Rich,
I agree. The x704 is a serious contender to the Pentium. I don't know about the MMX, though. It will certainly be a boost for Apple and clones, but MMX may be a big improvement for multimedia.
Please see at the Microprocessor report website their article by Mr Gwennap on the MMX, including a bar graph on the extraordinary improvements in multimedia (Photoshop x4?) . In addition, is it true that Adobe is working on Photoshop for Windows?
While I have no doubt about x704 speed, and especially on the capability for Exponential to produce new, faster chips, I wonder if
Intel has won a decisive battle for multimedia with MMX. See also article by the same excellent Tom Halfhill on MMX in Byte.
What is clear, is that the bipolar and BiCMOS combination assembled by Exponential gives Apple a chance to create and maintain over time a lead over Intel in terms of speed and sheer power.
However, the real issue is OS share.
Hopefully, Apple will understand that it is primarily a software company and will share its OS as much as possible and upgrade it quickly and decisively.Let Exponential do the chips, let Power computing put together a winning PC ready for videoconferencing, let Motorola and IBM work on the CHRP, and concentrate on the OS!
Still, in 1996, it is the operating system which makes the MAC. Any MAC, even with a IBM logo on it.
It would be really great if IBM would abandon its OS2 and adopt the Apple OS for the various Aptiva and Thinkpad. Do you know what followed after IBM licensed this spring the Mac OS?
Thanks,
Alfredo Nova, MD |
