I'm starting to think that the marketing guys at Apple have completely lost touch with reality. They announced the new G5 line and started making absurd claims about its power and timeliness that they just can't back up. I find it to be really funny, especially since they compare it to a system that costs about $1000 less (when you factor in that the Dell system comes with prehipherals, and the Apple price is for the tower alone). I have a few tips for Apple for future reference.
     (1) Fudging benchmarks is bad. nVidia did it, got caught. ATi did it, got caught. But then you did it... and in grand Apple fashion, you had the gaul to document step by step how you rigged the benchmark. (This is what I'm talking about, for those out of the loop) Their VP has stepped up and defended the benchmarks,... but the argument against is fairly compelling, with plenty of data to back it up. Apple claims that it went slower because they used GCC on both platforms to ensure measurability. But if the compiler makes that much difference, that means that this benchmark is really a test of compiler efficiency, not processor speed.
     (2) If you're gonna cripple a system for benchmarking, don't cripple one that already has a documented benchmark for that test. That's just plain dumb... also, you paid Veritest money to clock a system that's already clocked. That's a money waster right there.
     (3) Don't hire Veritest anymore. Even if they skewed things without your approval, they seriously fucked up your public image for the week. They don't deserve to have your business anymore.
     (4) Stop claiming things that are obviously false. Apple claims that the G5 is the first 64-bit desktop processor, and that it's the fastest out there. They say it beats the snot out of Intel. What about AMD? Why has everyone turned a blind eye to them? Apple's forementioned site claims a SPECint score of 800 and a SPECfp of 840 for the G5, but according to this CNet article from waaaay back in October, the Opterons score SPECint of 1202 and SPECfp of 1170. That sure eats the G5 for breakfast. The Opterons were benched in October and were released earlier this summer. They're an example of one 64-bit desktop processor that hit the market before the G5.
     Well, that's enough flamebait for me tonight... I think I'm gonna get some rest. After all, it would be nice to get to work on time tomorrow.