# Motorola??? New PowerBooks?



## iscaro (Aug 27, 2003)

This is not possible... the year of laptops... and Apple laptops are really good!

Did Apple made the mistake to stay again with Motorola trusting for new processors, or what?  

It cannot be that they are not changing them... everybody is waiting!!!

And IBM too can make 2 GHz G5 and fast G3 too!!!  But G4s are so slow now and on PowerBooks... so even the iBook cannot get faster!!!   

Are you tired to wait???

Ok, we have very good PowerMacs now... with good G5 processors...

What about Laptops!!!!  Anybody can buy a fast PC laptop that is fast... cheap...

Come on!!!


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## banjo_boy (Aug 27, 2003)

It is only 2 and a half weeks till MacWorld Paris. Apple would never release something that big without Macworld to parade them at. I thought the same thing until I saw that Paris was so close.


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## Arden (Aug 27, 2003)

Link?


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## Quicksilver (Aug 28, 2003)

Your right you know it is the year of the laptop so im gonna take my chances and believe that apple will release somthing non-motorola. In fact ill remain to be sure of it.... untill paris expo...we'll see soon.

Ive been waiting for a while now, i heard that there wont be a real update till next year with powerbook G5's but if they were to release such an update it would be really nice and a very impressive one too....


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## banjo_boy (Aug 28, 2003)

> _Originally posted by arden _
> *Link? *



No links, Just my piece of wood for a head thinkin'.

I really have not opinion on the chip issue. a G5 PB would be awesome but not realistic. But, I really do think Jobs waits to release major products at the macworlds, and it being "the year of the laptop", why not keep the theme going.

Also, not on topic, but why can't we have all models of PB with the different speeds ie 1G 12"PB. And don't say "Wait till the next update."


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## Quicksilver (Aug 28, 2003)

Its the apple resellers around here "saying" this. If i could put a link id be happy too. basicly their saying dont expect a G5 processor in a Powerbook untill around january next year or at least thats when its being expected by them. i dont know mabey their hyping it up more.

But if you really think about it if it were really the year of the laptop then a G5 processor would be done very soon, or is it the year of the Power Mac G5?


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## fryke (Aug 28, 2003)

MacBidouille has had a story up about Motorola not being ready to deliver the PowerPC 7457 chip that was rumoured to be in the new PowerBooks. And that probably we'd get 1.25 GHz PBs using the 7455B chip (less Level 2 cache... :/) ... Hopefully, though, it turns out NOT to be true.


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## Arden (Aug 29, 2003)

I'm wondering why Apple didn't upgrade their 15" Powerbooks as well, when they introduced the 12" and 17" models.  They probably wanted to push those for a while, and everyone who wanted a "modern" Book would have to settle for too small or too big to fit their needs, as the 15" models are perfect for just about everyone and that's most of what they would buy.


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## azrad (Aug 29, 2003)

yeah... i'm completely agreed with arden... the 15" is just what most of us needs...


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## iscaro (Sep 8, 2003)

Ok, 1Ghz is enough... for you... but if somebody has to choose between a Mac and a PC ???

Ok, now we have even a faster iMac!!! That was easy to make...

So, what's next???  And when???


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## voice- (Sep 8, 2003)

When is the easiest to answer, next week, at the Paris Expo

What's next is not as easy. Rumors say an updated G4 chip. My optimistic side keep nagging me about power-efficient and small G5 chips.


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## ksv (Sep 8, 2003)

G5 PowerBooks for sure. Why else did they save the PowerBooks for the keynote, and not the iMacs?


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## Zammy-Sam (Sep 8, 2003)

G5 Powerbook.... *drool*


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## Meltdown (Sep 8, 2003)

I think that if a powerbook goes G5 it will be the 17" model, not the 12 or 15".
The 17" may have the size for cooling a G5. The 12" and 15" are to small.


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## Arden (Sep 8, 2003)

The iMac upgrade was relatively minor, nothing compared to the G3 => G4 change or the Powermac G4 => Powermac G5 change.  All they really did was to tweak it to make it a bit faster.  (Nice software bundle, too!)  I think they did this (and the iPods) so close to Paris to whet our appetites for the Next Big Thing From Apple.


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## hulkaros (Sep 9, 2003)

If only Apple will release the following in Paris: 
-Single 12" 1GHz
-Single 15" 1.25GHz
-Dual 17" 1.33GHz

he he


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## Arden (Sep 9, 2003)

Have you ever seen a dual-processor laptop?  That would be really cool... or should I say, hot!


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## Zammy-Sam (Sep 9, 2003)

Well, the 17inch alubook has a lot of space. And heat is no issue for that giant. So, why not? I think that the energy-aspect might be a prob. Anyway, a simple and single G5 would be more than enough in my 15' alubook... *dreaming*


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## Cat (Sep 9, 2003)

The G5 could go into the PowerBooks, but only at considerably reduced clockspeed. I think that at best they would have the same clockspeed as current models, or just a notch higher. If any, that is.


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## drash (Sep 9, 2003)

> _Originally posted by fryke _
> *MacBidouille has had a story up about Motorola not being ready to deliver the PowerPC 7457 chip that was rumoured to be in the new PowerBooks. And that probably we'd get 1.25 GHz PBs using the 7455B chip (less Level 2 cache... :/) ... Hopefully, though, it turns out NOT to be true. *



Where are the 7457s?  Well for one, as stated in their press release, Motorola intended they start production runs in the Oct. - Dec. 2003.  This translates to new PowerBooks and iMacs using this chip appearing in November, at the earliest, unless they've managed to get a few thousand during the sampling runs.  Sampling runs will always carry the stigma of process problems with them.  So the next question is, "Why the late timing for the production run?"
This time it's not really process problems that are keeping huge numbers of 7457s from being manufactured, but intangibles concerning Motorola's long term manufacturing capabilities. Technically, Motorola is being caught between upgrading their current facilities and suddenly rising chip orders from other customers.  The MOS-13 plant at the Ed Bluestein campus in Austin,TX, where they make the current 7455, is currently being upgraded to a 90nm process from the current 130nm and won't be fully operational until spring 2004.
As for their Crolles2 plant in Crolles, France, I seriously have to laugh at MacBidouille when they said Motorola pushed out 50,000 7547s last week  Folks, the Crolles plant is designed produce 20K+ 300mm wafers per month.  At 98.3squaremm for a 7457, over 600 can be produced on one wafer.  Industry average defect rate per 300mm wafer at 130nm is 27% meaning well over 400 7457s can be produced from a single wafer.  But lets be extremely conservative and say they have a defect rate of 60%, that's still 240 CPUs per wafer.  This is a daily output of >150,000 CPUs.  Sorry but the 30,000 1.25 GHz and the 20,000 1.3 GHz sounds awfully like a sampling run.


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## ksv (Sep 9, 2003)

> _Originally posted by Meltdown _
> *I think that if a powerbook goes G5 it will be the 17" model, not the 12 or 15".
> The 17" may have the size for cooling a G5. The 12" and 15" are to small. *



The G5 is actually cooler than the G4.


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## serpicolugnut (Sep 9, 2003)

The year of the laptop can be construed as nothing less than a disaster for Apple. The 15" Powerbook is now over 10 months old. The 12" and 17" are 9 months old. This is a lifetime between product refreshes.

The delay is obviously related to CPU problems. Motorola apparently can't even get Apple enough chips for the Powerbooks to be updated. I would be surprised if the next refresh of the Powerbooks were any speedier than 1.25ghz, as that seems to be the fastest G4 Motorola can provide Apple in sufficient numbers (and would fit in the PB).

You can bank on Apple working feverishly behind the scenes to do whatever it takes to get a G5 in to the Powerbooks as soon as humanly possible. Remember, Apple makes higher margins on Powerbooks, and it's the market segment where Apple actually beats the competition on price most of the time.


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## Koelling (Sep 10, 2003)

I know I'm just beating the dead horse here...

I'm a student and I almost got a laptop last March. For some people on this board, the difference between March and September is plenty of time between computer purchases to consider a new one but my first and only computer is a blueberry iMac I bought 4 years ago. I don't just go around buying every update. But I'm certainly not going to buy a computer when  new ones are "imminent"(as they were in May).

 So now a new semester has started... I'm stuck on a tray loading, non firewire, non bluetooth, non airport, non lcd, non portable computer. Needless to say, I'm aching for whatever they release and I hope the rumors are true that Apple's planning to sue Moto when this is through.


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## Arden (Sep 11, 2003)

Whinnie!

What are they planning to sue Motorola for, not delivering?


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## drash (Sep 11, 2003)

> _Originally posted by arden _
> *Whinnie!
> 
> What are they planning to sue Motorola for, not delivering? *



I don't think Apple'll do anything that drastic.  They'll probably decide with their pocketbooks.  By the time Motorola updates every important line to 90nm so they can produce 1.6GHz 7457's, everybody else will be able to put out their CPUs at 90nm also.  And what will a 90nm 970 be like?  It'll either run at 35% less power or 25% faster with no architectural changes.  This means a 1.2 GHz 970 will only use a little over 12W - definitely within Powerbook limits and since it's produced on 300mm wafers it'll be cheaper.


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