[Pierre B.]

Originally posted by Simon:

You have to be very optimistic to believe this is an improvement over the previously given Freescale time table (i.e. 7448 ramp up in spring, volume manufacturing by summer).

If I am not mistaken, the 7447A was produced ahead of schedule. Of course, I keep in mind Freescale's own statement that production of the 7448 is scheduled for H2-05.

[Simon]

TS has posted some new rumors concerning the G5 PowerBook on this page. They claim:

� Apple is also expected to wrap up Process Verification Testing of the 970MP around the end of January, meaning systems featuring the processor could be ready as early as the Spring including, possibly, the long-awaited PowerBook G5.

� However, sources continue to report that IBM is working to develop other low-power 970-series processors topping out around 2GHz that could find their way into future PowerBooks instead. Antares will debut at 3GHz.

I'm not quite sure why they relate Apple's readying of Antares systems to the PowerBook G5, unless there is some low-power version of Antares (the 970GX is the SP version of the 970MP Antares, but not really a low-power mobile CPU as far as I understand) that nobody has mentioned before. The second point dealing with the low-power 2GHz 970, sounds much more like what could be expected in a PowerBook G5.

This all sounds good, but compared to all the 'pre-info' we're getting on the 970MP and 970GX, the IBM leaks on the 2GHz mobile 970 are scarce. Pessimistically it could mean it's just vaporware. I hope it just comes from the fact that the 970 mobile is being produced by IBM basically exclusively for Apple (IBM doesn't build PPC notebooks AFAIK) and thus Apple has been able to demand absolute secrecy concerning the chip.

[Simon]

So what's the deal?

What is Apple going to do with our beloved PowerBook by MWSF if they won't have a 970-based model ready till at least the middle of 2005? AFAIK Freescale is far away from shipping any chip capable of running on a bus above 167MHz.

How is Steve gonna surprise us?

[Jack-iMac]

Naa, Apple wouldnt wait over 9 months just to bring out yet another G4 boost. If they were going to they would have done it by now for the christmas season. I would bet all my money on the PowerBook G5 being released in January, 1.4GHz low voltage for 12", 1.5GHz for the 15" line, and a high end 1.6 or 1.8GHz for the 17". Something along these lines. You have my word on it.

Jack

[yoyoman]

They will come out with a 17 inch or larger to accomidate the g5 not only would a larger laptop look cool but logically it possibly could be the only way to fit a g5 in but having more space and yet still keep it thin. 18 or 19". I saw a sony for 2005 19 inchlaptop the other day a freinds showed me. Only to make it thin they had ti go 19 on the pc. So It seems logical. Pluse AMD has 64bit laptops out. Apple will need to so they can make the os 64bit optimized ilife 64 bit optimized all the programs etc.

[meatyocre]

Regardless, the New Year will bring a new revolution to Apple mobile computing....then again Tiger and G5's will set a new standard across the board...can't wait!

[Eug Wanker]

Originally posted by Pierre B.:
If I am not mistaken, the 7447A was produced ahead of schedule. Of course, I keep in mind Freescale's own statement that production of the 7448 is scheduled for H2-05.

The 7447A was already available for sale when it was announced in February. The new PowerBooks came out in April.

The 7448 is sampling in 2005 H1. It's possible that a 7448 PowerBook could appear in H1 (even though Freescale says full production won't be until H2), but by the sounds of it, it certainly wouldn't be early H1, which makes MWSF unlikely for new G4 PowerBooks. Remember also that the 7448 requires a die shrink to 90 nm, so there are always going to be possible holdups (like what happened to IBM, Intel, and AMD).

Now, G5 PowerBooks...

Originally posted by yoyoman:
They will come out with a 17 inch or larger to accomidate the g5 not only would a larger laptop look cool but logically it possibly could be the only way to fit a g5 in but having more space and yet still keep it thin. 18 or 19". I saw a sony for 2005 19 inchlaptop the other day a freinds showed me. Only to make it thin they had ti go 19 on the pc. So It seems logical. Pluse AMD has 64bit laptops out. Apple will need to so they can make the os 64bit optimized ilife 64 bit optimized all the programs etc.

If one PowerBook gets the G5, all PowerBooks get the G5.