New 10.5.3 seed; custom Intel iMac chips, MacBook Air SSDs

[AppleInsider]

Apple on Monday asked its developer community to begin testing yet another build of its 10.5.3 Leopard update, which packs a slew of new fixes. Meanwhile, Intel has once again tweaked some of its processors at the Mac maker's request. And STEC will reportedly supply flash drives for the next MacBook Air revision.

Mac OS X 10.5.3 build 9D25

Exactly one week after releasing Mac OS X 10.5.3 build 9D23 to its vast developer community, Apple on Monday followed up with build 9D25, people familiar with the matter tell AppleInsider.

Though the company made no changes to a list of twelve core evaluation areas in which developers should focus their testing efforts, it did tack on nearly two dozen addition bug fixes, bringing the total number of individual enhancements and code corrections expected as part of Mac OS X 10.5.3 to over 200.

Some of the latest fixes target sequential write errors in the Finder, column views in Mail.app, 802.1X AirPort issues, problems with AFP Server hanging, and problems with MCX Client.

As was the case with a couple of builds that preceded it, 9D23 is said to have arrived alongside documentation that listed no known issues as being present in the Leopard update. The software currently weighs in at approximately 415 MB in its barebones distribution and remains on track for a release within the next two weeks.

Latest iMac chips are special run

All of the microprocessors used in Apple's new iMac line announced Monday are part of a special run of Intel's existing mobile processor lineup rather than an early of Centrino 2 models, an Intel spokesperson confirmed to Electronista.

Although the processors match the same core clock rates and 1,066MHz system bus speeds as those of the chipmaker's upcoming platform due this June, the processors are instead said to be unlisted speed grades that include special support for the faster bus speeds (up from 800MHz), produced at Apple's request

This reportedly allowed the Mac maker maintain an iMac logic-board design based on the same "Santa Rosa" chipset used in the previous generation models.

Also of interest is the thermal envelope of the 3.06 GHz chip, which demands 55 watts of power in order to boost past the "official" 2.8GHz top speed of Intel's current mobile lineup, and is designed for "mobile on desktop" systems, such as large gaming notebooks and crossover PCs.

Intel's current line of mobile processors top out at 45 watts, with most consuming 35 watts or less. However, the chipmaker says its upcoming Centrino 2-era processors will consume 25W and 35W in most models.

In the limited time they've been working together, Apple has also seen help from Intel in procuring early or modified processors for its 8-Core Mac Pro (early 3.0 GHz quad-core Xeon), iMac (early 2.8GHz Core 2 Extreme), and the MacBook Air (custom 1.6 and 1.8GHz Core 2 Duos).

STEC wins MacBook Air SSD contract

STEC has won a contract to replace Samsung as a supplier of solid-state drives for Apple's MacBook Air, according to a research note from B. Riley analyst Salomon Kamalodine.

Citing industry sources, he said the new Apple business could lead to an incremental $25 million to $30 million in revenue for semiconductor company in 2009.

[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

[Moukkis]

The laptop on the picture belonged to the previous presenter, according to the second commenter on this flickr-page. But still, it's a feat that Ballmer even came on stage with the MBP chilling out (heating up) in his presence...

http://flickr.com/photos/choubistar/2439499170/

[amac4me]

The TDP or thermal design power of the "special" chip is spec'd at 55 watts. That's much higher than the other chips available for the iMac. I wonder how loud the new top-of-line iMac is.

[Samnuva]

What Happened to the Balmer Pictures?

[Samnuva]

Or, right. Fake. Sorry.

[Kasper]

Originally Posted by Samnuva

What Happened to the Balmer Pictures?

I took them out of the story given the first comment, but you can see them here.

K

[BjK]

The powerpoint slides are saturated with MBA speak. They look crappy to boot.

"The ways in which technology enables you to develop and apply your capacity as tomorrow's innovator and leader: an insight"

It would be funny if it was a joke.

[BWhaler]

Here's a little tidbit for you:

10.6. Previewed at WWDC

No way, you say? Too soon?

The preview is coming.

Seriously.

[JeffDM]

Originally Posted by BWhaler

Here's a little tidbit for you:

10.6. Previewed at WWDC

No way, you say? Too soon?

The preview is coming.

Seriously.

I don't know what this has to do with anything in this thread, but I would be surprised if there wasn't a 10.6 preview at WWDC.

Your prediction sounds about as safe as you can get, maybe not "it will be dark tonight" safe, but pretty safe.

[mstone]

Special CPUs could be a slippery slope back to proprietary architecture. Instead of plain vanilla Intel we have a unique chip and most likely a specialized OS X to go with it. Will it run Windows as seamlessly as before?

[gigi]

Did that mean it's not the peryn chip?

Did that mean it's not at 45 nm ?

[Eluard]

Originally Posted by BjK

The powerpoint slides are saturated with MBA speak. They look crappy to boot.

"The ways in which technology enables you to develop and apply your capacity as tomorrow's innovator and leader: an insight"

It would be funny if it was a joke.

Right. It sounds as though it was lifted from the movie Idiocracy. (Great movie btw!)

[JeffDM]

Originally Posted by mstone

Special CPUs could be a slippery slope back to proprietary architecture. Instead of plain vanilla Intel we have a unique chip and most likely a specialized OS X to go with it. Will it run Windows as seamlessly as before?

All Apple is getting here is a special speed grade. Basically, it's just a chip that's tested and programmed to run at a different frequency.

That's a far cry from a CPU with custom circuitry. Apple can easily pay for a custom circuit and mask very easily, but I don't think it makes sense for them to do that.

[BjK]

Originally Posted by Eluard

Right. It sounds as though it was lifted from the movie Idiocracy. (Great movie btw!)

Yeah, he could be president, or something.

[Mr. H]

Originally Posted by AppleInsider

All of the microprocessors used in Apple's new iMac line announced Monday are part of a special run of Intel's existing mobile processor lineup rather than an early of Centrino 2 models, an Intel spokesperson confirmed to Electronista.

I think the Intel spokesperson that Electronista (allegedly) spoke to is ill-informed. Not only at issue here is the CPU, but also the motherboard chipset - Santa Rosa doesn't support 800 MHz RAM, and yet that is what the iMac is using.

No, I'm sure that Apple have got their hands on the Montevina motherboard chipset, including upgraded Penryns.

[BWhaler]

Originally Posted by JeffDM

I don't know what this has to do with anything in this thread, but I would be surprised if there wasn't a 10.6 preview at WWDC.

Your prediction sounds about as safe as you can get, maybe not "it will be dark tonight" safe, but pretty safe.

The reason why it is applicable to this thread is because Apple is trying very, very hard to wrap up Leopard bug fixing and put it in maintenance mode.

These mega bug patches are not typical for Apple. Normally, they would have spread these fixes out over the year.

Instead, there is a very hard push to move as many engineering resources over to the new scope, and solidify the base.


That aside, is it obvious? Perhaps.

But I don't think so. The conventional wisdom is this WWDC is going to be about the SDK and touch. What I am saying is while that is true, touch is going to meet the Mac in crazy new ways in 10.6. And that is going to be shown. No beta. Just previewed.

[hypoluxa]

Originally Posted by BWhaler

The reason why it is applicable to this thread is because Apple is trying very, very hard to wrap up Leopard bug fixing and put it in maintenance mode.

These mega bug patches are not typical for Apple. Normally, they would have spread these fixes out over the year.

Instead, there is a very hard push to move as many engineering resources over to the new scope, and solidify the base.


That aside, is it obvious? Perhaps.

But I don't think so. The conventional wisdom is this WWDC is going to be about the SDK and touch. What I am saying is while that is true, touch is going to meet the Mac in crazy new ways in 10.6. And that is going to be shown. No beta. Just previewed.

You really think so? This early in the game? Hmmmm Im a little skeptical I would think Apple would wait till at least next Jan to do an unveiling of "what is to come down the road in 10.6" I mean 10.5 was only just released in Oct. At the same time though you could be right.

[solipsism]

Originally Posted by Mr. H

I think the Intel spokesperson that Electronista (allegedly) spoke to is ill-informed. Not only at issue here is the CPU, but also the motherboard chipset - Santa Rosa doesn't support 800 MHz RAM, and yet that is what the iMac is using.

No, I'm sure that Apple have got their hands on the Montevina motherboard chipset, including upgraded Penryns.

Perhaps the Intel PR agent was just trying to stay these are not "proper" Montevina chips. These are Montevia-like chips that have all the performance qualities except for power consumption. So far that is the only thing that so far looks to be outside the Montevina platform.

I hope so not because I hate being wrong, but I hate being wring after investing so much time trying to figure what chips were used this morning and then being so certain that I 'gospelized' it this this afternoon.

[delreyjones]

Originally Posted by hypoluxa

You really think so? This early in the game? Hmmmm Im a little skeptical I would think Apple would wait till at least next Jan to do an unveiling of "what is to come down the road in 10.6" I mean 10.5 was only just released in Oct. At the same time though you could be right.

We're all just speculating here, right? But we speculate because it's fun.

So this thread reminds me of a quote from the Seattle area tycoon, John Fluke, who said: "The goal in business is not to maim your competition; the goal is to kill him!" Doesn't it almost look like M$ has stumbled with Vista and now we can actually think of it as down? Therefore, the question is not "Is it wrong to kick them when they're down?", but rather, "How hard is Apple going to kick?" And the answer is obvious: "As effin hard as it can!"

[JeffDM]

Originally Posted by hypoluxa

You really think so? This early in the game? Hmmmm Im a little skeptical I would think Apple would wait till at least next Jan to do an unveiling of "what is to come down the road in 10.6" I mean 10.5 was only just released in Oct. At the same time though you could be right.

I think Tiger was only a few months old when Leopard was previewed at that year's WWDC.

edit: correction, it might have been later. Someone mentioned the idevice SDK, but there was already a pretty big presentation on that.

[GregAlexander]

Originally Posted by hypoluxa

Hmmmm Im a little skeptical I would think Apple would wait till at least next Jan to do an unveiling of "what is to come down the road in 10.6" I mean 10.5 was only just released in Oct. At the same time though you could be right.

Well, with Leopard it was previewed in 2 WWDCs before its eventual release. An Apple preview now doesn't mean it would be released soon.... just like Leopard it may not arrive till October next year (which would be 2 years between upgrades).

As for the likelihood... I'd love to see what they've got up their sleeves. Especially touch everywhere. But I'm not sure what advantage it would have for Apple, unless developers need to rethink their applications slightly and they'll need a heads up.

[Zandros]

Originally Posted by Mr. H

I think the Intel spokesperson that Electronista (allegedly) spoke to is ill-informed. Not only at issue here is the CPU, but also the motherboard chipset - Santa Rosa doesn't support 800 MHz RAM, and yet that is what the iMac is using.

No, I'm sure that Apple have got their hands on the Montevina motherboard chipset, including upgraded Penryns.

True. It seems odd to me that they would request and use a custom chip, when the Penryn X9100 (44W) was released just this monday,

/Adrian

[8CoreWhore]

Leopard previewed 2 years ago. Snow leopard will show this year and release winter 2009. When MS releases Windows 7 to laughs and tears, Apple will release Lion for the kill.

[solipsism]

Originally Posted by Zandros

True. It seems odd to me that they would request and use a custom chip, when the Penryn X9100 (44W) was released just this monday,

Released where? To whom? Do you have a link?

[bwik]

Ballmer has taught me an amazing lesson in life through his wisdom.


If I ever have a couple friends who have a genius for constructing moneymaking legal / industrial apparatus, JOIN them and HANG AROUND. Sooner or later, I will have a billion dollars from just farting and doing nothing. Then I can have a huge yacht or 4 or 7, plus luxury airplanes.

[MacTel]

Originally Posted by BWhaler

Here's a little tidbit for you:

10.6. Previewed at WWDC

No way, you say? Too soon?

The preview is coming.

Seriously.

Leopard is pretty good and I actually hope that Apple will slow down development a bit. Though I look forward to 10.5.3, I scratch my head at what whiz-bang features Apple can come up with to sell us on 10.6.

I'd like Apple to instead focus more on the next major revisions of their supporting applications (i.e. Safari, Mail, iLife, iWork, etc). Mail is good but could be better as with all of Apple's products.

I like to see Apple create their own financial package add-on to Numbers and maybe even a project management application to tie into iCal. iPhoto needs a big brother to combo with Aperture.

[BWhaler]

Imagine this:

WWDC: Steve introduces the future of interfaces: touch. iPhone, a new device, and a preview of 10.6

All Apple apps moving forward will leverage these metaphors.

Beta in late fall.
First of the new hardwae devices (non-portable) in January (e.g. "keyboards" with touch, etc.)
iLife and iWork in January with new toucb features
10.6 in Spring

This is much, much faster than originally thought.

But time will tell...

[federmoose]

Originally Posted by AppleInsider

Though the company made no changes to a list of twelve core evaluation areas in which developers should focus their testing efforts, it did tack on nearly two dozen addition bug fixes, bringing the total number of individual enhancements and code corrections expected as part of Mac OS X 10.5.3 to over 200.

WOW. 200 fixes????? Leopard should be darned stable after this upgrade (we can hope). I remember when I thought 7 dozen fixes was HUGE for 10.4.11...

can't wait.

[solipsism]

Originally Posted by BWhaler

Imagine this:

WWDC: Steve introduces the future of interfaces: touch. iPhone, a new device, and a preview of 10.6.

Hmm.... Do the numbers add up? Leopard was released 26-OCT-2007. The first point release was 3 weeks later. The next one was 3 months later and 10.5.3 looks to be arriving about 3 months after 10.5.2. If Apple continues with the 3 month trend between point releases then the it will reach 10.5.9 after 18 months. But we know from Tiger that Apple will go into the double digits.

10.6 in the Spring would be too early. The fall would be a solid 2 years, but even that is too soon, IMO. Tiger had a run of 2.5 years and the paid updates are getting futher and further apart as OS X matures.

Unless Apple feels pressure from MS' next OS (which I don't think they will) they won't be previewing 10.6 until 2009 and releasing 10.6 until late 2010.

[GregAlexander]

Originally Posted by MacTel

Leopard is pretty good and I actually hope that Apple will slow down development a bit. Though I look forward to 10.5.3, I scratch my head at what whiz-bang features Apple can come up with to sell us on 10.6.

That's always true about new features. And I do feel like I'm paying for an upgrade a little TOO often (I guess I generalise iLife into OS upgrades too)

The feature I'd like most is something I noticed a need for again yesterday... I want 2 things
1) full online backup of all my Mac's data except movies - including .Mac web access to my email/calendars/notes/files.
2) ultimate portability of my applications and data. Sit down at ANY Mac anywhere and just login as me - and have it give me my own home desktop, files, etc etc.

#2 requires #1 really (but a less reliable system could use Back-to-my-Mac or iPod home directories... perhaps use all 3). Of course you'd have to pay a monthly fee for the online backup.

To that end, I'd like to see Apple tie OS upgrades into .Mac subscriptions in some way. Perhaps the next release will give me the new OS (10.6) and online backup for $10/mth instead of $129 for OS, etc.

Originally Posted by MacTel

I'd like Apple to instead focus more on the next major revisions of their supporting applications (i.e. Safari, Mail, iLife, iWork, etc). Mail is good but could be better as with all of Apple's products.

Absolutely. So much good stuff going on there and so much more potential still.

[melgross]

Originally Posted by BWhaler

The reason why it is applicable to this thread is because Apple is trying very, very hard to wrap up Leopard bug fixing and put it in maintenance mode.

These mega bug patches are not typical for Apple. Normally, they would have spread these fixes out over the year.

Instead, there is a very hard push to move as many engineering resources over to the new scope, and solidify the base.


That aside, is it obvious? Perhaps.

But I don't think so. The conventional wisdom is this WWDC is going to be about the SDK and touch. What I am saying is while that is true, touch is going to meet the Mac in crazy new ways in 10.6. And that is going to be shown. No beta. Just previewed.

Apple won't be wrapping up 10.5 for a good 18 or more months from now. They just have a lot of bugs to quash.

We'll likely see some info about 10.6, but not too much specific detail. It's too early for that.

But, yes, the SDK, and possibly the new phone will be the stars.

Possibly we will even see a Nehalem Mac Pro for delivery a few weeks out. The chip is due in the forth quarter, but has been way ahead of schedule in the testing process. Intel may pull it forwards a bit.

[melgross]

Originally Posted by MacTel

Leopard is pretty good and I actually hope that Apple will slow down development a bit. Though I look forward to 10.5.3, I scratch my head at what whiz-bang features Apple can come up with to sell us on 10.6.

I'd like Apple to instead focus more on the next major revisions of their supporting applications (i.e. Safari, Mail, iLife, iWork, etc). Mail is good but could be better as with all of Apple's products.

I like to see Apple create their own financial package add-on to Numbers and maybe even a project management application to tie into iCal. iPhoto needs a big brother to combo with Aperture.

It's slow enough now. Two to two and a half years is more than enough time between releases.

[federmoose]

Originally Posted by solipsism

Hmm.... Do the numbers add up? Leopard was released 26-OCT-2007. The first point release was 3 weeks later. The next one was 3 months later and 10.5.3 looks to be arriving about 3 months after 10.5.2. If Apple continues with the 3 month trend between point releases then the it will reach 10.5.9 after 18 months. But we know from Tiger that Apple will go into the double digits.

The numbers don't add up, but they aren't supposed to. Jobs said after the Leopard release that he'd like to introduce major OS upgrades every year to 1.5 years. Tiger told us that Apple could go into double digits, not that they would. I'm betting that by WWDC next year, 10.6 will have shipped, and that timetable could very well be conservative

Originally Posted by melgross

Apple won't be wrapping up 10.5 for a good 18 or more months from now. They just have a lot of bugs to quash.

They do have a lot of bugs to quash, but they are quashing them at an incredible pace. 10.5.1 took out a considerable number, 10.5.2 took out 150 bugs, and 10.5.3 will take out another 200. If they keep up this pace, 10.6 being launched sometime within a year from now is really within the realm of probability.

[Walter Slocombe]

Originally Posted by hypoluxa

You really think so? This early in the game? Hmmmm Im a little skeptical I would think Apple would wait till at least next Jan to do an unveiling of "what is to come down the road in 10.6" I mean 10.5 was only just released in Oct. At the same time though you could be right.

ONLY 7 months ago. Thats more than a 3rd of the time between releases that Steve would like (given they slip to 18 months as opposed to 1 year) WWDC in June will be 9 months which is HALF WAY through the 18 months.

I think iPhone and Touch SDK will dominate, but a preview is almost expected IMO

[commander_scampers]

Centrino isn't a chip. Centrino is a package of CPU and Chipset.
The article refers to Centrino2 as a new chip.. it's not. It's an updated platform.

As for 10.6, an earlier poster makes some assumptions which I believe are incorrect.

Apple will talk about 10.6 at WWDC. They can't do a WWDC without letting us know where the platform is going.
I don't, however, believe that there will be much meat to 10.6 at WWDC. For the most part, the APIs don't change or at least don't change much. 10.6 will introduce a new thing here or there.. I suspect, for example, there may be some new stuff in the Accelerate framework to go with the SSE4 extensions in the new CPUs.

I would suggest the large updates are NOT indicative of Apple pushing the upgrade cycle. The size and breadth of these updates is unusual (one after another) but Leopard was extremely buggy when it was released. Probably the biggest issue, in my opinion, is the new Directory Services architecture. It was basically broken when Leopard shipped. It still isn't fully functional for a lot of Enterprise customers [like me].

Apple did release a preview Leopard two WWDCs before it's release but Leopard was released half a year late. The preview was supposed to ship with only one WWDC between the Dev Preview and release.

[chadisawesome]

the only reason I would want to see a preview of 10.6 is if it showed an update to .mac which is pitiful. there is no chance apple is getting my cash for a renewal unless the beef it up. I paid for IMAP mail (free now with gmail), idisc storage cheaper through amazon and good cheap competition with sugarsync to sync it, the .mac gallery is nice, but slowwwwwwwww, no reason I can't use picassa for that.... and the .mac web mail tool is awful. logging me out every 5 minutes, terrible slow interface.... I think .mac is the place apple could use the most improvement right now.

[melgross]

Originally Posted by federmoose

The numbers don't add up, but they aren't supposed to. Jobs said after the Leopard release that he'd like to introduce major OS upgrades every year to 1.5 years. Tiger told us that Apple could go into double digits, not that they would. I'm betting that by WWDC next year, 10.6 will have shipped, and that timetable could very well be conservative



They do have a lot of bugs to quash, but they are quashing them at an incredible pace. 10.5.1 took out a considerable number, 10.5.2 took out 150 bugs, and 10.5.3 will take out another 200. If they keep up this pace, 10.6 being launched sometime within a year from now is really within the realm of probability.

After the release of Panther, Jobs said that they would be slowing their developent cycle down. We've seen that happen. Around two years for Tiger, and about two and a half for Leopard.

If they speed development up again, it would mean that the future upgrades would be less significant. If that would be the case, I'd rather they stayed on the slowed schedule.

[Gustav]

Originally Posted by gigi

Did that mean it's not the peryn chip?

Did that mean it's not at 45 nm ?

Darn. Now I'm going to have to clean off more desk space for those extra nm!

[elroth]

Originally Posted by amac4me

The TDP or thermal design power of the "special" chip is spec'd at 55 watts. That's much higher than the other chips available for the iMac. I wonder how loud the new top-of-line iMac is.

What is the TDP of the last generation of iMacs (like the 2.8 GHz Extreme)? Is this an increase in power consumption?

[hmurchison]

Re: 10.6

The most logical thing for Apple to do is this.


1. Christen OS X 10.6 with a name (Lion, Ocelot, Big Fucking Cat ...whatever)

2. For WWDC focus on the APIs that developers need to know are changing the most (i.e the today's most problematic.

3. Divulge at least One knew API that gets the properllerheads whirring.

4. Macworld SF 2009- hype 10.6 with additional "marketable features" ...Sparta List II (300 features).

WWDC 2009 go indepth for the new features announced and API improvements.

This is provided Apple will do another fall delivery.