Apple heeft gisteren de nieuwe serie PowerMac G4's aangekondigd (dit ondanks geruchten bij The Register dat het ding gedelayed zou zijn tot 2000). De G4's draaien op snelheden van 400 tot 500MHz. De hip gekleurde turqoise behuizing heeft plaats moeten maken voor een deprimerend grauw blauw:
C|Net News.com heeft een artikel over de PPC G4:
As previously reported by CNET News.com, the Apple chief introduced the new G4 PowerPC chip, running at speeds of 400, 450, and 500 MHz. Designed to speed up tasks--like encoding digital media and running Internet applications like security software and Apple's own QuickTime streaming media software--the new G4 runs more than two times as fast as comparable Pentium III chips from Intel, Jobs said, adding that Apple used Intel's own benchmark tests. This claim will almost certainly be disputed by Intel and others. [break] De Apple propagande machine draait ook weer op volle toeren. Steve is bezig met de 'collectieve herprogrammering' van zijn volgelingen, die moeten allemaal massaal gaan zeggen dat de G3 een 'supercomputer on a chip' is: [/break]Calling the new G4 a "supercomputer on a chip," Jobs said desktops running the 400-MHz version will be available starting today, featuring a new, faster system architecture to take advantage of the new chip. The 400-MHz G4 desktop computer will be priced at $1,599, he said. A 500-MHz system with DVD-RAM--the industry's first to ship with re-recordable DVD--will ship in October and is priced at $3,499.
"These tasks are bringing today's computers to their knees," Jobs said. "This is the kind of stuff we're already doing, but we're doing it too slowly." Apple said that its computer is so fast, it is classified as a supercomputer by the U.S. government and can't be sold to certain countries. Jobs played a new TV commercial based on this issue, as well as commercials for the previously announced iBook notebook.
The new G4s, Jobs quipped, "Will be available in all freedom-loving countries." [break] Allemaal bullshit natuurlijk (net zoals de [G3=2xPII performance] leugen, die Apple bij de release van de G3 de wereld in stuurde): [/break] Reaction to Apple's chip speed claims were swift from the Intel Developer Forum in Palm Springs, California. "There are lies, damn lies, and demos," said David Wu, an analyst at ABN AMRO. [break] Verder zegt Apple dat de release van MacOS 9 gepland staat voor midden-oktober: [/break] Just as he had at Macworld New York in July, Jobs touted Mac OS 9, as the new operating system will be called when it is released in mid-October. One of the new features is the "key chain" function of the software, which acts as a master password and sets in motion all other passwords for accessing corporate networks, applications, and the Internet. The new OS will be available for $99, he said.
Of particular interest to Seybold attendees was Jobs's demonstration of a new function of AppleScript in Mac OS 9, which allows users to automate remote production of documents over the Internet. "This gives new meaning to the term 'Net publishing,'" he said.
