Appletell

Contrary to the recent rumors that Apple would drop PowerPC architecture support with its newest update to OS X, a tipster (and possible Apple insider) was able to acquire the latest build of the soon to be released update of Mac OS X 10.6, and found some evidence that Apple might actually be keeping the chip alive.

The tipster, who wished to remain anonymous for obvious reasons, found a WWDC seed release labeled 10.6. Learn what information he found after the break:

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I’m a pretty big iSketch fan for boring nights and afternoons, and it’s always been somewhat of a pain to deal with Shockwave being PowerPC-only. Finally, after waiting a long time, Shockwave released a Universal version that doesn’t require checking the “Open using Rosetta” box on a separate version of Safari, one of the only workarounds besides using a legacy browser. I know you’re asking yourselves “Who uses Shockwave anymore?” and the answer is, “idiots”. Sadly, those idiots have put out marvelous games with it (iSketch), so it’s actually necessary. Adobe seems to keep slowly pushing Shockwave, now with the Intel compatible Shockwave 11.

Shockwave 11 [Direct Download] via [TUAW]

Yes, you read the title right. By simply following Calacanis on Twitter you could win a MacBook Air! Currently he is # 5 with 10,076 followers, and has to get about 6 000 followers to hit the top. Calacanis says that he’s “tired of getting my butt kicked by Robert Scoble and this Barack Obama guy on Twitter.” How he will pick a winner is undetermined, but he says that is will be “in some fair way.” Twitter is a great way to gain traffic to your blog and he’s said on TWiT, a technology podcast, before that Twitter is the second biggest referrer of traffic to his blog. Good luck everyone, I just followed him, and if I win I’ll definitely give a long review and not lose it in a stack of newspapers.

iPhone developers are signing up, in the masses at a rapid rate. The number simply keeps on growing. Though, how many potential iPhone developers are running on a PowerPC system? A lot, apparently, and Mike Rundle is one of those people. Still on his PowerPC G4, Mike was desperate to get the newly released SDK. After heading over to Apple’s site, signing up, and beginning the download, Mike realized that the SDK is Intel only, or was Intel only. Determined to run the SDK and develop, Mike figured out a way to get the SDK and new developer tools running on his non-Intel, PowerPC processor. Using individual installers, he installed packages one by one, until all of them were installed, essentially bypassing the mass batch installer that Apple launches for the user.

Mike reports that the SDK works fine, that the documentation and instructions are all there, and even the emulator/simulator works, giving full development support on the PowerPC platform. The only problems are a build error within Xcode (reported to be normal) and the possibility of not being able to have your applications digitally signed and certificated by Apple. Mike has written a post describing how to install the SDK, which can be found on 3by9.

[3by9] Via [Ars Technica]

Thanks to a leaked presentation slide belonging to Intel, there is much speculation on the rumor that the iPhone may be destined to switch from its current Samsung-based roots to Intel’s Atom architecture in the near future. However, since Intel’s Atom architecture is only in its first generation, the evidence suggests that the transition will not take place until the second revision of the ultra-mobile Atom platform, code-named “Moorestown,” is released.

This would see the speculated third-generation iPhone pick up Silverthorne’s smaller, and more refined successor sometime in the future (possibly 2009), while the Silverthorne chip itself serves an initial and important role in Apple’s tablet-like extension of the iPod touch platform, frequently referenced as a reincarnation of Apple’s discontinued Newton MessagePad.

Along with many other things, the move to Intel’s Atom architecture will allow Apple to better solidify the codebase of its handheld devices with that of its remaining business segments, mainly its Macintosh computer line and digital media products, such as Apple TV. It will also serve to help Apple form a tighter shield around its intellectual property, preventing information leaking through the press and the Internet as it has many times in the past, given that the company’s disclosures and future product plans will be in the hands of one less partner.

During Intel’s Fall developer forum last year, its executives mentioned an unnamed “Moorestown” processor, describing it vaguely as the “chip the iPhone would have wanted.” Expect the future of the iPhone to be based on Intel’s Atom architecture.

Intel will be introducing several new SSD, fast solid state drives which Apple may offer customers a 160 GB hard drive for the MacBook Air next quarter. This upgrade from the 80 GB SSD will provide users with double the storage capacity for MacBook Air users. The new drives are expected to be in 2.5-inch and 1.8-inch formats and will compete with Apple’s current supplier, Samsung. Samsung also has promised a 128 GB version of its 1.8-inch SDD in the 3rd business quarter of this year. To compete with Apple existing flash memory drive maker, Intel’s NAND product chief Troy Winslow says that it will boast transfer rates which will be, “far superior to existing offerings.”

In addition to storage capacity Winslow of News.com predicts that prices will drop.

Via [Appleinsider]

At Macworld 2008, Steve Jobs noted that Apple had provided updates every week for the year so far (at the time only 2 weeks). He also remarked that that was only 2 down, and 50 more to go. As time goes on, it’s becoming more and more clear that he was hinting that Apple would be updating something every week of the year. So far, it has held true.

In previous years, Apple updates were big. When a product was updated, it usually had a different look. Look at the iMac G3, iMac G4, and iMac G5 as a prime example. Little speed bumps were infrequent. Since Apple’s transition to Intel, there have been many more speed bumps, but not as many case changes. The iMac is the only product that has seen a case change since the introduction of Intel. The Mac Pro has held the same case since its PowerMac G5 days. The MacBook Pro has had the same case since the PowerBook G4. And the consumer level notebook, now named the MacBook, has been a white plastic slab since the iBook G3 back in 2001.

So why has Apple seemingly changed course? I believe the reason is twofold. First, Apple’s main computer idea is self-containment and thinness. At this point in time, there is no way to keep the specs of any of their computers while at the same time making them thinner. The iMac has pretty much achieved the goal of being “just a display.” Hence the last update keeping the same form factor and just changing the material the iMac was made from. Also, Intel is putting out chip updates much faster than the PowerPC chips ever came out. And Intel isn’t waiting around. They have announced that they are going to actively slam their new chipsets into the market leader seat, by cutting off the old chips, instead of phasing them out as before.

Overall, these updates are better. I like having little speed bumps more and more often. Though a case change is always fun, right now (with the exception of the MacBook), all of Apple’s computers are both beautiful and functional, something that other companies have caught onto but still haven’t perfected.

According to CNet, the MacBook Air CPU is not exclusive to Apple, though it was created because of the MacBook Air.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs revealed at Macworld 2008 that last year, Apple asked Intel to redesign a special Core 2 Duo chip for their sub-notebook, the MacBook Air. The processor is significantly smaller than the standard notebook chips Intel uses. It also uses less power, which allows it to remain cool and not melt the inside of the Air or use up the battery.

Apple got the first dibs on this chip, but after Macworld 2008, Intel opened it up to other customers, as well. The chip is marketed as a chip for ultra-portable laptops, laptops that weigh 3 pounds or less.

Apparently, Lenovo and Fujitsu are in line to use this chip in laptops coming out soon. No other specs are known.

Read [CNet]

I’m sure that the people at the Macworld Keynote were so enamored by the thinness of the device that they didn’t think about how Apple crammed a full-fledged Core 2 Duo processor in there. Apparently, Apple and Intel partnered together specially to create a 65nm Merom chip that was planned to launch with Intel’s Montevina laptop later this year. Using an 800Mhz FSB and the Intel 965GMS chipset has made it possible for this chip to be reduced 60% in it’s footprint, and uses only 20W compared to the 35W of the older chip. Intel will be launching this chip later this year, and while these chips may not be the fastest things in the world, they will spark a whole new niche of sub-notebook and ultra-mobile computers.

Via [Anandtech]

We saw yesterday that already Apple has put up banners around the Moscone Center, the banners simply have the following message: “There’s something in the air”. The latest craze in the blogosphere is to guess what it means, and Valleywag has a pretty good one. Valleywag assumes that Apple’s mysterious message is referring to a WiFi-like technology called WiMax. According to their source, the long-range broadband technology may be included in the rumored 13 inch ultra-portable notebook and in the MacBook Pro line. It all sounds like it should make sense: “There’s something in the air” and Intel including WiMax in their latest chips. But the Silicon Valley blog is only giving it “a 60% chance” of it happening according to their source.

If anyone can kick off a brand new technology like WiMax - Apple should be the ones to do it. But I still think unless there are more WiMax links around the world, this won’t be so successful. Don’t forget that Apple is streaming this keynote live to Europe, so they wouldn’t be too pleased if the new notebooks could only take advantage of this technology in the USA.

Via [Valleywag]