August 7, 2006: Apple unleashes the primary Mac Professional, a high-end desktop laptop that completes the corporate’s transition from PowerPC to Intel processors.
Constructed for computation-heavy duties like 3D rendering {and professional} audio and video enhancing, the quad-core, 64-bit Mac Professional serves as a substitute for the Energy Mac G5 (from which it borrows its aluminum “cheese grater” design).
First Mac Professional: An impressively expandable workstation in 2006
Apple started switching its Mac lineup to Intel processors from PowerPC in 2005, in search of chips that would ship extra energy whereas producing much less warmth. This may show particularly essential for the thinner, gentle laptops on Apple’s product roadmap.
However, the primary Mac Professional, launched on this present day in 2006, was a tank of a desktop, with loads of I/O choices for skilled customers who demanded flexibility from their high-end {hardware}. Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the highly effective laptop in the course of the firm’s Worldwide Builders Convention in San Francisco.
“Apple has successfully completed the transition to using Intel processors in just seven months — 210 days to be exact,” Jobs stated in a press launch. “And what better product to complete it with than the new Mac Pro, the workstation Mac users have been dreaming about?”
2006 battle of the workstations: First Mac Professional vs. Energy Mac G5
Picture: Wikipedia
Twin dual-core Intel Xeon 2.0 GHz, 2.66 GHz or 3.0 GHz processors powered the Mac Professional “Quad Core” tower. Apple stated the brand new Mac introduced twice the efficiency of the machine it changed, with extra inner storage, too. (The Energy Mac G5‘s inner design centered on cooling down its excessively scorching processors.)
The Mac Professional’s Intel Xeon processors ran a lot cooler. That freed Apple to place area beforehand earmarked for a cooling system to alternate use. Whereas the Energy Mac G5 might accommodate solely two Serial ATA drives, the Mac Professional housed as much as 4.
This generosity additionally prolonged to the variety of ports: The brand new workstation sported 5 USB 2.0 ports and 4 FireWire ports. The default Nvidia GeForce 7300 GT graphics processor could possibly be augmented by including as much as three extra. Or customers might choose an ATI Radeon X1900 XT or Nvidia’s top-end Quadro FX 4500 as a substitute.
Customers might select their very own displays, however Apple beneficial pairing the pc with its 30-inch Cinema HD Show for the final word Mac Professional expertise circa 2006.
Software program challenges made some packages run extra slowly
Not every thing in regards to the Mac Professional proved good initially. The pc shipped with Mac OS X Tiger, which ran like a dream. Nevertheless, some software program packages didn’t run natively on Intel Macs. This included Adobe Inventive Suite, which a number of professionals used.
In consequence, some packages really ran extra slowly on the Mac Professional than they did on older Macs as a result of they required Apple’s Rosetta software program, which translated PowerPC instructions into Intel equivalents. This grew to become much less of an issue over time. Nevertheless, some early adopters didn’t acquire all the advantages of their improve immediately.
In 2023, almost 20 years after the unique Mac Professional launch, Apple launched a Mac Professional powered by the corporate’s personal M2 Extremely chip. This accomplished the Mac lineup’s profitable transition to Apple silicon.
Additionally on this present day in Apple historical past: First aluminum iMac unveiled
Picture: Matthieu Riegler/Wikimedia Commons CC
2007: A 12 months to the day after the primary Mac Professional arrived in 2006, Steve Jobs showcased the primary aluminum iMac, which constructed on the corporate’s rising reliance on the versatile metallic.
“We build our most professional products out of aluminum,” Jobs stated whereas introducing the brand new iMac. “It’s extremely durable and it’s very lightweight. Professionals love our pro products made with aluminum. And recyclers love aluminum, too.”
The brand new iMac took its place alongside different merchandise product of aluminum and glass, together with the Mac Professional, the MacBook Professional and the iPhone. It changed the iMac G5, a machine product of white polycarbonate that drew on the design of the iPod.
“This is the new iMac design,” Jobs stated earlier than displaying it off. “And it’s just stunning. We’ve managed to make it even thinner than before.”
Did you personal a 2006 Mac Professional or the primary aluminum iMac?
Did you personal a 2006 Mac Professional? Now that Apple has transitioned to utilizing its personal chips in Macs, it’s fascinating to reminisce about computer systems like this, which appeared so wonderful on the time. Go away your feedback about these computer systems beneath.
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