The feature-packed iStat Pro Dashboard widget is a reigning favorite here at TUAW, and its recent v3.3 update has heralded some handy new features. First, it now includes (though prompts you to install upon first run) a new module that can read the temperature and fan speeds of Intel Macs. That's right - SpeedIt-be-gone. The other nice enhancement is an active AirPort signal quality meter - the AirPort icon in iStat Pro's network section will now dynamically display a quality meter based on the network you're connected to. Of course, for the record, other bugs and "various minor improvements" made this new version, and it's available either by running the widget (it auto-checks for updates by default), or by heading over to iSlayer.com.Posts with tag intel macs
iStat Pro 3.3 widget brings temp and fan readings for Intel Macs and more
The feature-packed iStat Pro Dashboard widget is a reigning favorite here at TUAW, and its recent v3.3 update has heralded some handy new features. First, it now includes (though prompts you to install upon first run) a new module that can read the temperature and fan speeds of Intel Macs. That's right - SpeedIt-be-gone. The other nice enhancement is an active AirPort signal quality meter - the AirPort icon in iStat Pro's network section will now dynamically display a quality meter based on the network you're connected to. Of course, for the record, other bugs and "various minor improvements" made this new version, and it's available either by running the widget (it auto-checks for updates by default), or by heading over to iSlayer.com.TUAW Tip: How to tell if an application is a Universal Binary
You want to figure out if an application is Universal, but you're not sure how to do it? There is a very simple easy way to find out. Simply select the icon of the application you're curious about and either right click and select 'Get Info' or hit Command + i. Either one will get you to the info window about the application you selected.Look under 'General' and you'll see 'Kind: Application.' Next to that (assuming you're running OS X 10.4) you'll see either 'Universal,' 'Intel,' or 'PowerPC.' This lets you know on what Macs this application will run natively on:
- Universal runs on either PowerPC or Intel Macs.
- Intel only runs on Intel Macs (no matter what).
- PowerPC runs natively on PowerPC Macs (odd, huh?) but the application will, most likely, run on Intel Macs in Rosetta, Tiger's emulation layer. Some applications, such as Microsoft's Virtual PC, will not run on Intel Macs at all.
Finally, another tip for all you folks out there that are using Universal apps on Intel Macs that use plugins which aren't Universal. Assuming you still have the Info window open you should see this 'Open using Rosetta' check box (pictured to the left). This forces a Universal apps to use its PowerPC native codebase (in Rosetta) thereby letting you use your older plugins. Note that this option is only available for Universal applications.FileMaker ships Universal binaries
Filemaker, today, released FileMaker Pro 8.5, FileMaker Pro 8.5 Advanced, FileMaker Server 8.0v4 and FileMaker Server 8.0v4 Advanced as Universal Binaries. Now, I know most people don't get too excited about database software, however, Filemaker claims that FileMaker Server is 116% faster on Intel Macs as compared to PowerPC Macs while the desktop client is a mere 91% faster.
Besides those incredible speed increases Filemaker added a few new features, chiefly among them something called 'Live Web Data on Demand.' This allows you to save live webpages to your database, and I think that's pretty cool.
Remote Buddy
Now that most Macs come with a remote, don't you wish you could do a little bit more with it? Now you can, thanks to Remote Buddy. This hand little application lets you control a number of items on your Mac through the magic of Behaviours, which are plugins for Remote Buddy.Check out their website for a cool video showing off some of the features. There is a 30 day demo available, while a full version will cost € 9,99 (usually € 14,99 but there is a sale if you buy before version 1.0 is released).
Intel Mac Temperature Database
Everyone is worried about the heat issues with the new Intel Macs (mostly the portables, but I bet someone out there thinks their iMac gets a little too hot). Now you can compare your MacBook, MacBook Pro, Mac mini, or iMac's temperature to other people's machines thanks to the Intel Mac Temperature Database.Obsessing over your machines internal temperature has never been easier!
[via MacDevCenter]
CoreDuoTemp
Your new MacBook Pro runs a little hot, but how hot is it? CoreDuoTemp can tell you how hot your CPU is, as well as let you know CPU usages, and frequency. All of this for free? Well, donations are accepted.Sorry PowerPC folks, this one is Intel Mac only.
Apple KB Article: Boot Camp doesn't work with multiple partitions
The first thing I do when I get a new Mac (or a new PC for that matter) is wipe out the hard drive, make two
partitions, and do a fresh install on one of the partitions. I then store all my data on the other partition, just in
case I ever need to reinstall the OS (is this a fool proof way to back up your data? Not by a long shot, since your
data and the OS might be on different partitions but those partitions are still sitting on the same disk).Why am I talking about this? Because it would seem that people like me are left out in the cold with Boot Camp, since Boot Camp requires an Intel Mac with a single partition to work its magic. This makes sense since Boot Camp uses different partitioning magic, but it is still worth noting.
The Good News for Mac Lab Admins
With the
release of new Intel Macs yesterday, the people who manage labs and classrooms full of Macs started asking
questions.Does this mean I need to have a PPC image for my PPC machines and an Intel image for my Intel Macs? What about NetRestore and NetBooting? Can these new Intel Macs even NetBoot? What about the lab management tool/tripwire Radmind?
There's some good news to report. Apple has shipped new Mac OS X 10.4.4 Server Admin Tools, in which there's an updated System Image Utility.app that can create NetBoot and NetInstall images for Intel-based Macs. Also, Mike Bombich has told us his most recent version of NetRestore 3.1.1 is a universal application that'll work on both PPC and Intel Macs.
From a mailing list post made by a Sr. Product Line Manager for Server & Storage Support at Apple:
The new Intel-based Macs use a next generation pre-boot technology developed by Intel called EFI. EFI provides a superior booting experience and includes features such as a larger ROM, richer graphics support, full IP stack, dynamic boot volume picker, quicker startup times and even some cool feature such as the ability to an Apple Remote to remotely control boot options.
One of the benefits of EFI is dramatically faster boot times for NetBoot systems. Our internal tests show that in most situations booting of an Intel-based Mac is 2-3 times faster than the older Open Firmware-based systems
To NetBoot or NetInstall an Intel-based Mac you need to deploy Mac OS X Server v10.4.4. Mac OS X Server v10.4.4 includes an updated System Image Utility for creating NetBoot and NetInstall images of Intel-based Macs. Separate disk images are required for PowerPC-based Macintosh computers and Intel-based Macintosh computer.
Some other tidbits:%uFFFD the open firmware password tools still work on Intel Macs that use EFI. And firewire target-disk mode should also still work. So, all our essential image-making and image-distribution tools still work. Yes, we'll have to separate Intel-Mac image, but that's not a bad chore. It's certainly better than image-making in the PC world, where sometimes every model computer requires its own image.
