Need help with your Mac, iPod or iPhone? Contact Victor Orly!
(310) 891-6820 x101 or email vicblog@orly.com
Major Upgrade Features Improved Interface, Faster Browsing & Enhanced Image Processing
CUPERTINO, California—February 12, 2008—Apple® today introduced Aperture™ 2, the next major release of its groundbreaking photo editing and management software with over 100 new features that make it faster, easier to use and more powerful. With a streamlined user interface and entirely new image processing engine, Aperture 2 also introduces new imaging tools for highlight recovery, color vibrancy, local contrast definition, soft-edged retouching, vignetting and RAW fine-tuning, and lets users directly post their portfolios on the .Mac Web Gallery* for viewing on the web, iPhone™, iPod® touch and Apple TV®. At a new low price of $199, anyone can easily organize, edit and publish photos like a pro.
“Many of the most respected photographers on assignment all over the world trust Aperture to organize, edit and deliver their images,” said Rob Schoeben, Apple’s vice president of Applications Product Marketing. “With its simpler interface and lower price, anyone can take full advantage of Aperture’s power.”
“At the end of the day, it’s all about the quality of the image,” said Sports Illustrated contributing photographer David Bergman. “Even before I begin making adjustments, Aperture’s new RAW processing gives me better images with more visible detail and better color rendering than any other program I’ve tested.”
“I used to have so much stress about post-production on a shoot, having to juggle multiple applications to make sure they all worked,” said Bob Davis, PDN Top Knots Wedding Photographer 2007. “With Aperture that’s no longer a factor. I can do everything all in one application.”
Featuring a new, easier user interface designed to be more intuitive and accessible, Aperture 2 now lets users navigate between Viewer and Browser modes with a single key command. Screen real estate is maximized for images with an all-in-one heads up display that allows users to toggle between library, metadata and adjustment controls in a single tabbed inspector. The All Projects view, modeled after iPhoto’s Events view, provides a poster photo for every project and the ability to quickly skim through the photos inside, and the integrated iPhoto® Browser offers direct access to all the events and images in the iPhoto library.
Performance has been enhanced in Aperture 2 so it’s faster to import, browse and search large volumes of images. Embedded previews let photographers caption, keyword and rate images as they are being imported, and with the ability to export images in the background, photographers can continue working while images are processed to JPEG, TIFF, PNG and PSD file formats. Quick Preview allows users to browse RAW images in rapid succession without having to wait for files to load, and the Aperture library database has been re-architected to provide fast project switching and near instantaneous search results, even when working with extremely large libraries of 500,000 images or more.
Aperture 2 delivers powerful new imaging tools for getting the most out of each photograph. Apple’s next-generation RAW image processing is at the core of Aperture 2 offering uncompromising image quality and precision controls that let users fine-tune the image profile for each of their cameras. New tools for improving and enhancing images include Recovery for pulling back “blown” highlights, Vibrancy for selectively boosting saturation without adversely affecting skin tones, Definition, which offers local contrast for adding clarity to images, Vignette & Devignette filters for providing professional visual effects and a true soft-edged Repair and Retouch brush for quickly and easily removing blemishes, cleaning up sensor dust and cloning away problem areas.
Aperture 2 works seamlessly with Mac OS® X, iLife®, iWork™, .Mac and Apple print products, so any image in the Aperture library can be accessed directly from within other applications, such as iMovie®, Keynote® and Pages®, and even from within Leopard™ Mail. Now with .Mac Web Gallery support, Aperture users can publish their photos once to view them on the web, iPhone, iPod touch and Apple TV. Books in Aperture 2 feature new theme designs, layout tools, customized dust jackets (including full-bleed) and foil stamped covers.
Pricing & Availability
Aperture 2 is available immediately for a suggested retail price of $199 (US) through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers. Owners of previous versions of Aperture can upgrade to Aperture 2 for just $99 (US). Full system requirements and more information on Aperture 2 can be found at www.apple.com/aperture.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Monday, February 11, 2008
Apple releases Mac OS X 10.5.2 Update
Need help with your Mac, iPod or iPhone? Contact Victor Orly!
(310) 891-6820 x101 or email vicblog@orly.com
Apple on Monday afternoon released Mac OS X 10.5.2, the second maintenance and security update to its relatively new Leopard operating system that delivers a plethora of improvements for both PowerPC- and Intel-based Macs.
As of press time, the update was available solely via the Mac OS X Software Update mechanism accessible from under the Apple menu. Once the 10.5.2 Update is applied, Software Update will then offer to download an install a separate graphics driver updated labeled "Leopard Graphics Update."A list of bug fixes and enhancements delivered with the 10.5.2 update are as follows:
Active Directory
Addresses issues which could hinder or prevent binding Mac OS X 10.5.x clients to Active Directory domains.
AirPort
Improves connection reliability and stability.
Includes 802.1X improvements.
Resolves certain kernel panics.
Back to my Mac
Adds support for more third-party routers, as detailed in this article.
Dashboard
Improves performance of certain Apple Dashboard widgets (such as Dictionary)
Addresses an issue in which Dashboard widgets may no longer be accessible after switching to or from an account that has Parental Controls enabled.
Dock
Updates Stacks with a List view option, a Folder view option, and an updated background for Grid view.
Desktop
Addresses legibility issues with the menu bar with an option to turn off transparency in Desktop & Screen Saver preferences.
Adjusts menus to be slightly-less translucent overall.
iCal
Improves iCal so that it accurately reflects responses to recurring meetings.
Addresses an issue in which a meeting may remain on the calendar after being canceled
Addresses stability issues related to .Mac syncing of iCal calendars.
Resolves an intermittent issue in which editing an event with attendees would cause the event to shrink and not register that the event was updated.
iChat
Addresses an issue with simultaneously-logged in accounts in which iChat sounds generated from one account might be heard in another account.
Fixes an issue in which iChat idle time is affected by Time Machine backups.
Improves connectivity when running iChat behind a router that doesn’t preserve ports
Enables logged chats from previous versions of iChat to open faster and more reliably
Addresses an issue with text chats in which users may be unable to receive messages from the sender.
Addresses an issue that may prevent rejoining an AIM chat room without reopening iChat
Addresses video chat compatibility issues with AIM 6 and third-party routers.
Fixes an issue with case-sensitivity of AIM handles.
iSync
Adds support for Samsung D600E and D900i phones.
Finder
Addresses an issue in which Finder could unexpectedly quit when displaying folder contents in Column view.
Addresses an issue in which Finder could unexpectedly quit when accessing Users and Groups in a Get Info pane.
Resolves an issue that prevented setting permissions on a folder alias.
Resolves an issue in which the Eject command could write to a disc in the optical drive.
Fixes an issue in which the scroll bar might disappear when deleting a file within a folder that includes files that are out of view.
Fixes an issue in the Sharing & Permissions section of Get Info windows, in which the gear icon appears to be gray/disabled after authentication.
Addresses an issue in which the Show Icon Preview preference might not be not saved when turning it off.
Fixes an issue that could occur when trying to print an image from the Finder.
Mail
Addresses an issue with Message menu's Mark > As Read choice.
Fixes an issue in which duplicate On My Mac folders may appear in the sidebar after upgrading to Leopard.
Improves the accuracy of the Data Detectors feature.
Resolves an issue with scrolling through a Note that is displayed using the split view in the message window.
Fixes an issue with deleting messages located in the Drafts folder.
Fixes an issue in which dragging the icon in the Safari URL field into a Mail message creates an attachment instead of a link.
Addresses an issue found when opening a item in the Notes folder that is not a Note
Fixes an issue that may prevent RSS feeds from being delivered in Mail.
Resolves an issue in which a selected message could "flash" from blue to gray when in Organize by Thread mode.
Fixes an issue with scrolling between multiple To Dos in an email message.
Fixes an issue in which the body of email messages with certain MIME structures may not be displayed.
Improves performance with America Online (AOL) account-based messages in Mail.
Addresses issues with some ISPs during automatic set-up in Mail.
Addresses an issue in which Mail might not send mail on some networks to some SMTP servers.
Mail now automatically disables the (unsupported) third-party plugin GrowlMail version 1.1.2 or earlier to avoid issues.
Adds an option to view large icons in the Mailbox list.
Networking
Addresses a hanging issue that may occur when connecting to an AFP network volume.
Parental Controls
Improves stability when opening the Parental Controls System Preferences pane.
Fixes an issue that may prevent changes to the email address for permission requests.
Addresses an issue with printer administration for a guest account enabled with Parental Controls.
Addresses an issue with setting printer administration privileges from another Mac on the local network.
Fixes an issue that could prevent certain applications from being allowed.
Addresses accuracy issues with the web content filter.
Preview
Improves stability when scrolling through a PDF document.
Fixes an issue that prevents tabbing within a PDF document after clicking on the PDF.
Improves the Mail Document feature so that email attachments are more reliably created from Print Preview.
Printing
Addresses an issue in which remote printers may be deleted when the computer is put to sleep.
Improves printing performance when using some Microsoft Office applications.
Resolves an issue with some printing options, such as landscape orientation, number of copies, two-sided printing, and so forth that may not have functioned with some printers shared by Microsoft Windows.
Adds support for certain printers connected to the USB port of an AirPort Extreme or AirPort Express base station.
Resolves a stalling issue that could occur when installing certain Canon printing software from a disc.
RAW Image
Adds RAW image support for several cameras, as detailed in this article.
Safari
Addresses issues with Safari reliably resolving certain domains.
Login and Setup Assistant
Addresses an issue in which Setup Assistant could unexpectedly appear each time Mac OS X 10.5 starts up.
Improves stability and performance during log in.
System
Improves the accuracy of the grammar checker.
The computer will now shut down if an automatic disk repair does not succeed during startup.
Time Machine
Adds a menu bar option for accessing Time Machine features (the menu extra can be enabled in Time Machine preferences).
Improves backup reliability when computer name contains slash or non-ASCII characters.
Fixes an issue in which the backup disk displayed in the Finder may be out of sync with the disk chosen for Time Machine.
Addresses issues in which some external drives are not recognized by Time Machine.
The status menu now appears by default.
Other
Improves general stability when running third-party applications.
Addresses an issue in which the incorrect search results may be displayed for certain Automator Find/Filter actions.
Addresses an issue with the Latvian and Russian keyboard layouts.
(310) 891-6820 x101 or email vicblog@orly.com
Apple on Monday afternoon released Mac OS X 10.5.2, the second maintenance and security update to its relatively new Leopard operating system that delivers a plethora of improvements for both PowerPC- and Intel-based Macs.
As of press time, the update was available solely via the Mac OS X Software Update mechanism accessible from under the Apple menu. Once the 10.5.2 Update is applied, Software Update will then offer to download an install a separate graphics driver updated labeled "Leopard Graphics Update."A list of bug fixes and enhancements delivered with the 10.5.2 update are as follows:
Active Directory
Addresses issues which could hinder or prevent binding Mac OS X 10.5.x clients to Active Directory domains.
AirPort
Improves connection reliability and stability.
Includes 802.1X improvements.
Resolves certain kernel panics.
Back to my Mac
Adds support for more third-party routers, as detailed in this article.
Dashboard
Improves performance of certain Apple Dashboard widgets (such as Dictionary)
Addresses an issue in which Dashboard widgets may no longer be accessible after switching to or from an account that has Parental Controls enabled.
Dock
Updates Stacks with a List view option, a Folder view option, and an updated background for Grid view.
Desktop
Addresses legibility issues with the menu bar with an option to turn off transparency in Desktop & Screen Saver preferences.
Adjusts menus to be slightly-less translucent overall.
iCal
Improves iCal so that it accurately reflects responses to recurring meetings.
Addresses an issue in which a meeting may remain on the calendar after being canceled
Addresses stability issues related to .Mac syncing of iCal calendars.
Resolves an intermittent issue in which editing an event with attendees would cause the event to shrink and not register that the event was updated.
iChat
Addresses an issue with simultaneously-logged in accounts in which iChat sounds generated from one account might be heard in another account.
Fixes an issue in which iChat idle time is affected by Time Machine backups.
Improves connectivity when running iChat behind a router that doesn’t preserve ports
Enables logged chats from previous versions of iChat to open faster and more reliably
Addresses an issue with text chats in which users may be unable to receive messages from the sender.
Addresses an issue that may prevent rejoining an AIM chat room without reopening iChat
Addresses video chat compatibility issues with AIM 6 and third-party routers.
Fixes an issue with case-sensitivity of AIM handles.
iSync
Adds support for Samsung D600E and D900i phones.
Finder
Addresses an issue in which Finder could unexpectedly quit when displaying folder contents in Column view.
Addresses an issue in which Finder could unexpectedly quit when accessing Users and Groups in a Get Info pane.
Resolves an issue that prevented setting permissions on a folder alias.
Resolves an issue in which the Eject command could write to a disc in the optical drive.
Fixes an issue in which the scroll bar might disappear when deleting a file within a folder that includes files that are out of view.
Fixes an issue in the Sharing & Permissions section of Get Info windows, in which the gear icon appears to be gray/disabled after authentication.
Addresses an issue in which the Show Icon Preview preference might not be not saved when turning it off.
Fixes an issue that could occur when trying to print an image from the Finder.
Addresses an issue with Message menu's Mark > As Read choice.
Fixes an issue in which duplicate On My Mac folders may appear in the sidebar after upgrading to Leopard.
Improves the accuracy of the Data Detectors feature.
Resolves an issue with scrolling through a Note that is displayed using the split view in the message window.
Fixes an issue with deleting messages located in the Drafts folder.
Fixes an issue in which dragging the icon in the Safari URL field into a Mail message creates an attachment instead of a link.
Addresses an issue found when opening a item in the Notes folder that is not a Note
Fixes an issue that may prevent RSS feeds from being delivered in Mail.
Resolves an issue in which a selected message could "flash" from blue to gray when in Organize by Thread mode.
Fixes an issue with scrolling between multiple To Dos in an email message.
Fixes an issue in which the body of email messages with certain MIME structures may not be displayed.
Improves performance with America Online (AOL) account-based messages in Mail.
Addresses issues with some ISPs during automatic set-up in Mail.
Addresses an issue in which Mail might not send mail on some networks to some SMTP servers.
Mail now automatically disables the (unsupported) third-party plugin GrowlMail version 1.1.2 or earlier to avoid issues.
Adds an option to view large icons in the Mailbox list.
Networking
Addresses a hanging issue that may occur when connecting to an AFP network volume.
Parental Controls
Improves stability when opening the Parental Controls System Preferences pane.
Fixes an issue that may prevent changes to the email address for permission requests.
Addresses an issue with printer administration for a guest account enabled with Parental Controls.
Addresses an issue with setting printer administration privileges from another Mac on the local network.
Fixes an issue that could prevent certain applications from being allowed.
Addresses accuracy issues with the web content filter.
Preview
Improves stability when scrolling through a PDF document.
Fixes an issue that prevents tabbing within a PDF document after clicking on the PDF.
Improves the Mail Document feature so that email attachments are more reliably created from Print Preview.
Printing
Addresses an issue in which remote printers may be deleted when the computer is put to sleep.
Improves printing performance when using some Microsoft Office applications.
Resolves an issue with some printing options, such as landscape orientation, number of copies, two-sided printing, and so forth that may not have functioned with some printers shared by Microsoft Windows.
Adds support for certain printers connected to the USB port of an AirPort Extreme or AirPort Express base station.
Resolves a stalling issue that could occur when installing certain Canon printing software from a disc.
RAW Image
Adds RAW image support for several cameras, as detailed in this article.
Safari
Addresses issues with Safari reliably resolving certain domains.
Login and Setup Assistant
Addresses an issue in which Setup Assistant could unexpectedly appear each time Mac OS X 10.5 starts up.
Improves stability and performance during log in.
System
Improves the accuracy of the grammar checker.
The computer will now shut down if an automatic disk repair does not succeed during startup.
Time Machine
Adds a menu bar option for accessing Time Machine features (the menu extra can be enabled in Time Machine preferences).
Improves backup reliability when computer name contains slash or non-ASCII characters.
Fixes an issue in which the backup disk displayed in the Finder may be out of sync with the disk chosen for Time Machine.
Addresses issues in which some external drives are not recognized by Time Machine.
The status menu now appears by default.
Other
Improves general stability when running third-party applications.
Addresses an issue in which the incorrect search results may be displayed for certain Automator Find/Filter actions.
Addresses an issue with the Latvian and Russian keyboard layouts.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Apple launches 16GB iPhone, 32GB iPod touch
Need help with your Mac, iPod or iPhone? Contact Victor Orly!
(310) 891-6820 x101 or email vicblog@orly.com
Apple today doubled the capacity of its touchscreen media devices, releasing both a 16GB iPhone as well as a 32GB variant of the iPod touch. The new capacities allow fewer sacrifices for owners who want to carry as much media as possible. "For some users, there's never enough memory," Apple Worldwide iPod and iPhone Product Marketing VP Greg Joswiak says. On the iPod touch, the new storage level allows as many as 7,000 songs or 40 hours of nonstop video; the iPhone now holds half as much in exchange for its cellular functions, which remain unchanged from the original 8GB model.
Both capacities act as supersets of the existing capacities, which remain available; both the 16GB iPhone and the 32GB iPod touch sell for $499 and are ready to order immediately from the online Apple Store.
(310) 891-6820 x101 or email vicblog@orly.com
Apple today doubled the capacity of its touchscreen media devices, releasing both a 16GB iPhone as well as a 32GB variant of the iPod touch. The new capacities allow fewer sacrifices for owners who want to carry as much media as possible. "For some users, there's never enough memory," Apple Worldwide iPod and iPhone Product Marketing VP Greg Joswiak says. On the iPod touch, the new storage level allows as many as 7,000 songs or 40 hours of nonstop video; the iPhone now holds half as much in exchange for its cellular functions, which remain unchanged from the original 8GB model.
Both capacities act as supersets of the existing capacities, which remain available; both the 16GB iPhone and the 32GB iPod touch sell for $499 and are ready to order immediately from the online Apple Store.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Wired claims last-minute "MacBook Air" details
Need help with your Mac? Contact Victor Orly!
(310) 891-6820 x101 or email vicblog@orly.com
An alleged insider at a third-party vendor is said by Wired to have fresh details on the rumored 'MacBook Air' sub-notebook just hours before its unveiling at Macworld San Francisco.
In its description, the magazine's Gadget Lab blog describes the lightweight notebook as teardrop-shaped when shut, thickening towards the hinge of the system but thinning near the edges -- and remaining "unbelievably" thin overall, according to the source.
The system, according to the source, shares the same aluminum and glass construction of the iMac with black accents on a silver frame.
The tip also suggests that the MacBook Air name refers not just to the computer's slender design but also an apparent dependence on wireless: it may drop Ethernet altogether in favor of Wi-Fi or "other wireless technology," the purported source said, though it's unknown whether this would involve AT&T's 3G (third-generation) service, Sprint's Intel-derived WiMAX network, or any service at all.
In recent days, AppleInsider has received similar descriptions, though it has been unable to confirm the authenticity of those reports.
According to one submission, the notebook sports "very thin edges" with a slightly thicker body that "curves to the sides at the edges," producing a slimming effect akin to the rear design of the new aluminum iMacs.
The submission went on to say that the front of the notebook appears to be no more than 3/16th of an inch thick when closed and that the right side of the unit is void of any ports with the exception of an unknown slot.
Both the keyboard and trackpad are said to closely mirror those of Apple's existing MacBook, and the "Air" in the bezel logo is said to use a lighter font than the preceding "MacBook."
Again, AppleInsider has so far been unable to authenticate these latest claims, though numerous details -- such as first word of the subnotebook format's return, its use of a 13-inch display, and its Macworld Expo debut -- have all been published in a series of reports dating as far back as February of last year.
Multi-touch is also suggested for the display, though this too remains a mystery.
(310) 891-6820 x101 or email vicblog@orly.com
An alleged insider at a third-party vendor is said by Wired to have fresh details on the rumored 'MacBook Air' sub-notebook just hours before its unveiling at Macworld San Francisco.
In its description, the magazine's Gadget Lab blog describes the lightweight notebook as teardrop-shaped when shut, thickening towards the hinge of the system but thinning near the edges -- and remaining "unbelievably" thin overall, according to the source.
The system, according to the source, shares the same aluminum and glass construction of the iMac with black accents on a silver frame.
The tip also suggests that the MacBook Air name refers not just to the computer's slender design but also an apparent dependence on wireless: it may drop Ethernet altogether in favor of Wi-Fi or "other wireless technology," the purported source said, though it's unknown whether this would involve AT&T's 3G (third-generation) service, Sprint's Intel-derived WiMAX network, or any service at all.
In recent days, AppleInsider has received similar descriptions, though it has been unable to confirm the authenticity of those reports.
According to one submission, the notebook sports "very thin edges" with a slightly thicker body that "curves to the sides at the edges," producing a slimming effect akin to the rear design of the new aluminum iMacs.
The submission went on to say that the front of the notebook appears to be no more than 3/16th of an inch thick when closed and that the right side of the unit is void of any ports with the exception of an unknown slot.
Both the keyboard and trackpad are said to closely mirror those of Apple's existing MacBook, and the "Air" in the bezel logo is said to use a lighter font than the preceding "MacBook."
Again, AppleInsider has so far been unable to authenticate these latest claims, though numerous details -- such as first word of the subnotebook format's return, its use of a 13-inch display, and its Macworld Expo debut -- have all been published in a series of reports dating as far back as February of last year.
Multi-touch is also suggested for the display, though this too remains a mystery.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
The Untold Story: How the iPhone Blew Up the Wireless Industry
Need help with your Mac? Contact Victor Orly!
(310) 891-6820 x101 or email vicblog@orly.com
It was a late morning in the fall of 2006. Almost a year earlier, Steve Jobs had tasked about 200 of Apple's top engineers with creating the iPhone. Yet here, in Apple's boardroom, it was clear that the prototype was still a disaster. It wasn't just buggy, it flat-out didn't work. The phone dropped calls constantly, the battery stopped charging before it was full, data and applications routinely became corrupted and unusable. The list of problems seemed endless. At the end of the demo, Jobs fixed the dozen or so people in the room with a level stare and said, "We don't have a product yet."
The effect was even more terrifying than one of Jobs' trademark tantrums. When the Apple chief screamed at his staff, it was scary but familiar. This time, his relative calm was unnerving. "It was one of the few times at Apple when I got a chill," says someone who was in the meeting.
The ramifications were serious. The iPhone was to be the centerpiece of Apple's annual Macworld convention, set to take place in just a few months. Since his return to Apple in 1997, Jobs had used the event as a showcase to launch his biggest products, and Apple-watchers were expecting another dramatic announcement. Jobs had already admitted that Leopard — the new version of Apple's operating system — would be delayed. If the iPhone wasn't ready in time, Macworld would be a dud, Jobs' critics would pounce, and Apple's stock price could suffer.
Click the link for the entire story.....
(310) 891-6820 x101 or email vicblog@orly.com
It was a late morning in the fall of 2006. Almost a year earlier, Steve Jobs had tasked about 200 of Apple's top engineers with creating the iPhone. Yet here, in Apple's boardroom, it was clear that the prototype was still a disaster. It wasn't just buggy, it flat-out didn't work. The phone dropped calls constantly, the battery stopped charging before it was full, data and applications routinely became corrupted and unusable. The list of problems seemed endless. At the end of the demo, Jobs fixed the dozen or so people in the room with a level stare and said, "We don't have a product yet."
The effect was even more terrifying than one of Jobs' trademark tantrums. When the Apple chief screamed at his staff, it was scary but familiar. This time, his relative calm was unnerving. "It was one of the few times at Apple when I got a chill," says someone who was in the meeting.
The ramifications were serious. The iPhone was to be the centerpiece of Apple's annual Macworld convention, set to take place in just a few months. Since his return to Apple in 1997, Jobs had used the event as a showcase to launch his biggest products, and Apple-watchers were expecting another dramatic announcement. Jobs had already admitted that Leopard — the new version of Apple's operating system — would be delayed. If the iPhone wasn't ready in time, Macworld would be a dud, Jobs' critics would pounce, and Apple's stock price could suffer.
Click the link for the entire story.....
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Apple Introduces New Mac Pro
Need help with your Mac? Contact Victor Orly!
(310) 891-6820 x101 or email vicblog@orly.com
Fastest Mac Ever—Eight Processor Cores Standard
CUPERTINO, California—January 8, 2008—Apple® today introduced the new Mac® Pro with eight processor cores and a new system architecture that delivers up to twice the performance of its predecessor*. The new Mac Pro combines two of Intel’s new 45 nanometer Quad-Core Xeon processors running up to 3.2 GHz, powerful new graphics and up to 4TB of internal storage to offer the ideal system for creative professionals, 3D digital content creators and scientists. The standard 8-core configuration starts at just $2,799.
“The new Mac Pro is the fastest Mac we’ve ever made,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “With 3.2 GHz 8-core Xeon processing, a 1600 MHz front side bus and 800 MHz memory, the new Mac Pro uses the fastest Intel Xeon architecture on the market.”
The new Mac Pro features the latest Quad-Core Intel Xeon 5400 series processors based on state-of-the-art 45nm Intel Core microarchitecture running up to 3.2 GHz, each with 12MB of L2 cache per processor for breakthrough performance and power efficiency. With a new high-bandwidth hardware architecture, dual-independent 1600 MHz front side buses and up to 32GB of 800 MHz DDR2 ECC FB-DIMM memory, the new Mac Pro achieves a 61 percent increase in memory throughput**.
Every Mac Pro comes standard with the ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT graphics card with 256MB of video memory. The Mac Pro includes a new PCI Express 2.0 graphics slot that delivers up to double the bandwidth compared to the previous generation, and supports the latest generation of graphics cards from NVIDIA, such as the NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT with 512MB of video memory, or NVIDIA Quadro FX 5600 with 1.5GB of video memory and a 3-D stereo port for stereo-in-a-window applications. With support for up to four graphics cards, the new Mac Pro can drive up to eight 30-inch displays at once for advanced visualization and large display walls.
The Mac Pro is the most expandable Mac ever, featuring four internal hard drive bays with direct-attach, cable-free installation of four 1TB Serial ATA hard drives, totaling 4TB of internal storage and support for two SuperDrives. With optional 15000 rpm SAS drives that can deliver up to 250MB/s of RAID 5 disk I/O performance, the Mac Pro is ideal for film and video editors. Combined with SATA or SAS drives, using an optional Mac Pro RAID card offers the ultimate data protection and disk I/O performance on the Mac Pro. The Mac Pro is easily and conveniently accessible in front and back so users can connect external devices with five USB 2.0, two FireWire® 400, two FireWire 800, optical and analog audio in and out, dual Gigabit Ethernet ports and a headphone jack.
Every Mac Pro includes Leopard™, the sixth major release of the world’s most advanced operating system. Leopard is packed with more than 300 new features and introduces a brand new desktop with Stacks, a new way to easily access files from the Dock; a redesigned Finder that lets users quickly browse and share files between multiple Macs; Quick Look, a new way to instantly see files without opening an application; Spaces, an intuitive new feature used to create groups of applications and instantly switch between them; and Time Machine™, an effortless way to automatically back up everything on a Mac. Featuring an improved scheduler and other multi-core technology, Leopard is a perfect companion to the Mac Pro, making applications faster and helping application developers take advantage of multi-core systems.
The new ultra-thin aluminum Apple Keyboard now ships with every Mac Pro and built-in Bluetooth 2.0 makes it easy to reduce cable clutter with the optional Apple Wireless Keyboard and Apple Wireless Mouse.
Pricing & Availability
The new Mac Pro is shipping today and will be available through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers.
The standard 8-core Mac Pro, with a suggested retail price of $2,799 (US), includes:
* two 2.8 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon processors with dual-independent 1600 MHz front side buses;
* 2GB of 800 MHz DDR2 ECC fully-buffered DIMM memory, expandable up to 32GB;
* ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT with 256MB of GDDR3 memory;
* 320GB Serial ATA 3Gb/s hard drive running at 7200 rpm;
* 16x SuperDrive™ with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW);
* two PCI Express 2.0 slots and two PCI Express slots;
* Bluetooth 2.0+EDR; and
* ships with Apple Keyboard and Mighty Mouse.
In addition to the standard configuration, the Mac Pro offers numerous build-to-order options including: one 2.8 GHz, two 3.0 GHz, or two 3.2 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon processors; up to 32GB of 800 MHz DDR2 fully-buffered ECC memory; up to four 1TB Serial ATA hard drives running at 7200 rpm or up to four 300GB SAS drives running at 15000 rpm; Mac Pro RAID card; up to two 16x SuperDrives with double-layer support; NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT or NVIDIA Quadro FX 5600 graphics cards; AirPort Extreme 802.11n; Apple USB Modem; Apple wireless Aluminum Keyboard; Apple wireless Mighty Mouse; and Mac OS X Server Leopard. Complete build-to-order options and pricing are available at www.apple.com/macpro.
*Based on estimated results comparing a preproduction 2.8 GHz 8-core Mac Pro with a 2.66 GHz Quad-Core Mac Pro running professional applications like Maya, modo and Logic® Pro.
**Testing conducted by Apple in December 2007 using a preproduction 2.8 GHz 8-core Mac Pro with a 2.66 GHz quad-core Mac Pro. All systems were configured with 4GB of RAM. Results are based on the STREAM v. 5.6 benchmark (www.cs.virginia.edu/stream/ref.html) using OMP support for multiprocessor-compiled builds. All systems were configured with 8GB of RAM. Performance tests are conducted using specific computer systems and reflect the approximate performance of Mac Pro.
(310) 891-6820 x101 or email vicblog@orly.com
Fastest Mac Ever—Eight Processor Cores Standard
CUPERTINO, California—January 8, 2008—Apple® today introduced the new Mac® Pro with eight processor cores and a new system architecture that delivers up to twice the performance of its predecessor*. The new Mac Pro combines two of Intel’s new 45 nanometer Quad-Core Xeon processors running up to 3.2 GHz, powerful new graphics and up to 4TB of internal storage to offer the ideal system for creative professionals, 3D digital content creators and scientists. The standard 8-core configuration starts at just $2,799.
“The new Mac Pro is the fastest Mac we’ve ever made,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “With 3.2 GHz 8-core Xeon processing, a 1600 MHz front side bus and 800 MHz memory, the new Mac Pro uses the fastest Intel Xeon architecture on the market.”
The new Mac Pro features the latest Quad-Core Intel Xeon 5400 series processors based on state-of-the-art 45nm Intel Core microarchitecture running up to 3.2 GHz, each with 12MB of L2 cache per processor for breakthrough performance and power efficiency. With a new high-bandwidth hardware architecture, dual-independent 1600 MHz front side buses and up to 32GB of 800 MHz DDR2 ECC FB-DIMM memory, the new Mac Pro achieves a 61 percent increase in memory throughput**.
Every Mac Pro comes standard with the ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT graphics card with 256MB of video memory. The Mac Pro includes a new PCI Express 2.0 graphics slot that delivers up to double the bandwidth compared to the previous generation, and supports the latest generation of graphics cards from NVIDIA, such as the NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT with 512MB of video memory, or NVIDIA Quadro FX 5600 with 1.5GB of video memory and a 3-D stereo port for stereo-in-a-window applications. With support for up to four graphics cards, the new Mac Pro can drive up to eight 30-inch displays at once for advanced visualization and large display walls.
The Mac Pro is the most expandable Mac ever, featuring four internal hard drive bays with direct-attach, cable-free installation of four 1TB Serial ATA hard drives, totaling 4TB of internal storage and support for two SuperDrives. With optional 15000 rpm SAS drives that can deliver up to 250MB/s of RAID 5 disk I/O performance, the Mac Pro is ideal for film and video editors. Combined with SATA or SAS drives, using an optional Mac Pro RAID card offers the ultimate data protection and disk I/O performance on the Mac Pro. The Mac Pro is easily and conveniently accessible in front and back so users can connect external devices with five USB 2.0, two FireWire® 400, two FireWire 800, optical and analog audio in and out, dual Gigabit Ethernet ports and a headphone jack.
Every Mac Pro includes Leopard™, the sixth major release of the world’s most advanced operating system. Leopard is packed with more than 300 new features and introduces a brand new desktop with Stacks, a new way to easily access files from the Dock; a redesigned Finder that lets users quickly browse and share files between multiple Macs; Quick Look, a new way to instantly see files without opening an application; Spaces, an intuitive new feature used to create groups of applications and instantly switch between them; and Time Machine™, an effortless way to automatically back up everything on a Mac. Featuring an improved scheduler and other multi-core technology, Leopard is a perfect companion to the Mac Pro, making applications faster and helping application developers take advantage of multi-core systems.
The new ultra-thin aluminum Apple Keyboard now ships with every Mac Pro and built-in Bluetooth 2.0 makes it easy to reduce cable clutter with the optional Apple Wireless Keyboard and Apple Wireless Mouse.
Pricing & Availability
The new Mac Pro is shipping today and will be available through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers.
The standard 8-core Mac Pro, with a suggested retail price of $2,799 (US), includes:
* two 2.8 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon processors with dual-independent 1600 MHz front side buses;
* 2GB of 800 MHz DDR2 ECC fully-buffered DIMM memory, expandable up to 32GB;
* ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT with 256MB of GDDR3 memory;
* 320GB Serial ATA 3Gb/s hard drive running at 7200 rpm;
* 16x SuperDrive™ with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW);
* two PCI Express 2.0 slots and two PCI Express slots;
* Bluetooth 2.0+EDR; and
* ships with Apple Keyboard and Mighty Mouse.
In addition to the standard configuration, the Mac Pro offers numerous build-to-order options including: one 2.8 GHz, two 3.0 GHz, or two 3.2 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon processors; up to 32GB of 800 MHz DDR2 fully-buffered ECC memory; up to four 1TB Serial ATA hard drives running at 7200 rpm or up to four 300GB SAS drives running at 15000 rpm; Mac Pro RAID card; up to two 16x SuperDrives with double-layer support; NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT or NVIDIA Quadro FX 5600 graphics cards; AirPort Extreme 802.11n; Apple USB Modem; Apple wireless Aluminum Keyboard; Apple wireless Mighty Mouse; and Mac OS X Server Leopard. Complete build-to-order options and pricing are available at www.apple.com/macpro.
*Based on estimated results comparing a preproduction 2.8 GHz 8-core Mac Pro with a 2.66 GHz Quad-Core Mac Pro running professional applications like Maya, modo and Logic® Pro.
**Testing conducted by Apple in December 2007 using a preproduction 2.8 GHz 8-core Mac Pro with a 2.66 GHz quad-core Mac Pro. All systems were configured with 4GB of RAM. Results are based on the STREAM v. 5.6 benchmark (www.cs.virginia.edu/stream/ref.html) using OMP support for multiprocessor-compiled builds. All systems were configured with 8GB of RAM. Performance tests are conducted using specific computer systems and reflect the approximate performance of Mac Pro.
Apple Introduces New Xserve
Need help with your Mac? Contact Victor Orly!
(310) 891-6820 x101 or email vicblog@orly.com
CUPERTINO, California—January 8, 2008—Apple® today introduced the new Xserve®, a 1U rack-optimized server that is up to twice as fast as its predecessor* and includes an unlimited client license for Mac OS® X Server Leopard™. Starting at just $2,999, the new Xserve has up to two Quad-Core 3.0 GHz Intel Xeon processors for 8-core performance, a new server architecture, faster front side buses, faster memory, up to 3TB of internal storage and two PCI Express 2.0 expansion slots for greater performance and flexibility.
“With the latest Intel processors and no client access licenses, Xserve offers unbeatable server performance and value for under $3,000,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “Xserve’s power, storage and Leopard Server make it ideal for supporting Mac clients and mixed platform workgroups.”
Xserve is configurable with up to two Quad-Core Intel Xeon 5400 series processors running up to 3.0 GHz with 12MB of L2 cache per processor and features a new high-bandwidth hardware architecture, dual-independent 1600 MHz front side buses and up to 32GB of 800 MHz DDR2 ECC FB-DIMM memory for a 64 percent increase in memory throughput**. Two PCI Express 2.0 expansion slots provide up to four times the I/O bandwidth of the previous Xserve to support the latest high-bandwidth expansion cards including multi-channel 4Gb Fibre channel and 10Gb Ethernet cards.
Xserve now includes built-in accelerated graphics to drive up to a 23-inch Apple Cinema Display® and a new front-facing USB 2.0 port. Using Apple’s Server Monitor, an administrator can remotely turn Xserve on or off and manage server software from anywhere on the network. Each of Xserve’s three drive bays can be configured with 73GB or 300GB SAS drives or 80GB and 1TB SATA drives, providing a mix of high performance and vast storage capabilities for a wide range of server applications. Apple offers a hardware RAID card option that delivers hardware RAID levels 0, 1 and 5 with 256MB of cache and an included backup battery for up to 72 hours of cached data protection. The Xserve RAID card delivers up to 251MB/s RAID 5 performance*** for the most demanding server workloads, without using a valuable PCI Express expansion slot.
The new Xserve improves energy efficiency with Intel’s 45 nanometer core microarchitecture technology. The processors draw a maximum consumption of 80W, and drop as low as 4W when idle. Power supplies exceed Energy Star recommendations from the US Department of Energy and Apple’s thermal management technology cools the systems efficiently in a wide variety of environments while reducing power consumption.
Every Xserve ships with a preinstalled, unlimited client edition of Leopard Server software, offering true 64-bit support, easy-to-use management tools and support for Mac®, Linux and Windows clients. Leopard Server is fully UNIX compliant and extends Apple’s legendary ease of use by introducing over 250 new features, including Podcast Producer, the ideal way to automatically publish podcasts to iTunes® or the web; Wiki Server, allowing people to collaboratively create and modify their shared web sites with just a few clicks; and iCal® Server, the world’s first commercial CalDAV standard-based calendar server.
Pricing & Availability
The new Xserve is shipping today and will be available through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com) and Apple Authorized Resellers.
The Xserve standard configuration, with a suggested retail price of $2,999 (US), includes:
* a single 64-bit 2.8 GHz Quad-Core Xeon processor with 12MB of L2 cache and a 1600 Mhz front side bus;
* 2GB of 800 MHz DDR2 ECC FB-DIMM RAM, expandable up to 32GB;
* a single 80GB SATA Apple Drive Module;
* dual Gigabit Ethernet on-board;
* internal graphics;
* two FireWire® 800 and three USB 2.0 ports; and
* an unlimited client license for Mac OS X Server version 10.5 Leopard.
In addition to the standard configuration, Xserve offers numerous build-to-order options and accessories including: dual 2.8 or 3.0 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon processors; 80GB and 1TB 7200 rpm SATA or 73GB or 300GB 15,000rpm SAS Apple Drive Modules; internal Xserve RAID card; Gigabit Ethernet, 4Gb Fibre Channel and U320 SCSI expansion card options, and a 750W redundant power supply.
*Based on industry-standard SPEC jbb 2005 benchmark tests conducted by Apple in December 2007 using preproduction 3.0 GHz 8-Core Xserve units and shipping 3.0 GHz Quad-Core Xserve units. SPEC is a registered trademark of the Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation (SPEC); see www.spec.org for more information. Performance tests are conducted using specific computer systems and reflect the approximate performance of Xserve.
**Testing conducted by Apple in December 2007 using preproduction 3.0 GHz 8-Core Xeon-based Xserve units and shipping 3.0 GHz Quad-Core Xserve units. All systems were configured with 8GB of RAM. Results are based on the STREAM v. 5.6 benchmark (www.cs.virginia.edu/stream/ref.html) using OMP support for multiprocessor-compiled builds. Performance tests are conducted using specific computer systems and reflect the approximate performance of Xserve.
***Testing by Apple in December 2007 using preproduction 3.0 GHz 8-core Xeon-based Xserve units configured with Xserve RAID card. Testing conducted using Iometer 2006.07.27 with a 30-sec ramp-up, 5-min run, 512KB request size, and 4 outstanding IOs. System configured with the OS and test volume on a single RAID volume. Performance tests are conducted using specific computer systems and reflect the approximate performance of Xserve RAID Card.
(310) 891-6820 x101 or email vicblog@orly.com
CUPERTINO, California—January 8, 2008—Apple® today introduced the new Xserve®, a 1U rack-optimized server that is up to twice as fast as its predecessor* and includes an unlimited client license for Mac OS® X Server Leopard™. Starting at just $2,999, the new Xserve has up to two Quad-Core 3.0 GHz Intel Xeon processors for 8-core performance, a new server architecture, faster front side buses, faster memory, up to 3TB of internal storage and two PCI Express 2.0 expansion slots for greater performance and flexibility.
“With the latest Intel processors and no client access licenses, Xserve offers unbeatable server performance and value for under $3,000,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “Xserve’s power, storage and Leopard Server make it ideal for supporting Mac clients and mixed platform workgroups.”
Xserve is configurable with up to two Quad-Core Intel Xeon 5400 series processors running up to 3.0 GHz with 12MB of L2 cache per processor and features a new high-bandwidth hardware architecture, dual-independent 1600 MHz front side buses and up to 32GB of 800 MHz DDR2 ECC FB-DIMM memory for a 64 percent increase in memory throughput**. Two PCI Express 2.0 expansion slots provide up to four times the I/O bandwidth of the previous Xserve to support the latest high-bandwidth expansion cards including multi-channel 4Gb Fibre channel and 10Gb Ethernet cards.
Xserve now includes built-in accelerated graphics to drive up to a 23-inch Apple Cinema Display® and a new front-facing USB 2.0 port. Using Apple’s Server Monitor, an administrator can remotely turn Xserve on or off and manage server software from anywhere on the network. Each of Xserve’s three drive bays can be configured with 73GB or 300GB SAS drives or 80GB and 1TB SATA drives, providing a mix of high performance and vast storage capabilities for a wide range of server applications. Apple offers a hardware RAID card option that delivers hardware RAID levels 0, 1 and 5 with 256MB of cache and an included backup battery for up to 72 hours of cached data protection. The Xserve RAID card delivers up to 251MB/s RAID 5 performance*** for the most demanding server workloads, without using a valuable PCI Express expansion slot.
The new Xserve improves energy efficiency with Intel’s 45 nanometer core microarchitecture technology. The processors draw a maximum consumption of 80W, and drop as low as 4W when idle. Power supplies exceed Energy Star recommendations from the US Department of Energy and Apple’s thermal management technology cools the systems efficiently in a wide variety of environments while reducing power consumption.
Every Xserve ships with a preinstalled, unlimited client edition of Leopard Server software, offering true 64-bit support, easy-to-use management tools and support for Mac®, Linux and Windows clients. Leopard Server is fully UNIX compliant and extends Apple’s legendary ease of use by introducing over 250 new features, including Podcast Producer, the ideal way to automatically publish podcasts to iTunes® or the web; Wiki Server, allowing people to collaboratively create and modify their shared web sites with just a few clicks; and iCal® Server, the world’s first commercial CalDAV standard-based calendar server.
Pricing & Availability
The new Xserve is shipping today and will be available through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com) and Apple Authorized Resellers.
The Xserve standard configuration, with a suggested retail price of $2,999 (US), includes:
* a single 64-bit 2.8 GHz Quad-Core Xeon processor with 12MB of L2 cache and a 1600 Mhz front side bus;
* 2GB of 800 MHz DDR2 ECC FB-DIMM RAM, expandable up to 32GB;
* a single 80GB SATA Apple Drive Module;
* dual Gigabit Ethernet on-board;
* internal graphics;
* two FireWire® 800 and three USB 2.0 ports; and
* an unlimited client license for Mac OS X Server version 10.5 Leopard.
In addition to the standard configuration, Xserve offers numerous build-to-order options and accessories including: dual 2.8 or 3.0 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon processors; 80GB and 1TB 7200 rpm SATA or 73GB or 300GB 15,000rpm SAS Apple Drive Modules; internal Xserve RAID card; Gigabit Ethernet, 4Gb Fibre Channel and U320 SCSI expansion card options, and a 750W redundant power supply.
*Based on industry-standard SPEC jbb 2005 benchmark tests conducted by Apple in December 2007 using preproduction 3.0 GHz 8-Core Xserve units and shipping 3.0 GHz Quad-Core Xserve units. SPEC is a registered trademark of the Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation (SPEC); see www.spec.org for more information. Performance tests are conducted using specific computer systems and reflect the approximate performance of Xserve.
**Testing conducted by Apple in December 2007 using preproduction 3.0 GHz 8-Core Xeon-based Xserve units and shipping 3.0 GHz Quad-Core Xserve units. All systems were configured with 8GB of RAM. Results are based on the STREAM v. 5.6 benchmark (www.cs.virginia.edu/stream/ref.html) using OMP support for multiprocessor-compiled builds. Performance tests are conducted using specific computer systems and reflect the approximate performance of Xserve.
***Testing by Apple in December 2007 using preproduction 3.0 GHz 8-core Xeon-based Xserve units configured with Xserve RAID card. Testing conducted using Iometer 2006.07.27 with a 30-sec ramp-up, 5-min run, 512KB request size, and 4 outstanding IOs. System configured with the OS and test volume on a single RAID volume. Performance tests are conducted using specific computer systems and reflect the approximate performance of Xserve RAID Card.
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