Expect Mac mini, laptops to be the first Mactel systems
Posted by Dennis Sellers 
Jun 26, 2005 at 11:17pm
Some analysts are predicting that the first Macs to use Intel chips—the Mactels—will be iMacs and Mac minis, according to an article at Macworld UK. ”... given that Mac OS X is a 64-bit operating system and Intel hasn’t yet announced a 64-bit mobile chip, Apple will probably make desktops such as the iMac and the Mac mini the first recipients of Intel architecture, says Shane Rau, PC chip analyst for the research firm IDC,” adds Macworld UK.
That may be the case, but I think the first Mactel machine will be a Mac mini, followed shortly thereafter by iBooks and/or PowerBooks. These will then be followed—according to my crystal ball—by Intel-based iMacs, then eMacs, and finally Power Macs. There may be some snafus to work out with Intel chips for laptops and Mac OS X, but I suspect that Jobs & Company are working with Intel right now to iron out those difficulties.
I say this because I think that the heat issues and battery life with the PowerPC chip are some of the main reasons Apple went Intel. After all, Intel has seen great success with its Centrino, a low-power Pentium-based chip with built-in WiFi that’s designed for portable markets. And laptops are increasingly encroaching up desktop sales, something Apple is certainly considering in its long-term plans. (Of course, PowerPC fans will argue that the Cell processor co-developed by IBM and Sony would also offer a low-power processor for notebooks, but the point now seems to be moot.)
What’s more, an industry standards group that includes Intel, has published a document detailing the requirements a fuel-cell technology would need to power a notebook computer. The new guidelines from the Mobile PC Extended Battery Life Working Group should help speed the development of longer lasting fuel-cell power sources for notebooks and other mobile computers, a development viewed as important for the growing popularity of WiFi and other wireless Internet technologies.
“The development of wireless power supplies has lagged mobile Internet efforts,” notes Macworld UK. “Batteries still last only a few hours in notebook computers before needing a recharge, while fuel cell systems could last for days, the [Mobile PC Extended Battery Life Working Group] says.”
Fuel cells have long been heralded as the way to eradicate the scourge of all handheld electronics: the dead battery. They sport a greater power-to-volume ratio, last exponentially longer than batteries, and can be rejuiced with a disposable methanol cartridge, effectively zeroing downtime. But nobody had been able to miniaturize them until June of 2004, when MTI Micro powered up a prototype pocket PC with its Mobion methanol fuel cell.
Mobion cord-free rechargeable power packs are being developed to replace incumbent power packs used by Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) in many rechargeable hand held electronic devices like PDAs and smartphones. Mobion power packs are based on direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) technology that’s been recognized as enabling technology for advanced portable power sources by the scientific community and industry analysts. I expect that Intel and other companies have something along the same line in the works.
“Fuel cells operate differently than batteries,” Macworld UK notes. “One of the troublesome aspects of using fuel cells in mobile PCs is they provide a steady supply of power, whereas power demand in notebook computers is very uneven, driven by bursts of power demand as different parts of the notebook, like the DVD drive or hard drive, are tapped for use, the group said. The stored charge of a battery matches this kind of uneven power demand, but fuel cells need careful management. Batteries also require fewer supporting components inside a mobile PC, the [Mobile PC Extended Battery Life Working Group] said. A fuel-cell system includes the fuel cell itself, as well as supporting systems similar to a car engine, like a fuel pump, cooling system, and a starter battery.”
Whichever Mactel system comes first, I’m going out on a limb and forecasting that it won’t be a year until the first one arrives. I think we’ll see such a critter (probably an Intel-based Mac mini) demoed at January’s Macworld San Francisco and shipping in the spring.
Thoughts? Write me at dsellers@macsimum.com
John Says:
One important thing you’re forgetting. The whole move to Intel is mostly caused by the lag or power in the PowerBooks. At this point in time, the PowerBooks that apple currently sells are already being perceived as severely underpowered for the asking price.
Freescale just announced their next upgrade to the G4, to ship in October and will bump the speed from the snail-like pace of 1.67 Ghz to a blistering 1.7 Ghz!
By this time next year, PowerBooks would be looking ridiculous compared to PCs. Can you imagine buying a laptop for $3300 (17") while you can get a faster one for half the price.
So my prediction would be that the first Macs to get Intel processors would be the PowerBooks, followed by iBooks and Mac Minis and then the iMac and lastly the PowerMacs.
Posted on June 27, 2005
Jack Beckman Says:
“Centrino, a low-power Pentium-based chip with built-in WiFi “
There is no such thing as a “Centrino” chip. “Centrino” is a marketing term for a Pentium M mated with specific Intel WiFi and other support chips.
The WiFi is NOT built in - it’s on a separate board.
Posted on June 27, 2005
What's the frequency, Kenneth? Says:
Ralph Simpson:
I *like* rechargable batteries because I don’t have to pay a premium every time I use the battery. Intelligent use means I have *never* used my batteries to death before using the the notebook itself. I’m not interested in buying fuel cells like AA and D-cell batteries--most of which I’ve weened myself off of.
My opinion is that unless they’re extremely cheap and easy to rotate, fuel cell technology will be horribly unpopular--for good reason.
Anyway, the “dead batteries” aren’t “part of my life,” so I’m not particularly sensitive to the idea. I’ve used the NiMH and LiIon batteries far more responsibly than most, I guess.
Posted on June 27, 2005
James Johnson Says:
If I were in Steve Jobs position I would move away from the Freescale processors first. The PowerPC 970 based computers would be the last to switch to Intel processors. If I were in Steve Jobs position I would not change to Intel processors exclusively.
Posted on July 14, 2005
Article Information
Comment on this Article Print this Article Email this Article Digg This
Contributor
Dennis Sellers
Dennis has been a newspaper editor/reporter (seven years) and teacher (seven years). He has over 4,000 magazine, newspaper and online articles to his credit. He has also covered the Mac and tech industries for over a decade for such online publications as MacCentral, MacMinute and now MacsimumNews.
Ralph Simpson Says:
This MicroFuelCell technology is an exciting development. We can stop filling the landfills with dead batteries and I’m assuming these microfuelcell cartridges will be recyclable. I can’t wait to see dead batteries removed from our lives and MicroFuelCell technology taking it’s place. An endless supply of clean, renewable, recyclable energy is a gift we can gift to generations to come. Let’s hear it for MicroFuelCell technology. Hip hip horray! 8-)
Posted on June 27, 2005