MacRumors

MacCentral reviews and benchmarks the new Intel iMacs released at Macworld Expo.

MacCentral's tested both Universal applications as well as PowerPC applications on the new 2.0GHz Intel iMac and compared them to the 2.1GHz iMac G5.

Of the Universal Applications tested, they focused on iMovie, iPhoto, iTunes, iDVD, iSquint, BBEdit and Zip Archiving. In these native applications, the Intel iMac was up to 1.82x as fast. Average increase however was closer to 1.2-1.3x, with one test coming in slightly slower (.91x) than the G5 iMac.

Meanwhile, PowerPC applications were tested using Rosetta emulation. They tested iTunes (PowerPC), Photoshop CS2 and Word. The tests showed the Intel iMac to be running .34-.48x as fast as the iMac G5. The performance penalty is expected due to the Rosetta emulation layer allowing PowerPC instructions to be run on the Intel processor.

In an audio webcast conference call today, Apple is announcing its 2006 Q1 financial results, covering the last 14 weeks of 2005.

Apple reported its highest-ever revenue and earnings.

Highlights, with 2005 Q1 for comparison:

- Macs shipped: 1,254,000 (20% growth over 2005 Q1)
-- 587,000 iBooks and Powerbooks shipped
-- 667,000 desktop systems shipped
- iPods shipped: 14,043,000 (207% growth over 2005 Q1)
- Revenue: $5.75 billion, 40% from international sales ($3.49 billion in 2005 Q1)
- Music: 59% of total revenue
- Net quarterly profit: $565 million ($295 million in 2005 Q1)
- Retail profits were $90 million.
- Gross margin: 27.2% (28.5% in 2005 Q1)


- PowerBook G4 and iMac G5 will be sold while supplies last.

From Steve Jobs, Apple CEO:

We are thrilled to report the best quarter in Apple's history. Two highlights of an incredible quarter were selling 14 million iPods and getting ready to launch our new Macs with Intel processors five to six months ahead of expectations. We are working on more wonderful products for 2006, and I can't wait to see what our customers think of them.

From Peter Oppenheimer, Apple CFO:

We're very pleased to report year-over-year revenue growth of 65 percent and net income that was nearly twice the year-ago level. Looking ahead to the second quarter of fiscal 2006, we expect revenue of about $4.3 billion.

Many believe that booting Windows on the new Intel Macs will become an eventuality, and the efforts are ongoing...

OpenOSX announced they are achieving "nearly native" performance on Intel Macs with OpenOSX WinTel 2.0 - a PC emulator. This appears to be a re-brand of the open source Bochs emulation project. This sort of commercialization has been met with some controversy. User experience with this particular product is limited at this stage, but one comment claimed "It does seem to be working, but I am pretty positive that it is working nowhere near native speeds on this brand new Intel iMac."

Meanwhile, one user reports on his experience booting into the EFI menu on an Intel Mac. This is of limited use at the moment, and of course, proceed at your own risk.

Craig Wood posted some early benchmarks from MacBook Pro's that were on display at Macworld SF. Readers should note that these are pre-production MacBooks so performance may not be reflective of production models due in mid February.

- MacBook Pro Core Duo 1.83 GHz, 2 GB DDR2, ATI X1600 Mobility 128 MB @ 1440x900 - January 2006 Preproduction
- PowerBook G4 15" 1.67 GHz, 1.5 GB DDR, ATI 9700 Mobility 64 MB @ 1280x854 - January 2005
- PowerMac G5 Dual 2 GHz, 2.5 GB DDR, ATI 9800 Pro 128 MB @ 1680x1050 - July 2003
- PowerBook G4 Titanium 500 MHz, 768 MB SDRAM, ATI Rage 128 Mobile 8 MB @ 1152x768 - January 2001

The overall results of this analysis indicate that Apple's new MacBook Pro is an improved machine in many ways. While some areas are yet to be examined, it is safe to say that the new MacBook is Apple's fastest laptop yet.

Areas tested include iTunes encoding, Quicktime Encoding, and Quicktime Playback (1080p, 720p).

The Australian iTunes Music Store now includes artists from Sony/BMG. Tracks are $1.69, the same price as tracks from other labels. Albums are typically $16.99, although some are higher than this. Along with the release comes a special page called The Latest and Greatest, which includes a selection of newly-added Sony/BMG albums.

iTunes Australia launched on 25 October 2005, however Sony's entry into the Australian store was long delayed due to disagreements over the pricing model.

More scattered reports have been coming in from users who have started receiving their Intel iMacs. While there's already been a disassembly there have been limited first hand reports.

Macintouch posted their first impressions of the 2.0GHz Core Duo Intel iMac and ran some early Xbench 1.2 benchmarks compared to a 1.8GHz G5 iMac. The results are difficult to interpret, however. While Xbench is a Universal Binary, it is not entirely multiprocessor aware. As a result, it does not generally test both cores of the Dual Core Intel processor. Also, graphics cards are different between the machines, making their graphical performance difficult to compare.

As expected the Intel iMac's OpenGL Graphics test (140.4) bested the G5 iMac's (90.4). The Thread Test which is multiprocessor aware showed a dramatic advantage (198.3 vs 49.75) in the Intel iMac, as expected. The other tests were variable, with the Intel Mac scoring very low on the User Interface test.

Meanwhile, a side-by-side Intel iMac vs G5 iMac video has been making the rounds showing the Intel iMac booting much faster. The video has spawned some debate about accuracy of the G5 iMac's startup in this particular video. Regardless, another user timed the 1.83GHz Intel iMac's startup at approximate 18 seconds -- users can compare this value to their own machines.

Readers will be interested to know that at least a casual attempt at booting Windows XP has been unsuccessful.

Based on Macintouch's impressions as well as this user's post:

- Intel iMacs are quiet.
- Same startup sound as previous Macs
- Same RAM access slots at bottom under removable panel as the iSight G5 iMac

A reminder that we have running Mac Guide page for the Intel iMac, that will reflect any new information.

Update: Arstechnica posts their review of the 17" iMac Core Duo, with Benchmarks. Also no luck booting Windows:

Just for kicks, I tried to boot from a Windows XP installer CD. No dice. I then tried booting from a Vista installer DVD (Build 5270). Again, no dice.

Apple has launched an online campaign for the new Intel Macs using the same theme as the television ad which was previewed at Macworld San Francisco.

The new ads can be seen at adverlicio.us. The banner ads contain the tag line "Today the Intel chip is being set free" with the Apple logo and "Mac" prominently displayed.

It was previously noted that Intel was unaware of the ad campaign before it was first shown at Macworld San Francisco. The television version of the ad claims that the Intel chip had been trapped inside "dull little boxes".

"Never would we characterize our customers that way," Intel Vice President Deborah Conrad said in an interview.

Newsweek gives a brief interview of Steve Jobs following the Macworld keynote last week.

It provides some interesting comments from Apple's CEO.

- Jobs states that the Mac market share has increased by a point this past year (approaching 5%)
- Apple builds about 30-40 Apple Stores per year to control growth and quality
- MacBook Pro battery life should be "about the same"
- Jobs does not feel that PowerMac sales will suffer greatly during the transition
- On the lack of iPod killer products at CES: "What's going to happen is that Microsoft is going to have to get into the hardware business of marking MP3 players."

Apple will webcast their 2006 Q1 Financial Results at 2pm Pacific on Wednesday January 18th, 2006.

Please note that comments made during this call may include forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties, and that actual results may differ materially from these forward-looking statements. For more information on the factors that could influence results, please refer to Apples SEC filings.

During the call, Apple will give Mac and iPod sales numbers for the quarter and can sometimes provide insight into Apple's plans. Apple's switch to Intel will likely be the big topic for discussion during the Q&A session.

Meanwhile, several news sites are reporting on an email from Jobs to his employees this past Friday noting that Apple's market capitalization had surpassed Dell on Friday. The email was in response to comments by Michael Dell that he would "shut [Apple] down and give the money back to the shareholders."

After each major event, MacRumors provides a wrapup of rumors to reveal the sources of the most accurate and inaccurate information. Readers are encouraged to read our Macworld Rumor Roundup which was written prior to the actual event.

Last week, Steve Jobs took the stage the stage at Macworld San Francisco and introduced a number of new products including iLife '06 with iWeb, iWork '06, an Intel iMac, and the new MacBook Pro. The keynote was viewed live by over 100,000 people simultaneously through our AJAX webcast system.

iLife '06, iWeb

With surprising regularity, Apple itself is the inadvertent source of leaks about upcoming releases. This year, Apple's website revealed updates to iLife '06 as well as the new iWeb application.

Intel Macs

While the first Intel Macs were widely rumored to be released at the MWSF Expo, readers should remember that Intel Macs had only been promised by June 2006. Apple does not typically beat their estimated timeframes, but the rumors proved to be true. However, with the increased media interest in Apple, there has been an increase in speculative reports from analysts which resulted in an amalgam of disjointed rumors.

In this particular case, the first Intel Mac rumor turned out to be the most accurate. Appleinsider reported in November that the first Intel-based Macs would make their debut at Macworld SF in January. They reported that contrary to expectations, the iMac and PowerBook would be the first Intel-based Macs to be released. The Intel iMac was accurately described as being "based largely on the design and feature set of the current iMac." Apple was also said to be working to ship a 15" Intel PowerBook "around February", complete with built-in iSight. Indeed the 15" Intel PowerBook did arrive as described, though rebranded as the "MacBook Pro".

The accuracy of Appleinsider's report gives further credence to other claims made in the same article. According to the same report, Apple's Intel-based Mac mini will "debut closer to the Spring" -- the same time the company revamps the iBooks with 13" widescreens.

Meanwhile, (traditionally accurate) ThinkSecret's confident reports that the Intel iBook, Intel Mac mini, and a new iPod shuffle would be released at MWSF 2006 entirely missed their mark. These inaccuracies have then cast doubt over other details of the reports, including claims of iBook price drops, as well as the intriguing concept of a Mac mini media center with DVR capabilities, an iPod Dock, and Front Row 2.0.

One More Thing...

It wouldn't be a proper Macworld Expo keynote without the genuine hope of something outrageous and unbelievable. Prior to June 2005, "Apple switching to Intel" frequently occupied that role. In the past, readers have also fruitlessly pined for
the iWalk, Mac tablet, and iHome products.

This year, PowerPage confidently reported on an Apple 42" and 50" Plasma Display with Viiv technology, but has since backpedaled. Of course, no such technology was introduced, and as such PowerPage retains a relatively poor rumor accuracy record.

Optimistic readers, however, may choose to believe claims that Apple did not release everything intended, and that perhaps more was originally planned.

Curiously, while Kevin Rose's 11th hour report of a 15" Intel Macbook, iWork/iLife '06, Photocasting, iPod FM receiver, and OS X.4.4 with new Widgets was exactly on mark... he also mentioned a "New remote of some type". Most likely, this simply refers to the iPod FM receiver/remote - though it is curious that this would have been mentioned twice.

Rumors to Watch

iBook Revisions - est. 2nd quarter 2006.
Intel Developing Next PowerMac for Apple? - est. 3rd quarter 2006
New iPod Products from Apple - boombox?

Intel Mac mini To Evolve Into Digital Hub?
Final Cut Pro 6, Final Cut Extreme, Xserve RAID

Mac Viiv at Macworld Expo 2006?
Light-weight Stylish Mac Laptops in 2006

Users are getting their hands on the first shipments Intel iMacs.

Kodawarisan has disassembled one of the new Apple Intel iMacs released at Macworld. The site is under heavy load due to interest and the images are also mirrored here. A picture of the Core Duo can be seen here

A few users have posted their informal benchmarks:

- Forum Post - iTunes AAC encoding
- World of Warcraft - few specifics, but good FPS.

Appleinsider notes that Apple has filed for trademarks for two new phrases with the Hong Kong Trademark office. These include:

iPod Hi-Fi - filed on September 20, 2005. Trademark description mirrored here

iPod Boombox - filed June 13, 2005. Trademark description is mirrored here.

Both products are classified in broad categories of computers, hardware, peripherals, etc... Appleinsider had previously claimed that an iPod Boombox and other iPod companion products were due from Apple at Macworld San Francisco. While the date may not have been accurate, these trademarks suggest these products are under consideration by Apple.

With Apple transitioning the entire Macintosh line over to Intel processors over the next 12 months, users will have to be familiar with Rosetta. Rosetta is the emulator (translator) that allows current Mac (PowerPC) programs to run under the new Intel processors.

Apple has posted some recent developer notes about Rosetta which may be of interest to users.

Rosetta supports "applications that run on the PowerPC G3 or G4 processor that are built for Mac OS X". This excludes the following applications:

- Classic Environment, and subsequently any Mac OS 9 or earlier applications
- Screensavers written for the PowerPC
- System Preference add-ons
- Applications which specifically require the PowerPC G5
- Kernel extensions
- Java applications with JNI (PowerPC) libraries

As developers compile their applications for the new Intel processors, they will be releasing all new applications as Universal Binaries. Universal Binaries have both PowerPC and Intel code and can be used on either type of Mac.

You can tell if an application is is Universal or PowerPC by opening the Info window in finder. (example)

Apple's newly announced MacBook Pro will be shipping in February, but there are many unanswered questions about details of the new systems.

MacCentral offers a Q&A reference which addresses many of the issues that have been raised. In summary:

- Slower, single layer, DVD burner. The reason cited is that an ultra-slimline designed optical drive is required for the MacBook 1" thinkness form factor.
- S-Video port is gone, but a $19 adapter will give you S-Video again
- No Modem, No FW 800
- Brighter Screen but 60 less pixels vertically
- No official battery rating yet, but expectations are comparable battery life to previous PowerBooks
- The PowerBook 15" PowerPC is only available while supplies last, so has indeed been replaced by the MacBook Pro
- 12" and 17" PowerPC PowerBooks remain on sale.

Meanwhile, Xlr8YourMac notes that the new Intel Macs (MacBook and iMac) do include the following features:

- Boot from external Firewire drive
- Boot into Target Disk Mode
- Use Startup Manager ("opt" startup)
- Support full desktop support across dual monitors (not just mirroring)

Hrmpf.com and Macsiumnews posted information about a new Apple Patent which appeared on January 12th 2006 at the US Patent and Trademark Site.

The Integrated Sensing Display is a device which combines the ability to generate an image as well as capture an image.

A device comprising: a display area; an array of display elements located within the display area, each display element capable of displaying a pixel of information, either alone or in combination with other display elements; and an array of image elements located within the display area, each image element being capable of capturing visual information from a source in front of the display area; wherein each image element has a lens that does not interfere with any display elements.

Uses for the device listed include Portable Communications, Computer Monitors or Televisions, Telephones, PDAs, and Medical Devices. Possible uses described include the use of the combination screen/camera for video conferencing as well as in PDAs or cell phones which "have very limited space for displays and would benefit if additional real estate were not used for a camera."

The patent was filed June 21, 2004.

Although news of this item had been circulating around the Mac web for a couple of days, CNet now has official word that Microsoft has indeed halted development of Windows Media Player for the Mac.

"We have no plans to provide future updates or product support for Windows Media Player for Mac," Adam Anderson, Microsoft public relations manager, said in an interview Thursday.

The current version remains available but was last updated in November 2003.

Instead, Microsoft is promoting a free third party application from Flip4Mac which allows users to playback Windows Media files under Quicktime.