[pathman]

Apple explains Power Mac G4 mobo switch

By Peter Cohen MacCentral

Apple's introduction last week of the Power Mac G5 has many Mac-using professionals looking forward to August, when the first of the new systems are expected to ship. Built around IBM's PowerPC 970 processor and featuring a much more robust architecture than previous Power Macs, the Power Mac G5 is expected to be much faster than any Mac available right now.



Not everyone can wait, however, so Apple has left available in its arsenal a single Power Mac G4 system clocked at 1.25MHz, replacing the 1.0GHz, 1.25GHz and 1.42GHz systems previously available. It can accommodate up to 2GB of RAM and comes equipped with an 80GB hard drive, CD-RW/DVD-ROM Combo Drive and ATI Radeon 9000 Pro graphics card, with a SuperDrive or Nvidia GeForce4 Ti-based card as build-to-order options.


Priced to start at US$1,299 and available configured in single and dual-processor configurations, the Power Mac G4 is not the same 1.25GHz model that was available a few weeks ago. Gone is FireWire 800, for example, as is AirPort Extreme and built-in Bluetooth support. In fact, the specifications on today's Power Mac G4 look very similar to the systems that debuted last August.


Apple said the switch from the 1.25GHz system introduced this January was a deliberate effort to deliver a low-cost system to its professional customers and anyone else who might want to pick up an inexpensive, expandable Mac.


"It's part of our plan to hit the lowest possible price point for that configuration," said Apple vice president of hardware product marketing Greg Joswiak.


Joswiak noted that FireWire 800-equipped 1.0GHz, 1.25GHz and 1.42GHz Power Mac G4 models may still be available through reseller channels, but availability is bound to dry up quickly -- this scaled-back system is what Apple is manufacturing and selling now.


Reverting to the older motherboard architecture had another added benefit, according to Joswiak: Unlike those January systems, today's Power Mac G4 is dual-bootable in Mac OS X (news - web sites) and Mac OS 9. The January systems worked in Mac OS X and Classic only.


"We're offering this as a 'bridge' machine," said Joswiak, who acknowledged that Apple continues to have many customers in the creative market who are only now transitioning to Mac OS X, now that key applications like QuarkXPress are available natively.


"It's an opportunity for customers to make the transition [to Mac OS X]," he added.


Apple's strategy with the Power Mac G4 going forward is consistent with what Apple did with its CRT-based iMac. The original G3 iMacs continued production for some time after the introduction of the flat-panel G4-equipped iMac in January of 2002, serving as a low-cost system for educational institutions and others looking for value over features.


"We don't have a definite [termination] date in mind, but it's not a short-term effort," said Joswiak. "As long as people keep buying the Power Mac G4, we'll keep selling them."

[PacHead]

Well, this goes to show that you have to take whatever any company states or promises with a grain of salt, including apple.

I remember not too far back, when there was all this talk of the new G4s coming out, which were only going to be OSX bootable, and how apple had declared OS9 dead.

Myself, and many others, who rely on OS9 programs scrambled to pick up G4s that would still boot into 9.

I paid a hefty price for my refurbished quicksilver at the time (933 w/superdrive). As a matter of fact, i paid practically the same price as a dual 867. Apple did state that after a certain date all G4s would be OSX boot only.

Now, don't get me wrong, im not really complaining or anything, my 933 is awesome, and is the best mac i have ever owned, and I don't regret purchasing it for one second. (not to mention it is the fastest OS9 boot mac in existance, if im not mistaken. I dont mean it's the fastest machine, but the fastest in terms of booting into 9.)

All I'm saying is that im not neccesarily going to believe anything that any company promises regarding future models and what they will or will not support or make available for purchase anymore.

[tooki]

Everyone is calling this the "return" to OS 9-bootable G4s... it's not -- they never went away!

Apple has been shipping these same systems since the MDD was first released... when the OS X-only MDDs were released, the original ones were never discontinued, as can be gleaned from their constant presence on the Apple Store website.

tooki

[Eug Wanker]

Originally posted by PacHead:
All I'm saying is that im not neccesarily going to believe anything that any company promises regarding future models and what they will or will not support or make available for purchase anymore.

In reality, not much has changed. These OS 9 bootable machines have always been for sale on the website, AFAIK, even when the FW800 dual 1.42 machines were available. The only difference now is that they are the PRIMARY G4s for sale, whereas in the past they were not highlighted on the main page.

The main difference now is that the FW800 machines have been removed, and the G5s have replaced them.

Similarly, the introduction of the 12" and 17" PowerBooks hasn't meant the disappearance of my 15" (which still boots into OS 9).

In the end, I don't think Apple has kept these machines for the reason of cost. It's to appease the users who still need OS 9 booting.

EDIT:

tooki, you beat me to it.

[PacHead]

Aren't some of these new models though ?

I was aware that there was always a dual 1.25 OS9 boot that apple offered, even when the OSX only G4s came out. You did have to pay a nice premium for that one though, inorder to get the privelige of booting into 9, in my opinion.

These new machines haven't existed before. A single 1.25 ghz that boots into 9 ? That wasn't around before.

Therefore, apple has done the opposite of what it previously said.

And im not ragging on apple here, just pointing out some observations.

[sideus]

Amazing how something can return even though it never went away.

[Eug Wanker]

Originally posted by PacHead:
Aren't some of these new models though ?

I was aware that there was always a dual 1.25 OS9 boot that apple offered, even when the OSX only G4s came out. You did have to pay a nice premium for that one though, inorder to get the privelige of booting into 9, in my opinion.

These new machines haven't existed before. A single 1.25 ghz that boots into 9 ? That wasn't around before.

Therefore, apple has done the opposite of what it previously said.

And im not ragging on apple here, just pointing out some observations.

The motherboard is likely the same one. At best you could call it a configuration change with the same basic hardware.

[wingdo]

Originally posted by PacHead:

Therefore, apple has done the opposite of what it previously said.

And im not ragging on apple here, just pointing out some observations.

First Apple says new PowerMacs will only boot into OS X. People b1tch.

So Apple continues to support machines which boot into OS9. People b1tch.

[PacHead]

Well, i would hardly characterize my comments as "bitching", you are however free to have that opinion. I think one would be hard pressed to find a bigger mac advocate than I. No company should be immune from criticism, including apple.

If I bought a limited edtion cd, that was pressed in a limited run of 1000 ex, I'd be pretty upset, if they did an additional "limited edition" repressing after those had sold out.

The fact of the matter is, it's not everyday I buy a mac, so I do a bit of research, and plan my purchases carefully.

When the information I am led to believe turns out to be false and misleading, this might in turn lead to me making different purchase decisions than I might otherwise have done.

And "bitching" is sometimes a good thing, because when I buy a new dual G5, I know it will be much quieter than the previous "Hair dryer" Macs, because of countless people's bitching on the net.

(<------2 people bitching)

Leads to

(<------Many happy people, when the problem is resolved)

[wingdo]

Originally posted by PacHead:


(<------2 people bitching)

Leads to

(<------Many happy people, when the problem is resolved)

My comments were more directed at pathman than you. The point is, no one ever seems happy. Not even remotely.

[pathman]

Originally posted by wingdo:
My comments were more directed at pathman than you. The point is, no one ever seems happy. Not even remotely.

Wingdo,

I'm not bitching, simply reporting that article to this community.

Don't shoot the messenger.

[Eriamjh]

These OS9 systems are not "new". they are old architecture with upgraded faster processors. Apple has held to its statement "All NEW macs will boot OSX only." I guess it depends on how you define "new".

The price is tempting, but I pretty much abandoned OS9 two years ago. Probably with Panther I will reformat that drive once again and say goodbye to the OS9 partition forever.

That or create a .5GB partition just so I can see a smiley mac once in a while...

[Kissargi]

The point is, no one ever seems happy. Not even remotely. [/B]

Good point, no one can just be happy about something here. Even if apple made everything perfect, the people of MacNN would moan about the fact theres nothing to moan about.

As for the OS9 systems, they have been there since the MDD was introduced. Try using your eyes, rather than jumping on here and conplaining.