Newsgroup: it.comp.macintosh
Titolo: Apple G4

Per chi sa l'inglese, un annuncio della Apple che credo importante.
Eccolo:
Apple Unveils Power Mac G4
Apple today introduced the Power Mac G4, its next generation of desktop
computers designed for professional and "pro-sumer" customers. The Power Mac
G4 is powered by the revolutionary new PowerPC G4 chip architected by Apple,
Motorola and IBM, and is the first personal computer in history to deliver
supercomputer-level performance of over one billion floating-point
operations per second. The Power Mac G4s run professional applications like
Adobe's Photoshop up to twice as fast as 600MHz Pentium III-based PCs.
The G4 chip incorporates a new execution unit named the Velocity Engine--the
heart of a supercomputer miniaturized onto a sliver of silicon. In a set of
Intel's own tests published on their web site, the 500MHz G4 chip was 2.94
times as fast as the 600MHz Pentium III processor.
"The Power Mac G4 is not only the fastest Mac ever, it's the fastest
personal computer ever," said Apple's interim CEO Steve Jobs. "The
revolutionary G4 processor with its remarkable Velocity Engine is the first
'supercomputer on a chip,' delivering over one gigaflop of sustained
performance."
The new Power Mac G4 line is offered in three standard models, based on
400MHz, 450MHz and 500MHz processors, and in build-to-order
customer-selected configurations from Apple's online store. The top two
standard models feature support for up to 1.5 GB of fast industry-standard
PC100 SDRAM, a new 100MHz system bus that delivers up to 800 MBps of data
throughput, Rage 128 AGP/2X high performance graphics, an Ultra ATA/66 drive
interface, and Apple's breakthrough AirPort wireless networking (optional).
All models feature 1MB level 2 backside cache, dual Universal Serial Bus
(USB) and 400-Mbps FireWire ports, internal drives from 10 GB to 27 GB
(configurable to more than 100 GB via build-to-order) and removable storage
including ZIP, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM with video playback, and DVD-RAM. The Power
Mac G4 comes in a stunning translucent clear, silver and graphite minitower
that has a side door that swings open to provide the industry's easiest
access to internal components. The Power Mac G4 line starts at an aggressive
retail price of U.S. $1,599.
Apple today also unveiled the perfect companion to the new Power Mac G4: the
Apple Cinema Display. Measuring 22 inches diagonally, it's the largest
LCD-based flat panel display ever brought to market and features a letterbox
format of 1600 x 1024 pixels. The Apple Cinema Display will be offered in
limited quantities beginning in October.
Pricing and Availability The Power Mac G4 400MHz, priced at U.S. $1,599, is
available now on The Apple Store (
www.apple.com
) and through Apple
Authorized Resellers. The Power Mac G4 450MHz, priced at U.S. $2,499, is
scheduled to ship in September, and the Power Mac G4 500MHz, priced at U.S.
$3,499, is scheduled to ship in October. The Power Mac G4 is available in
more than 8,000 build-to-order (BTO) configurations. A complete listing of
standard G4 configurations is also available at The Apple Store.
In addition, Apple announced that two new Macintosh Server G4s and a new
Macintosh Server G4 with Mac OS X Server will be available in November.
* The G4 processor, with its Velocity Engine, is an average of 2.94 times
faster than the fastest Pentium III (600MHz) in selected tests published by
Intel to demonstrate Pentium's speed.

 operations per second. 
[snip]
Mi sembra un comunicato normale di presentazione di una serie di nuovi
prodotti, gia' riportati da altre fonti.
Non vedo niente di particolarmente importante, tranne al fatto, sempre
interessante, dell'uscita di nuove macchine.
A meno che tu non ti riferisca all'accenno del "supercomputer-level
performance", cosa che potrebbe dare qualche problema alla Apple, dato
che la legislazione USA limita l'esportazione di supercomputer. 
Ma il limite del miliardo di flops era stato stabilito qualche annetto
fa e adesso, e adesso viene considerato dagli addetti ai lavori
supercomputer uuna macchina con una potenza di calcolo di un ordine di
grandezza di teraflops.
E' solo la legge che e' rimasta indietro.
A noi umani rimane la soddisfazione di sapere che possiamo mettere sulla
nostra scrivania un computer che qualche anno fa solo universita' e
militari potevano avere e la costatazione che i progammatori Microsoft
riescono a mettere in ginocchio anche un "supercomputer".
Ciao
Diego
 


non l'ho capita. Me la spieghi?

 wrote:

La mia interpretazione č:
pur avendo computer con potenze incredibili i G3 e adesso i G4, i
programmi M$, in particolare Office, girano penosamente, non solo a
causa dei vari bachi dai quali sono afflitti, ma anche a causa di una
lentezza ingiustificata, data la potenza di calcolo messa a disposizione
dei PPC750
Ema

 wrote:

Ogni tanto mi scordo le faccine (mi stanno pure antipatiche) ma la vena
ironica era questa.
Ciao
Diego
P.S. Word e' l'unico programma che non e' compatibile neanche con se
stesso.