Macworld has published a shootout between a Core Duo iMac and a 2,1GHz G5 iMac.
This test looks a bit more reliable than all the other we have seen on the web, since it is using only applications optimized for BOTH platforms.
And the Core Duo iMac fares better than in other tests, and is really faster than the G5 model.
And if we're far from the 2-3 times faster that Apple touts, you can still expect between 10 and 60% performance increase. Know also that the machine boots in 25" vs 46" for the G5 iMac.
Konica Minolta has announced that, as of March 2007, they will stop manufacturing and selling cameras, and that it will sell its lens manufacturing division to Sony.
One more victim falling under the fire of digital photography...
This comes after Nikon declared that they would stop developping non-digital cameras, and will only keep two models on their catalog.
Apple has published its First Quarter Financial Results. They are excellent, and for sure will ensure a smooth Intel transition for Apple:
Apple today announced financial results for its fiscal 2006 first quarter ended December 31, 2005, reporting the highest revenue and earnings in the Company’s history. Apple posted revenue of $5.75 billion and a net quarterly profit of $565 million, or $.65 per diluted share, in this 14-week quarter. These results compare to revenue of $3.49 billion and a net profit of $295 million, or $.35 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 27.2 percent, down from 28.5 percent in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 40 percent of the quarter’s revenue.
Apple shipped 1,254,000 Macintosh® computers and 14,043,000 iPods during the quarter, representing 20 percent growth in Macs and 207 percent growth in iPods over the year-ago quarter.
In their early review of a prototype Yonah-based laptop,
Tom's Hardware points out the heavy power usage of the machine and the resulting short battery life. One of their sources has informed them that there would be a bug in the USB2 chip which would result in the "power leak". And the problem is said soon to be fixed.
That might be one of the reasons why Apple is not publishing any numbers related to the MacBook Pro's battery life.
