Apple has posted two new firmware updates, addressing separate pieces of hardware. The iMac Graphics FW Update 1.0.2 fixes stability problems on iMacs running an ATI Radeon HD 2600 Pro video card, or else the Radeon HD 2400 XT. Systems must also be operating on Mac OS X 10.5.2 or later.
Apple has released a minor update to its flagship video editing suite, Final Cut Pro. The v6.0.6 patch addresses problems with real-time playback on early 2009 models of the Mac Pro and Xserve. Specifically, the hardware and software should now be better at handling complex sequences and/or formats which consume a lot of bandwidth. The update is a 19.15MB download, and requires Mac OS X 10.5.5.
Validating recent leaks, Apple has released two new Xserve models. The servers are sized to fit a 1U rack, and have been upgraded to Intel's Nehalem platform, which Apple claims can produce up to an 89 percent improvement in terms of performance per watt. The base model uses a single, 2.26GHz quad-core Xeon CPU, while the upper tier adds a second Xeon and allows scaling clock speed up to 2.93GHz.
Apple today has accidentally confirmed plans of its own to launch Xserve rackmount servers based on Xeon processors using Intel's Nehalem architecture. A Hong Kong product page (still active as of this writing) has a broken image link that asks users to "pre-order the new Xserve using Intel Xeon (Nehalem)" but doesn't take visitors to a relevant page. No specifications or other details have surfaced with the link itself.
The new Nehalem-based Xserves may launch in tandem with Mac OS X 10.5.7, investigation reveals. The evidence is said to lay within the most recent developer seed of v10.5.7, which contains an extension file called AppleTyMCEDriver. Inside is a machine identifier listed as "Xserve3,1;" the same identifier appears in a Nehalem-specific error message, which also mentions the most recent Mac Pro.
Apple will introduce an updated line of Xserves within the next few weeks, connected sources are said to claim. The servers, designed for 1U rackmounts, are also said to be based on Intel's Nehalem platform, specifically the Xeon 3500 and 5500 processors originally introduced with the latest Mac Pro. Should they mirror configurations of current Xserves, the new ones are predicted to be divided into single-processor 2.66, 2.93 and 3.2GHz models, alongside 2.26, 2.66, 2.8 and 2.93GHz dual-processor options.
Apple is ending most or all of its support for a host of older Macs, according to a memo issued to Apple Authorized Service Providers this week. Headlining the bulletin is a range of "obsolete" products, which Apple classifies as hardware that was discontinued over seven years ago; these include the PowerBook G4, and digital audio or Quicksilver models of the PowerMac G4 and Macintosh Server G4. As of March 17th, no support of any kind will be available for the obsolete systems, including replacement parts.
Problems with Mac OS X Server are causing some corporate networks to come to a crawl, complaints from network administrators indicate. The problem is believed to stem specifically from Apple File Protocol, as used by Mac OS X Leopard Server; whereas Leopard typically consumes only a portion of the CPU power on an Xserve, some administrators have noticed quad- and eight-core Xserves becoming non-functional due to AFP activity. CPU burden can become as bad as 800 percent, according to one complaint.
The senior VP of Apple's enterprise sales division is leaving the company and will not be replaced, reports claim. Al Shipp, said to have been with Apple since 2004, is departing for places and reasons unknown. His immediate subordinates will instead have to follow John Brandon, the senior VP of sales for the Americas and Asia-Pacific. These include Stuart Maclennan, a director of territory sales; David Puklin, a director of named accounts; and Ron Police, the VP for federal and governmental sales.
An ex-IBM chip design expert is expected join Apple next month, but is facing a lawsuit from his former employer that could block his employment with the Cupertino-based company. According to the complaint, former IBM executive Mark Papermaster will join in Apple as a senior executive in what could be an attempt to make new inroads into the server market and/or bolster the company's Xserve line up. Papermaster, expected to work closely with Apple CEO Steve Jobs, is being sued by IBM to block his employment at Apple and prevent him from divulging trade secrets related to IBM's Power chips and server products.
Atempo today announced Mac releases of its Atempo Digital Archive (ADA) and Digital Archive for Messaging (ADAM) software, with support for Apple's Xserve and Final Cut Server. ADA allows automated transfer of data from a primary disk to archives. End-users have access to a client interface, which lets them drag and drop files from source directories to archives.
As a part of its Q3 2008 financial results, Apple has posted explicit figures for sales by region, sector and product. The bulk of sales were of course in the Americas, where the company sold slightly over 1.1 million CPU units, producing a revenue of approximately $3.4 billion. The next-largest market was Europe, with 576,000 units and revenues of $1.6 billion. The retail sector, measured separately, is said to have accounted for 476,000 units, and revenue of $1.4 billion. Japan amounted to only 102,000 units and $365 million in revenue, but Apple supplemented this with $571 million from "other segments," including FileMaker and Asia Pacific streams.
ZDNet has announced what it says is the first tool for overclocking the Mac Pro. Windows options for overclocking are prevalent, but none have been available for the Mac Pro, according to ZDNet. It claims that the new software, called ZDNet Clock, is capable of speed increases of 15 to 20 percent, and most computers with 2.8GHz chips should be able to meet or exceed 3.2 GHz. The version 1.0 software supports Intel processors on a Mac Pro or Xserve and requires Max OS X 10.5; it is available for download now, free of charge.
Following only a day after the release of Parallels Server for Mac, Media Temple has begun a private beta of (xv) (Xserve-Virtual), a new hosting service. The company takes Parallels Server, and combines it with Apple's Xserve hardware to run virtualized copies of Mac OS X Leopard Server. The primary advantage of this is said to be lower price overhead than a dedicated Leopard server, while still retaining access to flexible resources.
Apple on Monday unveiled Xserve EFI Firmware Update 1.1 for Intel Xserve servers, stating that the patch offers users improved stability when applied. As with most recent Apple updates, little is revealed about what problems the update resolves; it is not known whether "stability improvements" refers to freezing, kernel panics, or other miscellaneous temporary failures. Xserve EFI Firmware Update 1.1 is available from Apple's support website, and through Software Update.
HighPoint Technologies recently announced a new firmware update to the RocketRAID 3522 SATA hardware RAID controller, which will support booting to Mac OS X on Apple Mac Pro and Xserve models released from (2006 through 2008). The RocketRAID 3522 is a PCI-Express x8 external hardware RAID controller with Intel IOP 341 (800MHz) RAID engine and will support up to 8 SATA hard drives.
Kingston today announced availability of 800MHz DDR2 fully buffered DIMMS, designed to fit in the new Mac Pro and Xserve computers, in 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB capacities. The memory comes in paired sets, which ultimately allow for 25.6GB per second transfer speeds when the Mac Pro is fully outfitted. As with all Kingston memory, each chip features a lifetime warranty. Kingston is selling the memory modules starting at $180 for the 2GB chips.
Despite today's unveiling of the Xsan 2 file system, Apple quietly discontinued the Xserve RAID platform, with any references to the hard drive system absent from the online store. The only mention of enterprise-level RAID hard drive products is that of the Promise VTrak system, for which Apple is also selling a number of service parts as well. The VTrak RAID systems range from 4.8TB to 16TB, and are configured with either SATA or SAS drives.
Nexsan has announced the the SATABeast Xi, a high density, energy efficient storage solution built and optimized for the Apple Xserve and Mac Pro. The solution offers up to 42TB of storage in 4U of rack space, and features AutoMAID (Massive Array of Idle Disks). This allows SATABeast Xi to place its disk drives in an idle state to conserve energy yet provide near-instantaneous access to data. The unit also offers dual function Fibre Channel and iSCSI connectivity at wire-speed performance. The SATABeast Xi is designed for primary storage of large data set applications like uncompressed, real-time HDTV as well as multi-stream and analog TV signals and video editing.
Apple's online store is once again offering reconditioned Xserve Quad Xeon server systems, as well as its Apple TV set top box at discounted rates. Refurbished Xserve 2.66GHz Quad Xeon servers each feature 1GB of memory, an 80GB hard drive, and Mac OS X Server 10.4 Unlimited-Client Edition for $2,999. Apple's faster Xserve 3.0GHz Quad Xeon servers with 1GB of memory, an 80GB hard, and Mac OS X Server 10.4 Unlimited-Client Edition are each available for $3,799. Reconditioned Apple TVs with 40GB and 160GB hard drives are also available for $229 and $339, respectively.
Alongside its iPod software updates, Apple has released Xserve Lights-Out Management Firmware Update 1.1 for its high-density, 1U rackmount server. The Xserve The update includes changes to the Lights-Out Management environment for the Intel-based Xserve. Apple said it addresses the intermittent issue that causes the LOM port to be unresponsive. This update is strongly recommended for all Intel-based Xserve systems. The Xserve Lights-Out Management Firmware Update 1.1 application will be installed into the "/Applications/Server" folder of the selected volume, according the documentation. Users must then run the firmware update application -- either through the Finder or via the command line-- to perform the update. The 780K download is available via the Web.
