Photographed in isolation like this it doesn't look like much does it but that is the new Penryn processor I was waiting for. It is the first of the new generation of processors made with the new 45 nanometer technology. I know some people find it hard to get excited about that but I find it fascinating that this chip now has 500 million transistors and that 100 of them could fit inside a human cell. 45 nanometers is small. Very small. The wavelength of red light is 700 nanometers, and the shortest light - violet is 400 nanometers. 45 nanometers is way smaller than the wavelength of visible light. The most powerful optical microscopes can see down to only a thousand nanometers. 45 nanometers is very very small.
So whats the big deal? Well besides more power from fitting on more transistors it is far more efficient and uses less power. That means more battery life. It seems like I hung out forever for these new processors to come along. Well they did - at the end of last month and the new Macbook Pro's included another option I was wanting - LED back-lit screens in the Hi-Res display I wanted. They also included a multi-touch track pad like on the Macbook Air, although that seems more gimmick than necessary.
The high resolution screen means build-to-order and so I have been waiting nearly a month now. The time has been good as I have needed to work out how to set up wireless networks and back up systems, and learn all about using Windows XP as I will run it as well as OS X. I will be getting a new archival A3 printer and other equipment at the same time so this is a large and complex purchase but I am ready for it and I feel like my life is on hold while I await the new computer. I want it over with so my mind can focus on the artwork I can make on this computer.
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