WWDC 2006 Keynote

Mac Pro
- Dual-Dual Core 2.66 GHz Xeon 5100 Processor, upgradeable to 2xDual 3 GHz.
- 1 GB FB-DIMM RAM (2×512 MB), expandable to 16 GB
- 250 GB Hard Drive, 3 empty slots (3 Gbps SATA)
- NVidia GeForce 7300 GT (256 MB VRAM), configurable to ATI Radeon X1900 XT or Quadro FX 4500 (512 MB VRAM)
- SuperDrive (2 5.25″ slots total, 1 remaining)
- 4 PCI-Express Slots (One extra-wide, taken by GPU)

According to Apple VP Phil Shiller, the new Mac Pro is anywhere from 1.6x to 2.0x faster than the latest PowerMac G5 Quad. It is also $1100 cheaper than a Dell of the same configuration. It can be bought at the Apple Store today.

Cinema Displays
Although not mentioned during the keynote, Apple reduced prices on its Cinema Displays. The 20″ Cinema Display now sells for $699 (down from $799), the 23″ Cinema Display now sells for $999 (down from $1299), and the 30″ Cinema Display now sells for $1999 (down from $2499), representing cuts of $100, $300, and $500.

The specifications for the 20 and 23″ displays have also been bumped. The 20″ display now has a brightness of 300 cd/m2 (up from 250 cd/m2), and the 23″ display has a brightness of 400 cd/m2 (up from 270 cd/m2). Both models also now feature 700:1 contrast ratios (both up from 400:1). The 30″ display remains at 400 cd/m2 and a 700:1 contrast ratio.

Leopard Preview
- 64 bit application support extended throughout the user interface layer of the OS, allowing full 64-bit application development and deployment.
- Time Machine- a constant automative backup allowing users the ability to instantly restore corrupted or accidentally overwritten/deleted files (image below).
- Spaces- Apple’s implementation of virtual desktops.
- Core Animation
- Enhancements to Dashboard, Spotlight, Mail, iCal and Universal Access
- Boot Camp, and “next generation” Front Row, and Photo Booth bundled

Apple plans to release Leopard in “Spring 2007.” A more in-depth preview can be found at the Leopard Sneak Peek pages.