Apple mulls GPGPU and iChat; UK stores without contract iPhone?
Apple has potentially tipped its hand through a job posting and revealed iChat as the first known app to use OpenCL with new video cards. Also, British Apple stores may be forced to sell iPhone 3G as prepay-only due to their current sales methods.
Job listing points to general-purpose GPU use in iChat
Although Apple has made clear its intent to build support for general-purpose graphics processing units (GPGPUs) into Mac OS X Snow Leopard with its awareness of NVIDIA technology and its hopes to formally ratify OpenCL as an industry standard, a new posting for a position at the computer giant's Cupertino campus may point to one of the first practical applications of the technology in its software.
An entry for a Senior Software Engineer at the company asks for a recruit who is familiar with video conferencing and cross-platform programming but who is also ideally aware of GPGPU technology, suggesting that the company may use the more generalized nature of new video chipsets to handle tasks in iChat or other communication programs that aren't directly related to conventional image processing.
While the nature of any possible additions isn't mentioned in the listing, an earlier post searching for multiple software engineers specifically mentions a GPGPU engineer who would help develop libraries for calculating physics, signal processing, and similar tasks.
Apple's UK retail to be limited to prepaid iPhone 3G?
British buyers looking for iPhone 3G on July 11th might need to shop beyond Apple if they want the fully subsidized pricing, according to statements made by an O2 spokeswoman to Mobile Today.
At the moment, UK Apple stores don't have a way to check customer credit on-site and haven't trained staff on how to register customers on contract plans. The limitation would all but require Apple's own stores to offer iPhone 3G as a prepaid device that could cost £350 in the country.
While the original iPhone was activated at home and so didn't require that Apple retail staff activate phones themselves, the need to activate on location potentially shuts out Apple's current sales system and may require that sign-ups for term-based plans -- and the accompanying heavily discounted iPhones -- take place at Carphone Warehouse and O2 locations.
Despite the added business it would bring to O2's direct outlets, the wireless carrier says it's cooperating with the iPhone maker to allow in-store activations for either company, though there's no indication as to whether it will be ready for launch on July 11th.
"We are currently working closely with Apple to enable them to issue contracts in store," the spokeswoman says. "Full details are still to be confirmed."
Job listing points to general-purpose GPU use in iChat
Although Apple has made clear its intent to build support for general-purpose graphics processing units (GPGPUs) into Mac OS X Snow Leopard with its awareness of NVIDIA technology and its hopes to formally ratify OpenCL as an industry standard, a new posting for a position at the computer giant's Cupertino campus may point to one of the first practical applications of the technology in its software.
An entry for a Senior Software Engineer at the company asks for a recruit who is familiar with video conferencing and cross-platform programming but who is also ideally aware of GPGPU technology, suggesting that the company may use the more generalized nature of new video chipsets to handle tasks in iChat or other communication programs that aren't directly related to conventional image processing.
While the nature of any possible additions isn't mentioned in the listing, an earlier post searching for multiple software engineers specifically mentions a GPGPU engineer who would help develop libraries for calculating physics, signal processing, and similar tasks.
Apple's UK retail to be limited to prepaid iPhone 3G?
British buyers looking for iPhone 3G on July 11th might need to shop beyond Apple if they want the fully subsidized pricing, according to statements made by an O2 spokeswoman to Mobile Today.
At the moment, UK Apple stores don't have a way to check customer credit on-site and haven't trained staff on how to register customers on contract plans. The limitation would all but require Apple's own stores to offer iPhone 3G as a prepaid device that could cost £350 in the country.
While the original iPhone was activated at home and so didn't require that Apple retail staff activate phones themselves, the need to activate on location potentially shuts out Apple's current sales system and may require that sign-ups for term-based plans -- and the accompanying heavily discounted iPhones -- take place at Carphone Warehouse and O2 locations.
Despite the added business it would bring to O2's direct outlets, the wireless carrier says it's cooperating with the iPhone maker to allow in-store activations for either company, though there's no indication as to whether it will be ready for launch on July 11th.
"We are currently working closely with Apple to enable them to issue contracts in store," the spokeswoman says. "Full details are still to be confirmed."
Comments
...suggesting that the company may use the more generalized nature of new video chipsets to handle tasks in iChat...
What new video chipsets are they talking about? Is apple coming out with updated video cards soon? I'm buying the new imac soon... should i wait?
What new video chipsets are they talking about? Is apple coming out with updated video cards soon? I'm buying the new imac soon... should i wait?
I wouldn't think so, Apple recently updated the iMac line, possibly a new chipset in the MBP though? And then eventually in the iMac when it comes to the next refresh?
who said the new 3G model was going to be cheaper?
Three weeks to get a couple O2 terminals for activation and credit checks, and to train the Apple staff? That doesn't seem too difficult when the alternative is Apple limits the number of stores customers will shop in and will lose the important foot traffic that will be going to other locations to get their iPhone.
Yeah, either that, or if it is too much of a hassle, they should have just decided to sell them at full unsubsidized price at Apple stores, and then people would receive a $300 or whatever rebate when they signed up for a plan through the carrier. This could have allowed people to continue signing up over iTunes. At the same time, if people didn't want to front the whole cost and wait for the rebate, they could directly pay the lower subsidized price for the iPhone at the actual carrier stores.
What new video chipsets are they talking about? Is apple coming out with updated video cards soon? I'm buying the new imac soon... should i wait?
My guess is that OpenCL code will compile down to Nvidia's and AMD's existing GPGPU instruction sets for their GPUs. If this is the case, it will require either an nVidia Geforce 8xxx-series GPU, or an AMD X1900 or better. I doubt Intels integrated chipsets will be supported, at least at first. They are mostly crap.
EDIT: Hey I just wanted to add that if you are considering buying an iMac, It's worth it to NOT get the fastest processor available and instead spend that money on upgrading the graphics card. I used to advise people to do that anyway, but especially with OpenCL on its way and other GPGPU applications being made, good graphics cards are no longer just for gamers and 3D modeling/animation/CAD users. As Nvidia likes to tout now days since so many people buy computers that have fast Intel processors but crappy intel integrated graphics, you need a "balanced" system.
EDIT: Hey I just wanted to add that if you are considering buying an iMac, It's worth it to NOT get the fastest processor available and instead spend that money on upgrading the graphics card.
I did that with my Mac Pro twenty months ago and it was really the right decision for me. Went low on the processor and HD in return for better graphics card and more RAM.
I did that with my Mac Pro twenty months ago and it was really the right decision for me. Went low on the processor and HD in return for better graphics card and more RAM.
I hope that wasn't Apple priced RAM.
As for iChat: isn't it the iPhone where such acceleration would really matter? It has a discrete GPU, albeit of course a fairly simple one. If OpenCL can harness that, then iPhone iChat AV could be feasible. Otherwise it's a wait for the next processor, and those solar cell backed-displays we've been hearing about methinks!
£350 is more or less $700 for an iPhone without a plan..
who said the new 3G model was going to be cheaper?
Tell me where we could buy an unlocked, unhacked, fully supported 2G iPhone for $700 please.
It's definitely cheaper.
Tell me where we could buy an unlocked, unhacked, fully supported 2G iPhone for $700 please.
It's definitely cheaper.
It will still be locked to O2 though
I hope that wasn't Apple priced RAM.
It sure was, grumble grumble, but just enough to tide me over. I've since put in some more of Crucial's way cheaper proper Mac Pro RAM as well as two way cheaper and huger HDs, both when the prices were (finally) right.
They are also owned 50% now from Best Buy, which has specialised Apple Store-within-a-Store, in the USA and China.
You do the math.
I hope that wasn't Apple priced RAM.
As for iChat: isn't it the iPhone where such acceleration would really matter? It has a discrete GPU, albeit of course a fairly simple one. If OpenCL can harness that, then iPhone iChat AV could be feasible. Otherwise it's a wait for the next processor, and those solar cell backed-displays we've been hearing about methinks!
YES. Thanks to the CUDA technology research by nVidia, 8-series, 9-series, 200-series (new from nVidia) all have HARDWARE ACCELERATED h.264 encoding/ decoding.
For the iPhone, hopefully something like the Tegra will find its way in there someday. Imagine great, responsive video quality, at miniscule amounts of bandwidth.
nVidia 200-series has good H.264 hardware acceleration support, of course, Windows APIs most commonly used right now, AFAIK.
http://www.nvidia.com/object/geforce_gtx_280.html
Something's weird about this.
As far as the iPhone sales at Apple stores, I don't see Apple employees handling the contracts. I can see Apple letting O2 put in a server and some of their staff with MacBooks (and it had better be MacBooks
I really wish they didn't do credit checks when taking out a phone contract. It's terribly invasive and just applying for 'credit' affects your credit rating.
Yes, I really wish they didn't do credit checks when extending credit.
I really wish they didn't do credit checks when taking out a phone contract. It's terribly invasive and just applying for 'credit' affects your credit rating.
It in invasive, but necessary when you are buying something on credit. You are getting a device well under the wholesale price and getting service that you pay for at the end of the month.