New and Noteworthy: Mac Pro: Quad-core processors inserted and tested; The Gradual Death of Apple .Mac; more

CNET staff

Sept. 2, 2009 12:01 a.m. PT

3 min read

Mac Pro: Quad-core processors inserted and tested AnandTech has installed and tested quad-core ("Clovertown") processors in a Mac Pro. "We grabbed a pair of 2.4GHz Clovertown samples and tossed them in the system, and to our pleasure, they worked just fine. Our samples used a 1066MHz FSB, although we're expecting the final chip to use a 1333MHz FSB, but the most important part of the test is that all 8 cores were detected and functional. [...] For the performance of Clovertown you'll have to wait a bit longer as we're not allowed to disclose it just yet, but we wanted to let you know that so far it's looking like you'll be able to upgrade your Mac Pro to 8 cores in the not too distant future." More.

The Gradual Death of Apple .Mac OSWeekly opines on the state of .Mac, fingering it as one of Apple's few product flops. "- No matter how successful a company may be, that success doesn?t make them immune from producing a complete flop. [...] Apple has had a sufficient amount of successes to be proud, and this fact is obvious when you observe how the iPod and iTunes have performed. On the other hand, you have products like the Newton, which never really took off, but it has a larger following now than it did back then. Another product that I would add to the list of functional misses is .Mac." More.

Skype launches video calling between Macs and PCs Computerworld reports that with the latest beta of Skype for the Macintosh, released on Wednesday, Skype hopes to help bridge the barrier between Macs and PCs for video calling. "Users of Skype for Mac 2.0 will be able to make video calls to both Mac and PC Skype users. Other options exist for such cross-platform video calling but not from the most popular instant messaging clients." More.

How will Apple's 'iTV' affect high-definition entertainment? HDTV UK speculates on how the unreleased "iTV" will affect high definition entertainment, questioning the ability to upscale video content to HD levels. "Other announcements from Apple included the iTunes Store selling downloadable movies - however they'll only be in 'near DVD' quality - with resolution of 640 x 480 - this is NOT high-definition by any stretch. How good the new Apple STB will be at upscaling them to your 720p/1080i/p TV remains to be seen - it'd better be good. But moving forward, this could just be the start. Apple were wise not to introduce a computer and display in one - as other commentators have suggested, this could prove expensive when the computer needs to be upgraded. No, a box is the answer, and there's no reason why high-def content couldn't make its way onto the box in the future." More.

Previously on MacFixIt: