Apple Computer named the dual-core Xeon server processors from Intel to power its next-gen high-performance professional Mac Pro desktops according to AppleInsider. The 64-bit chips Woodcrest (Xeon 5100 series) pack a 4MB L2 cache and run at speeds of up to 3.0GHz on a 1333MHz front-side bus. Apple will offer versions of its upcoming Mac Pro professional desktops that will sport two of the dual core chips. The new systems will also be available in a single processor configuration for a substantially reduced cost.

Aside from being the fastest of Intel's chips suited for a personal computer system, Woodcrest is also the first microprocessors to utilize Intel's "Core" microarchitecture. The architecture's advance cache technology allows one core of a dual-core processor to use the entire memory reservoir while the other core remains idle. It also supports "Smart Memory Access" that hides memory latency and bottlenecks and the "Wide Dynamic Execution," which widens the execution core and allows for more instructions per cycle.

Apple chief executive Steve Jobs is expected to showcase the new computers along with the debut of the Mac OS X 10.5 "Leopard" at the annual Apple World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) in San Francisco next month.

In four years time, chipmaker Intel hopes to push the mutli-core chip envelope to 32 cores. But based on documents provided by the proverbial "industry source" the age of the "dozens of cores" may be still some time away. Intel's "Keifer," its first project name for many-core processors, is estimated  to be rolled sometime around 2009/2010. What can the 32-core super chip do for you? Intel expects "Keifer" to be 15x faster its Xeon 5100 processors which zips in at 2 GHz clock speed.

This early Intel is already snooping around for possible competitive products on which it will base the performance requirements of its future multi-core. According to the documents, the company is gearing Keifer to go head to head with Sun's "Niagara" architecture, which is currently available in the "Ultra Sparc T1" processor. Launched in 2005, the T1 is a 1.2 GHz 8-core processor with 3 MB L2 cache and capable of handling a total 32 threads at a peak power of just 72 watts. Sun currently sells the T1 in the T1000 and T2000 server series from around $3500 to just under $30,000.

When the infamous MacBook Pro was released to the masses back at the start of the year, it was housed in a very fetching aluminium case, gained somewhat from its predecessor. When the MacBook was released recently, that too supported a 'newish' case, which gained popularity thanks to its slimline appearance, and its choice of white and black. We have now learned that the new release of the PowerMac will be housed within a newly designed case.

The new case will be different enough to allow instant distinction between the PowerPC and Intel Core Duo variants. Together with the cases, there will be a few choices on which processors to adopt. The new Intel Core Duo will be available for the PowerMac with 2 chips, A.K.A. Quad-core platform. It is not known whether the PowerMac will adopt the soon-to-be released Core Duo 2 chip, codenamed Conroe. The mobile variant is not expected till Fall.

The MacBook Pro will also have a new case for its range. However rumour has it that this will not be released till the system adopts the Intel Core Duo 2 chip, codenamed Merom. We would hope that issues are fixed in the new case release including heat expulsion.

It looks like a busy week for Intel. The Godfather of Chips is expected to ship its new Core Duo T2700, a 2.33GHz dual-core 65nm Yonah-based CPU for high end notebooks and desktop replacement (DTR) devices sometime this week. The processor should start showing up in high-end notebooks in the near future.

Intel's new, dual-core Yonah processor has been voted most likely to be the CPU found in the first Intel-based Macs. Early test-drives showed it was a fairly strong candidate to replace the single core Pentium M offering performance equal to that of AMD's Athlon 64 X2 without an on-die memory controller.

The company will also comically release its Core Duo U2500 ultra-low voltage (ULV) CPU. The U2500 is a 1.2GHz Yonah processor with 2MB L2 cache and a 533MHz FSB consumes only about 0.75 W during normal operation.

Do you like booting into windows for the occasional PC program but hate how hard it is to hold the option key down? Well then today is your lucky day because govdavid has released Boot Camp Sargent v.1 Beta. Boot Camp Sargent is an Applescript program that reboots your mac into either Mac or Windows. It also comes with a script to reset your start up disk to Mac OSX so you don't have to go into your system prefs to do it.

All you have to do to install these scripts is to Drag them to your computer, and into the dock (or other launcher) if you wish.

[Download Boot Camp Sargent .1 Beta]

I don't know about you but I like to keep tabs on my Mac. I try to keep it from burning up inside (which I usually don't have any luck with), and I like to restart my mac every 1000 hours or so. If you like to keeps tabs on your Mac then you should be using iStat.

iStat is a dashboard widget that keeps track of all your computer's important information like CPU temperature, memory usage, disk space, and run time. This new version supports CPU temp on new Intel macs (Now all I need to do is get one). And like all the greatest apps it's completely free.

Download: [iStat 1.5.1]

If you've already got a nifty new Intel-powered Macintosh computer (or if you're like me and day dreaming about the day you'll finally have one all for yourself) chances are that you've heard about the ability to run Windows.  There are plenty of decent reasons to run Windows on your Mac, so let's not start with the "why would you do that to your Mac?" lines.  (I hate using Windows, but my job requires it, simple as that.)

Right now the two best options available to you are to use Apple's Beta software, Boot Camp, or a virtualization app called Parallels.  Both have their strengths and weaknesses, so you may be confused as to which is right for you, based on your Windows needs.  Well the good folks at NoteBookReview put together a lengthy article about what both apps do, how to install them, results of using each, and pros & cons of both options.  It's very well thought-out and written so anyone should be able to understand.

If you've already begun running one or both of these solutions on your MacBook/Pro, Mac Mini, or iMac, let us know your thoughts.  I'm especially interested as I hope to be mauling my very own MacBook soon...

A year after Apple Computer announced their plans to use Intel processors in its computers, the Steve Jobs camp is pushing the semiconductors giant into new and innovative directions. This was according to Anand Chandrasekher, senior VP and general manager of Intel's sales and marketing group. If you're thinking that the Apple's influence on Intel is negative, no, you are wrong there.

She said that "they (Apple) push us to think about things that we may not always think about...We were hoping for that to happen and that certainly happened." A major influence of Apple to Intel is their view on how the computer market will evolve, the Intel Exec implied that their product roadmap is definitely going to change because of that.

When asked for specific changes because of Apple, Chandrasekher refused to give a specific answer and opted to not comment on it. One area of importance to Apple is heat dissipation. Intel's ability to deliver mobile chips that consume less power while offering better performance was one of the reasons that convinced Apple to make the switch from IBM Corp.'s rival PowerPC chips.

Apple's demand for processors that produce less heat has been felt tremendously at the Intel camp. According to the same executive, "you can anticipate that they (Apple) probably pushed us (Intel) on packaging and thermals and things like that". Intel will announce several additions to its processor line that promise better performance and lower power consumption in the coming days.

Thursby Software announces updates to its line of Apple networking software, DAVE v6.2 and ADmitMac v3.2. These releases  bring native compatibility to both applications as Universal Binaries for Macs using the Intel chip. 

If you have the most recent versions of the software, upgrades are available for free download from Thursby's website. "These releases contain much more than Intel compatibility; it includes numerous PowerPC performance and stability enhancements that have been developed through an extended beta test and is a recommended update for all of our customers," said a company representative.

These updates continue and affirm Thursby's commitment to network security. They include the required interfaces for future support of industry standard smart cards, and DoD Common Access Cards (CAC). DAVE 6.2 requires Mac OS 9 or Mac OS X 10.3 or later, while ADmitMac 3.2 requires Mac OS X 10.4 or later.

Intel is planning to deliver Woodcrest (the code-named successor to its Xeon server processor) this month, and sources at Apple confirm a July release the first Intel-based Xserve.

In the meantime, Apple's Power Mac systems are making the transition to Intel processors with the Core 2 Duo which has been code-named Conroe.  Intel is planning to make these processors available in July as well. Industry scuttlebutt has it that new pro systems will come out in conjunction with Apple's Worldwide Developer's Conference, which takes place in early August.

If Apple follows through, it would not be the first time its Xserve has outdone the Power Mac performance-wise.  Apple started started shipping Xserve units with 2.3GHz Power PC G5 processors on the sly when the Power Mac still topped out at 2GHz.

On a related topic, Intel sources report that Merom, the laptop-friendly version of the Core 2 Duo, is still planned for an August release. A new MacBook Pro may arrive soon afterwards, depending on when Apple to install the new chip in its products.