G5 Portable Rumors??

mimmyhonker · Aug 13, 2003

I read a rumor, by someone supposedly in the know, that G5 PowerBooks will be available in February 2004 or so. Anyone know is this is true or even reliable? If so, I am definitely going to wait for that to purchase. Thanks!

Fomer · Aug 14, 2003

I doubt it, I know Apple would love to have a G5 out by then. But from what I have read the G5 is too strong it'd burn the laptop up or they'd have to pack it full of fans making it so big it wouldnt seem like a laptop. I know they will find away eventually. But I wouldn't count on that so soon. If it was true Apple would already be publicizing it... one would think. And the G4 have been said to probably go through a few more updates.

nko · Aug 25, 2003

Is the G5 the end of the wonderful low-heat of Macs? The G4, for me, is definitely "good enough." One of the main reasons I like it over any x86 is the low heat / low noise. I can leave it on all day and my room doesn't get disgustingly stuffy. And I can sleep with the thing on full power. My old x86 sometimes annoyed me in my sleep, which is bad. If I ever wanna upgrade, will there be a near-silent, low-heat option years from now?

hill.ed · Aug 25, 2003

i doubt we will see a portable G5 for a long time, as the current G5 needs 9 fans to cool itslef down! i cant really imagine that in a PowerBook, especually when Apple take credit in making very silent machines! however i reckon that there will be one in April 2004, but it wont be as powerful due to the fans and the huge battery that beast would have to run off, they would proberly make a portable G5 processor that would run at a very lower speed than what we are seeing now.

rman · Aug 25, 2003

Apple said:
Each of the four thermal zones is equipped with its own dedicated, low-speed fans. Apple engineered seven of the nine fans to spin at very low speeds for minimum acoustic output. And Mac OS X constantly monitors component temperatures in each zone, dynamically adjusting individual fan speeds to the appropriate levels for the quietest possible operation. As a result, the Power Mac G5 runs two times quieter than the previous Power Mac G4 enclosure.

I don't know what number of fans are placed where. But we do know that the G5 chip get very hot. From the above description, the fans may run continually. My guess would be that the current form factor would change in the powerbook line in order to accommodate the G5 chip.

schweb · Aug 25, 2003

This is what I know....
Apple has stated that it will be "quite some time" before the G5 appears in a notebook. So don't hold you breath

As for heat, from what I've been reading, a theoretical 1.2 or 1.4 GHZ G5 would actually draw less voltage than a comparable G4 and therefore be less hot. Just something I read and thought I'd throw in for discussion.

rman · Aug 25, 2003

I do remember the "quite some time before the G5 appears in a notebook". There maybe be a change to the 15" powerbook in the near to distant future.

JazzTrpt · Aug 25, 2003

I was wondering....do you think maybe Apple will ditch Motorola and use the IBM and Apple G3 chip and just call it a G4, then stick it in the laptop, because from what I'm hearing, the G3 chip is great in portables. Also, IBM seems to be more responsive than Motorola as far as speed upgrades in their chips. The only thing would be the lack of 64-bit power.

nko · Sep 2, 2003

I'd think a good 'next step' for portables might be an enhanced G3 that's cheaper to manufacture. Idealistically speaking. How does a company bring down chip fab. costs?

G5 Portable Rumors??

mimmyhonker

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