Motorola goes 64bit and 3Ghz

Zammy-Sam

Zammy-Sam

Desertchild
Freescale Semiconductors announced a new processor line today:
PowerPC e600 : 32Bit and up to 2Ghz clock
PowerPC e700 : 32/64Bit and up to 3Ghz clock
Check here

Will Apple use those Chips in new powerbooks maybe?
 
I doubt it because they are more with IBM than Motorola at the moe, they don't really get their chips from mot anymore
 
Nice roadmap, no timeline though... 3GHz in 2010? Nice, very nice ... IBM will get there first though.
 
DJ Rep said:
I doubt it because they are more with IBM than Motorola at the moe, they don't really get their chips from mot anymore
Click to expand...

Apple is still getting all of their G4 processors from Motorola. The latest G3s were from IBM, along with all the G5s, but the G4s are still Motorola. As long as the processors don't use too much power (which they probably do), we could see them in a 'book. IBM is obviously having trouble manufacturing enough 970fxs to keep up with demand, so... who knows?
 
Politically, I think ping-ponging between moto and ibm isn't going to be that great for Apple. They probably know that, too. Plus, they've probably got some contract with IBM which ensures they stick with them for a while. Mind you - that's all speculation. Its not like Apple always chooses the best processors available - they do tend to stick with one vendor. I expect they'll be sticking with IBM for a while now, and I don't see why they won't release PBs with G5s either end of this year or early next. I'm hoping for sooner, but think that's a bit of a pipe-dream, really :)
Obviously, Apple is still buying G4s from moto ATM, but my guess is that they'll be trying to swap those for IBM products ASAP.
 
LordCoven said:
Its not like Apple always chooses the best processors available - they do tend to stick with one vendor.
Click to expand...
How so? 68K from Moto, G3 from IBM, G4 from Moto, G5 from IBM. Both companies make PPC chips, the same way both Intel and AMD make x86 chips and PC system builders and hop back and forth between the 2 depending on customer demand.

Apple went to IBM because customers were demanding better chips. If customer demand for a 64 bit laptop is high enough, and if Moto can deliver a 64-bit G4 that fits in a laptop what's stopping Apple for doing it?
 
LordCoven said:
Politically, I think ping-ponging between moto and ibm isn't going to be that great for Apple. They probably know that, too. Plus, they've probably got some contract with IBM which ensures they stick with them for a while. Mind you - that's all speculation. Its not like Apple always chooses the best processors available - they do tend to stick with one vendor. I expect they'll be sticking with IBM for a while now, and I don't see why they won't release PBs with G5s either end of this year or early next. I'm hoping for sooner, but think that's a bit of a pipe-dream, really :)
Obviously, Apple is still buying G4s from moto ATM, but my guess is that they'll be trying to swap those for IBM products ASAP.
Click to expand...

Actually I would think that Apple would be best served by not signing an exclusive contract with IBM. This encourages IBM to remain competitive if IBM knowns that Apple sources CPU's from other vendors. It also gives an incentive for Moto to out do IBM with it's own 64 bit CPU, which seems is actually what might be happening.

I seriously doubt that IBM will have a 90nm G5 in a notebook by the end of this year. Even if they could start producing 970FX's (or whatever they're called) in high volumn today, they would have to fill XServe orders FIRST. Then their next requirement would be to clock it to 3GHz to get us faster Powermac G5's. However, if Freescale can deliver, we might see Moto continue to supply the Powerbook line with low power e600's or e700's.
 
Well, you might have a point there :) Perhaps Apple has learned from its past and *is* playing them off against one another instead of blindly sticking to one company. However, it would take a shift in company consciousness for this to happen - I'm not saying its bad, I'm just saying I'm unsure whether it will happen. :D
C
 
Lycander: I said not always chosen the best chip - it was about bl**dy time Apple switched away from Moto to someone else. And as malexgreen pointed out, it finally seems to have caused moto to shift gear and start developing some truly interesting chips. Yes, the Velocity engine was really nice, but Intel / AMD / et al were getting WAY ahead of the game there for a while :) When I look at where Intel is with its Centrino (i.e. Pentium M) technology today, its almost enough to be green with ency. I actually have a friend whos notebook will run for six hours! Compare that to the measly 2.5 hrs I get out of my PB12"! And on the high end the G5s ruled the roost for a wee while back there, but its debatable now whether they really are the fastest any more (hence the ads had to be pulled in the UK).

To sum up: I think Apple have made the right move, but I think they should have made it earlier. (i.e. create some competition for moto to kick start some serious inovation in order to stay ahead or at least on top of the game).

BTW: If anyone's thinking - well, why not stop whinging and get a WinTel Centrino notebook, then ... the answer's v.simple: Mac OS X! :D (Plus those PB's do look damn gorgeous, don't they? ;))

C
 
M'Lord, neither IBM nor Motorola get rich off of making chips for Apple. Development of CPUs suitable for Mac systems has been slow because

1 - Moto is more focused on the embedded processor market.
2 - IBM could sustain its chip fabbing team from POWER server sales and contracts, plus licensing tech such as SOI to other CPU makers. On top of that, IBM is making chips for all 3 next gen game consoles.

I doubt that IBM or Moto will lose any sleep if Apple decides to go with one or the other, or take up chip design and fabbing themselves. I am more concerned will both IBM/Moto starting to "not care" about Apple.
 
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