On Tue, Jan 24, 2006 at 04:15:50AM -0500, Charles Martin wrote: > >Did I freaking miss something. Last time I checked there ARE TWO > >MACS on X86 > >INTEL ARCHITECTURES CURRENTLY ON THE MARKET. > > You missed something. Somehow, and I really can't imagine how, but > somehow you missed the fact that both of the announced Intel Macs > (and all future Intel Macs) use Intel chips that ARE NOT PART OF THE > X86 FAMILY.
Actually, yes they are. All of the current Intel desktop chips are descended from the 8086 (through 80186, 286, 386, 486, Pentium etc...). Even though theu are massively different, they still feature the same basic instruction set (now with a heap of extensions) that the original x86 processors had. > It's not the same family. It's not even the same technology. It is not the same technology, but it is a direct descendant. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X86 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Core_Duo http://www.pcmech.com/show/processors/35/1/ > The last chip Intel produced that actually ended in "86" was the > 80486 in 1991, however it is widely held that the Pentium class of > chips are also part of the "x86" family, and their similar layout and > fabrication techniques would support that argument. They changed to naming them because it's not possible to trademark a number. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentium > Starting with the ill-fated Itanium, however, Intel has moved VERY > far beyond the x86 class, and current Intel chips (both 64-bit and 32- > bit) can no longer be considered part of the x86 family. The Itanium is a totally different architecture, the Pentium (and now Core) chip is still IA-32, which is the new name for x86. The Core Duo in the new Macs is an x86 family chip. Its great-great-great-great-great-grandparents were x86 chips, and it is an x86 class chip. > No Intel > product I'm aware of has been referred to by Intel as an x86-class > processor for many years now. The term itself is obsolete and > antiquated, hardly the image Intel wants to project for their new > chips I should think. The term is obsolete, but the fact remains that they just rebranded the line as Pentium and now Core. Until Intel move away from IA-32 architectured chips for desktop computers, we will have x86 based Macs. > >And STEVE has said that by > >YEARS END ALL MACS WILL BE ON X86 INTEL PROCESSORS. > > This is flat out not true. Steve has said that future Macs will be > running on Intel processors but AT NO TIME has he EVER said that they > would be "x86" (or anything like that) processors. The only Macs that > have ever publicly run on x86-class processors were the developer- > only Pentium-based machines. Isn't this a contradiction of what you said earlier? Core is just a rebrand of the Pentium chips. Kind Regards, Tim -- The iMac List is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Refurbished Drives | - Epson Stylus Color 580 Printers - new at $69 | & CDRWs on Sale! | Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> iMac List info: <http://lowendmac.com/imac/list.shtml> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; Send list messages to: <mailto:imac-list@mail.maclaunch.com> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/imac-list%40mail.maclaunch.com/> --------------------------------------------------------------- iPod Accessories for Less at 1-800-iPOD.COM Fast Delivery, Low Price, Good Deal www.1800ipod.com ---------------------------------------------------------------
