so.. wats going to get updated next?

jobsen_ski

jobsen_ski

Daily Player
Well we all kind of new about the imac (partly due to apple's own anouncement) but what do you guy think will be the next to be updated? I don't neciserily mean to a G5 (I don't want to turn tis into another "when will the G5 powerbook be out" thread) It could be anything from a 100Mhz CPU boost to a complete overhaul?

Personaly I think that we'll see the ibook and powerbook updated again in mid to late October time with faster Processors in the ibook and in the powerbook- faster Processors and a faster Hard Drive as well as more features in the 12" backlit keyboard etc. (to bring it more inline with the rest of the powerbooks and not the ibooks) I'm not sure if a G4 processor has ever been scaled past 1.5Ghz but lets hope apple (and motorola) can get it there in the forseable future!

Then I think we will see an eMac update before xmas some time? mid/late Nov.? I know there were reports about new iMac models with no optical drives for schools but I think apple needs to keep the emac not only for schools but for people who need a cheap mac. The iMac is still just to expensive for most of the market! SO please apple (if your listening) don't get rid of the eMac (unless of course you plan to reveal in its place, a totaly new design to shock and amaze us! :p)

After that at Macworld Jan 2005 - Hopefully 3Ghz powermacs and a G5 powerbook *anounced* to be shipped maybe in February/March!

anyway thats what I think! But alot could change before then!

What do you guys think?
 
I'd probably have to say seeing as Apple managed to fit the G5 into the new iMac I think there's a good chance of a PowerBook G5 by the end of the year/early next year. I also think maybe the eMac will receive a faster processor, like 1.5GHz fairly soon.
 
Might want to also check out http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/ ... They keep track on when the last update happened in a hardware category and give indication on when to expect new releases. Of course, Apple is _not_ that predictable, but it gives some clues...
 
Right now, they show xServes, PowerBooks, iBooks and eMacs as 'at the end of cycle'. My guess is that the eMac will get a silent update (i.e. not at a big show) and that - as predicted - the PowerBooks will get another round of G4 processors. Seybold would make a nice spot for them. And the iBooks will become a bit faster, then, too.
 
I think Apple updates the PowerBook to a modestly faster G4 ASAP. Obviously, this isn't the popular opinion and I had phantom pains in my fingers just typing it, but I think its necessary. I think this product cycle of the PowerBooks is going to be a short one, as Apple will want to hit Q1 2005, I think. I'd say nothing more than 100MHz or so. If we see something modest like that, I think we'll know that Apple's clearing out current enclosures, motherboards and such to make room for a PowerBook G5 in '05.

Here's one intersting question. Tiger is supposed to ship 1H '05. So, in theory, anytime until June '05. Might Apple announce GM Tiger and PowerBook G5 at WWDC? I'd hate to wait that long and maybe Steve would want Tiger to be the show stopper, but to the developers, Tiger would have been installed for quite some time.

Better yet, I think Apple releases something completely new at WWDC with Tiger, but works with Tiger....

Note, I didn't say anyplace in here that Apple should release a PowerMac in that time frame. IMO, if Steve Jobs announces a 3GHz PowerMac at WWDC, a full two years late, to the same crowd who's been waiting, it won't be pretty and because of that, I believe, we'll see a 3GHz G5 within five months. Two of the six or seven dual 2.5GHz G5's I ordered for my design team have shipped and we weren't first in on the boat for those, so I'm thinking the high end machines are starting to get some volume.

I think the eMac gets bumped before the holiday season, to once again bring in sales for the iMac. Apple has a large amount of space in that machine to play with, especially that the iMac has gone G5 and stopped eating. Apple should launch a new eMac, maybe a little less on the price, to drive people to the stores. By the time they configure it with high end components, if that's their deal, they'll see the added value to the iMac and just how cool it is. The kids go crazy and Apple sells even more computers. It'd be especially enticing if they did a holiday promotion, like I suggested before, with the iMac and iPod. Imagine how much more enticing it would be for parents to by the iMac, knowing for $99 more, like they are currently doing for portables and edu customers, they can get their child, or themselves, a new iPod to go with it.

iBook? I have no idea. They really can't do a whole lot of updating in it until the PowerBook bumps, or it'll be a marketing issue.
 
The next things will be a software update for Minis to bring them 4G functions. .Mac will get a makeover. PowerBooks will get an update (1.7 or 1.6Ghz G4s).
Oh, and mimoav will come up with something like Apple's going to buy Little Caesar's or Home Depot or something silly like that.
 
No PowerBook G5 this year, Veljo. Don't hold your breath. I'd bet a body part on it. 99% sure not at the beginning of next year, either.

Do a search for PowerBook G5 here for Apple's official statement that the PowerBook G5 won't be here until next year -- and don't take that to mean January 1, 2005.
 
Ah, body parts again. :) And mi5moav mentioned in the same thread, but not the same post... Hmm... Let's _not_ get this thread go too far, m'kay? ;-)
 
I concur. I'll also wager one of el diablo's body parts, a kidney or something, that no G5 PowerBooks this year.
 
Hehe... I will offer my body parts to anyone who needs them to wager in bets on the PowerBook G5. I have no doubt in my mind that, come December, I will still be 100% intact.

Can we drop the PowerBook G5 yet, or do we need another round of "You think we'll see the PowerBook G5 this year?" Apple said what they said, plain and simple, and there's absolutely no reason to go around asking the same question over and over when it only needs to be answered once.
 
I agree, '05 for PBG5.

I just also think that the current state of the portables makes it tough for Apple to update the iBook, or produce a really compelling PowerBook G4 right now. With CPU speeds so close, my guess is that Apple bumps the PowerBook an extra 100 - 150MHz and makes that 128MB graphics card option for the high end 15" a standard. That'll get some people to jump in and make the update a little more worthwhile to the consumer. That'll let them update the iBook to 1.2GHz on the low and 1.33GHz on the high, using up the remainder of 1.2GHz chips purchased for the high end iBook and 1.33GHz chips purchased for the 12" PowerBook, in the 14" iBook. The use of 128MB graphics in the 15" SuperDive Powerbook will allow Apple to sneak a 64MB graphics card into the top end 14" iBook, probably in the form of the GeForce 5200 that was in the 12" PowerBook.

I'd then expect to see the 12" PBG4 and ComboDrive 15" to have the 1.5GHz chips and use up the remaining stock of ATi Radeon 64MB graphics cards from the current 15" line standards. I think the ComboDrive 15" keeps the current graphics card, but allows the option for the 128MB graphics for $50. The SuperDrive 15" gets bumped to 1.7 ~ 1.75GHz, as do the 17" models...all sporting 128MB graphics cards as the standard.

That would keep all the models nicely refreshed with worthwhile updates to consumers and adding things like 128MB cards to the most popular model. It also will give the iBook a huge upgrade in performance in that area.

Just my opinion though.
 
im new to this particular guessing game. all i can say, is i hope that there is some sort of powerbook update by early next year when i will be buying mine. if there is definatly not going to be, which we will never know, then id try and get it sooner.
 
I'm actually more keen on a dual-core G4 Powerbook than a G5. The dual-cores are probably going to help more than having a single G5.
 
Yes dual core is interesting though.. because of "marketing" basicaly people don't think that apple will release a dual core G4 powerbook because when they release a G5 it *won't* be a dual core and people will see it as a negative - when its quite likly that the G5 would be faster that the dual core G4! but consumers would see old = dual :>:>:> new = single?? and get confused etc etc.
 
Actually, I think that a dual-core G4 will be faster than the G5. Just look at some of the benchmarks here. http://www.barefeats.com/pvp.html

Assuming that the dual core G4 is released at 1.5 GHz, it would be about as fast as the G4 MP. Looking at those graphs, the G4 MP easily trounces the G5 at 1.6 and 1.8 GHz. A dual core G4 would be a much better choice, IMHO.
 
I guess the questions remaining would be battery life on a dual core G4 and if Apple wants to continue using those chips in their Pro line. IMO, Apple would rather have all their upper models be G5 instead of having to explain to the average consumer what dual core is. Also, with Tiger have 64-bit capabilities expanding far past Panther, I think the focus will be to get their Pro product to a 64-bit chip as well.
 
MacWorld SF is in, what, January? Yeah, that's when we'll see the next PowerMac G5 revision then. Just a guess, but I'd think they'll have caught up to all the orders by October, by mid month. That'll let them use Educause in mid/late October to bump the eMac, at the very least. Maybe they bump the speed of the PowerBook, as I mentoined before, before then so they can bump the iBook at the same time. That'll give people enough time to consider those for the holidays, as gifts. It'll give them more product in the market to do take the emphasis off the iMac a little, by spreading around more orders on other products, yet placing the emphasis back on that machine, as I mentioned earlier as well.

MacWorld SF 3.0GHz G5
WWDC PowerBook G5 (though I hope sooner!)

January 24th, 2009 - Apple PDA ;) just kidding
 
To be honest, more than pure speed, Apple really needs to improve battery life on the laptop line, especially the Powerbooks. If Apple could come out with a killer battery, that would make up for a G5 not coming out until late 05.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top