While I'm working on the new HDD reviews for AT I'm also preparing for the new Mac section on AT, which brings me to this Macdate - what comparisons/reviews would you all like to see done in the new Mac section at AT?
I've got a couple of ideas already, including the new 2.5GHz G5 and a 64MB vs 128MB vs 256MB Exposé graphics card comparison but I'm looking for more requests. So just drop your requests in the comments section of this blog or drop me an email if you don't want the rest of the world seeing your request and I'll get cracking on it.
I'm a little behind on the Mac section seeing as how I have yet to develop a full benchmark suite for our Mac tests here at AT, but I'm planning on devoting some time to that later this week after I get these HDDs out of the way. I'm also open to any suggestions as far as benchmarks go; I'm thinking about trying to script together something to test office/general usage performance but given that I've been a Mac user for only a handful of months my talents are still quite lacking. I'm going to be doing more research over the next week or so, but always open to any pointers, suggestions, etc...
Back to work...
I've got a couple of ideas already, including the new 2.5GHz G5 and a 64MB vs 128MB vs 256MB Exposé graphics card comparison but I'm looking for more requests. So just drop your requests in the comments section of this blog or drop me an email if you don't want the rest of the world seeing your request and I'll get cracking on it.
I'm a little behind on the Mac section seeing as how I have yet to develop a full benchmark suite for our Mac tests here at AT, but I'm planning on devoting some time to that later this week after I get these HDDs out of the way. I'm also open to any suggestions as far as benchmarks go; I'm thinking about trying to script together something to test office/general usage performance but given that I've been a Mac user for only a handful of months my talents are still quite lacking. I'm going to be doing more research over the next week or so, but always open to any pointers, suggestions, etc...
Back to work...
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Adam K. - Thursday, June 24, 2004 - link
Hey Anand,Your blogs have decreased since you finished school! I thought we would hear more from you now...
Cliff - Thursday, June 24, 2004 - link
What's going on Anand?..just looking for an orange colored update (-:C
Dave - Thursday, June 24, 2004 - link
Anyone from Anandtech planning to be at WWDC next week?Dv
DarylF2 - Wednesday, June 23, 2004 - link
I know that enthusiasts are your main viewers, and many of these are gamers, but I think that while gaming is a consideration for many Mac users, it is NOT a focus. Thus, please don't focus mainly on gaming.I'd like to see the following Macintosh sub-areas:
* graphics (Photoshop, Canvas, OmniGraffle, etc.)
* video (Final Cut, Shake, etc.)
* press (InDesign, Quark, RagTime, etc.)
* audio (pro audio apps...)
* interoperability (networking/Samba, MS Office, X11/fink, tips for users of multiple OSs and "switchers", etc.)
* development (XCode, CodeWarrior, Carbon/Cocoa, Java, OpenGL, alternate APIs (Qt, WxWindows, Mono, ...), etc.)
* consumer software (iLife suite, office suites, browsers, app launchers (QuickSilver, DragThing, ...), IM tools, note-taking tools, etc.)
* gaming (video cards, sound, games)
* enthusiast topics (overclocking, modding, etc.)
* miscellaneous (AppleCare, intelligent Mac/PC comparisons, etc.)
I'd also like to see a "best of" listing of freeware, shareware, and commercial software (separate lists for each), where readers can nominate and vote for products in various categories. This would be great to see for Windows and Linux as well.
I'd be happy to contribute a bit (I've been a Mac user since 1987, a Windows user since 1997, a Linux dabbler (on and off), an SGI user since 1992, and a professional developer (primarily Windows (MFC, OpenGL, MySQL, ...), but also SGI (X11 and IrisGL/OpenGL) and a little Mac OS) since 1991.
Oatmeal - Wednesday, June 23, 2004 - link
I think an article about your experience in the switch would be nice. Not everyone reads your blog and knows what you did (the switch for a month thing). How is the switch holding up? Are you still using the mac? Can you debunk some of the myths with OS X and mac? It seems like you are the first to openly cross paths between the two sides, and your voice should be heard.I would also say the mp3 external devices would be cool to review. The airport express, the eyehome, and a few others. Basically integrating your mac with your overall multimedia experience.
There is a huge browser war going on, maybe pick up on some of the action there.
Laptop comparisons? ibook vs powerbook vs t42 vs ? What has better airport range, better burning speeds, better battery, better sound, better keyboard, etc.
Thomas - Wednesday, June 23, 2004 - link
Well, I think the big thing to think about is that macs are geared to different kinds of people, creative professionals, and people who just dont care to get technical. I think a burgeoning sector with the macs is services - I'd REALLY love to see top of the line macs included in your IT-type benchmarks. With things like Apache built-in, you can't ignore it.It also goes for lots of cross-platform items. Photoshop is a big one of course, A bigger one for me is After Effects. The difference between a 5 minute and 10 minute photoshop render isn't horrible, but the difference between a 3 hour and 6 hour AFX render is HUGE.
Gaming obviously isn't a strongpoint, but it would be nice to see some benchies with PCs using the same video card - just to see what the difference really is.
Also, what I believe the online community would really be interested in is technical analysis. The liquid cooled G5 is coming out, great, but whats IN it? Is the mobo different? CPU or CPU stepping? Why was liquid cooling included? What other differences are there from a PC?
Basically, even hardcore PC people would be interested, even if its just to be educated enough to bash with competence.
Anonymous - Tuesday, June 22, 2004 - link
Oooh, a review of XSan would be neat too!Adam K. - Tuesday, June 22, 2004 - link
FYI: Apple does not have a high end Nvidia counterpart at all.;)
Ron J - Tuesday, June 22, 2004 - link
I wouldn't wait to buy a G5 if I didn't have to.With Exposé, the more RAM on the gfx card the smoother the effect will be for a larger number of windows. With 5 windows, they will all look the same. With 50 windows, the ones with more RAM would be much smoother, and so on.
Generally, the performance of the graphics cards for games follows with their PC counterparts (relatively). So a Radeon 9800 is going to give better performance than an Nvidia GeForce4 (or whatever Apple offers for the high end Nvidia).
Eug - Monday, June 21, 2004 - link
It would be nice to see some G5 Xserve reviews too.