Welcome to the MacNN Forums.

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

You are here: MacNN Forums > Hardware - Troubleshooting and Discussion > Mac Notebooks > next powerbook revision. just your speculation!

next powerbook revision. just your speculation!
Thread Tools
flukewurm
Junior Member
Join Date: Jun 2003
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 25, 2004, 04:18 AM
 
im not so concerned with 'when' as much as i am 'what'

what do you think the next revision will be like. im not just talking about speed bump. --- unless i could get a 1.8 g4 for $2kish. then i would consider selling my 1ghz.

dual core? g5? or will apple just keep pushing g4s as far as they can physically go.

what have you heard? any inside leaks from the CPU companies?
     
Keiretsu
Dedicated MacNNer
Join Date: Sep 2003
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 25, 2004, 03:43 PM
 
Originally posted by flukewurm:
im not so concerned with 'when' as much as i am 'what'

what do you think the next revision will be like. im not just talking about speed bump. --- unless i could get a 1.8 g4 for $2kish. then i would consider selling my 1ghz.

dual core? g5? or will apple just keep pushing g4s as far as they can physically go.

what have you heard? any inside leaks from the CPU companies?
1.7-2.0 GHz G4 MPC7448
ATI Radeon 9700 128MB
     
macaddict0001
Mac Elite
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Edmonton, AB
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 25, 2004, 10:57 PM
 
My guess is G5 in jan.
     
shabbasuraj
Mac Elite
Join Date: Aug 2003
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 25, 2004, 11:19 PM
 
G5 MWSF 2005.
blabba5555555555555555555555555555555555555
     
ericssonboi
Dedicated MacNNer
Join Date: Oct 2004
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 25, 2004, 11:57 PM
 
Hope its a G5...
Cause it'll be my first Powerbook and my second Mac in a long time
(first Mac was a Classic)
     
MrForgetable
Mac Elite
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: New York City, NY
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 26, 2004, 12:10 AM
 
G4 1.7-1.942GHz.
iamwhor3hay
     
Kermy
Junior Member
Join Date: Oct 2003
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 26, 2004, 12:34 AM
 
Don't think G5 will make it in time. Think it'll be:

1. 1.5 - 1.7 ghz G4, bumps to other parts.

2. IF G5 comes out it'll be a new chassis and it'll be at least .5" thicker with a noisy fan.
Powerbook G4 12" Combo
     
Mafia
Mac Elite
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Alabama
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 26, 2004, 02:09 AM
 
Originally posted by Kermy:
Don't think G5 will make it in time. Think it'll be:

1. 1.5 - 1.7 ghz G4, bumps to other parts.

2. IF G5 comes out it'll be a new chassis and it'll be at least .5" thicker with a noisy fan.
ya i don't expect to see g5's for a while. but i see bumps and maybe a new g4 processor and diff video card.
http://www.mafia-designs.com
     
MilkmanDan
Mac Elite
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: My Powerbook, in Japan!
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 26, 2004, 09:37 AM
 
My guess is that Apple will replace the G4 chip with a new, but slower, 'potato' based chip. This new chip will feature not only improved taste, but 44% less grease. While analysts warned that this chip may turn off the 'health nut' consumer base, it will attract the very large US 'obese techy' base.

Apple's stock shot up 12 points on this announcement, even though the new computer will not ship for up to 6 months.
     
cmoney
Mac Enthusiast
Join Date: Sep 2000
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 26, 2004, 10:25 AM
 
I'd like to see G5s as well, but I think a dualcore would be pretty cool too. At least for the way I work, it helps out a lot more than higher MHz would.

But I don't know why they'd hold out a replacement until after the holiday season unless: maybe PowerBooks aren't big holiday sellers anyway, so they want to get rid of current stock and expect some holiday promotions to get rid of them before the G5s come out in Jan? Why would Apple hold out until January just for some minor speedbumps? They've pretty much set the trend that speedbumps come out during normal time now and they save the big announcements for reality-distortion-field time, oops I mean MWSF.

1.6 GHz G5 (exactly 2x the Ti800 it's replacing)
High res 12" screen (something higher than 1024x768, even though I mostly use it in clamshell mode) (least likely to happen IMHO)
whatever the latest and greatest Radeon is
Hell, throw in a PC Card slot that I've never used
FW800 too
Backlit keyboard

And I don't think anyone really knows, and anyone who does know, isn't gonna post about it here. Besides, I think the Potato-based G6 is way off for the time being. I think they're trying to integrate it with the potato-fusion based power supply they've been working on.
     
Voch
Mac Elite
Join Date: Apr 2001
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 26, 2004, 10:38 AM
 
Originally posted by MilkmanDan:
My guess is that Apple will replace the G4 chip with a new, but slower, 'potato' based chip. This new chip will feature not only improved taste, but 44% less grease. While analysts warned that this chip may turn off the 'health nut' consumer base, it will attract the very large US 'obese techy' base.


I'll stick with my TiBook, thank you. You didn't mention the CARBS!

Seriously...I'm waiting for a compelling reason to upgrade before my three years of AppleCare wears off in early 2006...

Voch
     
mrpoopydoodies
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Providence, RI
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 26, 2004, 10:41 AM
 
Altough this forum opened with 'what' over 'when', does anyone have any idea when these revisions (prior to the possible G5 laptops) might happen?
     
iPoder
Dedicated MacNNer
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Mountain View, CA
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 26, 2004, 11:48 AM
 
Originally posted by mrpoopydoodies:
Altough this forum opened with 'what' over 'when', does anyone have any idea when these revisions (prior to the possible G5 laptops) might happen?
We will definitely see the annoucement at MacWorld SF in January, because it will be 9 months since last update.

I am rooting for G5 1.6 GHz, Radeon 9800 128 MB.
     
sbc
Forum Regular
Join Date: Sep 2003
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 26, 2004, 03:19 PM
 
-speed bump & price decrease on the 15"/17"
-12" may see a backlit keyboard display or new video card
-possible increase on battery life

I have given up for the time being, I'll check out a revised PB during the 2005 Christmas season.
Am I ready for the Mac? I want a 60G iPod!!!!!
     
tcphoto
Junior Member
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Atlanta, Ga
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 26, 2004, 04:47 PM
 
Perhaps the most important point is, when will Apple get past the thinnest laptop mindset? As long as they have heat issues, Apple will be shooting themselves in the foot. If they gave the Powerbook a little more space to breath it would be highly likely to fit a G5 processor in the form. Until then it will probably be a 1.8G in the next update. To tell you the truth I was expecting more than 1.5G on the last update. As far as the Powerbook G5 goes, I wouldn't bet on it until Summer '05.
     
SierraDragon
Mac Elite
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Truckee, CA
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 28, 2004, 05:45 PM
 
My expectation now would G5s in the high end announcing at MWSF. Low clock speeds for less heat, and possibly with some other architectural compromises. All along I have hated the idea of going backwards to G4 technology. As soon as a G5 PB is available I will buy one, irrespective of size or battery life.
     
tkmd
Grizzled Veteran
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Michigan
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 28, 2004, 05:56 PM
 
Freescale g4 running cooler at 1.6 to 1.8. No dual core No g5. Besides a complete plug-in AFAIK. G5's maybe by 2006 Q1. Nuff said.
Pismo 400 | Powerbook 1.5 GHz | MacPro 2.66/6GB/7300GT
     
cpac
Professional Poster
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: New York, NY
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 28, 2004, 06:03 PM
 
Originally posted by tcphoto:
If they gave the Powerbook a little more space to breath it would be highly likely to fit a G5 processor in the form.
yeah - if they made it as thick as an iMac G5...

Seriously kids - I think they're definitely working on it, but I also think it'll be a while before we see a G5 powerbook. If we do see a revision at MWSF, my bet is on another speed/graphics/storage/ram/price bump.

What's more fun to speculate about though is non-processor features that could be part of a newer upgrade like:

***carbon-fiber enclosure (lighter and stronger that Al or Ti - and maybe we'd see the return of the black enclosure!)
***fuel cell or other massive battery type changes (wasn't there some technology that basically made the case the battery?)
***OLED - brigter, eliminate need for backlight/reduce battery consumption
***Resolution - it's no crazy-sexy, but I could definitely get on with a few more pixels in a 15" screen
cpac
     
lAwrencex
Forum Regular
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: brooklyn, ny
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 28, 2004, 09:04 PM
 
i spoke to someone at the apple store this week and he made an informed decision that new powerbooks won't be out until june and theyll most likely be g5. he said that based on past experience they'll be updating the eMac to g5 before the powerbook. i'm not so sure about that one but who am i to judge.
     
cmoney
Mac Enthusiast
Join Date: Sep 2000
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 29, 2004, 11:06 AM
 
so apple will sell the exact same configuration for 1.25 years?! didn't the current powerbooks come out in april 2004!?
     
gioele
Forum Regular
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Italy
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 30, 2004, 09:13 AM
 
Originally posted by flukewurm:
im not so concerned with 'when' as much as i am 'what'
these are not my speculation, but my hopes for the next 12" PB
  • * latest radeon with 128MB vram
    * dualcore G4
    * price drop for the cheapest model
    * better quality screen
     
Superchicken
Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Winnipeg
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 31, 2004, 05:53 PM
 
Apple needs to get away from naming their chips G5, G4, Gwhatever, they should take a page out of Intel's book and name em different things, Intel has almost completely made Pentium=Desktop and Centrino=Notebook.
Apple should look at either re-branding their chips with names, or perhaps call the chip in the PowerBooks the M5, or something.

That said, I think while they stick with their current naming convention, they need to split the PB line, one work horse line that's somewhere under 2inchs thick, but can sport a G5 with a relatively reasonable battery life.
The other the current sexy PowerBooks we all know and love. Everyone who knows they need power doesn't expect a ridiculously thin laptop.

At this point Apple really should look at having four lines of laptops.

Lowest End/Edu/No optical drive/able to take a beating/you'd give it to your kids.
iBook/marketed towards students and teens/tough/iPod like marketing, great battery life/relatively powerful/great starter comp
"Current PowerBook"/perhaps thinner than the current PBs, thin, sexy, aluminum/still powerful/not the most/the oooo and ahhhh laptop.
Xbook/big bertha/the boat of a laptop (for a mac anyway)/has a G5, still looks great, but may eat your lap.
     
flukewurm  (op)
Junior Member
Join Date: Jun 2003
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 31, 2004, 08:17 PM
 
no optical drive? wtf is the big deal with having an optical drive? how would one load anything onto the system?



just curious.
     
crazeazn
Dedicated MacNNer
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: houston/dfw
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 31, 2004, 10:03 PM
 
it would be an external drive...
12" AI book REV B, mac mini core duo 1.66
     
shabbasuraj
Mac Elite
Join Date: Aug 2003
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 31, 2004, 10:17 PM
 
While we are talking about future powerbook likes and dislikes...

Today I was at the Sony Store in the Eaton Centre (Toronto), and had a chance to get caught up on the Vaio line, and I think it is clearly evident now that Apple has to update the technology in its 'Pro' line of notebooks. Any Vaio notebook screen was noticeably better in regards to viewing angle, brightness, and contrast. I am not even talking about resolution here which the Vaio line was again clearly superior.

I can only hope that Apple shall include better screens or at the very least as a BTO in the upcoming G5 PowerBooks.

I have always thought that PowerBook screens were a little lacking as compared to a few PC models, and I think the current Revision PowerBooks screens are adequate, but they no way represent the best available.

PowerBook buyers want the best available, and in most cases are willing to pay for it.

Make it happen Apple.
blabba5555555555555555555555555555555555555
     
byzantium
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: london, uk
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 1, 2004, 08:27 AM
 
There's plenty of market reasons why the next PB should be a G5, (the imac having a g5, and the ibook hot on the heels, not the least) and here's a few technical ones too:

Apple was able to shoehorn a G5 into the iMac. This was using the hot running 970. That's right, the imac g5 isn't using the cooler 90nm 970fx. If they can get the hot 970 into a 2 inch enclosure without liquid cooling etc... the 970FX at half its wattage usage can surely be fit into a smaller enclosure.

The current G4, using the 7447A uses 14w at 1.4 ghz. The 970FX uses 12.3w at 1.4 ghz. Now I couldn't find maximum dissapation numbers for the 970fx, the 7447A is 20w.

I suspect Apple's delay in launching a new powerbook has been yield problems, and a fairly massive job of redesigning the internals around the 970fx. (They've got to build a new motherboard)

what's this about liquid cooled powerbooks ? that's a class action lawsuit waiting to happen!

The time is right for the G5 powerbook in January, and it will be starting at 1.5ghz and above. I've got my pennies saved ...
     
flukewurm  (op)
Junior Member
Join Date: Jun 2003
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 1, 2004, 11:36 AM
 
you make a compelling argument byzantium --- i hope youre right... and if you are. that means new PB for flukie
     
wilsonng
Senior User
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Guam USA
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 1, 2004, 11:32 PM
 
Heh, heh.....

I used to remember having to keep track of the different models of Macs available. It would drive me nuts when people would ask me what I recommend....

Example:
LC 520, LC 540, LC 575, PowerMac 6100, 6200, 7100, 7500, Quadra 840AV, Quadra 650, etc., etc....

Oh gawds, I couldn't tell which one was which anymore....

From a marketing standpoint, the code names will help differentiate it....

I'd personally like to keep the eMacs and iBooks at G4 for the low-end market and then position the iMacs, PBs, and PMs as the G5.

But then again, I'm not at the helm of Apple Computers

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Superchicken:
[B]Apple needs to get away from naming their chips G5, G4, Gwhatever, they should take a page out of Intel's book and name em different things, Intel has almost completely made Pentium=Desktop and Centrino=Notebook.
Apple should look at either re-branding their chips with names, or perhaps call the chip in the PowerBooks the M5, or something.
     
andreas_g4
Professional Poster
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: adequate, thanks.
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 2, 2004, 05:12 PM
 
Originally posted by Superchicken:
�one work horse line that's somewhere under 2inchs thick�
An Apple laptop with somewhere under 2" will not happen. This would be a show stopper.
     
flukewurm  (op)
Junior Member
Join Date: Jun 2003
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 3, 2004, 04:48 AM
 
wheeeee!! cant wait for janruary!
     
nsxpower
Mac Enthusiast
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Barcelona, Spain
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 3, 2004, 10:45 AM
 
I doubt we'll see G5s in PowerBooks any time soon. Just accept that. That said, I hope we'll see the following in the next PowerBook revision:

* 128Mb ATI Mobility Radeon 9800
* Faster HDs
* Faster dual-core G4
* Better screens
My Blog & Photos
PowerBook (Ti) 1Ghz � 1Gb � 60Gb � SD
     
Commodus
Mac Elite
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Ottawa, Canada
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 4, 2004, 01:29 PM
 
Okay, I don't think there will be any revolutionary technology in early 2005, but I do think there will be a PowerBook release around then. It'll probably use the Freescale MPC7448 chip and an architecture which is otherwise very similar to that of the existing PowerBooks. My guess as to the specs:

12-inch
1.5 GHz G4
200 MHz front side bus
512 MB of RAM (2x256 MB)
64 MB GeForce 6200 Go (i.e. low-end 6-series mobile video)
60 GB hard drive
$1499

15-inch Combo
1.5 GHz G4
200 MHz front side bus
512 MB of RAM (2x256 MB)
128 MB Mobility Radeon 9800
80 GB hard drive (4200 RPM)
$1899

15-inch Superdrive
1.7 GHz G4
200 MHz front side bus
512 MB of RAM (1x512 MB)
128 MB Mobility Radeon 9800
80 GB hard drive (5400 RPM)
$2499

17-inch
Same specs as 15-inch Superdrive
$2799
24-inch iMac Core 2 Duo 2.4GHz
     
acadian
Senior User
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Upwind from Quebec...
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 4, 2004, 03:52 PM
 
Apple will choke all the life out of the G4 that it possibly can. Dont look forward to any significant speed bumps, 1.8 if you are lucky. Instead look for some portable "firsts" like OLED's, polymer batteries etc...
people ruin everything....
     
jamil5454
Mac Elite
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Downtown Austin, TX
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 4, 2004, 05:07 PM
 
Originally posted by Commodus:
Okay, I don't think there will be any revolutionary technology in early 2005, but I do think there will be a PowerBook release around then. It'll probably use the Freescale MPC7448 chip and an architecture which is otherwise very similar to that of the existing PowerBooks. My guess as to the specs:

12-inch
1.5 GHz G4
200 MHz front side bus
512 MB of RAM (2x256 MB)
64 MB GeForce 6200 Go (i.e. low-end 6-series mobile video)
60 GB hard drive
$1499

15-inch Combo
1.5 GHz G4
200 MHz front side bus
512 MB of RAM (2x256 MB)
128 MB Mobility Radeon 9800
80 GB hard drive (4200 RPM)
$1899

15-inch Superdrive
1.7 GHz G4
200 MHz front side bus
512 MB of RAM (1x512 MB)
128 MB Mobility Radeon 9800
80 GB hard drive (5400 RPM)
$2499

17-inch
Same specs as 15-inch Superdrive
$2799
I doubt the 15" and 17" will have a video card with less features than the 12". The Geforce6 series is architecturally superior to any Radeon 9x00 series.
     
Pierre B.
Grizzled Veteran
Join Date: Feb 2003
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 5, 2004, 08:49 AM
 
Originally posted by Commodus:
Okay, I don't think there will be any revolutionary technology in early 2005, but I do think there will be a PowerBook release around then. It'll probably use the Freescale MPC7448 chip and an architecture which is otherwise very similar to that of the existing PowerBooks.
All good and fine, except a small detail: it has been said many times in the news (since Freescale said so in the announcement) that the MPC7448 is not going to the sampling phase before H1 2005. So there is no way to see this chip power the new Powerbooks in the beginning of 2005. Actually, there is no new CPU in the visible time horizon for the Powerbooks. I am curious to see how things will evolve in the next months.
     
wedgewood
Junior Member
Join Date: Mar 2003
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 5, 2004, 09:11 AM
 
200MHz front bus speed with 1.5GHz/1.7GHz CPU? None. It does not exist. Clock speed does not match.
1.33 GHz 12" powerbook, 1.25GB
     
threestain
Mac Elite
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: London/Plymouth, England
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 5, 2004, 01:07 PM
 
I'm going to say they will wait until they have a speedy G5 prepped, or else they will lose all the marketing buzz about the G5 - who's going to buy a pro laptop with a G4 (which is one number less than 5)?

Maybe I'm too simple for this stuff
     
Commodus
Mac Elite
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Ottawa, Canada
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 5, 2004, 01:45 PM
 
Originally posted by jamil5454:
I doubt the 15" and 17" will have a video card with less features than the 12". The Geforce6 series is architecturally superior to any Radeon 9x00 series.
Do your homework! The Mobility Radeon 9800 is actually based on the X800 architecture. See Anandtech's article for details. Yeah, it's confusing that they didn't just call it the Mobility Radeon X800, but performance-wise it's more comparable to the desktop Radeon 9700/9800.
24-inch iMac Core 2 Duo 2.4GHz
     
Commodus
Mac Elite
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Ottawa, Canada
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 5, 2004, 01:48 PM
 
Originally posted by wedgewood:
200MHz front bus speed with 1.5GHz/1.7GHz CPU? None. It does not exist. Clock speed does not match.
How so? CPU multipliers on PowerPC chips have very frequently come in increments of 0.5, and you can do both with a 200 MHz FSB. Examples:

200 MHz FSB x 7.5 = 1500 MHz
200 MHz FSB x 8.5 = 1700 MHz
24-inch iMac Core 2 Duo 2.4GHz
     
Simon
Posting Junkie
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: in front of my Mac
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 5, 2004, 01:50 PM
 
Originally posted by Commodus:
How so? CPU multipliers on PowerPC chips have very frequently come in increments of 0.5, and you can do both with a 200 MHz FSB. Examples:

200 MHz FSB x 7.5 = 1500 MHz
200 MHz FSB x 8.5 = 1700 MHz
The problem is that there is no G4 that can run a 200MHz bus. 167Mhz is the ceiling. The rumored 7448 that won't be around till summer 05 is necessary to do that...
     
scottiB
Professional Poster
Join Date: Jan 2000
Location: Near Antietam Creek
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 5, 2004, 06:28 PM
 
Originally posted by Commodus:

15-inch Combo
1.5 GHz G4
200 MHz front side bus
512 MB of RAM (2x256 MB)
128 MB Mobility Radeon 9800
80 GB hard drive (4200 RPM)
$1899

15-inch Superdrive
1.7 GHz G4
200 MHz front side bus
512 MB of RAM (1x512 MB)
128 MB Mobility Radeon 9800
80 GB hard drive (5400 RPM)
$2499
I'll leave the tech stuff to others, but I think $600 is a little too much of a difference for essentially 1200 RPM, 200 Mhz, and a single stick of memory. I think $1999 and $2399 may be more fitting.
I am stupidest when I try to be funny.
     
balls
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Join Date: Aug 2004
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 5, 2004, 06:34 PM
 
PowerBooks will go G5 in January. It will be a redesign, but similar form-factor (including thickness). There are versions of the G5 that are cool enough.

Make of this what you will.
     
Commodus
Mac Elite
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Ottawa, Canada
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 5, 2004, 07:11 PM
 
Originally posted by Simon:
The problem is that there is no G4 that can run a 200MHz bus. 167Mhz is the ceiling. The rumored 7448 that won't be around till summer 05 is necessary to do that...
The 7448 is sampling in "1H 05." That could mean any time from January 1st onwards; while I don't expect a launch in January, nor do I expect to be waiting over a year for a tiny speed boost. The lone third possibility that I (realistically) expect would be a tweaked 7447A or a fabled 7447B, but it's hard to see how they could squeeze more speed out of a 130 nm design without making the battery life and heat that much worse.
24-inch iMac Core 2 Duo 2.4GHz
     
Pierre B.
Grizzled Veteran
Join Date: Feb 2003
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 5, 2004, 07:15 PM
 
Originally posted by balls:
PowerBooks will go G5 in January.
Flash news: for those who already have installed 10.3.6, take a look (from the terminal) in this place:

/System/Library/Extensions/AppleMacRISC4PE.kext/Contents/Info.plist

The alleged Powerbook G5 (PowerBook 7,1 and 7,2 from 10.3.5) has (have) gone.
     
tcphoto
Junior Member
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Atlanta, Ga
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 5, 2004, 07:16 PM
 
And your rational is... How about a little reasoning behind the bold statement. I hope that this forum contains reasonable discussion and useful information, not spam.
     
Eug Wanker
Posting Junkie
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Dangling something in the water… of the Arabian Sea
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 5, 2004, 07:39 PM
 
Originally posted by Commodus:
Okay, I don't think there will be any revolutionary technology in early 2005, but I do think there will be a PowerBook release around then. It'll probably use the Freescale MPC7448 chip and an architecture which is otherwise very similar to that of the existing PowerBooks. My guess as to the specs:

12-inch
1.5 GHz G4
200 MHz front side bus
512 MB of RAM (2x256 MB)
64 MB GeForce 6200 Go (i.e. low-end 6-series mobile video)
60 GB hard drive
$1499

15-inch Combo
1.5 GHz G4
200 MHz front side bus
512 MB of RAM (2x256 MB)
128 MB Mobility Radeon 9800
80 GB hard drive (4200 RPM)
$1899

15-inch Superdrive
1.7 GHz G4
200 MHz front side bus
512 MB of RAM (1x512 MB)
128 MB Mobility Radeon 9800
80 GB hard drive (5400 RPM)
$2499

17-inch
Same specs as 15-inch Superdrive
$2799
Seems reasonable overall, but I have a few comments...

I doubt they will use the 1.7 and 1.5 GHz speeds if they are on a 200 MHz bus. Those have non-integer multipliers, and at least with the current G4s, the power management features don't work with non-integer multipliers. That's why the last iBook was at 1.07 GHz, and not 1.0 GHz. 8 x 133 MHz = 1.07 GHz.

Thus, it would be 1.4 GHz, 1.6 GHz, 1.8 GHz, etc.

OTOH, if they stuck with the 167 MHz bus, then they could go for 1.5 GHz and 1.67 GHz.

I doubt they will have 512 MB esp. at the bottom end. And 2x256 would be a bad idea. It'd be better just to leave the extra 256 out and either keep the profit or price the machine lower.

They will have integrated wireless and Bluetooth though.
     
balls
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Join Date: Aug 2004
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 5, 2004, 07:41 PM
 
As I already said, make of it what you will; I won't force-feed you anything.
     
NeilCharter
Senior User
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Fremont, CA, USA
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 5, 2004, 07:42 PM
 
You may have to wait for G5 PB till June.

Reason being

1. Low yields on 970FX

2. Large demand for all G5 processors in existing products.

Apple probably can't cope with the demand for iMac and G5 desktops - simply because IBM can't make them faster enough.

iMac is important for the holiday season, so that takes priority.

The high-end G5 is constrained because of poor yields of 970FX. This takes precedence over PB because of its high profit margin.

My bet is speedbump G4s (no dualcore - they are not available and not in production) in January.

Apple have probably sorted out the power / heat issues for a G5 PB using 970FX, they just need the yields to improve so they can deliver a 1.8 GHz processor without going bankrupt.
If I had a signature, it would look something like this
     
Pierre B.
Grizzled Veteran
Join Date: Feb 2003
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 5, 2004, 08:07 PM
 
Originally posted by tcphoto:
And your rational is... How about a little reasoning behind the bold statement.
Sorry, didn't know you are not aware. The Powerbook 7,1 and 7,2 from 10.3.5 have the SMU_Neo2 reference code associated with them, the same as in the G5 machines. It has been speculated some time ago that those are the Powerbooks G5 (allegedly 15" and 17"). Now this is gone. Too bad, since it could mean that IBM is again unable to meet Apple's need and demand for a mobile CPU. No one of course knows with certainty.


I hope that this forum contains reasonable discussion and useful information, not spam.
I would say don't be hasty, especially when you are not sure.

EDIT: I just saw Eug Wanker too brought the Powerbook 7,1 and 7,2 issue in the 10.3.6 thread.
( Last edited by Pierre B.; Nov 5, 2004 at 09:10 PM. )
     
shabbasuraj
Mac Elite
Join Date: Aug 2003
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 5, 2004, 08:27 PM
 
there will be no dual core.

straight to the G5 please.
blabba5555555555555555555555555555555555555
     
 
Thread Tools
 
Forum Links
Forum Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Top
Privacy Policy
All times are GMT -4. The time now is 08:08 AM.
All contents of these forums © 1995-2017 MacNN. All rights reserved.
Branding + Design: www.gesamtbild.com
vBulletin v.3.8.8 © 2000-2017, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.,