MacRumors

Today's iMac updates provided a few surprising upgrades to the existing iMacs. The key changes include:

- Faster Penryn processors (2.4GHz-3.06GHz), up from 2.0-2.8GHz Merom processors.
- 1066MHz Front Side Bus, up from 800MHz.
- NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS 512MB on high end model
- More RAM (2GB) in mid-range models, up from 1GB

Montevina or Not?

First, some background: Intel delivers to its PC manufacturers specific "platforms" which are made up of the processor, chipset and wireless networking interface. These platforms go by specific codenames, such as "Santa Rosa" and "Montevina". While Apple technically does not adopt these platforms in their entirety, for simplicity's sake, we still refer to Macs using these specific named platforms.

Up until now, the MacBook, MacBook Pro and iMac have been based on the "Santa Rosa" platform which offers a 800MHz front-side bus. The front-side bus determines how fast the processor communicates with the rest of the computer. The "Santa Rosa" platform was first launched with the "Merom" processor, but recently gave way to the "Penryn" processors. The most recent MacBook and MacBook Pro updates adopted the new "Penryn" processors, but still on the 800Mhz front-side bus Santa Rosa chipset.

The introduction of the 1066MHz front-side bus iMac alongside faster Penryn processors suggested that Apple may have been able to launch the Montevina (1066MHz) chipset earlier than the expected June timeframe. When directly asked, however, Intel simply describes them as being "special" faster versions of the existing Santa Rosa chipset. The main difference, however, appears to be that these new chips consume more power than the upcoming Montevina chipsets.

For iMac buyers, however, it makes little difference. These new machines effectively provide the key benefits of the Montevina platform: faster processors and a faster front-side bus.

Besides the processing advantages, the addition of the NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS 512MB is claimed to offer 2.2x the graphics performance of the ATI Radeon HD 2600 Pro.

Buy or Not?

The new iMacs should be in Apple's retail stores now. However, Apple is currently providing substantial ($250-$700) discounts on refurbished previous generation iMac stock, which may better fall in your price range if absolute performance is not your top priority. Unlike with the recent MacBook and Macbook Pros revision, however, modest retailer discounts ($50-$250) on new-in-box previous generation iMacs offer no added value over simply buying today's models. For those who can wait a few more days for delivery, MacMall is already offering $50-100 mail in rebates on the new machines, and Amazon typically follows suit with their own rebates.

Our iMac Buyer's Guide recommendation has been changed to "Buy Now" and the days-since-release counter reset. Ongoing iMac discussion can be directed to our iMac forum.

As predicted, Apple released new iMacs today. The new iMacs include faster processors bringing the low end up to 2.4GHz and with the top end reaching 3.06GHz. The high end 24" 3.06GHz iMac also introduces the NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS (512MB) video card.

"The iMacs gorgeous aluminum and glass all-in-one design has been an incredible hit with our customers and is just one of the reasons Mac sales are growing three and a half times faster than PC sales," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. "With the latest Intel processors, a faster new graphics option and more memory, customers now have even more reasons to love the iMac."

The iMacs also incorporate the latest Intel Core 2 Duo processors with 6MB L2 cache and faster 1066 MHz front-side bus (up from 800MHz). Specs are listed below:

20", 2.4GHz, 1GB RAM, 250GB Hard Drive, ATI Radeon HD 2400 XT 128MB. $1199
20", 2.6GHz, 2GB RAM, 320GB Hard Drive, ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO 256MB, $1499
24", 2.8GHz, 2GB RAM, 320GB Hard Drive, ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO 256MB, $1799
24", 3.06GHz, 2GB RAM, 500GB Hard Drive, NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS 512MB, $2199

The new iMacs are available at the Apple Store.

Update: It appears that Intel is once again providing a custom chip for Apple in the 3.06 GHz top-end model. According to TGDaily the chip is still a Santa Rosa-era chip but the only technical difference between it and the upcoming X9100 "Montevina" CPU appears to be the a 11 watt TDP differential.

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Gizmodo posts the first video evidence of the existence of the Psystar OpenComputer in the wild. One of their readers who actually received their OpenComputer and was kind enough to provide video proof. (There have been questions about the company's legitimacy.)

Reader Patrick (Whiskeyfrown) is lucky enough to be using one of the few Psystar Open Computing machines that have made it into the wild, and he was generous enough to make a video showing the machine (including the connections in the back to the monitor to show that it's legit). The thing boots up and runs pretty damn fast, says Patrick, but Software Update won't recognize it so you won't be able to patch

As we've pointed out before, the technology to run Mac OS X on non-Apple hardware has been well established, but never previously offered commercially. Psystar has specifically adapted the technology from the OSx86Project to allow Mac OS X Leopard to run on standard PC hardware. Individuals with the time and inclination could accomplish the same task on their own PC hardware. Psystar's solution, however, eliminates this technical "hands on" process.

While the advantage of purchasing from Psystar includes a potentially cheaper alternative to Apple hardware, the disadvantages remain significant, still limiting this option to the serious hobbyist. Psystar's patched installation of Leopard appears to prevent future software updates. Even if this were possible, you would run a serious risk of disabling your Mac OS X Leopard installation by installing future software updates.

Apple has remained silent about Psystar's offering, which appears to violate their End User License Agreement (EULA) prohibiting the installation of Mac OS X on non Apple-branded hardware.

TUAW claims that they've heard that Apple is working on a new iPhone application called "iControl" which will allow the iPhone to control and stream media from local iTunes libraries:

TUAW is told that a media navigator will allow you to view videos, play podcasts, listen to music and even support shuffle playback.

Evidence of the player can reportedly be found in the latest iPhone Beta Firmware in the form of localization strings.

Apple already has existing products, such as the Apple TV and Airport Express, which allows iTunes to stream to external devices, so providing similar functionality to the iPhone seems a natural step. In fact, Apple previously applied for a patent on many of the concepts surrounding remotely controlling iTunes from a portable device.

A portable multimedia player (such as the iPod. manufactured by Apple Computer, Inc. of Cupertino, Calif.) is used to wirelessly access and control a media server (such as a personal computer running iTunes software) that is streaming digital media by way of a wireless interface to a media unit (such as a stereo/speakers in the case of streaming digital audio).

Following early rumors that the iMac would finally see revisions next week, we've heard from multiple retail sources that new iMac part numbers have indeed appeared in their systems.

As GeekSugar predicted, the prices for U.S. systems appear to be identical to existing iMac configurations ($1199, $1499, $1799). Delivery of inventory appears to be targeted on Monday or Tuesday of next week. No stores have seen any evidence of Mac mini product revisions, however, so it appears the iMac is the only system to be updated.

The iMac was last updated in August 2007. Rumors leading up to this revision have been relatively sparse, with the obvious upgrade being the use of the recently introduced Penryn Intel CPUs. We previously examined the real-world advantages of these new processors:

As we await the Penryn revisions for the iMac, readers should be aware that Penryn's reduced power consumption will not be particularly beneficial to desktop computers. Unless Apple adds other compelling features to the next iMac revision, readers may want to pause a moment before reflexively ordering the newest Mac.

With that in mind, Apple may upgrade other iMac components, such as the video card, RAM and hard drive.

An old WinandMac article reveals that the glossy black iPhone photo first revealed by iPodObserver is simply a 3rd party "protection case" for the iPhone.

The image was revisited yesterday based on claims by Engadget that the upcoming 3G capable iPhone would indeed carry a glossy-black case. The photo, however, was just given as an example, and not claimed to be the actual 3G iPhone. So, while this does discredit the original black iPhone image, it doesn't yet provide any evidence for or against Engadget's sources.

As mentioned, Engadget does not have an established track record for original Apple rumors, but claims this information comes from a "trusted source" who has had first hand experience with one.

Despite Gizmodo's claim that Psystar was a hoax, Psystar has posted a video demonstrating 3 "Open Computer" systems running Mac OS X, Ubuntu and Windows XP.

In mid-April, news of Psystar's OpenMac clone (since renamed 'Open Computer') exploded across the web. While there have been some questions raised about their legitimacy, they claim to be shipping products at this time.

The technology to run Mac OS X on generic PC hardware is well established, so the actual claims are not difficult to accomplish. Psystar, however, ran into some problems handling orders when they were initially dropped by their credit card processor because their "product was substantially different from what was described in [their] application".

Without verification from any satisfied customers, we still can not endorse the product, as the Mac OS X installation may require some special care to avoid breaking in future updates. Still, for now, it appears they are still trying to be the first Mac OS X clone manufacturer. Apple has not made any comment about Psystar.

Engadget reports that Apple's forthcoming 3G capable iPhone will incorporate a GPS module but be only slightly thicker than the current generation model.

Engadet's visual description of the device largely mirrors that given by iPod Observer earlier this month that depict a more rounded phone with a glossy black back, but adds that the much-despised recessed headphone jack will be replaced by a jack flush with the device body.

The 3G iPhone is largely expected to be introduced at this year's WWDC conference, with probable shipping in July. Engadget is not typically a source of original Apple rumors, but claims this information comes from a "trusted source" who has had first hand experience with one.

Analysts have suggested that June 9th will be the launch date for the 3G iPhone at Apple's Worldwide Developers' Conference.

RegHardware and Engadget are reporting that the 8GB iPhone has gone "End-of-Life" (EOL) in the UK:

Both suppliers' websites are current flagging the handset as "out of stock" (CW) and - more ominously - "no longer available" (O2).

Engadget quotes a memo stating that the 8GB iPhone (and 8GB iPod Touch) has "gone to end of life." MacRumors was also forwarded an email that Carphone Warehouse sent out to their sales affiliates indicating that stock would not be replenished:

Thanks to the most phenomenal response to the promotion, The Carphone Warehouse is now out of stock on the Apple iPhone.

Please can you remove all reference to the iphone promotion in your copy.

We apologise for the short notice but would like to thank everyone who participated in the campaign. Carphone do not expect to receive any additional stock at this time.

Sales of the 8GB iPhone reportedly shot up in the UK after a 100 discount was offered two weeks ago. Apple is widely expected to release a new 3G iPhone in the coming weeks to months.

Apple released Boot Camp 2.1 for Windows XP Service Pack 3, Windows Vista 32 and Windows Vista 64.

This update addresses issues and improves compatibility with Microsoft Windows XP and Microsoft Windows Vista running on a Mac computer using Boot Camp. It is highly recommended for all Boot Camp users.

Important: Installation of Boot Camp 2.1 is required before installing Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3)

Boot Camp is a Apple's tool to allow Intel Mac owners to boot dual boot Windows alongside Mac OS X. Running Windows under Boot Camp provides you with a fully compatible Windows environment.

This new version of Boot Camp is required for compatibility with Windows XP Service Pack 3 which was recently released to manufacturing and should be available for download next week.

GeekSugar (via Gizmodo) claims that the long awaited iMac refresh is due next week.

The new and improved iMacs are said to be at the same price point as the current models and will probably receive a speed bump as well as a hard-drive increase.

GeekSugar correctly predicted MacBook and MacBook Pros in the final hours leading into the last update, which turned out to be accurate. Rumors of both iMac and Mac mini updates have been persistent for weeks. At a minimum, the iMac is expected to adopt the most recent Penryn processors. The iMac was last updated in August 2007.

Apple changed their home page today with a photo of an iPhone and MacBook Air with the title "Calling all developers", reminding visitors that early registration for the World Wide Developer's Conference ends on April 25th, 2008.

Meanwhile, Apple also quietly released the 4th beta of the iPhone SDK. Beta 4 adds at least one much requested feature: OpenGL ES support within the iPhone simulator. Previously, developers had to install directly to their iPhone to run OpenGL applications.

"The fourth beta version of the iPhone SDK includes Xcode IDE, iPhone simulator with Open GL ES support, Interface Builder, Instruments, frameworks and samples, compilers, and Shark analysis tool."

Developers are continuing to work on iPhone/Touch apps and games to ready for the June launch of the iTunes App Store.

Earlier today, the news came out that Apple was acquiring chip designer P.A. Semi for $278 million. In February 2007, P.A. Semi debuted a 64-bit dual core processor which claimed to be "300% more efficient than any comparable chips" running at 2GHz and consuming 5-13 watts of power.

While the news generated speculation that Apple might use P.A. Semi's low power PowerPC chips in future iPhones or iPods, Beyond3D points out that these chips require far more power than can be expected for use in the iPhone or iPod.

Instead, EETimes provides some additional insight into Apple's motivations on the acquisition. According to comments made directly to P.A. Semi's customers, Apple is "not interested in the startup's products or road map, but is buying the company for its intellectual property and engineering talent." In fact, P.A. Semi also told customers that they would be unable to guarantee a supply of its chips in the future.

As it turns out, this may cause some resistance to the acquisition, as P.A. Semi's chips are reportedly used in a number of ongoing Department of Defense projects.