New from Apple January 2004

[elektro80]

Apple has announced a lot of new stuff. Most of this can be checked out at http://www.apple.com

The biggest news is not that obvious.

First of all Apple has announced a preview version of its XGRID supercomputing stuff. What is this?
Read:

Apple Previews Xgrid Technology
Uses Rendezvous to Make Cluster Computing Easy

MACWORLD EXPO, SAN FRANCISCO—January 6, 2004—Apple® today previewed Xgrid™, a computational clustering technology from Apple’s Advanced Computation Group (ACG). Xgrid helps scientists and others working in compute intensive environments to fully utilize all IT resources, including desktops and servers, by creating a grid enabled “virtual” IT environment that takes advantage of unused computing capacity to run batch and workload processing. Available as a free beta download today from www.apple.com, Xgrid brings Apple’s legendary ease-of-use to computational clustering by providing the easiest way to run compute intensive applications, such as the popular gene-sequencing application BLAST, on multiple Macs using Apple’s Rendezvous™ networking technology.


“Xgrid makes it easy to turn your Mac cluster into a supercomputer,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “The new Xgrid software agents use Apple’s breakthrough Rendezvous networking technology to automatically discover, connect and manage tasks across available systems in a Mac cluster.”


With Xgrid running on Xserve® G5 servers (also announced today) in a 42U industry-standard rack, up to 84 Power PC G5 processors can be clustered to create a supercomputer with 1.5 teraflops of processing power dedicated to solving compute intensive problems. Management is simple with Xgrid. The Xgrid Console has an intuitive Aqua interface that makes it easy to execute UNIX commands, run shell scripts or feed applications across a cluster. Xgrid ships with built-in support for the popular gene-sequencing application BLAST and comes with a software developer kit that makes porting custom compute intensive applications to Xgrid easy.


Customers from NASA, Genentech, Simon Fraser University, Reed College and Virginia Tech have been testing the new technology on clusters of Mac® desktops, portables and servers.


Mathematical researchers led by Dr. Peter Borwein at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia, have used Xgrid in their exploration of the difficult problem of finding low autocorrelation binary sequences. With the help of Xgrid, the group has harnessed the computing power of machines in student labs at the university to create a system capable of processing data at more than 30 GHz.


“The Xgrid BLAST application enables bioinformatics researchers to perform distributed BLAST searches on a cluster running the Xgrid software,” said Richard H. Scheller, Ph.D., senior vice president of Research, Genentech. “We tested Xgrid BLAST by querying DNA sequence files for matches against multi-gigabyte genomic databases on a cluster of four dual-processor Xserves.”


Xgrid was tested at NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. The FORTRAN-based jet noise prediction code “Jet3D” was run across a distributed cluster of Power Mac® G5, Power Mac G4 and Xserve G4 systems. A total of eight G4 and two G5 processors were run, resulting in performance of approximately 32 gigaflops.


Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Apple is committed to bringing the best personal computing experience to students, educators, creative professionals and consumers around the world through its innovative hardware, software and Internet offerings.


Press Contacts:
Anuj Nayar
Apple
(408) 974-8388
anuj@apple.com


Cameron Craig
Apple
(408) 974-6281
cam@apple.com


NOTE TO EDITORS: For additional information visit Apple's PR website (www.apple.com/pr/), or call Apple's Media Helpline at (408) 974-2042.

Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, Mac, Mac OS, Xgrid, Rendezvous and Xserve are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Apple. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

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This is great news. There are already huge arrays of G5 computers out there running as supercomputers:

http://www.apple.com/hardware/video/virginiatech/

See the video. There are some very exciting views there.





Apple has also announced an upgrade to its XSERVE series. The new 1U rack device has now the G5 processor.

The new 1U rackmount servers are the first Macs to employ IBM's new 90-nanometer PowerPC 970 processors. These CPUs make Dual 2GHz possible in a 1U enclosure and should show impressive power savings for large-scale cluster applications.

Before long, it should also drive the price of all G5 systems down -- after all, IBM can get more usable 90nm chips from a silicon wafer of a given size than with 130nm technology and that will allow for price drops alongside the many other gains seen from a generational upgrade in manufacturing process like this one.

http://www.apple.com/xserve/


I have been running an early version of the xserve for some time now and this product is incredible. The fan noise is very low and the build quality is awesome.

Apple has upgraded and expanded on its iPod concept.
See more at http://www.apple.com/ipod


Apple announced several software updates of its many popular products.

There is one new product called garageband. It is basically a low end music application which is partly loop based. It has supposedly features for supplying playalong from an wide choice of styles.

http://www.apple.com/ilife/garageband/

Garageband is free when you uy a new mac, and 49 USD if you order it.

[elektro80]

Apple introduced the iPod mini, which it says is "the smallest portable music player ever to hold up to 1,000 CD-quality songs." The iPod mini is encased in an ultra-portable, lightweight anodized aluminum body available in five stylish colors--silver, gold, pink, blue or green-—and features a touch-sensitive Click Wheel. iPod mini features the same UI; is smaller than most cell phones; and weighs only 3.6 ounces. It can be charged with either of the included FireWire or USB 2.0 cables. It will be available in the US in February for $250 with earbud headphones, an Apple iPod mini power adapter, and a CD with iTunes 4.2 for Mac OS and Windows.

[elektro80]

iPod trivia: There is a new protocol out there for wireless use called LWAPP, Lightweight Access Point Protocol. The idea is that in the near future an iPod or similar devices can access a computer directly using LWAPP. This protocol is essentially an embedded version of USB.

[elektro80]

http://www.apple.com/garageband

[seraph]

[elektro80]

Dunno...perhaps faking music will be the next craze?

This is not for pro use. This is a new product designed for low end users.

Progress? Dunno.. I guess the kids will love this one.

[seraph]

[elektro80]

This is more of the same. Soundtrack is primarily for making .. soundtracks for video.
This garageband application is meant for the average consumer out there.

[mosc]

You know, Xserve video is trememdously impressive. I used to build large computing networks when I worked at Bell Labs (RIP).

This moves Apple into a field then never were in before, and with the new 1U systems, they will make big inroads into the BIG IRON market. Moving to UNIX was a brilliant move for Apple.

I think you are right, Elektro80, the biggest new didn't get all that much attention. This is much bigger than iPod in the long run.

[elektro80]

I agree. Apple is doing a lot of things right these days.

When it comes to the Garageband app which will be bundled with all machines for free, this one is hardly a bad move either. Since Apple now owns Logic, this is not meant as a pro/semipro DAW.

[elektro80]

http://www.internetnews.com/ent-news/article.php/3297711

Apple's Silent Push Into Enterprise

[mosc]