Explorations

Intel Quad-Core Coming in 2006

Intel has announced that they are releasing their quad-core server and desktop chip lines this year.  This is good news for Intel, which has recently been ceding high-end computing to AMD.  But the big winner will likely be Apple, who may take advantage of this chip in its XServe servers.  Or depending on the timing of the chip's availability, perhaps we could see a dual quad-core Mac desktop this year?  They're due for a refresh, and a dual-CPU quad-core desktop would reset the bar for high-end desktop performance.

Fastest Internet in the U.S.

Verizon has raised the stakes in the broadband access game by raising its top offering to a whopping 50Mbps.  With Cablevision's OptimumOnline topping out at 30Mbps, this puts Verizon squarely in the lead.  Stupidly, Time Warner tops out at only 10% the speed of the high-end Verizon offering with no option to pay more for faster service.  With DSL beating Time Warner's speeds over the superior cable medium, one has to wonder how much of a priority broadband is at Time Warner.