MacRumors

Today Apple released the long awaited Mac Pro updates a week ahead of Macworld Expo. Similarly, in June, Apple released MacBook Pro updates only 6 days before the WWDC 2007 Keynote. A few notes gathered about the new Mac Pros:

- Today's Mac Pro is called "Mac Pro (Early 2008)" in Apple support documents.
- Full Specs and Manual (PDF) have been posted.
- New Mac Pros are already in retail Apple Stores.
- While Apple has standardized on 8-Core Mac Pros as the "base" model, they actually do offer a single 2.8GHz Quad-Core CPU Mac Pro option for $2299.
- Rumors of Apple buying up the high end 3.2GHz Penryn ("Harpertown") processors were apparently true.
- The 1600MHz front side bus is up from the previous Mac Pro's 1333 MHz front side bus.
- While the new NVIDIA 8800GT is not yet available in the U.S. as a standalone purchase for old Mac Pros, it is available separately at the UK Apple Store for 220. [Update[ Now Available at U.S. Apple Store.
- Despite expectations, Apple did not introduce a Blu-ray option.
- Reminder that Apple charges a large premium for RAM for their online store orders, so you will always do better to buy ram from 3rd party vendors. (Discussion)
- Bluetooth is now a standard option

More Discussion in our Mac Pro forums.

MacRumors reader mr echo received an early copy of a Family Guy DVD intended for release January 15th and discovered an included iTunes/iPod compatible digital copy. Also reported on TUAW.

Previously, digital copies included with DVDs were encoded in protected Windows Media format, making them incompatible with the iPod or iPhone. However, indications are that both WMV and H.264 (iPod/iPhone compatible) digital copies will be distributed.

Including a digital copy on the DVD makes ripping the DVD for use with portable media players largely unnecessary, although the files are likely to contain digital rights management.

The H.264 copies reportedly require iTunes 7.6, which isn't yet available. However, we had previously heard that iTunes and QuickTime updates would be coming by Macworld.

Apple today revised the Mac Pro and Xserve with a new architecture and the recently released Penryn Processors. The Mac Pro combines two 45-nm Quad-Core Xeon processors running up to 3.2GHz and up to 4TB of internal storage. The standard 8-core configuration starts at $2799.

"The new Mac Pro is the fastest Mac we've ever made," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. "With 3.2 GHz 8-core Xeon processing, a 1600 MHz front side bus and 800 MHz memory, the new Mac Pro uses the fastest Intel Xeon architecture on the market."

The new Mac Pro features the latest Quad-Core Intel Xeon 5400 series processors based on 45nm Intel Core (Penryn) microarchitecture running up to 3.2 GHz, each with 12MB of L2 cache per processor. According to Apple, the 1600 MHz front side bus and 800 MHz DDR2 ECC FB-DIMM memory achives a 61 percent increase in memory throughput.

The new Mac Pro comes standard with the ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT graphics card with 256MB of video memory.

The standard 8-core Mac Pro, with a suggested retail price of $2,799 (US), includes:

- two 2.8 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon processors with dual-independent 1600 MHz front side buses;
- 2GB of 800 MHz DDR2 ECC fully-buffered DIMM memory, expandable up to 32GB;
- ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT with 256MB of GDDR3 memory;
- 320GB Serial ATA 3Gb/s hard drive running at 7200 rpm;
- 16x SuperDrive(TM) with double-layer support (DVD+/-R DL/DVD+/-RW/CD-RW);
- two PCI Express 2.0 slots and two PCI Express slots;
- Bluetooth 2.0+EDR; and
- ships with Apple Keyboard and Mighty Mouse.

Apple also revised the Xserve today with the same architecture. Xserve standard configuration, with a suggested retail price of $2,999 (US), includes:

- a single 64-bit 2.8 GHz Quad-Core Xeon processor with 12MB of L2 cache and a 1600 Mhz front side bus;
- 2GB of 800 MHz DDR2 ECC FB-DIMM RAM, expandable up to 32GB;
- a single 80GB SATA Apple Drive Module;
- dual Gigabit Ethernet on-board;
- internal graphics;
- two FireWire(R) 800 and three USB 2.0 ports; and
- an unlimited client license for Mac OS X Server version 10.5 Leopard.

Apple last major revision of both the Mac Pros and Xserves were over a year ago -- as noted in our Buyers Guide. The new Mac Pro and Xserve are shipping today from the Apple Store. These updates come one week ahead of Macworld San Francisco 2008, so more should be in store for the expo.

At the Consumer Electronics Show 2008, Intel introduced 16 new Penryn processors, including the first 45nm mobile processors. Amongst the 16 new processors, five are new mobile processors, three quad core and four dual core desktop processors, and four server processors.

The new mobile Penryn procesors feature a 45-nm architecture, ranging from 2.1 to 2.8GHz (previously detailed). Increased L2 cache (up to 6MB), and the new SSE4 instruction set can provide a significant boost in performance if supported:

"If you look at raw power from Merom to Penryn, the performance gain isn't going to be huge," says Intel spokesperson Connie Brown. "If it's something that relies on SSE4 instruction set, it's in the double digits."

The first of the Penryn-based processors should start appearing in notebooks as early as next week. Apple will be holding their Keynote speech at Macworld Expo 2008 on January 15th. Apple is widely expected to introduce a new thin-notebook and may also update their MacBook Pro line which is due for revision.

With Macworld San Francisco Expo less than a week away, MacRumors is gearing up to travel to San Francisco to cover the event with our traditional MacRumorsLive keynote coverage as well as expanded floor coverage at https://www.macrumors.com/mwsf/.

The Keynote will take place at 9am Pacific on Tuesday, January 15th, 2008. We will be providing live coverage with the following methods:

Web

MacRumorsLive.com will provide near real-time text and photo updates. This year, we've added the option to open images in a separate window, which will give you luxurious 640x480 sized images.

iPhone and iPod Touch

iPhone and Touch owners should also point their browsers on January 15th to MacRumorsLive.com for a specially formatted version of our coverage (will be active closer to event). Text and photo updates will be pushed to your device.

SMS (Twitter) Updates

For those without web access during the event, we offer live SMS messaging to your mobile phone. There will be 5-15 text updates during the keynote. Standard text messaging charges apply. (SMS Signup Instructions)

Spoiler Free

And a reminder for those who want to watch the keynote video without any prior knowledge of the events, we offer a Spoiler Free page / mailing list which will notify you when the keynote video is available. Anyone seriously interested in this option should not sign up for the SMS list above, as they will broadcast announcements as they come in.

Ongoing MWSF Coverage

We will continue to cover major news items and releases on MacRumors.com, but this year we will provide additional photos and news items from Macworld at https://www.macrumors.com/mwsf/ (RSS).

Businessweek reports that Apple may be close to striking a deal with most of the major movie studios to provide movies for the iTunes store.

Apple may have had to compromise on a number of issues including pricing in order to get everyone on board. Apple has reportedly agreed to pay studios "closer to the $17 wholesale price" that they get on physical DVD sales. In return, studios may offer online releases on the same day as their DVD debut. Businessweek states it's unclear if Apple will increase end-user prices or simply absorb the cost in an effort to promote iPod and Apple TV sales. Apple currently charges $14.99 for new releases and $9.99 for older titles.

Businessweek's sources also claim Apple's movie rental service will be priced at $3.99 for a 24 hour rental, which is consistent with recent rumors.

Apple has announced that Andrea Jung has been elected to Apple's board. Andrea also serves as Chairman and CEO of Avon Products, board member of General Electric, and member of the New York Presbyterian Hospital board of trustees and the Catalyst board of directors.

"Andrea is a strong CEO and marketer and we look forward to benefiting from her insights and experience as a member of Apples board, said Steve Jobs, Apples CEO. Andrea will be our eighth board member, and I think she will add a new dimension to our already lively board discussions.

"Apple is clearly one of the most innovative companies in the world today," said Andrea Jung, chairman and chief executive officer of Avon Products. I feel privileged to join this exciting and dynamic team and look forward to working closely with Steve and the board during the next phase of Apples growth.

At Avon, Andrea is responsible for developing and executing all of the companys long-term growth strategies, launching new brand initiatives, developing earnings opportunities for women worldwide, and defining Avon as the premier direct seller of beauty products. She was elected president of global marketing in 1996, an executive vice president in 1997, president and a director of the company in 1998, chief operating officer from 1998 to 1999, chief executive officer in 1999 and chairman of the board in 2001. Previously, she was executive vice president of Neiman Marcus and a senior vice president for I. Magnin.

Andrea is a magna cum laude graduate of Princeton University, is fluent in Mandarin and was the first woman elected chair of the Cosmetic, Toiletry, and Fragrance Association in March 2001, a role she held until early 2005.

She joins fellow board members Bill Campbell (Chairman and former CEO of Intuit), Millard Drexler (Chairman and CEO of J. Crew), Albert Gore (Former Vice President of the United States), Steve Jobs (CEO, Apple), Arthur D. Levinson Ph.D (Chairman and CEO of Genentech), Dr. Eric Schmidt (CEO of Google), and Jerry York (Chairman, President, and CEO of Harwinton Capital)

According to Macworld.co.uk, Apple has invited members of the European media to watch a special broadcast of Steve Jobs' Macworld San Francisco keynote speech.

"Please join us on 15 January at 5pm for a special live satellite broadcast of Steve Jobs' keynote address from Macworld San Francisco," the company says in a message to the media.

Journalists will be gathered at the BBC TV studios to watch the event live. The Macworld San Francisco 2008 keynote speech will place at the Moscone center in San Francisco, CA on January 15th at 9am Pacific. Apple typically releases new products at the Macworld keynote. Last year's keynote first introduced the iPhone. This year, Apple is rumored to be introducing a new thin laptop and likely revisions to their MacBook Pro line.

While there will be no live video feed, Apple will post a recorded stream later that day. We will be providing live (text + photo) coverage at MacRumorsLive.com.

Apple has released a new Get a Mac ad entitled "Referee" in conjunction with the beginning of the NFL playoffs.

In the ad, PC calls in a referee to prevent Mac from making the claim that Leopard is better and faster than Vista. The referee, however, sides with Mac, and when PC argues, PC is "ejected."

With Macworld approaching, many concept designs are circulating to demonstrate how Apple might design the upcoming "thin" notebook. Our multitouch article generated a long discussion with a number of unofficial mockups posted. The most attractive, perhaps, is this image posted by kontheur:

This image shows a mockup of what a thin MacBook might look like complete with a large area for a multi-touch trackpad.

An image that has already seen wide circulation is this one posted by greenrabbit which preserves the MacBook Pro's aluminum casing:

Both images introduce a wide touchpad which is derived from an earlier Apple patent. In 2006, Apple described implementing a wide trackpad and provided the following rendition:

Apple describes its functionality as follows:

"the wide touchpad may be a cursor control device having the capabilities of conventional computer mouse devices, such as the ability to point, drag, tap and double tap objects on a graphical user interface, as well as more general purposes such as scrolling, panning, zooming, and rotating images on display screen."

The patent application also went into detail about how they could ignore accidental palm-rest contact with the trackpad.

Other design concepts that have been circulating include:

Warner Brothers announced today that they would be moving their titles from HD-DVD to the Blu-Ray format. Many have suggested that this marks the end of the next generation DVD battle, though two major studios continue to have exclusive HD-DVD distribution deals in place.

Warner Brother's defection, however, places the majority of movie releases on Blu-Ray:

Even before this new marketshare advantage, however, the New York Times reports that Blu-ray titles had outsold HD-DVD offerings as much as 2 to 1, and had even been chosen for exclusive distribution by Blockbuster.

Apple has been a member of the Blu-ray consortium's board of directors since 2005, but has not publicly announced their Blu-ray plans. Some expect Apple to officially launch Blu-ray support at Macworld San Francisco.

With CES right around the corner, the Wall Street Journal looks at a growing focus amongst PC manufacturers: design. With increasing competition and the clear appeal of Apple's industrial design, PC manufacturers are increasingly focusing on the physical designs for their upcoming computers. This is a sharp turn-around from the corporate attitude only a few years ago:

David Hill, Lenovo's vice president of corporate identity and design, said his teams once played a secondary role to the technical side of product development. Now designers "have equal weight at the table," he says.

At Dell, in 2001, some were even lobbying for the elimination of the Design Director job as it was seen as "unnecessary". At the time, Dell only employed 6 designers, but this number has been increasing in recent years and is up to 90 as of today.

Designers are now exploring alternative materials and industries as inspiration for design techniques. Much of this is reminiscent of earlier articles describing how Apple's Jonathan Ive spent time in a candy factory to study jelly bean manufacturing when designing the plastic enclosure for the original iMac. An earlier TechnologyReview article recounts Apple's design process over the years.

The efforts appear to be paying off for some PC manufacturers. Sony reveals that their pink Vaio has sold more than any other color. Meanwhile, Walt Mossberg gave Dell's new XPS One a favorable review and claims it "matches or exceeds the iMac in hardware design".

Design is expected to take center stage at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) which kicks off this Sunday in Las Vegas, NV. Microsoft will be hosting a PC "fashion show" during their keynote to highlight some of the best designs.

Businessweek reports that Sony BMG is the last of the four major record labels to agree to offer their music for sale without Digital Rights Manangement (DRM) restrictions. The news comes a week after Warner announced it had added its catalog to Amazon's DRM-Free MP3 store.

This new DRM-free music agreement will be in place for the upcoming Pepsi/Amazon Superbowl promo, in which 1 billion songs will be given away.

These unrestricted MP3s will work with Apple's iTunes and iPod, with added benefit for the record labels to take some power away from Apple's iTunes store which continues to hold the majority of digital music marketshare. This agreement does not necessarily mean that we will be seeing DRM-free versions of Sony BMG's catalog on the iTunes Store.

Orange announced today that it had sold 70,000 iPhones in the first month of sales in France.

The company had targetted 50-100,000 in iPhone sales over this period of time, so sales were in line. Orange had previously announced that 30,000 iPhones had been sold in the first week.

Apple and Orange launched the iPhone on November 28th, 2007.

Netflix and LG have announced plans to deliver a set top box that will deliver movies directly to a user's TV over a high-speed internet connection.

The set-top box is supposed to serve as a bridge that will enable just about anyone with a high-speed Internet connection to plug in a few wires so they will be able to access Netflix's Watch Instantly feature on their TVs.

The device and service, which will ship in late summer or early autumn at an unannounced price point, may prove to be Apple's largest competition if rumors of movie rentals via iTunes pan out.

Netflix has been expanding its services, and recently began streaming movies over the internet using Mac-compatible Microsoft Silverlight technology. However, that solution did not present a viable option for users wishing to view movies on their TV.