February 16, 2006–Wolfram Research’s powerhouse Mathematica software is now optimized for Intel-based Macintosh computers, making it the first professional application to run natively on Intel Mac beyond Apple’s own Universal product line. The Mathematica Universal release capitalizes on the increased speed of the Intel Core Duo processor chip and is able to run on both Intel and PowerPC Macs.
When Apple’s transition to the Intel chip was first announced at the Apple Worldwide Developer Conference in June 2005, CEO Steve Jobs called upon Wolfram Research’s Mathematica as the definitive application to demonstrate the impressive performance gains. Without knowing what was in store for them, Wolfram developers flew to San Francisco and created a working version of Mathematica in only a couple of hours. Now, even though Apple’s release of the first Intel Mac systems has come nearly six months ahead of schedule, Wolfram Research has begun shipping the Universal version of Mathematica 5.2 today.
“It’s great that these blazing-fast Intel-based Macs are now available–so everyone can enjoy the performance hikes we see using them. Mac users will be thrilled with the increased productivity when running Mathematica on Intel Macs,” said Theodore Gray, director of user interface technology and co-founder of Wolfram Research. “We’ve worked with Apple from the beginning to create not just a quick port but one worthy of Mathematica–the world’s best technical software.”
Users and industry watchers alike have come to expect that Mathematica will be available and fully optimized for the latest hardware and operating environments, from laptops to supercomputers. With the Intel Mac, Wolfram Research was ideally positioned to support the platform almost immediately. Longtime collaboration with Apple, and nearly two decades of expertise in working with the Intel architecture, meant that Wolfram’s engineering team was already very well versed in the technologies involved in creating this new release.
“Availability of essential applications is part of a smooth transition to any new system, and our Mac users, myself included, are a vital part of the Mathematica community,” added Gray. “We have always supported the Macintosh platform, even when others haven’t. Last year, we were the first–and only–technical software company to offer a 64-bit Mac platform with our initial release of 5.2, and this update is in keeping with our continued efforts to anticipate our users’ needs.”
Mathematica 5.2 for the Intel Mac can be immediately downloaded from the Wolfram Research web store.