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Better Than One (10/28/99)
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When the G3 processor first surfaced, its performance was startlingly better than the 603e and 604e processors that we in the Mac world were used to. We remember when we first test-drove a G3-upgraded 7500 several months before Apple released the Power Mac G3. Actually, we don't remember a whole lot, because when we saw Word 6 launch in about two seconds, we passed out. A processor that actually makes Microsoft bloatware seem speedy? Now that's fast.
In fact, the G3 was (and is) fast enough that one of its architectural drawbacks didn't seem like that big a deal; apparently the G3 isn't really built for multiprocessing. Meaning, whereas Apple shipped a couple of dual-processor 604e systems, the G3 was strictly a one-chip pony. (Eeeww.) That's even less of a problem when you consider that the Mac OS itself still can't take advantage of more than one processor; it was only specially-written software, like Photoshop, that saw a speed boost when more than one chip was present. So, no dual-G3 was no big loss.
The G4, on the other hand, is reportedly very multiprocessing-friendly, and it's only a matter of time before Apple ships heavy-duty systems armed with two or four G4s to give the Mac world a seriously fast server or a graphics workstation that will make the pros weep with joy. Apple Insider has a report on Apple's multiprocessor development, "Project Mystic," and estimates that the first dual- and quad-processor G4 systems might debut at next February's Seybold conference. By then we'll hopefully have Mac OS X, complete with system-level symmetric multiprocessing support-- but even if we don't, you just know that Photoshop will be tuned to crunch pixels with multiprocessing gusto. And what's this? A report on MacInTouch that even Mac OS 9 is exhibiting some form of system-level multiprocessor support when installed on a 9500/180MP? Hmmm, intriguing. Sounds like Apple's really pushing this, and why not? With Pentium IIIs reaching 733 MHz and G4s barely scraping 500, what better way for Apple to fight the Megahertz Wars than with a relatively low-cost dual-G4/400, possibly marketable as a G4/800? Start saving those pennies...
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SceneLink (1877)
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 | | The above scene was taken from the 10/28/99 episode: October 28, 1999: In the midst of a slow week in the U.S., rumors of another Apple no-show sends Mac vendors and third-party developers into a seething frenzy. Meanwhile, back on the tube, Macs are set to surface on a whopping 56 shows this season, and Apple lab gnomes work feverishly to get multiprocessing Macs ready for a February rollout...
Other scenes from that episode: 1875: 3rd Time's The... D'oh! (10/28/99) Wow, this sure has been a pretty dead week for Apple watchers. Not much of anything really happened, and we can only surmise that after the whole "G4 Speed Dump" fiasco, Steve and the gang are taking some time to cool their jets before poking their heads back out into public... 1876: Media Saturation (10/28/99) If you're dying of thirst in this Mac news drought, fear not-- as you well know, news isn't the only wavelength in the Mac-presence spectrum. Don't forget the wild world of entertainment! After all, when you're flipping channels through your vast cable TV selection, do you really linger over CNN when there's a showing of back-to-back Mama's Family episodes on the TBS Superstation?...
Or view the entire episode as originally broadcast... | |  |
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