World of Apple

The announcement of iMac speed bumps today stirred some interest when the processors used in the new machines didn’t appear to be a widely available Intel processor.

The processor in question comes in the top iMac and clocks in at 3.06GHz, the processor which also has a 1066Mhz FSB and was initially rumoured to be the 45 nm Core 2 Duo Extreme X9100 processor. This processor is expected to officially launch in June as part of the Montevina range.

Intel told TG Daily that the processor in the top spec iMac is not the X9100 but in fact a “special” SKU of the 45 nm Penryn processor for the company’s Santa Rosa platform. Apparently the only technical difference between this special and the X9100 is the CPU’s power thermal design power (TDP), which is 11 watts above the 44 watt X9100.

iMac ATI Radeon HD Graphics Firmware Update 1.0.1 - 848KB

This update is for iMac computers with an ATI Radeon HD 2600 Pro or ATI Radeon HD 2400 XT graphics card installed, running Mac OS X 10.5.2 or later.

It updates the ATI Radeon HD 2600 Pro or ATI Radeon HD 2400 XT graphics card firmware in the iMac to improve system stability.

As rumoured late last week Apple has officially announced minor refreshes to the iMac line of Macs.

The new iMacs feature the latest Intel Core 2 Duo processors and the most powerful graphics ever available in an iMac. With prices starting at just $1,199, iMac includes faster processors with 6MB L2 cache and a faster 1066 MHz front-side bus across the entire line, and 2GB of memory standard in most models. The 24-inch iMac now offers a 3.06 GHz Intel processor and the high-performance NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS graphics as options, extending iMac’s lead as the ultimate all-in-one desktop computer for both consumers and professionals.

“The iMac’s gorgeous aluminum and glass all-in-one design has been an incredible hit with our customers and is just one of the reasons Mac sales are growing three and a half times faster than PC sales,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “With the latest Intel processors, a faster new graphics option and more memory, customers now have even more reasons to love the iMac.”

Packing dual-core performance into the convenience of a striking all-in-one design, the new iMac includes faster Intel Core 2 Duo processors across the line; a 1066 MHz front-side bus; up to 4GB of 800 MHz DDR2 SDRAM memory; and a widescreen flat-panel display supporting millions of colors. For the first time, the 24-inch iMac features an optional NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS with 512MB of video memory, to deliver up to two times standard performance for graphic intensive applications. Providing the latest in high-performance connectivity options to quickly and conveniently transfer digital photos, music and video, iMac includes built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n Wi-Fi networking for up to five times the performance of 802.11g; Bluetooth 2.1+EDR; Gigabit Ethernet; built-in iSight video camera; a total of five USB 2.0 ports (including two on the Apple Keyboard); and one FireWire 400 and one FireWire 800 port.

The iMac furthers Apple’s commitment to environmental progress with highly recyclable and durable materials including scratch-resistant glass and professional grade aluminum. Every model in the iMac line is rated EPEAT Silver and the power-efficient iMac also meets the stringent Energy Star 4.0 requirements for power consumption. Customers who purchase any qualifying Apple computer can recycle their old PC or Mac for free via the Apple Recycling Program.

• 20″ - 2.4GHz, 1GB RAM, 250GB Hard Drive, ATI Radeon HD 2400 XT 128MB. $1199 (£799)
• 20″ - 2.6GHz, 2GB RAM, 320GB Hard Drive, ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO 256MB, $1499 (£949)
• 24″ - 2.8GHz, 2GB RAM, 320GB Hard Drive, ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO 256MB, $1799 (£1149)
• 24″ - 3.06GHz, 2GB RAM, 500GB Hard Drive, NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS 512MB, $2199 (£1389)

Mac Rumors has added some significant credence to this weeks rumour that the iMac will see a minor refresh this coming week.

The rumour site reports that new iMac part numbers have appeared in some retail systems according to sources. The price points appear to be identical to those of the current iMacs ($1199, $1499, $1799), delivery of inventory is targeted for Monday or Tuesday.

GeekSugar is claiming that the much-awaited iMac revision is due next week.

According to the site which correctly predicted MacBook and MacBook Pro updates in the past, the iMac will remain at the current price points and will “probably” receive a speed bump as well as increased hard drive storage.

MacBook Air EFI Firmware Update 1.0 - 2.3MB

This update fixes several issues to improve the stability of MacBook Air computers.

MacBook EFI Firmware Update 1.2 - 1.8MB

This update fixes several issues to improve the stability of MacBook computers.

After the firmware is successfully applied to your Mac, your Boot ROM Version will be:

MB31.008E.B02

MacBook Pro EFI Firmware Update 1.5 - 3.1MB

This update fixes several issues to improve the stability of MacBook Pro computers.

After the firmware is successfully applied to your Mac, your Boot ROM Version will be:

MBP21.00A5.B08 or MBP31.0070.B07

iMac EFI Firmware Update 1.3 - 1.6MB

This update fixes several issues to improve the stability of iMac computers.

After the firmware is successfully applied to your Mac, your Boot ROM Version will be:

IM71.007A.B03

Firmware Restoration CD 1.6 - 30MB

The Firmware Restoration CD can restore the firmware of an Intel-based Macintosh computer.

MacScoop is reporting that both the Mac mini and iMac will receive updates in the next few weeks.

Though we don’t have a precise release date, we expect the iMac and the Mac mini refreshes to happen within the next four weeks, inventory clearing being the only constraint.

The site reports that the refresh will mainly bring Intel’s 45nm Penryn microprocessor to both the iMac and Mac mini. The same processors present in the recently updated MacBook and MacBook Pro updates.

The site also expects the Mac mini to upgrade to the GMA3100 graphics chipset used in the most recent MacBook.

Finally MacScoop reports that Apple has been working to reduce the thickness of the iMac but the changes will not make it into this revision.

Since Macworld Apple has introduced some form of news almost every Tuesday (2GB iPod shuffle, 16GB iPhone, 32GB iPod touch, Aperture 2.0, Xsan 2).

It looks as if tomorrow (Tuesday 26th) will be no different.

Mac Rumors is hesitantly reporting that it expects MacBook Pro updates tomorrow and points towards information about Best Buy part numbers showing new model numbers at the same price points as current models.

TUAW is also reporting that the current Best Buy flyer is listing Time Capsule as an available item.

Finally, 9 to 5 Mac is noting that although they have no idea when the MacBook Pros are going to ship but they do think its “pretty likely” that the iMacs will see a similar speed bump.

[Update - 25/02/2008 23.30 GMT] Mac Rumors and AppleInsider are both reporting that sources are noting that the Best Buy part numbers are related to an unexpected MacBook update, not MacBook Pros.

Following Apple openly acknowledging the existence of the iMac Freezing issue which plagues users of the latest 20- and 24-inch iMac systems.

Today, Apple released an update aimed solely at users of 20-inch and 24-inch aluminum iMac computers running ATI Radeon HD 2600 Pro graphics cards.

The 772KB can be downloaded from Apple’s website or via Software Update, in the associated notes Apple writes:

This update is for 20-inch and 24-inch aluminum iMac computers with the ATI Radeon HD 2600 Pro graphics running Mac OS X 10.4.10 with iMac Software Update 1.2.1 or Leopard with iMac Software Update 1.3.

And in a further more advanced Knowledge Base article Apple writes:

This update is for 20-inch and 24-inch aluminum iMac computers with the ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO graphics processor, running Mac OS X 10.4.10 with iMac Software Update 1.2.1 for Tiger, or Mac OS X 10.5 with iMac Software Update 1.3 for Leopard.

It updates the graphics firmware on the ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO card to address issues that may have caused the computer to freeze.

Not every 20-inch and 24-inch aluminum iMac computer requires this update. If you are not automatically presented with this update, your computer does not need it.

If you manually download this update and attempt to install it on an ineligible computer, you will receive an error message.

1.1.2 iPhone Firmware Arriving Friday

Pocket-lint.co.uk has reportedly received confirmation from Apple that firmware version 1.1.2 will be available to all iPhone owners on Friday 9th.

Although the time could not be confirmed, iPhone owners who sync their device with iTunes tomorrow in the States will be presented with the option to upgrade to the new firmware. wrote the publication.

According to reports from a few days ago the firmware version will reportedly come pre-loaded on iPhone devices in the UK and Germany which go on sale at 6.02PM local time.

[Update] - According to a T-Mobile press release in Germany some T-Mobile stores will be opening at 0.01 hours, just half an hour from the current time of writing. This could potentially mean that the iPhone update will hit the internet a little bit before Friday November 9th.

iMac Freezing a Hardware Issue?

One reader has noted to AppleInsider that his iMac freezing issues have vanished since Apple replaced the Radeon HD video chipset in the system.

“So far that [repair] has fixed it completely,” he says, observing that the iMac has been stable for two weeks since its return. “We’ll see if the same issue starts back up again.”

Many users across the internet are coming to the conclusion that the iMac freezing issues are caused by a faulty graphics card or overheating within the iMac chassis. Most users state that graphics artefacts plague the systems prior to freezing.

“My lockups were normal looking at first, but eventually started to spew out graphical artifacts, the same type of [problem] I used to see when overclocking graphics cards,” the iMac owner said.