New 900MHz iBook is out

[Charles Martin]

> From: MarJo <mjbirdsong at applelinks.net>
>
> I was told by a well-informed Mac enthusiast that in the
> world of OSX the G4 processor has several inherent
> advantages over the G3.

Some.

>   He explained that the Altivec unit
> in the G4 is geared to take advantage of the code structure
> of OS X,

Not really, at least not a present. Anecotally the presence of a G4 
chip seems to move things along about 20% better than a same-speed G3 
chip, but that could be due partially to other factors (like the larger 
L3 cache that tends to come with G4 models).

>  and with the November '03 release of OS X.3
> (code-named "Panther"), the G4's superiority will be
> GREATLY extended over the G3 due to the increased
> dependency of the OS X code on the Altivec processor.

I don't know where he got this -- it could be true, obviously, but the 
phrase "talking out of his ass" springs to mind and won't go away. I 
could, of course, be wrong. Indeed, it's a safe bet that OS X will 
continue to be optimised more for Altivec -- programs that can take 
advantage of it are WAY faster than anything on the PC, even PCs with 
HUGELY higher MHz/GHz ratings!

>   He
> advised me to get a TiBook. I had been thinking of an iBook
> until I talked to him.
>
Depends on what you're doing. If you're a normal user -- ie surfing the 
web, checking email, balancing checkbook, you probably wouldn't notice 
the difference between an iBook and a TiBook. If you're doing more of 
the high-end stuff like video/pro audio or heavy graphics, you'll 
definitely notice the difference.

> I did follow his advice and found a refurbished one.  The
> only down side is that there isn't much contrast for
> reading messages in AppleLinks andYahoo so I read them from
> another computer.
>
I have NO idea what you mean here. Are you saying those sites are hard 
to read? Why not adjust the font size?

> I partitioned the G4.  I have been able to move back and
> forth between OS9 and Jaguar without rebooting to an
> astonishing degree.  It's an interesting experience.
>
Again, not really sure what you're talking about. Do you mean Classic?

> When Panther  is released, does anyone have further
> opinions about how it will affect performance on the G3
> Macs?

It's likely that Panther will work better on a machine that has a 32MB 
or better video card, just as Jaguar does. It's also quite possible 
that what your friend said is true, that a G4 (or perhaps newer chips 
coming down the line) will run Panther better than a G3.

However, beyond these things I can't see Apple making Panther run *any* 
slower on a G3 than Jaguar does, quite the opposite really. Apple is 
still selling G3-based machines, think of the backlash if they released 
an OS that doesn't run well on their current product!

I think Panther will work a lot like Quartz Extreme does -- if you have 
the higher chip/better video, it contributes to the overall experience 
significantly. But those who don't are not left out in the cold or 
anything.

_Chas_

"[Commercial] radio is absolutely the enemy of music. They  are my 
sworn and mortal enemy, and I will have nothing to do with them." - 
Elvis Costello, March 2003