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Intel and Macs: what you must know

I am composing this column on a shiny new iMac with a 2 gigahertz Intel Core Duo processor. But you'll have to wait until next week for my review of it. First I need to explain a bit about having Intel inside your Mac.

Let me begin by defining several new terms:

  • Intel Core Duo Processor: This central processing unit, the brain inside your computer, has two execution cores on a single chip. The result is a chip that offers roughly twice as much computational power over a single-core chip while consuming very little energy.
  • Universal applications: Before the Intel-based iMac, all Macs used PowerPC G4 or G5 processors manufactured by Motorola/Freescale/IBM. One result of this switch to Intel is that software you used with your G4 or G5 Mac will need to be updated to achieve maximum performance on an Intel-based Mac. Programs that have been updated to run natively on Intel Macs (and can also run on a PowerPC-based Mac) are called "Universal applications."
  • Rosetta: For applications that have not, or will not, be updated as Universal applications, Mac OS X 10.4.4 contains a new technology called Rosetta. You don't see it. You don't have to configure it. It just works, and it lets you run most of your existing applications on Intel Macs.

Note that some programs, including all of Apple's Pro applications, Microsoft's Virtual PC, and most System Preference panes, including third-party keyboard/mouse/tablet drivers, don't work at all under Rosetta. Apple will offer current owners a $49 cross-grade to a Universal version of their Pro applications by March 31.

Other common software programs, such as Microsoft Office and Adobe Photoshop, run under Rosetta, but they will almost certainly run better after they are updated as Universal applications. For what it's worth, Office runs nicely under Rosetta, but Photoshop is somewhat sluggish on an Intel-based iMac. While Microsoft and Adobe have both indicated that they will update their products, neither has given any indication of when we might see their Universal versions.

The bottom line is that if your productivity depends upon Apple's Pro applications, Adobe Photoshop, Microsoft Virtual PC or a third-party keyboard or mouse, you should probably wait for the Universal versions to come out before you switch to an Intel-based Mac.

That said, Mac OS X Tiger 10.4.4 and iLife '06 are already Universal applications and run noticeably faster with Intel.

Bob LeVitus is a leading authority on Mac OS X, the author of 49 computer books including Mac OS X Tiger For Dummies. Visit his Web site at www.boblevitus.com; e-mail comments to doc@boblevitus.com.

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