Apple Updates Enterprise Hardware

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Apple Computer revised part of its enterprise
hardware lineup with enhancements to its PowerMac, Xserve RAID and iBook
products.

The Cupertino, Calif.-based firm is hoping lower prices, increased
performance and a certified compatible infrastructure will yield
sales comparable to those of its own iPod.
The popular music player sold just over 2 million units in the last quarter.

For the workstation set, Apple has added a 1.8 GHz single processor
Power Mac G5 desktop to its lineup. Priced at just $1,499, the
entry-level model rounds out Apple’s existing family of dual-processor
G5 computers. Like its larger brothers, the newest model comes standard
with a SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW), advanced front-side bus and a Serial
ATA hard drive.

After the project is finished, Apple is hoping you’ll need a place to
store it. The company updated its Xserve RAID storage system to include
a new 3U high rack storage system that maxes out at 5.6 terabytes
of storage capacity. The lineup now ranges from $5,999 for 1TB all the
way to $12,999 for the 5.6TB. Apple claims the price averages to just
more than $2 per gigabyte for the high-end system, especially.

The Xserve RAID
can connect to any Xserve server or Power Mac using a new dual-channel
2GB Apple Fibre Channel PCI-X card. The $499 device has dedicated
bandwidth and a throughput of up to 400MBps.

Apple said it has also expanded support for heterogeneous
environments with certification from Cisco and SUSE
Linux to work with its Xsan Storage Area Network clustering file system
software. The Xserve RAID is currently compatible with Microsoft 2000,
XP and Server 2003 products, as well as Linux distributions from Red Hat
and Yellow Dog.

“We’re not leaving anyone out, but we are always taking customers’
requests on which systems to include,” Alex Grossman, director of hardware
storage at Apple, told internetnews.com. “We are trying to get all the major
ones in there but it takes some time. Adding in Cisco and SUSE helps
round out our storage capabilities.”

Grossman also said that Apple worked very hard to make sure its
backend enterprise hardware works in any type of networking environment.
The company said it has just been certified for Cisco’s NDS 9000 family
of director and fiber switches. The Macintosh maker is already fully
qualified for all Brocade, Emulex, and Qlogic systems, as well as for
Veritas software, even in non-Mac environments.

The improvements are so good that Chris Hanson, director of Web
Technologies at Seitel, said the company is sold.

“We’re planning to
add 30 terabytes of the updated Xserve RAID storage over the next six
months, bringing our total capacity to 100 terabytes.”

Seitel is a provider of seismic data to the oil and gas
industry.

And for taking that presentation or data on the go, Apple dropped the
price on its iBook family and added built-in AirPort Extreme 54 Mbps
802.11g wireless support. Units start at $999 and run up to a 1.33
GHz PowerPC G4 processors. The notebooks have up to six hours of battery
life and a full complement of I/O ports, including FireWire 400, USB 2.0,
a built-in 56K v.92 modem and Ethernet (10/100BASE-T), which can connect
to speakers, MIDI keyboards and iPods.