Apple's new MacBook Pro is just about to go on sale, joining the recently revamped iMac as one of the first Mac models to use the new Intel Core Duo processor. Apple is boasting that the new Intel processor is much faster than the IBM G4 and G5 processors that it has been using for the last few years.
That's true enough, but there's one drawback that you need to bear in mind before buying one of these new Intel-Macs. You'll only get top performance from these new machines if you're using "universal" software that has been specifically written to run on both Intel processors and the old G4/G5 processors.
Older software - such as Adobe Photoshop - that was originally written just for G4/G5 processors will still run on the new MacBook and iMac, but won't run at full speed. Adobe and other software companies are working on new "universal" versions of their programs, but this could take months.
In the meantime, Apple will be selling those new Intel-based machines alongside existing Mac models that still use the G4 and G5 processors. This poses something of a dilemma for anyone buying new Mac equipment. You'll obviously want to buy the latest models, and this is perfectly fine as long as you're mostly running software such as Apple's own iLife suite, which is already "universal" and will run very well on any type of Mac.
However, if you're a big user of Photoshop or other older programs, you'll be better off sticking with Macs that still use the G4 and G5 processor until those programs have been rewritten. If you're concerned about a particular program, then check the software developer's website to see if its is planning to release "universal" versions of its programs.
