News for Wednesday, 11 March 2009

According to the latest floating rumor, Snow Leopard might be released on June 8th. How did this rumor emerge?

1) Over the past years, Apple launched/announced new version of Mac OS X during the WWDC.
2) The WWDC always took place at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.
3) If Apple did not communicate about the forthcoming WWDC yet, some people noticed that the Moscone Center is reserved from June 6th to 12th.
4) If the WWDC starts on June 8th, it could well be announced during this time frame.
Last but not least, the fifth element remains hypothetical: Will Steve Jobs come to introduce the new MAc OS X?

Engadget released a test of the new 24" iMac clocked at 2.93 GHz and compared it to previous models as well as current MacBook Pro models, as they share most of hardware components.

Performance level of this new iMac is almost identical to the results recorded for the new MacBook Pro 17", not really surprising as the main difference would be the GPU, and the new GeForce GT120 is almost a rebranded GeForce 9600 GT. If such synthetic tests allow us to demonstrate that the new architecture brings high performance levels for the CPU and Quartz tests, the difference with the previous high-end iMac model is not huge. Open GL test are almost identical as they rely on the GPU and drivers too.
So, this new iMac is cheaper and faster than the previous high-end model clocked at 3.06 GHz, a rather good news.

PC Mag published a test of the new high-endiMac clocked at 3.06 GHz/GeForce GT130. while it was running Windows, it was benchmark to other PC models including the previous high-end iMac.
So, is the new iMac faster than the previous model? Yes it is. Is it a true gain? It depends on your needs and on the applications you are using (do not forget the test was performed with Windows). As expected the GeForce GT130 is faster than the GeForce 880GS powering the previous model by a clear but not dramatic margin. The same is true if you are using Photoshop, as the new model can be almost 50% faster depending on the task/filter.
For additional information: PC Mag article

chinese hackers have cracked the algorithm used by Apple to generate its iTunes Store gift cards and are currently selling for 2.6 USD a a gift card worth 200 USD!

It could be a major thread for Apple and its economic model, and the company is probably already working hard to find a solution or to identify fake gift cards. If some websites have been prompt to notify this information, it seems to be currently limited to the chinese market. Indeed, you need to have a chinese bank account. You can use alipay, a chinese version of paypal, however it needs a chinese bank account to be created too. Last but not least, you need to speak chinese or have a friend able to.

If all recent news about available or forthcoming SSD are all for SATA format models, many users are still using computer with storage units based on PATA format. Such older computers could really benefit from the performance level offered by the SSD, and could be a huge market for manufacturers as PATA-based 2.5" HD are usually limited in storage space.

The Japanese company SOLIDATA announced a PATA-based SSD. With storage space ranging from 32 to 256 GB, performance levels are attractive with 125 MB/s and 80 MB/s in reading and writing mode respectively.
Such SSD would be perfect in the first Apple TV models to keep it cool even when it is idle...

Apple silently updated the iPod Shuffle and the new model looks like a true (r)evolution:

Small gets smaller.
The new iPod shuffle is amazingly small and even easier to use. The controls are now conveniently located on the earbud cord. It’s so easy, you can use it with your eyes closed.
VoiceOver. It speaks for itself.
With the press of a button, VoiceOver tells you what song is playing and who's performing it. It tells you the names of your playlists, too.
1000 songs. Multiple playlists.
With 4GB of storage, iPod shuffle can now hold up to 1,000 songs. So your music library can go with you. And you can now sync multiple playlists for the perfect mix for any mood.

The new iPod Shuffle has many new features, marking a true difference with its entry-level cheaper competitors. The VoiceOver function as well as the ability to create multiple playlists are finally added and will most likely be used by Apple to market the new iPod Shuffle. Previous models are still available and their price have been reduced.

Its target price is $79/79€/£59 for a choice of only two colors: silver or black. It retains the belt-clip of the previous model. The remote is now included in the earbud cord, tying users to Apple's earbuds until third-parties release an alternative.
Link to the New iPod shuffle at Apple Store
[update]: Regarding the VoiceOver function, Apple used a smart way to avoid integrating a true voice system: "iTunes reads your song information, then uses the new VoiceOver Kit to generate the announcements for the songs, artists, and playlists on your iPod shuffle"

The first tests of new Mac Pros have begun to appear on the web. Let us start with results from GeekBench. The high-end, 8 cores running at 2,92 GHz obtains a total score of 17627, pulverizing old octo 3,2 GHz that only obtained 11,030. In fact, this old octo is even outperformed by the new 8x2.26 GHz!
The Cinebench Tests are also impressive.

These high-priced machines set the bar at a level never reached before. The most important gain occurs when one uses the maximum of cores at the same time. The new CPU architecture, the memory bandwidth and the hyperthreading shows their effectiveness then and limits the losses related to the distribution of calculations.
These machines have enormous promise. However, there remains the need that the professional software is tuned to match this hardware in order to generate a new references of performance, and this will be difficult to obtain.
[Update] Note, however, that if you use software that does not make use of multiple CPUs, the old models, equipped with higher frequencies, are better.