PC World magazine has named the Apple MacBook Pro the fastest Microsoft Windows Vista notebook of the year. According to PC World magazine, "The fastest Windows Vista notebook we've tested this year is a Mac. Try that again: The fastest Windows Vista notebook we've tested this year--or for that matter, ever--is a Mac. Not a Dell, not a Toshiba, not even an Alienware. The $2419 (plus the price of a copy of Windows Vista, of course) MacBook Pro's PC WorldBench 6 Beta 2 score of 88 beats Gateway's E-265M by a single point, but the MacBook's score is far more impressive simply because Apple couldn't care less whether you run Windows."

A white paper containing information on the upcoming RV670 graphics chip from ATI as well as new features and benefits of Microsoft DirectX 10.1 ATI. The white paper can be found on Team ATI's website. Some of the information learned from this white paper is that ATI's next generation graphics card will likely be the ATI Radeon HD 3800 which will feature DirectX 10.1 support, 55nm transistor design, and support PCI Express 2.0 Interestingly, it seems that DirectX 10.1 will support more realistic lighting that objects can obstruct light sources creating more realistic sense of depth and more accurate lighting effects.

In case the white paper is removed, here is some of the information:

Microsoft® DirectX® 10.1 is the latest application programming interface from Microsoft that unlocks the state of the art in GPU technology, represented by the ATI Radeon™ HD 3800 series. Key features include an updated shader model, improved anti-aliasing support, more flexible data access, and tighter specifications for better application compatibility.

These features will enable exciting new techniques, such as real-time global illumination, that will define the future direction of interactive 3D graphics.

DirectX 10 was one of the most significant updates to the API since its inception. DirectX 10.1 represents an evolutionary update that addresses some of the limitations identified after the specification was finalized. DirectX 10.1 support will be coming to the Windows Vista™ operating system with the release of a service pack in early 2008. For many years, ATI was at the forefront of DirectX technology development, working actively with Microsoft to identify and implement new graphics features. The merger of ATI with AMD in 2006 not only continues this tradition, but also enables new possibilities for platform-level synergies between the GPU, CPU, and system chipset.

The new ATI Radeon HD 3800 series of GPUs are the first to be designed for DirectX 10.1, as well as other cutting edge technologies, including PCI Express 2.0, Unified Video Decoder (UVD), hardware accelerated tessellation, and power efficient 55nm transistor design. The products are perfectly positioned to deliver the best experience in not only today’s games, but also in next-generation titles releasing in 2008 and beyond.

This paper describes the new features of DirectX 10.1, and provides a number of examples showing how they can be put to use. To help illustrate these techniques, AMD has created an accompanying interactive game called PingPong. This game makes extensive use of the DirectX 10.1 features on ATI Radeon HD 3800 series products to highlight the benefits in a fun and informative way.

Recently, I have been experimenting with installing a legitimate copy of Microsoft Windows Vista onto my new 20" iMac. Unfortunately, the entire experience has been a complete nightmare as the HFS+ partition becomes corrupt after installing Microsoft Windows Vista via Boot Camp 1.4 beta. Even worse yet is the fact that Microsoft Windows Vista is unable to complete the installation process as it is unable to find missing files on the installation disc about 96% into the installation. I have had to reinstall Mac OS X 10.4.10 twice within the past week as a result of the failed Windows install.

I downloaded VMWare Fusion 1.1 beta and created a 64 GB virtual disk this evening. Thus far, Microsoft Windows Vista installed flawlessly with VMWare Fusion and the performance is quite fast – more responsive than a Remote Desktop connection. I will likely purchase Mac OS X Leopard this weekend with the hope that the final Boot Camp build may be more stable with installing Microsoft Windows onto another partition.

Currently, I am using my 20.1" Dell LCD monitor as a secondary monitor with Mac OS X on one monitor and Microsoft Windows Vista on the other monitor for software development purposes. In coming weeks, I will upgrade the RAM to 4 GB and swap the 320 GB hard drive out for a 500 GB SATA hard drive.

Recently, the video cards in my wife and mine’s computers were fried as a result of a bad power supply, so I decided it was time to replace my existing computer. My computer was a home-built Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 machine with 2 GB DDR2/800 RAM, 500 GB SATA/300 hard drive, and an NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GT video card. I decided to pass my old computer to my wife and purchase a new computer. Rather than build another computer for the umpteenth time, I decided to purchase an iMac to experiment with dual booting via Boot Camp. I decided to purchase the 20” iMac equipped with an Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz processor, 320 GB SATA hard drive, and an ATI Radeon HD 2600 Pro video chipset.

Apple is notorious for releasing buggy software or flawed first-generation hardware. Unfortunately, the latest iMacs are no different as Apple was likely well-aware that there were performance and instability issues with their graphic drivers. Straight out of the box, most games were crashing repeatedly and the machine would intermittently freeze. The latest software updates (iMac Software Update 1.1 in particular) heavily improved stability, but it is apparent that Apple knowingly released hardware with flawed drivers to meet a deadline. In addition, despite the latest software updates, graphic performance is quite poor for running World of Warcraft as I am only achieving around 31 FPS while standing in an open field with anti-aliasing disabled at a 1680x1050 resolution. I heavily suspect that Apple still needs to optimize the ATI drivers for Mac OS X and its OpenGL implementation, in which we will likely see happen with Mac OS X Leopard.

Another gripe with the aluminum iMacs is with the bundled Mighty Mouse. There are numerous issues with the Mighty Mouse that prevent it from being remotely useful for a Windows convert's use. When right-clicking is enabled through the Preferences, the Mighty Mouse detects right-clicks as left-clicks if there is any pressure on the left-side. To get the Mighty Mouse to register right-clicks properly, one has to literally make sure their hand is not touching the left-side of the mouse at all. Also, clicking the left and right mouse buttons simultaneously does not appear to be supported. I recall the Mighty Mouse having these issues when it was first released two years ago, but it is unfortunate the problems still persist.

The aluminum iMacs has some positive aspects as well. Despite the unusual thin design of the keyboard, it is actually quite comfortable and will likely be mimicked by competition within a year. Once Apple releases more optimized and stable ATI graphic drivers -- whether it be another software update for Tiger or a requirement to purchase Leopard under the guise of Leopard = improved gaming performance -- the aluminum iMac may shape up to be one hell of a machine.

Pros:
- Aluminum case and glass screen provide a unique appearance and style over existing computer designs.
- Keyboard utilizes thin buttons which feels more natural after some extended usage.
- Integrated mic and webcam function well straight out of the box. Mic range works well even from a standard sitting distance.

Cons:
- Games will experience severe instability without the iMac Software Update 1.1. Even with the latest software updates installed, there are still various graphical issues.
- Gaming performance is poor . World of Warcraft runs between 28-32 FPS at 1680x1050 with anti-aliasing disable but all other graphical settings set at maximum in an outdoor setting. Do not even ask what Orgrimmar’s frame rate is.

Overall:
I heavily recommend waiting until Mac OS X Leopard (10.5.1) is released for more optimized ATI video drivers and OpenGL implementation. Given Apple’s track record with release products and software before they are ready to meet deadlines, I would recommend waiting until the first patch after Leopard is released for improved stability and performance. Leopard will likely contain ATI video drivers more optimized for Mac OS X rather than a poor straight port from the Microsoft Windows drivers.

Ultimately, I plan on setting up Boot Camp, install Windows Vista Home Premium 64-Bit Edition on a separate partition, install 4 GB RAM, and swap out the 320 GB hard drive out for a 500 GB hard drive next month. I will likely cover experiences with Mac OS X Leopard, manually upgrading hardware, and Boot Camp in coming weeks.

A video has been posted on YouTube detailing the updated interface for the upcoming sixth-generation iPods. The updated interface largely resembles the existing iPhone interface but appears to support album covers and a world clock. Judging from the video, it is unlikely that the next generation iPods will support a touch screen like the recently released iPhone. There has been much speculation recently that iPods will receive an iPhone-like touch screen makeover; however, the video indicates the touch wheel will be utilized once again.

While there has been some speculation that the video may be fake, Apple has been going after some Apple news websites remove such links lately adding to the authenticity of the video.

After receiving complaints about the iPhone's battery being integrated and unable to be easy replaced by consumers, Apple has announced a battery replacement program for the iPhone. iPhone customers whose phones are out-of-warranty can mail their iPhones to Apple to have the battery replaced for a low price of $85.95. Much like the iPod, Apple seems to resort to anti-consumer tactics to encourage their customers to purchase the latest iteration rather than replacing the battery. In addition, expect Apple to release regular updates each year making previous models obsolete in their customers' eyes.

Netcraft is reporting that United States Court District Judge Manuel L. Real issued a issued a permanent injunction against RegisterFly to transfer all domains to GoDaddy. For those not aware, Negafox's Den's domain, Negafox.com, was registered through RegisterFly and was left in limbo for quite a while after the company's founder and CEO, Kevin Medina, changed all the company passwords after a dispute. This effectively devastated the company and left all domains in limbo being unable to be renewed or transferred until ICANN removed RegisterFly's accreditation and transferred the domains to a competent registrar.

Several computer hardware websites have posted reviews of AMD's latest video cards, the ATI Radeon HD 2900 XT and XTX. Originally slated to be released last November, does the new ATI Radeon cards compete with NVIDIA's latest offerings? According to many hardware review websites, the answer to that question is no.

With NVIDIA beating AMD to the market with the latest generation of video cards by nearly six months, NVIDIA has had ample time to further refine their video cards and recap R&D costs. Given ambiguous delays of the R600 chipset, the chipset would have likely been on par with NVIDIA's offerings last year. In nearly all benchmarks, the entire NVIDIA GeForce 8800 line beats AMD's latest offerings with only the NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTS 320 MB variant falling behind at high resolutions such as 2560x1600. Another complaint about the ATI Radeon HD 2900 video cards is that they are power inefficient compared to their NVIDIA counterparts. For example, the ATI Radeon HD 2900 XT consumes 348 watts under load compared to NVIDIA's offerings which consume between 287 - 329 watts. So, AMD's latest video cards consume more power while yielding poorer performance than NVIDIA's comparable offerings.

AnandTech offers a comprehensive review of the ATI Radeon HD 2900 XT and XTX on their website.

According to Wired, IDG's management, PC World magazine's parent company, recently announced that Colin Crawford has been removed as the magazine’s CEO and that Harry McCracken has been reinstated as the magazine’s Editor-in-Chief. Colin Crawford will be reassigned to assist with IDG's "online strategy and initiatives." This may come as positive news to many tech geeks who felt that PC World’s product reviews were going to be biased and unfair under Colin Crawford's management. In addition, while many in the media enjoy regularly bashing Microsoft and their products, it is a double-standard to not allow any negative attention towards Apple and their products.

For those unfamiliar with the story, recently PC World magazine hired a new CEO, Colin Crawford formerly with MacWorld magazine. The Editor-in-Chief Harry McCracken was drafting a new article entitled "Ten Things We Hate About Apple" when Crawford killed the article. Colin Crawford's new policy was for writers and editors to publish stories and reviews that shed a positive light on ad sponsors' and their products. Citing that "there were fundamental disagreements with Colin", the Editor-in-Chief promptly resigned from his position and company altogether.

Has anybody else notice that the quality of Slashdot's articles and moderation practices have been questionable in the past few years? What was once a utopia for everything geek has degraded to a turn everything open-source website. In the mid to late 1990's, Linux was heavily hyped as to possibly replace Microsoft Windows in the consumer market and UNIX in the server market. In recent years, this hype has not panned out as Microsoft Windows and ASP.net have been quite popular with websites and Apple's Mac OS X is now the hyped alternative to Microsoft Windows. While I have no quarrels with open-source software or licenses, excessively suggesting everything including copyrights and trademarks should be open-source becomes quite excessive. Slashdot has not seemed to have stayed on top of modern treads and still retains a mid-1990's mentality. Further driving the site into the cesspool, contributors tend to use false or misleading subject lines and/or commentary on articles causing much heated discussions within the comments when clearly many of the commenters have not read the article text itself.

Over the years, other geek and/or tech related websites have superseded Slashdot in article quality as Slashdot has been steadily degrading to commentary without substance. Slashdot is not a professional website by any means, but the quality of the articles and the contributor's writing has degraded to the point of resembling a 15-year-old's rant in a public forum. It would be nice if Slashdot kept on top of modern technology treads and possibly even discussed new technologies aside from their usual liberal or open-source propaganda (i.e. hybrid vehicles, global warming).

ZDNet is reporting that EU officials raided Intel and other PC-related company offices this morning. Apparently, it is not a good time to a global company since various large U.S. companies are at the subject of such scrutiny. As part of the dawn raid, European Commission officials and national competition authorities from the member states descended on several Intel offices, as well as a number of IT companies that manufacture or sell computers, said a Commission representative.... "Normally, these companies are pissed when their offices are raided, but there is nothing they can do about it," said one source familiar with antitrust issues. "They see what investigators have come up with and what is being accused...before they contact" authorities with an explanation. In most cases, investigators search through hardcopy documents and computer files, the source noted.

Last Monday, Apple announced they will be moving their Macs over to Intel-based CPUs next year. Personally, I am suspecting this move is in anticipation that Microsoft Windows users will switch over to MacOS X. Unfortunately for Apple, I doubt this move will bolster their business. The reason for my speculation is because Apple will continue to remain the only company selling MacOS-based PCs. Apple is not only competing with Microsoft, but other distributors as well such as Dell, HP, Alienware, and even AMD. Additional information on Apple's move is on ZDNet. In late-night sessions this week, Apple developers have been getting their first look at how much work they have ahead to convert their programs to run on Intel-based Macs. After announcing the big shift on Monday, Apple Computer has offered developers an early chance to get their bearings, with labs of Intel-based Macs up and running at its Worldwide Developer Conference in San Francisco. The labs were open until 9 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday and until midnight Tuesday. And though Apple won't start selling Intel-based Macs to customers until sometime next year, the Mac maker is leasing test machines to developers for $999 starting this month. Fetch Software president Jim Matthews said his company has been through past transitions, including the mid-'90s shift from Motorola's 68000 family of chips to PowerPC processors and the more recent move from OS 9 to OS X. Matthews said he appreciates the advance notice Apple is giving developers this time around. "Apple is giving us plenty of time and hardware we can test on, which wasn't the case the last time," Matthews said. For developers, the amount of work needed to make their code ready for next year's arrival of Intel-based Macs varies considerably. For Mac programs that are fairly new, written after the arrival of Mac OS X in Apple's Cocoa environment, the changes can be made in a matter of hours, or even less in some cases. "We've already ported our app to Intel," said Wil Shipley, CEO of Delicious Monster Software. "All we had to do was click one button. It took about 40 seconds. It ran perfectly on the sneak-preview Intel Macs here at WWDC." But for others, the changes will be more complex. For those whose applications were developed prior to Mac OS X and then "carbonized" to run natively in OS X, the work is somewhat more involved. If developers have used Apple's Xcode tools, it is still only a matter of weeks, at most, Apple said. But, if developers used tools from Metrowerks, they must first bring their code over to Apple's tools and then begin the work of tweaking the software for Intel's chips.