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acadian · Apr 4, 2003, 10:10 AM

The latest from the campus is that the 17" PowerBook will be dual processor by 2004, or should I say sometime in 2004. Apple wants to be the first mass produced dual processor laptop on the market.

Look for better FireWire, USB and an overall higher speed system bus that will mean real time capture and effects processing for video professionals. Cooling issues are the main engineering feat, for this machine to be produced, however some of the portable engineering staff says that there is "sufficent room inside the chassis to make it happen easily."

Engineering also claims that the video RAM will be "unique and unmatched in size, speed and capability". They also plan to use the unique variable bus timing architecture that didn't make it into the first version of the AL books, due to many bugs in the controller software.

You heard it here first

O'Gradys PowerPage

djjava · Apr 4, 2003, 10:33 AM

Originally posted by acadian:
O'Gradys PowerPage

They'll start shipping in 2010.

msykes · Apr 4, 2003, 02:10 PM

Dual processors in powerbooks have been rumored (mostly on macosrumors.com) ever since the original generation os Titaniums. I even made a parody of this myself once.

http://www.msykes.com/geek/titanium/

The only difference now is that with the 17", there is finally a form factor which I can conceive *might* actually fit two processors (or more importantly the heat generated from two processors).

If the 970 is cooler as it is rumored to be than the G4, anything is possible.

seanyepez · Apr 4, 2003, 02:14 PM

Originally posted by seanyepez:
If you're in the market for a 15-inch PowerBook, you should buy one now. I think the new 15-inch PowerBook will come out in another three months along with updated 17- and 12-inch PowerBooks. According to my predictions, the new PowerBooks will feature Motorola 7457 G4's built on a 0.13-micron manufacturing process. The 17-inch PowerBook may feature a 1.4-gigahertz G4, the 15-inch PowerBook may feature a 1.2-gigahertz G4, and the 12-inch PowerBook may feature a 1-gigahertz G4. My best guess is that all of the updated PowerBooks will feature different models of the GeForce FX Go graphics chipset. The update will probably happen after WWDC, where I think the the Power Macs with IBM 970 CPU's and new enclosures will debut. Incidentally, I think Apple's has a 40-gigabyte iPod with a color screen in the works. If it does exist, I predict it will be out in the coming months.

Dual-processor PowerBooks aren't going to happen. The mobile variant of the IBM 970 processor will be ready by early 2004, just in time for another PowerBook update.

Podolsky · Apr 4, 2003, 03:13 PM

Originally posted by seanyepez:
Dual-processor PowerBooks aren't going to happen. The mobile variant of the IBM 970 processor will be ready by early 2004, just in time for another PowerBook update.

You may be right but tell me than, what WILL Apple do to make this Job's "year of the laptop"?

I don't think 12 or 17 inch aluminum skin is enough, I don't think 1.2ghz is enough, I don't think bluetooth is enough....dualies would enough however....

PBAddict · Apr 4, 2003, 03:14 PM

I don't think it will happen...imagine the battery life..

Karim · Apr 4, 2003, 07:03 PM

Originally posted by seanyepez:
Dual-processor PowerBooks aren't going to happen. The mobile variant of the IBM 970 processor will be ready by early 2004, just in time for another PowerBook update.

I guarantee they WILL HAPPEN. The only question is when...

The Powerbook is being groomed as a desktop replacement, which I happen to think it already is. But, one thing that will set it apart from the desktops is the multiple CPU issue. And I do think Apple's roadmap wants the Powerbook to have feature parity with the desktops or be very close. Lack of GPU upgrades and internal PCI slots are not very important compared to CPU power for most.

seanyepez · Apr 4, 2003, 07:32 PM

Originally posted by Karim:
I guarantee they WILL HAPPEN. The only question is when...

The Powerbook is being groomed as a desktop replacement, which I happen to think it already is. But, one thing that will set it apart from the desktops is the multiple CPU issue. And I do think Apple's roadmap wants the Powerbook to have feature parity with the desktops or be very close. Lack of GPU upgrades and internal PCI slots are not very important compared to CPU power for most.

They will not happen. A dual-processor PowerBook would suffer from terrible overheating and dismal battery life.

swsteckly · Apr 4, 2003, 07:38 PM

It's not gonna happen. The heat would be terrible, and there would be terrible battery life. Dual processors are not a good choice for a portable. If you need duals, get a desktop, where battery life and heat are non-issues.

tgrundke · Apr 4, 2003, 09:04 PM

I am shocked that so many people are incapable of looking beyond their frame of reference for product design!

Up until the advent of the AlBook 17", a dual-processor PowerBook seemed *highly* unlikely. But now we have a product with the space and heat-dissipating abilities to conceivably accomodate dual-processor configurations. Yet still, people pooh-pooh the idea. WHile I agree that it is probably a while off, there is great potential.

People here claim: "The battery life will be dismal! The heat overwhelming!"

True. These arguments are true. Yet you are overlooking the fact that the new AluBook 17" is designed not as a "laptop" but as a "Portable Desktop" computer. There is a big difference.

I've been using my Pismo 400 as more of a "desktop replacement" for three years now than as a 'laptop' per se. There is a growing market for portable computers that can also function as 'laptops' on a limited basis.

Those pooh-poohing the idea are forgetting that there are many ways to get around the heat/battery issue. First of all, extensive power-management improvements over what is currrently available. Perhaps even shutting down the second processor when the computer is on battery power may be an option.

If Apple can cram a high-bandwith, dual processor setup into a 17" AluBook form factor I'll be one happy camper.

Never be so quick to dismiss something just because it doesn't seem realistic *today* and won't fit your needs. There's a market for such a beast, and the technology isn't as far off as everyone thinks. I think it's a way off, but has great potential to make it as a viable product.

seanyepez · Apr 4, 2003, 09:14 PM

The 17-inch PowerBook is larger than the 15-inch PowerBook in every dimension except height. Components are more spread out in the 17-inch PowerBook's chassis, but it's still a very tight fit. PowerBook heatsinks are very thin, and they are not capable of dissipating heat from two processors. A single 1.8-gigahertz IBM PowerPC 970 puts out more heat and dissipates more power than a 1-gigahertz G4. It's highly unlikely that a dual-processor PowerBook will be released in the near future.

seanyepez · Apr 4, 2003, 09:17 PM

A dual-processor PowerBook would have to be much thicker than the current 17-inch PowerBook to have any hope of not melting.

MusicalTone · Apr 4, 2003, 09:41 PM

Why do you need a dual processor anyway? Isnt it a failing of the processor if you need to have 2 of them?

antonio

nobitacu · Apr 4, 2003, 09:44 PM

Dual??? hahaha no thanks. 2 hour battery life is already low enough, I don't want to have future Powerbooks running at only 1 hour battery life with dual cpu.

Ming

exca1ibur · Apr 4, 2003, 10:26 PM

Sure it can happen. Apple will just will have a new connector that looks like a pair of jumper cables to hook it to a car battery so you get good battery life

gururafiki · Apr 5, 2003, 02:36 AM

Maybe they will make it a little thicker so a thicker battery could go in? The extra battery power might allow the two processors go for 3+ hours.

seanyepez · Apr 5, 2003, 03:15 AM

Originally posted by gururafiki:
Maybe they will make it a little thicker so a thicker battery could go in? The extra battery power might allow the two processors go for 3+ hours.

I would imagine that the second processor would have to be disabled while the PowerBook is working on battery power. Battery life wouldn't be as much of an issue with a larger battery, but the additional heat put out by a second processor makes a dual-processor 17-inch PowerBook unfeasible. Making the 17-inch PowerBook thicker would allow the machine to use a larger heatsink capable of dissipating more heat, but Apple won't modify 17-inch PowerBook's casing for another few years.

nobitacu · Apr 5, 2003, 03:50 PM

Yes, so pretty much... it's not going to happen. Just the heat issue alone will be enough for Apple to say no to that idea.

Ming

Originally posted by seanyepez:
I would imagine that the second processor would have to be disabled while the PowerBook is working on battery power. Battery life wouldn't be as much of an issue with a larger battery, but the additional heat put out by a second processor makes a dual-processor 17-inch PowerBook unfeasible. Making the 17-inch PowerBook thicker would allow the machine to use a larger heatsink capable of dissipating more heat, but Apple won't modify 17-inch PowerBook's casing for another few years.