The Calm Before the 64-bit Storm

The Mac web is in a frenzy. Reseller channels are practically empty. Mysterious boxes are showing up at stores under heavy security. We are all having 64-bit dreams. It seems that a big part of being a Mac user is living in the future. Well, I?d like to take a moment to look at what is in front of me now.

I have a stable operating system, a beautiful interface, and a pretty fast machine. I also have a machine (desktop G4) that has the same form factor as the original Blue and White G3 that was released many many years ago. The inside too is pretty similar. Sure there are some port changes but the motherboard is similar. The G4 chip with its Altivec engine is new and does the trick quite well but it isn?t the shift in speed I was hoping for.

Macs have to get fast. Blindingly fast. The kind of fast that we all experienced when we used a PowerPC for the first time. There was a noticeable difference that changed how we used our computers. Suddenly having applications open at the same time was doable. Photoshop was faster. Life was good.

Now that the Mac platform finally has a stable and efficient operating system Apple needs to up the ante. Make it fast. And not the kind of fast that allows us to do what we do today more quickly. The kind of fast that changes the paradigm, that allows us to work in way we haven’t yet thought of.

Pie in the sky? We shall see (hopefully) next week. Until then I’m still enjoying my G4.