PowerBook G5s

Go3iverson said:
lol Sam

Well, if we'e doing best to best, we're talking dual 1.42GHz G4 (167MHz Bus?) -> dual 2.0GHz G5 (1.0GHz bus) ;)
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:rolleyes:
Hmmm, maybe I didn't choose the right words. You are stucked with numbers, Go3iverson. My point was to tell, there was no huge step (in performance) apple ever took. I might be wrong. I joined the mac scene in 2002 and don't have many ideas about the past. I was hoping one could show an example where apple made a huge step in performance and not be stucked with "meaningless" numbers. ;)
However, I don't want my idea to get lost: I think the new G4s will first come in the current powerbooks and not ibooks (which would force a G5 powerbook). I hope I will be wrong..
 
What about if we will take M$/Intel/Amd as examples? :rolleyes:

During 2003 Intel/Amd they got from 3 GHz to ONLY 3.2 GHz and in some cases (Centrino-Opteron-etc.) they went backwards (3 GHz to 2GHz) all while Apple went from Dual 1.4 GHz to Dual 2 GHz :D Now, that's a HUGE step forward that is, compared to them ;)

In software front, M$ will make the big step from Win9x/NT to Longwhore, err, Longhorn in 2006-2007 all while Apple is already making ( made perhaps :) ) the HUGE, GIANT, MONSTROUS, etc. step from 9 to X :D

Either way, Apple IS making BIG forward steps unlike some other MANY time BIGGER companies out there :rolleyes:

As for the original subject, I really hope that a G5 PowerBook will soon be delivered to me, err, Apple's customers :D :)
 
Back to that iBook/PB thing: The 7447A is not deliverable in quantities now, the 970FX is. So I see the PB going G5 before anything going 7447A, really. What I want to say is: It seems quite clear that the iBooks CAN use that new G4 chip at the good frequencies, because the PB will get the G5.

About the big steps... Moving from a 1.4 GHz G4 to a 2.0 GHz G5 quite certainly _was_ a big step. Bringing not only 64bit computing to the Mac platform but also about _doubled_ the performance of the highend PowerMac for each and every task.
 
Hulkaros is hitting this on the head...

We're in the gross minority in market share and, in some cases, general opinion, as far as the IT world goes. Panther and the G5 have really started to change that opinion. Remember when we were stuck at ~500MHz and the Intel world sped ahead? This is our chance. If we can stay in the spotlight with innovative new hardware and software, every year, while AMD tries to figure out how to progress with their 64 bit chip, Intel tries to push its 32 bit chips past this little plateau they seem to have hit, and Microsoft figures out how to get the bugs out of Longhorn, we could really gain some marketshare.

When Apple was quiet, the industry left us behind a bit, now its our turn. Will we take over MS? No. Not even close. But if we could solidify our marketshare a bit, that'd be huge. Hitting 3.0GHz in 64 bit clock speed would be huge. It would put AMD in our shoes from the past, playing up the overall performance, as AMD no longer sells their chips by actual clock, but by performance ratings. We'd also be closing in on Intel's 32 bit clock with our 64 bit chip. Software wise, the team at Apple should be receiving Longhorn betas and reading all the articles about it that they can. Make sure you beat Microsoft to the punch on a lot of their main performance features, in less time, with possibly much better hardware to run it on.

Historically, like I showed, we're not known for huge steps, or leaps. On the other hand, historically, well, recent history at least, shows that we're way behind in share. Marketshare isn't everything because we could be increasing in user numbers while losing in share, depending on how fast the market's growing, but this is a prime time to expand in both. We know Microsoft will be quiet for a few more years, but Intel always has something to steal away our thunder, lets not see that happen again.
 
The reason I mentioned apple was not into big steps was this:
G3 -> G4. I remember many talks and benchmarks, where the G4 wasn't faster at all. After some time the Altivec support spread but G3 still survived till this year. Same to the current G5s and the old powermac G4s. The dual G4 1.42ghz powermac is not really that much slower than a dual G5 2Ghz as it sounds like. Right now, apple could go at least 1.3Ghz with the ibooks, but they don't. Of course, there are the powerbooks which will look really bad after such an update (if there was no plan for a G5 powerbook). This shows to me: can do != will do. And if Apple has a G5 for a powerbook now, they mustn't go for it. Esspecially when they still have a Motorola chip in their sleeves which has a wattage half as high as the G5..
However, eventhough the new Motorola chip is not ready yet, the board is done. And if I got it all right, there is still no board layout for the G5 powerbook.
 
a dual 1.42 ghz. is very different to a single 1.42ghz.
u cant compare a dual 1.42 ghz G4 to a 1.6 Ghz G5 because in a powerbook u will get a SINGLE 1.5ghz G4. or a Single 1.6 ghz (for example) G5. and yes that will be a big difference :)

in this link : http://www.barefeats.com/pentium4.html
u will see how much more powerfull the G5 is ... and right now the G5 is not working on a full 64bit OS, and we dont know if these apps can really take advantage of the 64bit processor... so in the end, YES the G4 is crap in comparison to the G5. especially if you have a single G4 in comparison to a single G5 :)
 
zammy: i was talking IF apple does a powerbook g5, THEN apple can release the iBook with 7447A at 1.42 GHz. And: No, the 7447 does not use half the power the 970FX does. We're talking more or less same wattage for the same clock speed. However, the G5 is faster at the same clock speed for all I know.
 
G5 powerbook: No way we see this until end of summer at best. Apple will likely speed bump the current line to get us by. And certainly the G5 PB will be redesigned. Apple would never drop in a brand new chip, whoe new architecture into an old box. Never.



Off topic slightly: Not to get too off track, but the market share dream is dead. It's over. Macs will never take double digits again in TOTAL market share. The general population may bring it up slightly, maybe even into very low double digits (I doubt it) but you will never see a bank, a hospital, a law firm or a brokerage switch to an all Mac lineup even if everyone in the company thought it was a better OS and machine. I've come to accept this reality. But the good news is that there are a few million of us die hards and we're not going anywhere. That's enough to suport a healthy company and still innovate and provide a great OS and great hardware.
 
Apple may never use this new Motorola processor. I believe that they want to get the Powerbook line in G5 ASAP. Apple *REALLY* hates Motorola, because of the long delays on upgrades, pathetic performance, etc. I expect the entire line of Macs to be G5 (one flavor or another) by early 2005.

The PowerMacs will be up at 3GHz (90nm), the Powerbooks will be 1.6-2.0 GHz (90nm), the iMac will probably use the old 1.6-2.0 GHz (130nm) chips. The iBook may keep using the G4, or Apple could switch it to the IBM Super G3 w/Altivec and just call it a G4.

Personally, I think that if Apple went exclusively with IBM chips, we would all be much better off.
 
mindbend said:
G5 powerbook: No way we see this until end of summer at best. Apple will likely speed bump the current line to get us by. And certainly the G5 PB will be redesigned. Apple would never drop in a brand new chip, whoe new architecture into an old box. Never.
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I don't believe in the new powerbook G5 to be out until the end of this summer as well. However, I don't think apple will redesign the case. The ibooks showed that they can and do keep the "old" case if it's good enough even when a new chip has been installed.
 
They will NEED to redesign the case. Think about the amount of perforation required on the Power Mac G5 case (albeit the original 970 as opposed to the 970FX 90nm system), or the differences between the 32- and 64-bit X-Serves.

They'll need to redesign the case, for cooling at very least. That having been said, don't expect anything radically different. People are in love with the designs of the G4 Powerbooks, just as they were with the G3 ones.
 
It all depends on how they'll be cooled. I think black would be a great color and would help seperate it from the rest of the pack, but it would depend on the heat factor. I don't see the grilled look as it would be too easy for contamination.
 
It would be, at least for the 15" model, but the 12" and 17" have been around a bit. I mean, Apple didn't use the Quicksilver tower for more than one revision, did they? That's a question, I know I have the 867MHz, but I think they next model was the mirrored doors, which they only used for 2, I believe(?)

I just really can't see people flocking to buy up a new G4 PowerBook. If I *needed* one ASAP, I'd probably call around and find the current model at a reduced price. I mean, everyone wants a G5, the market has moved to notebooks, it seems, and most PC users, even ones that can't stand Apple or its pricing, always say how much they like the Apple laptops. Combine all that together and it should be a great boost to Apple's computer hardware line which has been fairly stagnant lately.
 
I guess rather than waiting for a Rev. B, I'd wait for user reports. When I bought my Titanium PowerBook G4/500 (Rev. A), I waited until two months after they appeared in stores here (about a month after their introduction, that was). Until then I already knew that they got quite hot, but it didn't really matter, because I _needed_ to upgrade from my Rev. B iBook G3/300 for Mac OS X.

I guess with the PB G5 it'll be a similar case. There _will_ be issues, but if they're known already, you can either cope with them or return your 'book on arrival, so it's fixed before you start to work with it.

For a mobile user like myself, a 12" PowerBook G5 would certainly rock. I've learnt to appreciate the small size of my current iBook over the screen real estate that I had with the TiBook - because when I'm working at home, I connect it to a bigger screen. On the road, mobility is king for me.

However, I'll take a hard look at the next PowerBooks before buying one. Let's just say that PB G5s _will_ come. The question is when. And for marketing, it'd be very important for Apple to move to the G5 as fast as possible.
 
See, I think Apple needs the G5 PowerBook. Apple will strive off of its installed base first, then, obviously, from attracting new users. The installed base wants the G5. Even people who have recently purchased, within the last 1-2 years, want the G5. I'll be honest. I LOVE my 1GHz TiBook. It does everything I need, but hey, since the company wants to buy me a laptop ASAP, I'll take a new one. ;)

Even if they weren't, It'd be hard to not sell off my TiBook and grab a new G5 laptop.

Now move to the PC side. Like I've said, even a hardcore Mac basher gives credit to their portables and the G5, but mostly the design. Combine them and bang, there ya go!

I guess my big thing is, 250MHz is a nice chunk, but not enough to make me want to move from my PowerBook. I considered it, primarily for the new light keyboard, but the cost was too great to only get 250MHz, AirPort Extreme, and backlight keyboard...especially since my laptop has a full 1GB of RAM, which is pricey from Apple direct. It just didn't pack enough bang for the buck to get me to upgrade.

Now, give me a 1.5GHz G4, now available from Motorola and guess what...I still won't upgrade. Why? Because I know I've waited this long and the G5 *is* coming at the max in another revision, so why give up the fight now?
 
Go3,

I think a lot of people are in your position. We're going to grab at least one G5 (maybe two) laptops whenever they arrive. We're currently using a PC laptop and now an iBook for our portable needs, but we want to go all Mac. In short, we don't absolutely need a laptop right this second, so we're willing to wait as long as it takes for the G5 laptop. I think a lot of people are thinking the same.
 
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