Intel Corp has officially launched its first desktop quad-core processor, codenamed Kentsfield, with new systems boasting the CPU set to be announced today. But for the average enterprise user, two plus two will not add up to four.

In launching Kentsfield, Intel beats rival Advanced Micro Devices Inc to the quad-core punch. But AMD’s forthcoming quad-core CPU, due mid-2007 or so, may end packing more performance.
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Intel’s Kentsfield, called Core 2 Extreme quad-core QX6700, is up to 80% faster than its Core 2 Extreme X6800, or Conroe, counterpart, claimed Intel. The latter is, of course, the chipmaker’s high-end dual-core desktop offering that launched in July.

They mention that they will probably carry a pricetag of around $1000, with a cheaper, more mainstream/consumer-oriented version coming out early next year.

Some of the fixes/changes that may benefit Mac users interested in virtualization/emulation:
- Improves Apple File Sharing client performance by changing the default AFP WAN quantum size.. More…
- Windows File Sharing now generates only one process, avoiding an issue that could cause a Mac OS X computer to become unresponsive if it won a master browser election.
- Improves the accuracy of Rosetta numerics and addresses Altivec translation issues on Intel-based Macs.
- Adds support on Intel-based Macs for multiple cores to LAPACK and BLAS routines in the Accelerate framework; the maximum number of threads used by Accelerate BLAS routines is now limited by the environment variable VECLIB_MAXIMUM_THREADS; addresses an issue with some complex BLAS routines in the Accelerate framework that were encountering an illegal instruction.

Some virtualization software uses Windows File Sharing/Apple File Sharing to transfer data back and forth between the virtual environment and Mac OS X, and this is a welcome fix. I played around with Parallels after having upgraded to Mac OS X 10.4.8, but I had also upgraded to Parallels Build 1922 as well and while things felt faster, I did not have a chance to do before and after comparisons, to see where any improvements were made.

From the Parallels Forums:

We are continuing our efforts to deliver a Parallels Desktop for Mac version that fully supports Mac Pro and iMac Core 2 Duo.

There’s an updated internal build that is available for early testing which can be downloaded from here (see thread).
Please don’t forget to backup any sensitive data on your Mac before proceeding to evaluation.

This version introduces a number of important fixes:
* VM crash on restart on huge memory MacPros in VT-x mode.
* Several VMs simultaneous work.
* Win98 guest 100% CPU usage
* WinNT not being able to start fix
* Several other fixes

We’re still extremely interested in your feedback about this build and any issues you might face.

Excerpts from the article:

Intel has put two Apple sessions at the top of its Featured Sessions list for the upcoming Intel Developer Forum. That isn’t Apple doing Intel a favor by filling a couple of empty slots in the schedule. Intel is touching a toe to that third rail for component manufacturers: Endorsement. And while people at Intel and Apple are scrambling right now to get their denials in a row, I want to drain this issue of its intrigue while at the same time highlighting its importance and pointing out that at least a little endorsement is overdue. After all, among first tier OEMs in the U.S., Apple is the only one remaining that buys CPUs exclusively from Intel. That deserves more than a cupcake. Intel should greet Steve Jobs’ visits to the Intel campus by scattering rose petals before him.

Steve Jobs has been lionizing Intel for over a year. He and Apple’s PR and Marketing have been making public mockery of Apple’s PowerPC systems as they’re replaced by x86, even though some of those PowerPC boxes were fewer than six months old at the time of their replacement. Apple redesigned Macs’ packaging and on-line collateral to play up Intel’s logo and technology. Although the story has never been told, Jobs (certainly not single-handedly) brought Apple to the brink of meltdown to ship Intel Macs way ahead of schedule, seizing the opportunity presented by Core Duo, a CPU that Intel had relegated to the low-volume embedded market. Apple created a broad market among Intel notebook OEMs for Core Duo.

With this trial balloon with sessions at IDF, Intel is playing favorites, just a little, with its poster OEM. For me, that passes the sniff test and looks like good business. Intel is giving Apple some fraction of its due and is creditably being completely open about it.

Full Article

We have just made available a new build (1898) for Desktop for Mac that substantially improves Mac Pro and 64-bit iMac performance and eliminates kernel panics and major bugs.

For those users who have Mac Pros and 64-bit iMacs with more than 2GB of RAM, you’ve had to manually limit your RAM via the command line in Terminal. In this build, we’ve included a tool that will help you take this action without any command line coding. With a single click you can limit your RAM and make your Mac Pro fully compatible with this build. You can easily revert your memory back at any time to the full configuration with the same tool.

NOTE: Its very important to note that limiting your RAM configuration to run Parallels Desktop will NOT prevent you from running any other OS X application (although they may run slightly slower). It simply helps our hypervisor “play nice” with the Mac Pro.

Originally, I told you that we’d have full PAE support by year’s end. Now, I’m pleased to let you know that we are working on a new RC version that will be compatible with ANY Mac with ANY amount of RAM, and will have it much sooner than originally anticipated. The engineering team tells me that this build should be available in a week or two.

This build also adds support for Windows Vista RC1 as a guest OS, and adds an improved Parallels Tools package for all of the Vista builds that improves mouse movement, and video resolutions, and beefs up networking.

Thank you again to all of our loyal Desktop users and beta testers. Everyone here appreciates your feedback and your patience.

More information can be found in this thread.

It can be downloaded from here.

Some of the features:
- Guest OSes: Windows, Linux, NetWare and Solaris
- Runs multiple instances/OSes at the same time
- OS Virtual Images can be shared between different Primary OSes.
- Can run already existing “Virtual Appliances” (pre-built solutions)

You can sign up for the beta here.

Official Press Release at VMWare.com

VMware Announces New Product for Apple Mac OS X Users
New Intel-based Macs will be able to Simultaneously Run Mac OS X, Windows, Linux, NetWare and Solaris

SAN FRANCISCO and PALO ALTO, Calif., August 7, 2006 — VMware, Inc., the global leader in software for industry-standard virtualized desktops and servers, today announced a new product that will enable Intel-based Macs to run x86 operating systems, such as Windows, Linux, NetWare and Solaris, in virtual machines at the same time as Mac OS X. VMware will demo the product today during the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference 2006 in San Francisco.

“We are excited to bring our desktop platform product to Apple Macs. The demand for this has been unbelievable and it is clearly front and center for Mac users,” said Diane Greene, president of VMware. “VMware is in the business of providing the most advanced and robust virtualization platforms as well as phenomenal add-on functionality that leverages our virtualization platform. This announcement brings our desktop platform and add-on capabilities to Mac users, and it will allow them to run a wide variety of operating systems without rebooting. Mac users who also use the PC will be able to use this product to consolidate onto the Mac.”

The new Mac product is based on VMware’s robust and advanced virtualization technology, shipping for more than seven years and used by more than four million people today. Moving forward, virtual machines created with any of VMware’s products will run on Intel-based Macs and, similarly, non-Mac OS X virtual machines created with the new product will run on the latest versions of other VMware platform products.

In addition, Mac users will be able to leverage more than 250 virtual appliances for solutions such as security, load balancing, collaboration, databases, development, communications and business applications that are available for download from VMware Technology Network (VMTN) at www.vmtn.net. Virtual appliances are pre-built, pre-configured and ready-to-run software applications, all packaged within virtual machines that can be run using VMware virtualization products, including VMware Player and VMware Server which are both available for free download at www.vmware.com/download.
Pricing and Availability

The beta release of this product is expected to be available later this year. Interested parties will be able to sign up for early access by visiting www.vmware.com/mac.
About VMware, Inc.

VMware, an EMC company (NYSE: EMC), is the global leader in virtual infrastructure software for industry-standard systems. The world’s largest companies use VMware solutions to simplify their IT, fully leverage their existing computing investments and respond faster to changing business demands. VMware is based in Palo Alto, California. For more information, visit www.vmware.com or call 650-475-5000.

VMware is a registered trademark or trademark of VMware, Inc. in the United States and/or other jurisdictions. All other marks and names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective companies.

Of note is the very prominent “64 bit” icon on the main banner.

These come via one digital life.

Quote:

The Cupertino, Calif.-based company has seen its share of the US notebook market double to 12 percent since announcing its first Intel-based notebook, the MacBook Pro, back in January.

In the three-month period ending July 1st, Apple reported record-setting shipments of Mac systems, including nearly 800,000 notebooks — 75 percent of which the company estimated were Intel-based.

So far, the success of Apple’s Intel systems has hinged on a single line of processors, the 32-bit Core Duo series formerly code-named Yonah. But in recent weeks, Intel has rolled-out far more capable chips in its 64-bit line of Core 2 Duo processors, including a mobile variant known by its code-named Merom.

The news has lead to widespread speculation over precisely when and where the new mobile chips will take their seat in Apple’s product lines.

According to a source familiar with the Mac maker’s plans, the company is slated to receive mass shipments of the new Merom Core 2 Duo processors by the first week of September and plans to be amongst the first PC manufacturers to introduce systems based on the new chips.

This was an interesting little comment made by the Anandtech writers:

While we were there we were presented with the normal marketing hoorah, what product launch is without that? But we also had some quite interesting presentations like Virtualization, and where Intel sees that market going (it’s going sky-high for those that haven’t been keeping up with it).