Published 8/8/06
Apple announce Mac Pro
Apple have announced the new Mac Pro, the successor to the G5 Power Mac, completing their transition from Power PC processors to Intel chips across their entire range.
The new machine, which looks deceptively similar to the previous Power Mac G5, features quad-Xeon processors — two dual-core Intel Xeon processors — which run at up to 3GHz each. According to Apple, this will make it up to twice as fast as the current quad-G5 machine.
The Mac Pro has four hard drive bays, allowing up to two terabytes of internal storage, and there are slots for two Superdrive DVD writers. There are eight DIMM slots, allowing up to 16GB of RAM, as with the most recent G5 machines, and connections include a pair of Firewire 400 and 800 ports (one of each on the front and back), five USB 2.0 ports and two gigabit ethernet ports, as well as stereo analogue and digital audio inputs and outputs.
Graphics options include a 256MB Nvidia card, which comes as standard, as well as a choice of two 512MB cards, which can both run a pair of 30-inch screens. Extra graphics cards can be fitted, with a maximum of eight 20- or 23-inch screens possible. Prices for the Mac Pro will start at £1700 and will surely become permanent fixtures in studios over the coming months.
Also new from Apple is the forthcoming version of OS X — dubbed 'Leopard' but officially called OS X version 10.5. It's expected in the first half of 2007 and includes new features, such as Time Machine — an advanced backup tool that can find deleted files (which is perhaps best switched off!), and Spaces, which can organise your desktop for easier workflow. Interestingly, there's a new layer-based animation tool called Core Animation, which allows smooth, professional graphic effects to be made without extensive coding knowledge.
It's early days still, but so far, we haven't seen any major advantages for audio users. Keep an eye on the Apple web site for the latest.
www.apple.com/uk
The new machine, which looks deceptively similar to the previous Power Mac G5, features quad-Xeon processors — two dual-core Intel Xeon processors — which run at up to 3GHz each. According to Apple, this will make it up to twice as fast as the current quad-G5 machine.
The Mac Pro has four hard drive bays, allowing up to two terabytes of internal storage, and there are slots for two Superdrive DVD writers. There are eight DIMM slots, allowing up to 16GB of RAM, as with the most recent G5 machines, and connections include a pair of Firewire 400 and 800 ports (one of each on the front and back), five USB 2.0 ports and two gigabit ethernet ports, as well as stereo analogue and digital audio inputs and outputs.
Graphics options include a 256MB Nvidia card, which comes as standard, as well as a choice of two 512MB cards, which can both run a pair of 30-inch screens. Extra graphics cards can be fitted, with a maximum of eight 20- or 23-inch screens possible. Prices for the Mac Pro will start at £1700 and will surely become permanent fixtures in studios over the coming months.
Also new from Apple is the forthcoming version of OS X — dubbed 'Leopard' but officially called OS X version 10.5. It's expected in the first half of 2007 and includes new features, such as Time Machine — an advanced backup tool that can find deleted files (which is perhaps best switched off!), and Spaces, which can organise your desktop for easier workflow. Interestingly, there's a new layer-based animation tool called Core Animation, which allows smooth, professional graphic effects to be made without extensive coding knowledge.
It's early days still, but so far, we haven't seen any major advantages for audio users. Keep an eye on the Apple web site for the latest.
www.apple.com/uk
