Digital Media Online’s Charlie White’s article regarding reviewing the Apple Power Mac G5 Dual 2.7GHz contains an aside about Mac OS X, “Although this is not a full-scale review of Tiger, I must comment on the speed and grace of its new Spotlight feature (see graphic below). Sitting at the top right of the screen is a little magnifying glass. Click on that and a box drops down that offers a field in which to enter a search term. Immediately after you type one character, Spotlight starts finding folders, documents and applications that match the term you’re typing. It’s the fastest, most convenient search feature I’ve ever seen, and I wish every computer in the world had it. Wow. The rest of the operating system is just about as good as an OS can be. The icons are all beautifully drawn, and the whole thing just oozes quality.”
“For the first time ever, here at the Midwest Test Facility, could this new Mac beat the fastest PC? Well, yes and no. It came close, and beat our eight-month-old Dell dual Xeon 3.6GHz test machine in some of the benchmarks, but overall, it still isn’t as fast as our fastest, albeit elderly PC. It’s certainly telling that Intel’s Xeon chips from last year are still faster than the nearly speed-stuck IBM PowerPC chips inhabiting Macintoshes. We can only hope that somehow Apple will decide to start using Intel or even AMD chips in its computers and at the same time find a way to quickly and efficiently adapt all its magnificent software to a processor that has proven to be a more dependable source of continuous speed and efficiency upgrades. It’s frustrating to see all this groundbreaking software innovation, such as the magnificent Final Cut Pro Studio (which I will soon be reviewing here on Digital Media Net), all brought to bear on a processor whose manufacturer for some reason can’t seem to upgrade it as fast as was once hoped. Irony of ironies, it’s IBM , that evil empire alluded to in Apple’s 1984 commercial so many years ago, that’s supplying these chips that can’t keep up and are holding Apple back from its true potential,” White writes.
White writes, “If you look at the prices, you get much more for your money with the dual-processor Mac these days than you do with a dual-processor Xeon PC… With a comparable 2GB of RAM and without any extras, this machine would cost $1300 less than the current price of our Dell dual Xeon 3.6GHz PC that we used for comparison. As configured, for forty bucks less you get speed that’s statistically just about the same as a PC, Bluetooth connectivity, FireWire 800 on the motherboard , and then there’s that striking industrial design and cachet that only goes with owning a Mac… I’d say that even though the Mac is still slower than the fastest PC in our benchmarks, for professional content creation it would be hard for me to pass it up. Highly recommended. 9.5 of 10 stars.”
Check out the tests, test results and read the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: So, Apple’s Power Mac G5 Dual 2.7GHz, even with the IBM PowerPC issues, is still statistically just about as fast as a Dell dual Xeon 3.6GHz PC, has a superior operating system, and costs less to boot (pun intended). In the full article, White mentions Apple’s standard one-button mouse, hence the related articles below.
Related MacDailyNews articles:
Apple’s mythical two-button mouse – March 19, 2005
RUMOR: Apple may soon debut two-button mouse – March 15, 2005
Why Apple ships a one-button mouse even though Mac OS X supports multi-button mice – January 29, 2005
Macworld Poll: 34 percent say Apple Mac one-button mouse a mistake – April 07, 2004
Why no Apple two-button mouse? – September 17, 2003
The time has come for Apple to ship a two-button scroll mouse standard – June 09, 2003
Should Apple reconsider the one-button mouse? – October 23, 2002
Bring IT!!!!!
If it’s so cheap, when are you gonna buy me a new one?
MDN Magic Word: “near” as in IBM is near the 3Ghz barrier, but only near it.
nice review
Hmmm… a new Ford Mustang is probably faster jumping from light to light than a brand new BMW 3 Series sedan, as well. Yup, BMW should dump that beautiful smooth quiet 6 cylinder they’ve built to perfection and start using Ford engines.
While I’d make no excuses for IBM’s inability to increase their processor speeds, I believe that Intel is having the same issues – just not to the extent that IBM is. Would be nice to see IBM have some sort of breakthrough on this, but I believe that the newer designs are in part helping to deal with a lack of Mhz/Ghz speed increases.
MW: Fact “Fact: Microsoft Sucks.”
One of these days I’ll see a comparison between processors of equal hertz. Say, a 3.8 Ghz Mac against a 3.8 Ghz Dell. I’m tired of seeing the, “The 2.7 Ghz Mac is almost as fast as our 3.6 Ghz PC, faster in some tests, but not in others.” GAA!
wow.. looks like we already got to 3Ghz..
tee hee…
From the article:
“The only tone-deaf feature that has stubbornly stayed with Macs for many years is that idiotic button-less mouse. Is there anyone on this planet who’s still using this dopey thing? If so, please let me know why. I am positively baffled. I’ve also noticed that even when I plug in a typical two-button mouse with a mouse wheel, the mouse driver included with OS X just can’t get the cursor moving fast enough for my taste, nor does it have the ability to accelerate the cursor. Further, hasn’t anyone at Apple figured out that right-click functionality makes a computer much easier to use? Sure, you can use the right mouse button on a lot of Mac applications if you buy a third-party mouse, but even then, the right-click functionality on the Macintosh is still vastly inferior to that of Windows XP applications. When, oh when, will Apple finally give up on this misguided single-button fetish? “
When will the morons using the Right Click button figure out that you can do the same thing on a Mac by holding down a single key and clicking a single button on the mouse?
Why don’t you complain about something worthwhile?
With regards to multi button mice, whilst I do like right click it is interesting how you do actually begin to take more advantage of all the other keyboard shortcuts when you do start using a single button mouse/trackpad. More than one button can make you lazy and stop you getting the full benefit. That said I use a trackball from my old pc days and I do love it so do use the other buttons cos they’re there. If it broke I would seriously consider doing away with the buttons.
Moronic is buying into the idea that ctrl-click is somehow just as efficient as right-click. One-handed operation of a mouse is far more convenient for lots of circumstances. <cough>
I’m not a moron, and I use right-clicking with OS X all the time. It is far easier to do than hold down a key with one hand while clicking a button than the other.
For those who use multiple operating systems, Apple’s commitment to single-button mice has no productivity gains or ease-of-use gains.
I find the comment about single-button mice in the article to be very common (and valid) complaint by the other 95% of the computer-using polulation – particularly for laptops.
This is the 1st article on powermac performace that I have read from Charlie White that is positive. I’m stunned (and I’m not saying he’s a mac basher).
Makes me almost want to go out a buy a dual G5 powermac…
– Mark
Also, for those with only one hand, right-clicking is easier to do than hold down another key on the keyboard with the missing limb…
As a european professor, I don’t know very much about PCs. I know about cars. Questions like: how many HP has this car?, What about maxim speed?, and so on are tipicaly american… and, this time, wrong. Numbers don’t tell you very much about cars. And, perhaps, not about computers. A Mac is a Mac (and a Dell a Dell).
buy a mini and use whatever mouse you want to!!
to each his own.
Apple probably should give the option of a two button, but they don’t
Too bad Digital Media Online’s benchmark are skewed toward Windows, since applications he uses are probably optimized for Windows, not for MacOS. One thing bother’s me most is his hard disk test. Apple should address that problem. May be it is as simple as turning off the Journaling on MacOS (but I don’t know if that explains the read speed).
I think the issue with the mouse is not only about the contextual menu, but also, and most importantly to me, its about scrolling. When i sit down at any of my colleagues Macs and want to scroll down to the bottom of the page, and there is not scrollwheel, is is really annoying. i use a multibutton mouse on my mac at the office. (2 buttons and scroll Wheel) and at home I have a intellimouse explorer 2 with 6 buttons, but although i have assigned them all, I don’t use the functionality of all 6 buttons.
professor:
Take your “typically american” comment and shove it.
Take a look at BMW and Mercedes quality these days and tell me how they stack up to the American brands. 10 years ago they were comparible to the Japanese brands. Not anymore. BMW iDrive using Windows. Very sad. BMW used to make some beautiful, reliable cars. I don’t think you know very much about cars. Mercedes still makes beautiful cars, but can’t keep them out of the shop.
Numerical values are important to some people, not just Americans. Like this number: how many times did BMW 7-series customers RETURN their crappy, ugly cars back to BMW because they could not figure out how to start the engine?
How about your wonderful European Airbus A380? It carries more people than the 787, but it is technologically inferior, burning more fuel/passenger, utilizing current design trends, offering nothing really new or innovative. You Europeans have gone for quantity versus quality, and it shows.
There is more to an automobile than numbers, and if you say it that way, you might sound more intelligent, especially being a “European professor” and all. Quality and value are important too.
I saw an example of one reason why Apple sticks to a single-button mouse earlier this week. The user was an elderly iMac user whose Mac I had just upgraded to OS X. I had it connected to a 2-button scroll wheel mouse and nothing I could tell him would allow him to use the mouse correctly. He only knew about clicking a mouse button when necessary and not that he had to click the left button and not the right or scroll wheel (which itself is a button). Young children and in fact new computer users of all ages have the same problem.
If you want a multi-button mouse, go out and buy one. Apple’s mouse works for everyone.
This is nothing more than a comparison of how fast each machine runs After Effects. One application. And the CineBench 2003 benchmark is based on CINEMA 4D. So that’s two apps. Hardly a comprehensive test if you ask me, and who knows how much each of these apps favor one processor architecture over the other.
What I would like to see is a speed comparison done using a video editing project done on the 2 machines, where each machine is free to use whatever software is available to get the job done.
Isn’t that a real life test?
The debate over a one- or two-button is ridiculous. Apple should just let consumers make a choice when ordering a computer. At least when ordering on-line, it would be the easiest thing in the world for Apple to do. It really is just SJ’s obstinacy. (Typically, a good thing, but clearly not always…).
This is cool and all but. They should do a comp with the right soft. If avid is good on a wintell pc, then go with avid vs FCP. stuff like this comparing too of the same programs on the two different platforms is dumb. They should compare using the best apps on each system. That would actualy tell me something other than who optomizes for windows and who optomizes for Mac OS X.
So Gordon, what you are saying is that Apple produces the most powerful OS on the planet. Its users are more technically competent than the typical Windows user. But Steve Jobs wants to put a 1 button mouse in his systems because he doesn’t want to confuse us? Come on. The guys a brilliant man but an ass too. He’s letting his pride get the best of him. You’d be amazed at how many people are turned off from a Mac from something as simple as the mouse. If Steve would swallow his pride and put a two button scroll mouse on every system, it would help alot. First impressions go a long way to a purchase. 512MB of ram standard and a two button scroll mouse would help sell a lot more. I sound ridiculous but most of the buying public thinks this way.
This is such a useless speed test suite. Cinebench is ported poorly for Mac, but not as poorly as Adobe AfterEffects. I would say to toss out the Cinebench test, and use Final Cut Pro for to do the video tasks on the Mac. Adobe AfterEffects has been shown to run only about 10% faster on a dual CPU Mac than on a single CPU Mac – obviously Adobe programmers don’t know jack about multithreaded programming. Final Cut Pro runs at least 70% faster with a second CPU.
OS X Tiger with one button works better than Windows XP no matter how many buttons use with XP.
I’m no metallurgist, but since when were G% towers staainless steel?
Has anybody else got a sticky keyboard?
So much for the claims that the current Power Mac G5s are not on par with the best systems that Wintel can offer. Just keep on spewing your FUD boys, we ain’t buyin’ any of it…
I love the old 2 button mouse debate.
On the one hand you have the best OS in the world, the most powerful computer, the most intelligent, educated and wealthy users compared to stupid Windows users, yet become confounded, confused and helpless if faced with one additional button on your mouse.
Wow…
We’ve grown accustomed to the high quality of this 23-inch flat panel, because it boasts the same crisp output as its 23-inch predecessor, the clear plastic-encased Cinema HD display that resembles an easel that we’ve used here for the past year. This new stainless steel beauty’s sophisticated design takes that quality level a notch higher …
It’s also pleasing the way the monitor matches the Power Mac G5’s stainless steel computer case.
Stainless steel?
What can I say? The Mac is cheaper, as fast, and better. Not to mention free of Windows malware, and yet he wishes we’d go with PowerPC chips? Darn! A good review by an idiot is still a lousy review.
Doh! I meant Intel cips (that he want’s us to go that way, not that we would!)
Bozo.
Doh! I meant Intel cips (that he want’s us to go that way, not that we would!)
Bozo.
Doh! I meant Intel cips (that he want’s us to go that way, not that we would!)
Bozo.
“I find the comment about single-button mice in the article to be very common (and valid) complaint by the other 95% of the computer-using polulation – particularly for laptops.”
zupchuck,
I respectfully, but vehemently, disagree with your comment, especially the argument about the use of the single button on laptops. I use a PowerBook, and with tap-and-hold enabled on the trackpad, I don’t even use the button, period. In fact, when people bring up the mouse button crap, I tell them that I favor a zero-button mouse. After using a laptop with a trackpad for so long, I am completely comfortable with both hands on the keyboard at all times, and I find that having to remove my hand to manipulate a mouse is irritating, frustrating and an interruption of my workflow.
I am so sick and fricking tired of the old one-button mouse argument. The fact is that the right button is only a modifier key that replicates the function of the control key on the keyboard, and with both hands on the keyboard, I have all the modifier keys I need at my fingertips, so the argument that the lack of a right button somehow makes a Mac ergonomically inferior is simply a canard. Users unfamiliar with the Mac are frustrated that their muscle memory doesn’t make the immediate transition to a different way of doing things, and aren’t prepared to take the time to learn, hence the many stories of people who’ve “played around” with the Mac, or “used It briefly”, and write it off as inferior because they didn’t take the time to learn the nuances of the interface.
Anecdotally, my sister and six of my seven brothers have made the switch to Macs in the last three years, and after initial complaints about some of the differences, have all sworn that they would never again touch a PC. As my youngest brother said to me just last week, after learning the Mac way of doing things, in his opinion they just make more sense. In fact, he’s become so used to it that he ditched his Intellimouse and went back to the one-button Apple mouse for his iMac. Two days ago he bought a PowerMac G5 and two 20″ Cinema Displays, and I am officially green with envy. [Horn tooting time: due to my direct and indirect influence *ahem*, my family, friends and associates have now acquired a total of
15 iBooks
10 PowerBooks
7 iMacs
2 eMacs
3 PowerMacs (two 20″ and one 23″ Cinema Displays)
13 iPods
These were the same people who taunted me mercilessly for years as a “Mac fanatic”. You know that nice inner glow that comes from having the last laugh? For three years, I have been basking in it, having seen them come over from the Dark Side, gradually at first, then in a headlong rush. ]
The vast majority of users are simply unaware that Apple intended the Mac to be mainly keyboard-driven, hence the many, many consistent keyboard shortcuts. After novices get used to seeing the Command-S every time they select the “Save” command from the menu, they will eventually wean themselves from doing simple repetitive tasks with the mouse. Let’s get this straight for the last time: the Mac was designed to enable efficient use with one mouse button, and actually doesn’t need a second, although it doesn’t hurt. If you had said that Apple’s decision not to use a scroll wheel is questionable, then I would certainly agree with you that the scroll wheel is a superb innovation, but again, with the Function and arrow keys at my fingertips, I really don’t miss it.
One thing I am sick of…. is being tired. It’s 3am here at work.
Another is… the idiotic one-button mouse.
One thing I am sick of…. is being tired. It’s 3am here at work.
Another is… the idiotic one-button mouse.
One thing I am sick of…. is being tired. It’s 3am here at work.
Another is… the idiotic one-button mouse.
Heh. I laugh so hard at people griping about the one-button mouse. Tell, o mouse elitists, am I truly to believe that you would ever use the mouse that came with the system? Wouldn’t all of you immediately junk the mouse in favor of a 96-button, 7-trigger, 3-scroll ball, ergnomic, Bluetooth Gottmaus from some 3rd party? If that’s the case, why does it matter what mouse the system comes with??
one button mouse.. i assume people are trying to be ironic when they say that.. you can get any freakin mouse you want for $20 and it will work perfectly on a mac..
Yos
just a reminder the fastest PCs don’t run Intel chips, so the whole “oh we are doing fine speed wise, since we are beating Dell” is not really a satisfying statement at the moment. (at least for me)
The ease of use, ability, security, bundled software and style of our OS of choice is pretty much still our only real advantage.
We can’t even start talking about our speed compared to AMD platform machines, which have recently been consistently and in some cases significantly faster then Intel machines.
Further more we are still in the dark as far as true professional graphic cards (& bus interfaces), and I am pretty sure this is an Apple issue (not only in the hands of the GC makers) as the main differences between consumer and professional hardware are drivers and hardware signing and authentication for the platform by Apple.
Sure Steve might not see the point, but the issue is still here; not enough real professional applications on the platform yet.
We need pro/engineer, Autocad, Softimage, StudioMax and other Discreet products, etc to move to our AMAZING Unix.
(I’ve been amazed that Apple with all of its design acumen doesn’t pursue architects more systematically. also why the hell hasn’t Apple bought Discreet yet…doods)
The fact that Dull, HP, SUN, SGI, and a million others (Actually Boxx in particular in the Digital content creation market) can offer much higher end solutions as well as their low & Mid end ones really is frustrating.
Why is Apple letting AMD platform machines take the failing SGI business.
Why doesn’t Apple take DCC market over COMPLETELY.
Why just the Mid to Low end.
GGGGGRRRRRR.
I really wish we could claim speed dominance though.
It seems to be the only language that speaks to the ignorant majority.
Account managers would be so much easier to handle if you said please buy this Mac if you want me to finish this project on time.
it’s “THIS” much faster.
IBM don’t go ‘Motorola’ on us.
Please give us at least some of the juice you are giving MS, Sony *AND* Nintendo.
Wtf, if you can give all them folks multi core, high performance processors that fit in boxes a third of the size of a G5 then WHAT IS THE F…ING PROBLEM????
This can’t keep happening, this is the second wave of processors that we Mac users have been lied about.
Personally I say bring back PPC700 series add Altivec and let it fly.
Intel is doing it with the Pentium M –which is a revision of the PIII.
Those notebook processors who at half of the clock speed of Netburst P4’s are as fast and much quicker in many places where it matters.
G3 processors where always better then G4 series and really should be brought back. They where quick and efficient, and offered a much better user experience then G4’s.
Do you guys bore holes in your systems with your penises? My god, its like a love triagle of the fag Apple Fans around here. Man talk about affirmation. You all have an Acute case of self-absorbing enthusiasm about your Macs…Heres one, Get Lives..
I own a Mac, a Ferrari F355 and have a georgeous wife..In other words, do something….other than wack off with your macs..
(mw)below, as in, you all act as though EVERYONE is “below” you.
G5Jew, are you saying there’s something wrong with fags?
A Ferrari, a gorgeous wife . . . do you have a comb-over and a bottle of Viagara as well?
G5 Jew,
This is the wrong forum to talk about fags. There are lots here…not that there’s anything wrong with that.
And do you have to brag about what you have? That sounds so…well…jewish.
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BTW, can you tell us how gorgeous is your wife? And does she love you for the Mac and the Ferrari or your charming brag about style?
justified,
G5Jew doesn’t need Viagra, it won’t help someone with his specific pathology; his Ferrari is a penis extension. He boasts about an expensive sports car and a “georgeous” wife, as if anyone gives a fat rat’s ass, then tells everyone else that they’re “self-absorbed” and “need affirmation”. Sounds like expensive-therapist-speak to me. I bet he manages to work that into casual conversation with strangers: “And when the guy comes to install the satellite, tell him to be careful not to scratch my Ferrari F355, the red one with the fine Corinthian leather upholstery. I won’t be home, I’ll be at the Bosley clinic for my second set of hair grafts, but my georgeous wife will show you where she wants it.” More nerve than rotten teeth.
This jerkwater is a poster boy for mid-life crisis. I can just picture him: shirt unbuttoned to showcase the bling-bling nestled in his thick mat of greying chest hair, his comb-over wafting in the breeze, while his trophy wife smiles condescendingly beside him, counting the seconds till she can go home and bang the pool boy.
I only need to know that he’s from Miami; these types were a running joke when I lived there. A hundred bucks says that he wears white loafers, sports coats with designer T-shirts, and a pinky ring. You need to electric slide out of the time warp, pal; “Miami Vice” isn’t coming back. Here’s a clue: this is a Mac-related forum; Dr. Phil doesn’t hang out here.
Magic Word is “care”, as in absolutely no one cares what type of car you drive, what your wife looks like, or what particular nugget of shit periodically floats to the scum-covered surface of your pathetic little mind that you feel so compelled to share with people who genuinely don’t give a flying fuck at a rolling doughnut about you or your opinion.
Yeah, By self admission, you all are Fags…To bad you know…Pussy is better…Either
A)you were malested as a child by your fathers
-or-
b)you just didnt have what it takes to get a women.
Oh, by the way, there is something wrong with being a fagget…Sorry.
Yeah Viralidian, You are GOD. You know everything dont you? Otherwise you wouldnt be on this forum typing a novel…Just like I said, get lives…or Jerk off on your White keyboards…Whatever floats your boats…Or in your cases, raft’s. Making stupid comments of how you “think” people are, shows your intellect….Hows that going for you anyways? Being “Intellectual”?
Oh and Viral, If you dont “Give a flying fsck” then why do you reply to my pathetic, trolling, post?
It must be your ego, or lack there of.
mw(Material) as in, I dont give a shit about material things either. But unfortunately if it werent for your self-affirmation of a computer It shows that you do have some envy regarding material items. Other wise, you’d be using a PC.
Viralian, You really are a buttress of Mac.
and at one time, there was something wrong with being a Jew. Then again, you’re probably not Jewish, but rather, using the moniker as another slanderous, off-color comment.
The best parts of you must have been wasted on the sheets.
G5jew-
Didn’t this thread start with you telling how “you” think people are?
“Making stupid comments of how you “think” people are, shows your intellect….Hows that going for you anyways? Being “Intellectual”? “You all have an Acute case of self-absorbing enthusiasm about your Macs”
Oh and I like pussy too. I’m not a fag. I just don’t like jewish pussy.
BTW, I hate when people say “anyways”. There is no “S”.
Golly, G5Jew, you’ve sure got some issues.
Maybe it’s because:
a) You didn’t do so well in school (were you “malested”, too?), so you don’t like to hear other people who sound smarter than you. It’s a pity there are so very many of them.
b) You bought a Ferrari, then realized you “dont give a shit about material things” (or punctuation). Ooops!
c) Your animosity towards homosexuals is covering up your own conflicts about your own sexuality. I’m not gay, but it doesn’t upset me that others are. What’s got you so uneasy, big fella?
d) You’ve got a Mac, but don’t know how to do anything worthwhile with it. Or did you have some of that same envy when you bought yours? I mean, if “other wise, you’d be using a PC”, you must have made a stupid, superficial purchase, huh?
e) You experience such self-loathing that you spend time away from your “georgeous” wife, hot car, and incredible life in order to read what the “fag Apple fans” have to say. Don’t worry, though, you’ve really earned the right to hate yourself.
f) You haven’t realized yet how ridiculous you sound as you deride everyone one else for acting as if others were “below” them. I suppose you’re also non-violent and will kick the ass of anyone who says you’re not.
Of course, in the end, yours was just a pathetic troll, as you no doubt are, too. Back under the bridge now, you poor simple fool…