Apple to debut 64-bit OS X, Mac Pro?
updated 03:35 pm EDT, Thu August 3, 2006
64-bit Mac OS X, Mac Pro?
A seemingly authentic photo of an Apple banner created for the WWDC has surfaced, lending support to theories that Apple will unveil a successor to its Power Mac G5 systems at the forthcoming conference. The photo strongly hints toward a new version of Mac OS X running natively on 64-bit Intel processors, according to Electronista. Intel chose to create its new Core 2 Duo processors using a 64-bit architecture, and the company quietly began shipping those chips formerly known as "Merom" and "Conroe" in July. Rumors abound that Apple will use the new 64-bit processors in newer generations of Intel-based Macs moving forward, and that the forthcoming "Mac Pro" will make use of the new chips boasting 64-bit processing capability. Apple confirmed in mid-April that it would tout the next iteration of Mac OS X, codenamed "Leopard," at the WWDC conference taking place in San Francisco from August 7-11th.
leopard disc
08/03, 04:00pm reply
nice shot of the leopard disc graphic.
wasn't OSX a 64-bit OS already???
kingyubba
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Mar 2005
No, it wasn’t
08/03, 04:03pm reply
It’s designed to RUN on 64-bit systems, but it’s still a 32-bit OS. If Leopard is a true 64-bit OS, it should SCREAM on any 64-bit processor, let alone dual dual-core 64-bit processors!
bojangles
Dedicated MacNNer
Joined: May 2000
huh?
08/03, 04:10pm reply
"The photo depicts a new version of Mac OS X running natively on 64-bit processors"
Where is that in the photo? I must have missed it. ;-)
topless
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Mar 2003
hmmm
08/03, 04:11pm reply
whats the icon between automator and spotlight?
TRRosen
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: May 2002
more on WWDC
08/03, 04:26pm reply
The icon between automator and spotlight is Xgrid (distributied processing).
Also, 64-bit processing would benefit people working with huge data sets, but it wouldn't do anything for consumers, apart for possibly slowing down existing apps, because they now have to deal with much larger numbers.
Mail, Safari, Photoshop, iMovie, etc do not benefit from 64-bit processing, even if consumers think they should.
The rest of the WWDC banner says:
"Welcome to WWDC: You've picked the right platform," and interestingly, has photos of iPod, Macs and server stuff all mixed together.
Another photo of the poster is up at RoughlyDrafted Magazine along with a list of WWDC predictions:
http://www.roughlydrafted.com/RD/Home/216DACC1-F488-4EB6-8965-ADECFC743998.html
DECS
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Joined: Aug 2006
leopard
08/03, 04:26pm reply
I would love a macbook pro with a merom and leopard 64Bits, now may be thats the next step from apple
WiCk3D
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Aug 2006
G5 = 64bit
08/03, 04:28pm reply
The G5 is a 64 bit processor. How does this banner reflect anything about anything that we don't already know? I must say that it looks good for a convention banner. I wonder what happens to these things after these kinds of events? They're much too big to fit in even the most dedicated geeks home or garage.
beeble
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Joined: Mar 2004
Scream?
08/03, 04:29pm reply
So the world's fastest desktop supercomputer gets faster. *yawn* Tell me something I wasn't promised before.
dharder9475
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Aug 2006
Doctored photo
08/03, 04:59pm reply
This is likely either a fake, or a doctored poster from last year. First, the Tower is in the same enclosure. Most rumors suggest Apple is completely redesigning the case. This makes sense because the current Towers are beasts because of the heat the G5 creates. The Intel processors create less heat.
Second, there are no new icons for new features, but all the main technologies introduced last year are shown. I do not know if that is what the leapard disk for OSX will look like, but 1) it looks similar to Tiger to me, and 2) if not TIger, could easily be faked.
Third, Apple would have sent the take down letter already.
Terrin
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Joined: Jan 2006
updated Macbook Pros?
08/03, 05:00pm reply
That keyboard looks pretty close to the edge on that silver laptop on the extreme right. Also the dock is closer compared to an existing 15" photo. I've been wishfully predicting that they'd update the Pro enclosure. I hope it's not just a smaller model, but also a case like the Macbook!
tirademan
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Joined: Aug 2006