Leopard, Mac Pro, Gaming, Hardware, Software, iPod
Today marks the first day of Apple's annual World Wide Developers Conference. The event is dedicated to developers for Apple's platform and usually comes with a host of announcements and product unveilings. This year's WWDC06 is one that's quite important for Apple because the company will be talking a great deal about its next major operating system upgrade -- Leopard.
From Cheetah to Tiger, OS X has gone through several versions, all of which have introduced new features and upgrades. Leopard will be Apple's single most important upgrade to date because it includes a host of brand new features and not just updates. Boot Camp, Apple's method of dual-booting both OS X and Windows XP will make a full appearance in Leopard. In its current state, Boot Camp only officially supports Windows XP but there is a possibility that the full version being introduced in Leopard will support other OSes as well. It was originally rumored that Leopard would support OS virtualization but Apple later denied that Leopard would ship with such functionality. Apple has since been documenting Parallel's virtualization software -- the first virtualization application for Intel-based Macs -- across much of its website.
Although Leopard does not appear to be scheduled for release in 2006, hopes are up. The new OS will integrate new desktop searching features competitive with other solutions such as Google's Desktop Search and the searching features being introduced with Windows Vista. Other notable features are VoIP integration and there has been talk about Leopard including geographical mapping features directly integrated into the OS.
A new line of Apple computers are also expected to make an appearance at WWDC this week. Because the conference is focused largely on developers, many are expecting that Apple will introduce new pro-level desktops. Many sources indicate that the desktops will be called the Mac Pro. According to several sources, Apple's Mac Pro will be using Intel's latest Woodcrest Xeon processors.
Following Apple's dual-processor but quad-core G5 desktops, the new Xeon processors are a likely choice because of their ability to operate in a dual-socket configuration, whereas their Core 2 Duo desktop counterparts cannot. With that in mind, DailyTech believes that Apple will be introducing a lower cost, single-chip, Core 2 Duo desktop line called the Mac -- although a showing at WWDC06 may not be likely. The new Mac will be an entry level desktop computer with upgradeability options not available in the iMac such as add-in PCIe expansion, larger memory upgrades, hard drive expansion options and other features not feasible in the iMac. The big difference between the Mac Pro and the Mac will be dual or single processor support.
Another key area for developers is Apple's Xserve family of servers. The transition to over to Intel processors is very likely, and Apple is expected to talk about the direction of its server products this week at the conference. Like the Mac Pro desktops, the Xserve family will be moving over to Intel's newest dual-core Xeon processors.
Software applications will also be a large part of the show. Several key companies including Adobe and Microsoft will be at the show, talking about their respective applications and future outlooks. Interestingly, Apple will be talking about the future of gaming on a Mac and what the company has in stores for game developers. Apple is looking at pushing game development for OS X up a few notches with several sessions detailing about developing next-generation games for Intel-Macs.
Other expectations include updates to the iPod, although exactly what Apple will be talking about is unknown. Although Apple's CEO Steve Jobs may briefly talk about the iPod -- most likely sales numbers and progress -- Apple's presentation and conference sessions do not indicate any heavy focus on any of Apple's entertainment products, although there will be discussions on development for such products.
"When an individual makes a copy of a song for himself, I suppose we can say he stole a song." -- Sony BMG attorney Jennifer Pariser
|
Most Popular ArticlesGoogle's IPhone App Sets Trend Rebelling Against Apple's Rules
November 27, 2008, 9:04 PM
Attorney Argues "Nobody Reads [User Agreements]" in Cyberbullying Suicide Case
November 25, 2008, 11:22 AM
The Same Chip With Fewer Transistors; HP's Memristor Changes Everything
November 26, 2008, 11:23 AM
MIT Scientist Claims Solar Breakthrough, Sparks Controversy
November 24, 2008, 4:53 PM
PC Magazine Goes Completely to the Digital Darkside
November 25, 2008, 1:02 PM
|