Apple or AMD first 64-bit desktop

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There's a fun interview with the Apple hierarchy over at Digital Video Editing. After telling interviewee Charlie White all about Mac OSX and the G5, they're challenged about the statement that Apple has released the "first 64-bit desktop". Charlie makes the Apple marketeers splutter when he mentions that BOXX shipped a dual processor 64-bit desktop on June 4th. At first they try and tough it out, but then try and redefine the meaning of desktop. Nor do the Apple folk seem aware that the Opteron is a 64-bit processor.

Akrout: It depends on what you call a desktop, now. These… From a full desktop per se, this is the first one. I don't know how you really distinguish the other one as a desktop.

DMN: Well, it's a dual processor desktop machine, just like that one.

Akrout: It's not 64, then.

DMN: Yes, it's a 64-bit machine with two Opteron chips in it. It started shipping June 4th.

vAkrout: That we'll double check, but in my mind, it wasn't.

View: Funny Interview

News source: The Inquirer

Designed and developed in-house for use in Clié PDAs, the processor includes an ARM926 core and is capable of adjusting its operating frequency and voltage to match the task in hand, said the company. The technology, which Sony says means the processor draws less power than a conventional chip, has been dubbed DVFM (dual voltage frequency management) and, in the chip announced Thursday, can adjust the frequency between 8MHz and 123MHz.

The processor also includes 64M bits of DRAM, the Clié's graphics engine and the interfaces for the camera and MemoryStick slot, thus cutting down on the number of chips inside the PDA.

A built-in digital still camera with 310,000 pixel resolution is included in the hinge. This can take images up to VGA (640 pixels by 480 pixels) quality. Wireless support for both Bluetooth and WLAN (IEEE802.11b) is included and two small illuminated lights on the right of the display indicate when they are in use. Other networking options include an infrared and USB port.

The PDA has 96MB of memory split between a 32MB bank of SDRAM and 64MB bank of flash memory. After space has been claimed by the operating system and preinstalled software, there is a total of 38MB available to users, split as 16MB of SDRAM for applications and 22MB of flash memory for storage of multimedia files.

Installed software for the PDA, which runs on version 5.2 of Palm's operating system, includes a movie player, movie recorder, photo editor and album, digital music player supporting MP3 or ATRAC (Adaptive Transform Acoustic Coding), Picsel Viewer to access Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files, and the Netfront Web browser.

It measures 103mm by 86.5mm by 17.9mm and weighs 175 grams. That makes it the smallest Clié yet to be announced by Sony and only 3 grams heavier than the SJ-3 series, which are the lightest Clié PDAs available.

The internal Lithium Ion Polymer battery provides enough power for 14 days use, which Sony calculated by running the information manager program each day for 30 minutes with the backlight switched off. Battery life with the backlight switched on, which draws more power but is the way most people use their PDAs, was not available.

The PEG-UX50 will go on sale in Japan on Aug. 9 and is expected to be priced around ¥70,000 ($593). Plans for overseas sales are expected to be announced at a Sony event on Friday in the U.S. where it will outline its handheld computing strategy.

#1 macrosslover on 18 Jul 2003 - 19:14

i don't consider opteron computers regualr desktop computers since they aren't geared toward the average joe. when i hear desktop i think of average consumer computer, although the G5 is far from an average consumer computer. in that case it might be fair to compare it to another non average computer, but either way, Apple hasn't even started shipping their desktop/workstation/whatever yet, so they can't make any claims until they do.

that's like AMD announcing the athlon 64 now and showing it in a final system and saying, it will be out in 2 months, give me a break, that's not a system release.

#2 Arkayz on 18 Jul 2003 - 20:14

wah wah wah

(5 replies) #3 nummi on 18 Jul 2003 - 20:25

OMG. who cares? Calling it the first 64-bit desktop was a simple marketing trick.

#3.1 macrosslover on 18 Jul 2003 - 20:30

just like calling it the world's most powerful computer

simple marketing trick?? i think not, if you call yourself the first, it means you are the first period, not we kinda lied just to get some attention.

#3.2 dp123 on 18 Jul 2003 - 20:43

And AMD won't and hasn't called the Opteron a desktop chip. People act as if the Opteron is widely available but there's only a hand full of mobos and few boxes--Apple really doesn't need to concern itself with fifth tier assemblers. They are comparing themselves to real manufacturers.

#3.3 macrosslover on 18 Jul 2003 - 20:58

that's true, the opteron is in tight supply now, but a released system is a released system, it doesn't matter who releases it, if it is released and bought by somebody then it's the first 64bit desktop computer, maybe not desktop chip, but computer. if the opteron sits on your desk, then it's a desktop computer, in simple terms, but like i said before i don't consider the opteron a desktop computer in terms of being geared towards regular consumers, but i don't consider the G5 that either, so either way, whoever delivers the first 64bit system into the hands of a consumer/business can make the claim of world's first 64bit desktop computer, which this company seems to have done.

#3.4 dp123 on 18 Jul 2003 - 23:57

And Boxx doesn't claim they are desktops. They call their Opteron boxes workstations.

AMD doesn't call Opteron a personal computer chip, a desktop chip.

So... it's only bitter ass Charlie calling the Boxx system a desktop personal computer.

Thanks for closing the case, macross.

#3.5 JaggedFlame on 19 Jul 2003 - 00:24

And a workstation isn't a desktop? (And before you go sarcastic-psycho on me, realize that it's a freaking question.)

#4 radixvir on 18 Jul 2003 - 21:39

i know hp has made itanium desktops for a while. its not the first 64bit desktop by far itaniums

(5 replies) #5 AMD60305 on 18 Jul 2003 - 21:55

http://www.boxxtech.com/swf/index.asp those computers are workstations right?...

#5.1 malebolgia on 18 Jul 2003 - 22:00

QUOTE (#5.0)

Forget my Alienware I'll buy one of those

#5.2 macrosslover on 18 Jul 2003 - 22:14

didn't Apple compare the G5 against a Dell workstation?? well if you are going to compare it to a workstation, you can describe it as a workstation to, which means there are no other 64bit workstation computers out that......

#5.3 silly_walk on 18 Jul 2003 - 22:36

A Dell workstation is not called a desktop, it's called a workstation. Kind of like the link above.

#5.4 macrosslover on 18 Jul 2003 - 22:47

i don't see what you're getting at?? Apple may call their computer a "desktop", but if you compare it to a competitors workstation then you are calling your computer a workstation too IMO.

if somebody makes a computer and compares it to a server doing serving things, but calls it a desktop and not a server i say that's baloney. by comparing it to the server you are basically saying that this system can meet your server needs as well, how do we know?? because we compared it to another server and it meet and/or beat it at it's own tasks. if you have no intention of having your computer being confused as a server but simply a desktop, then you wouldn't compare it to a server.

alas Apple compared their "desktop" to a Dell workstation computer. so if you are comparing it against a workstation, it would be fair to say the G5 could function as a workstation as well, which would mean there are no other 64bit workstations in the market when you make your claim of being the first 64bit desktop/workstation/supercomputer on the market.

but like i said Apple won't have the first anything until they actually ship the product, as it stands now it's just showroom material.

#5.5 dp123 on 19 Jul 2003 - 00:00

No, they said: "we'll compare our personal computer (do you want to bet that a lot of home users are going to buy these things, that it's not just pro-, high-end video and audio workstation users?) with a MORE EXPENSIVE WORKSTATION and still beat it!"

That's like a streetracer saying: "My (suped-up) Civic will smoke your Porsche in a quarter mile street race!" Yes, the comparison holds up (in two ways: in performance and in price), but the streetracer isn't saying his car is a Porsche, is he?

(3 replies) #6 Daniel Bess on 19 Jul 2003 - 02:30

You apple fanatics seem to be even more arrogant than your counterparts. Considering apple has been the only company to benchmark each platform for comparison so far, I wouldn't be so quick to assume their pompous claims are in the least bit laudable. To reject the G5 PowerMac being a "workstation" is simply ridiculous. I say forget the misleading names altogether and simply look at what void each system (the G5 mac's predecesor, the G4 powermac, and dual Xeon Dell) fills in the market; you will find that they both are mostly used by professionals who work in studios/offices to handle large amounts of data and workload.

"(do you want to bet that a lot of home users are going to buy these things, that it's not just pro-, high-end video and audio workstation users?)"
I want to bet that sure "a lot" of home users are going to buy them, but the majority of the buyers will NOT be home users (as with all Powermacs, ****ing moron).

Now, let's go back and play the naming game. If a dual Xeon computer is a workstation...what is a desktop computer in the x86 world? A single p4/athlon system? alright. Applying the same rule on the new G5 powermacs would result in the single G5 powermacs being desktops, and the dual G5 powermacs being WORKSTATIONS. If you try to argue to one side or another, you will eventually contradict yourself blindly.

#6.1 superfula on 19 Jul 2003 - 03:24

Apple has never called the powermac a workstation machine. It's always been (and is) the highend desktop. iMac being the lower end.

There's no contradiction here at all. You can twist and turn the words and throw your assumptions in, but it won't change a thing. It's just people making a big deal out of nothing

#6.2 macrosslover on 19 Jul 2003 - 05:26

you say highend desktop, others say workstation. and it is a big deal, not so much the naming mess but just the fact they claim to have the worlds' first 64bit desktop computer when they really don't.

it all goes to what you consider the term "desktop" to mean...you could easily turn a workstation computer into a desktop and vice versa. the simple fact is somebody shipped a 64bit computer before Apple and we aren't talking about Intel or no other server systems we are talking about a simple workstation that can easily be a a desktop, so how can Apple lay claim to worlds first???

#6.3 macster on 19 Jul 2003 - 12:23

Is this whole thing about the meaning of "workstation" and "desktop" so impt?

Will it slow my computer down?

Will it make my computer crash?

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