camp page, the new version remains in beta and contains many updates for all new and previous Boot Camp beta users.

New features include:

Support for the latest Intel-based Macintosh computers
Easier partitioning using presets for popular sizes
Ability to install Windows XP on any internal disk
iSight camera support
Support for built-in microphones
Right-click when pressing the right-hand Apple key on Apple keyboards
Improved Apple keyboard support including Delete, PrintScreen, NumLock, and ScrollLock keys

Boot Camp is Apple's Windows-on-the-Mac solution, allowing owners of Intel-based Macs to install and boot Windows XP alongside Mac OS X. Unlike virtualization solutions, Apple's solution requires you to reboot your machine to switch from one operating system to another.

Boot Camp was originally released in April 2006, and the final version is expected in Leopard Mac OS X 10.5 which is due in the Spring of 2007.

While early looks at Leopard have provided focus on the major features announced by Apple, the following minor features may prove to be interesting to day-to-day Mac users. Reports of the Leopard Developer's preview is that it is remarkably solid, and the user interface is more responsive ("snappier") than Tiger (Mac OS X 10.4).

Reports indicate that the Finder and Front Row are exactly the same as the Tiger versions, suggesting that unannounced improvements could be in store for them by Leopard's final release.

The following screenshots highlight new and interesting features:

iChat:

iChat prefs - with auto transcript saving
List of Buddies
iChat File Transfers
Emoticons
User Profile

Safari:

Bookmarks window
Confirm - Safari warning for closing tabs
Confirm #2 - Safari warning for losing Form data
Safari Find - Find hilights words on the webpage
Loading - optional small icon showing load progress. Usual blue progress bar by default.
Window menu
Bookmark Tabs

Spotlight:

Spotlight Window
Spotlight Menu
Spotlight Quick Look.

Misc:

Battery Meter.
Dock Preferences - with addition of "Springing" option.
Invoke expose in Spaces
Finder Prefs - Grid spacing
Preview - improved buttons
Group Move in Spaces - hold command and drag a group of windows.
Leopard Trash Window - now with Empty button
Other Preference Panes: Time Machine Prefs, Spaces Prefs

Apple has posted a free iTunes Video page that compiles their current free video episodes available for download.

The section currently contains 14 episodes from different series. The episodes primarily include promotional videos and pilot episodes, presumably in an effort to increase the audience for upcoming shows.

Apple's video section continues to grow with regular additions to their lineup. Many still expect Apple to introduce a dedicated Video iPod in the future. Recent announcements by Seagate for 60GB and 120GB 1.8" drives have sparked speculation that Apple could use these higher-capacity drives in future iPods.

Appleinsider reports that Apple is preparing for product launches as early as September:

Based on various reports from around the world, the Cupertino, Calif.-based company this week is placing WWDC '06 in the rear-view mirror and shifting gears towards its fall product line refreshes, which are due to start turning up next month.

This along with reports end-of-life notices for Apple's current iPod nano are suggestive of imminent product refreshes. This correlates with a recent Chinese report that Apple is readying both of its laptop models for Core 2 Duo "Merom" CPUs next month.

Readers will remember that pre-WWDC reports also claimed that Apple had placed large orders of Core 2 Duo processors, with analyst speculation of the same.

MacBidouille provides the step by step installation screenshots as well as images of the various new features in Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard.

Last week saw the developer's release of Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard to developers at WWDC, along with a preview of features in the upcoming version of Mac OS X.

Leopard was quickly leaked to illegal file-sharing sites and possible unannounced features have been making the rounds.

Meanwhile, Macworld has provided detailed look at Spaces, TimeMachine, Dashboard, Universal Access, Mail 3, iChat, and iCal.

Several news sites are reporting on the Nasdaq notice Apple received last week which places Apple on warning for delaying its quarterly filing. Apple has been investigating irregularities with stock option granting over the years 1997-2001 that could have affected their financial statements. As a result, Apple has informed the US Securities and Exchange Commision that it will miss the deadline for filing the most recent quarterly figures.

This delay has prompted a warning from Nasdaq that Apple is not in compliance with the exchange's rules:

"We fully anticipated receipt of this letter," Apple spokeswoman Katie Cotton told CNET News.com. "It's a matter of procedure. We're focused on resolving this matter as quickly as possible."

Meanwhile, Apple has requested a hearing and Apple's stock will remain listed in Nasdaq pending that hearing.

As first announced on June 29, 2006, an internal investigation discovered irregularities related to the issuance of certain stock option grants made by the Company between 1997 and 2001, and the Company has proactively informed the SEC. The Company is focused on resolving these issues as quickly as possible and plans to file its Form 10-Q following completion of the independent investigation by the special committee of Apple's outside directors.

As the Mac Pro starts arriving in the hands of users, more reviews are starting to emerge about the latest Apple tower.

Mac Pro Review - Macintouch
Mac Pro Review - Arstechnica
Video of Mac Pro - Macworld
Mac Pro Benchmarks - Macworld

From the Benchmarks article:

The standard configuration of the Mac Pro outperforms its PowerPC-based G5 predecessors by a wide margin, helping to justify Apples 2005 decision to switch to processors from Intel. Whats more, the system powered by two dual-core 2.66GHz Xeon chips narrowly missed becoming the first machine to ever record a Speedmark score of over 300.

LA Times interviews Justin Long who plays the "Mac guy" on Apple's recent ad campaign.

Justin Long comments on his involvement in Apple's ads and his increasing recognition from the Apple ads:

But now, as he prepares to ratchet up his film career .... he is fending off computer geeks who either find his Mac guy righteous or maddening.

According to the article, while only seven spots have currently aired, there are almost 20 more that will be airing. The Get a Mac campaign kicked off in May of 2006.

Despite being uncharacteristic of the secretive Steve Jobs we have grown to know, AppleInsider reports that the Apple CEO has been boasting about Apple's upcoming phone offering to his inner circle. Apparently, Steve's own excitement over the product has lead him to produce a few "zealous ramblings" dating back as early as this past spring.

AppleInsider also offers a little more information (although cryptic) on the characteristics of the phone.

One person familiar with the ongoings believes the Apple cofounder has commissioned the release of cell phone prototypes to at least two potential OEM manufacturing partners in recent months. Current designs are said to conform to Apple's integrated model and leverage its tightly-knit digital media franchises, that person added.

In addition, AppleInsider quotes a source who states that the phone is indeed set to launch "earlier than some people may be expecting, in the form of a 'big bang' introduction that will catch even some insiders off-guard." ThinkSecret has previously stated that the phone has seen delays that could set it back as far as next year, whereas Engadget has recently stated that the phone could arrive as early as this month.

Reghardware claims cites a Chinese language report that Apple is readying both of its laptop models for Core 2 Duo "Merom" CPU's, due next month. There had been some Page 2 rumors that Apple would update the MacBook pro to include Merom at WWDC which failed to materialize, but this is the first report that has indicated that Apple would also move its more consumer-oriented laptop model to Core 2 Duo that quickly. AppleInsider has previously suggested that the MacBook would remain a Core Duo "Yonah" CPU for the time being.

While no hard insider information exists pointing to the specs of the new machines, currently Merom tops out at 2.33 GHz, so it is not unreasonable to believe that Apple will use the 2.33 GHz chip in its MacBook Pro, and slightly slower speeds in its MacBooks. Also of note, Merom being a Core 2 Duo chip has architectural advances over Core Duo ("Yonah") such as 64-bit support and a 4 MB L2 Cache in higher end models.

The presence of a Teams project at Mac OS Forge prompted a lot of speculation about what Apple's "Teams" could be.

An update describes Teams as "feature of Mac OS X Server, slated for Leopard (10.5). Among its features, it includes a web-based calendar client which works with the Calendar Server."

Apple's Eric Zelenka offers some additional details on the OS X Server mailing list:

Teams is a revolutionary new way for people to work together. Teams lets people share contacts, resources, information and communicate more effectivelyas a team.

With Teams, groups receive their own website--an online Wiki Server-- listing the latest news, upcoming events and providing people access to online documents. This Wiki-powered website makes it easy for people within the group to create and edit web page content, hyperlink and crosslink between page and maintain history of all past changes. In addition, this group website provides web-based access to a shared group calendar, and a blog communication and podcasting.

But thats not all. Launching the new Teams Directory application gives you access to shared accounts for people, groups, locations and resources within your organization. You can use Teams Directory to find information, or define new shared contacts, assign people to groups and logically organize groups based on hierarchy. With Teams Directory you can define office locations complete with searchable building and location maps, as well as manage shared resources such as conference rooms and projectors.

Apple's Leopard Server Sneak Peak pages provide some screenshots of the features described.

Apple posted a Mac Pro Developer note which simply provides a block diagram of the Mac Pro architecture.

Meanwhile, MacRumors users have started getting their Mac Pros. The shipping version of Mac OS X with the new Mac Pro is 10.4.7 (Build 8K1079). This Photoshop test was performed (under Rosetta) at 4min 8seconds on a Dual 2.66GHz Intel Mac Pro with 1GB RAM.

Macintouch posted their own impressions of the Mac Pro with their own benchmarks.
Meanwhile, ThinkSecret reports that thew new Mac Pro features a new version of the Airport wireless card:

Those products are still referred to as being equipped with "AirPort Extreme" cards, although they differ from Apple's AirPort Extreme card for PowerPC systems. Like the Atheros cards, however, the Broadcom card in the Mac Pro connects to two antennas, suggesting Apple may be planning to support the 802.11a protocol in the near future.

Missed by many yesterday due to the fervor of the WWDC Keynote address was an announcement by Apple's Open Source Project Manager, Ernest Prabhakar, concerning Apple and its Open Source initiative.

Mac OS Forge
With the recent announcement of the demise of OpenDarwin.org, Apple has stepped up to the plate and has created Mac OS Forge, a community site hosted by Apple to "support WebKit and other open source projects focused on Mac OS X, especially those looking to transition from OpenDarwin.org." Current projects include the Bonjour, Collaboration (iCal Server), Kernel (XNU), Launchd, and WebKit.

XNU x86 Source Released
Apple has released the source code for the Intel x86 version of the Darwin Kernel, beginning with Darwin 8.7 (Mac OS 10.4.7). While apologies were offered for the delay in releasing the source, no explanation was given. Speculation had begun earlier in the year that Apple was closing the XNU x86 source due to piracy concerns. MacGuides has an introduction to Darwin and XNU for readers unfamiliar with the technologies.

iCal Server Source
As many readers have noted, Apple has indeed released the source for iCal Server (slated to be released with Mac OS 10.5 "Leopard" Server) under the Apache License.

Other Licensing Changes
Bonjour and Launchd projects are now being distributed under the Apache License. The projects were previously relegated to Apple's Apple Public Source License.