burst your bubble

[aantoine90]

sorry to burst yuor bubble here guys but the G5 notebooks are not coming out before the end of 2004 and probably not until the middle of summer 2005

 

[technologist]

What is your source for the above information?

I agree with you...I don't think its likely that a PBG5 will appear before Macworld San Francisco in Janurary...but I have no information beyond rumors and guesses. (Which is what the Rumors and Reports section is for, after all.)

 

[schweb]

I'm guessing we won't see a G5 powerbook until at least 2006. Look for a dual core G4 (that Moto is working on) before then...

 

[Matt]

I beg to differ, schweb. I think Apple knows they have to work fast and fairly quick on this, otherwise they will be left behind in the ever developing world of Intel and AMD. I think Apple should create other processor families, instead of just the "G" range.

I think Apple should bring out a different range of processors for notebook, like the Intel did with centrino, but maybe call it G5m (for microporcessor) or something to retain the G5 processor reputation of speed, but without the heat and energy issues.

 

[muso]

I think Apple should bring out a different range of processors for notebook, like the Intel did with centrino, but maybe call it G5m (for microporcessor) or something to retain the G5 processor reputation of speed, but without the heat and energy issues.

So... maybe a dual-core G4?

 

[Matt]

Yeah maybe, but people will still mumble about it being a G4 still, even though it might be only slightly less or around the same as a single G5.

 

[Avalon]

I think that the next CPU generation of the Powerbook might be Freescale (ex-Motorola CPU division). They continued to work on the PowerPC development, and might bring a dual-core for notebooks. And I'm pretty sure it won't have the "G"-name

Anyway, the actual G4 and the first G4 don't have much in common, except the name and the Altivec-unit, and even that is not entirely the same than it was back in the first.
Allthough Apple always simply called it G4, there has been a lot of evolution in that CPU, not just clock speed.

 

[schweb]

I beg to differ, schweb. I think Apple knows they have to work fast and fairly quick on this, otherwise they will be left behind in the ever developing world of Intel and AMD. I think Apple should create other processor families, instead of just the "G" range.

I think if Apple could have put a G5 in a PB a year ago they would have done it. I know Apple wants it done and done quickly, but regardless of what they want, there are technical issues stopping it, including the fact that the G5 chip itself is just too physically big to fit into a PowerBook at this point. And those issues won't be solved quickly at all. The only solution right now would be for Apple to make the PBs way thicker to help with size and heat issues and you know that's not going to happen.

As I said before, look for the dual core G4 before a G5 and I still hold to my original prediction of no G5 PBs before 2006

 

[Temporary]

Apples worldwide marketing director Tom Boger recently stated no G5 powerbooks "anytime soon"

 

[Nightblade]

What about eMacs? They're definitely not compact! That's why they're so cheap, because they have CRT screens and are large and annoying to handle. Apple's already made an iMac compact enough for a G5 processor, and considering that eMacs are much bigger, THAT could be the next piece of hardware with the G5 processor. And of course, PowerBooks will be after that, and then eventually, iBooks.

 

[schweb]

I really, really doubt the eMac is going G5 any time soon. Although I could be surprised.

 

[iSheep]

The only thing about that is that the eMac is suppose to be cheap and affordable - a G5 processor may increase the cost - however, isn't this G5 iMac cheaper than the G4? That could be because technology is generally more affordable, however, but you could be right.

As they can get a G5 into the new iMac, then perhaps they'll give a shot at a G5 Cube - that's something I would buy, say, in 6 months' time.

 

[iSheep]

After reading through some of the rumors spreading around, it appears that with the affordable iMac for education, that the eMac G5 will never exsist and the product will be discontinued.

 

[Icarus]

Perhaps it will get dual G4's...and once once the G6 is released, (or whatever the next one is called) then the eMac will get one of them G5's.

 

[nicholas]

I think I'd rather have a dual 1.5Ghz G4 Powerbook than a single 1.6Ghz G5 Powerbook. But seeing as that powerbooks take forever to catch up to their desktop counterparts with the same processor, the first G5 Powerbooks, if RELEASED TODAY, would probably only be about a 1Ghz G5.

 

[Matt]

I would very much doubt apple will put a G5 in an eMac anytime soon, if they did people would buy them instead of the expensive machines. It may be easier, but not fesible profit wise.

schweb, are you serious about G5's not even fitting in a PB . Wow, I thought it was only heat and power consumption issues. If this is the case, I would expect a freescale idea like avalon said, I think it's outradeous to stick with a processor for 7 years (till 2006) for Apples expensive PB's, or for that matter any computer product.

 

[Avalon]

As I said, Matt, the G4 of today is not exactly the first G4. It might still be the same CPU family, but that's pretty much the only thing they have in common.

It's the same for Intel's P4... The very first and the ones they make today are quite different...

Same, but different...

 

[schweb]

The other thing to realize also Matt is that a single G5 chip is really not all the much better than a G4. The G5's power comes in when it's in a multiprocessor configuration. And the chances of that ever happening in a PowerBook are about next to nothing if they still can't do it with a G4.

So all in all, you're not losing too much by keeping a G4 in a PowerBook. Especially if they can get a dual-core G4 in there.

And to be absolutely honest with you, with all the G5 production issues, I'd rather see them get that fixed before releasing yet another system that will be in short supply because they can't get the chips. I'm worried for the iMacs....

Heck, I'd wouldn't even mind a G3 with an altivec core in a PowerBook. The battery life would be amazingly better than what it is now...

 

[PinkPhishDoors]

The other thing to realize also Matt is that a single G5 chip is really not all the much better than a G4. The G5's power comes in when it's in a multiprocessor configuration. And the chances of that ever happening in a PowerBook are about next to nothing if they still can't do it with a G4.

So all in all, you're not losing too much by keeping a G4 in a PowerBook. Especially if they can get a dual-core G4 in there.

And to be absolutely honest with you, with all the G5 production issues, I'd rather see them get that fixed before releasing yet another system that will be in short supply because they can't get the chips. I'm worried for the iMacs....

Heck, I'd wouldn't even mind a G3 with an altivec core in a PowerBook. The battery life would be amazingly better than what it is now...

Yeah but the FSB is a HUGE jump in G5s

And 64-bit-it is the beginning...........

 

[schweb]

Yes, but Mac OS X won't be truly 64-bit for the foreseeable future given all the non-64 bit chips they still need to support. So that doesn't really matter.

Fast bus, sure....but just keep in mind the power requirements of all of this. And there's nothing saying a G4's bus speed can't be raised substantially either....