So no powerbook G5?

There will not ever be a PowerBook G5, ever, unless Apple decides to name the Intel processors the G5s also, which would be stupid.

Basically, one of the main reasons Apple is switching to Intel is because IBM, the maker of the PPC processor, can not DO powerbook G5s. The G5 is an incredibly hot, overpowered processor - A Dual 2.7 G5 is basically just an overclocked Dual 2.0 GHz G5 - thats it. IBM does NOTHING for Apple power-wise, all they do is take up space, overheat, don't work as hard, and are very expensive.

So, the PowerBook G5 on Tuesday! rumors will stop...

The Powerbooks will probably get one more G4 speed bump but I do beleive that the PB will be the first in line for a Intel chip. They are the ones that are the in the most dire straits for a speed increase. But with that saying it probably won't be until WWDC or at the VERY VERY least MWSF in January (I highly doubt it). Neither of which really help you out much in your 6 month time frame. I would say just get it now. Any upgrade they will have for it will probably just be a bump in speed of about 200 mhz.

Just reread your post, its 6 months to a year so then they might change by then. But if you want it now I still say just get it.

dotdotdot said:

A Dual 2.7 G5 is basically just an overclocked Dual 2.0 GHz G5 - thats it.

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Actually I think I read it on some MacBytes article thing that the dual 2.7 is an overclocked 2.5 and the 2.3 is an overclocked 2.0

dotdotdot said:

So, the PowerBook G5 on Tuesday! rumors will stop...

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We can only hope!


But I do wonder what will be the name for them with Intel....I guess not G6?

I've been told by a friend who works in the PowerBook division that there never even was a PowerBook G5. Of course they wanted to do it, they initially expected to do it, they had designs for it, but apparently it never even worked deep within Apple's Bat Cave. So yeah, it's not going to happen, not even as a stopgap.

HiRez said:

I've been told by a friend who works in the PowerBook division that there never even was a PowerBook G5. Of course they wanted to do it, they initially expected to do it, they had designs for it, but apparently it never even worked deep within Apple's Bat Cave. So yeah, it's not going to happen, not even as a stopgap.

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What has your friend told you then about upcoming PowerBook updates? Sounds like he's quite the valuable source to have, please share!

And the June 30 article in EWeek somewhat negates, if true, some of the publicity release for the reasons for changing from IBM to Intel. It's tough to believe much, if anything, of what's being bandied about. I was one of the wishfuls hoping to see a PB G5 released late last year with the talks and articles about progress in cooling and 3GHz chips and all; but decided to go ahead and get a AlPB 15" in October which happened to be a good decision.
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,,1833126,00.asp
X

to be honest i would wait until after the paris expo because it is possible a new powerbook with a really small speed bump in it,will be released. doesn't sound like much, however the fronside bus will be bumped to 200mhz which will probably go a ways to increasing overall speed of the machine.

dadio2002 said:

When is this expo taking place?

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Apple Paris Expo 2005 will be held September 20-24.

dadio2002 said:

Okay well that answers my G5 question! Thanks

But so doe that mean there will be a new powerbook coming out soon, like within a year or so. Or do you think its wise to buy a powerbook now?

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If you've got a year's worth of wiggle room here, you can no doubt wait for the big move to Intel. Yes, there should be a minor G4 bump. But, shortly after that, there should be a *big* bump up to Intel (possibly dual core). I expect the Intel PB to be announced in January (MWSF?) and shipping something like April.

dadio2002 said:

So I have the chance to get a powerbook this year but am probably not going to college for 6 months to a year. I was wondering if i should wait to see if a G5 powerbook will be out but wanted to make sure with you guys if thats true or not. Should I go with the new updated G4 that will last me a couple years?

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There is absolutely zero reason to wait for a G5 Powerbook.

Zero.

If there's another huge advancement in the PowerBook line prior to the move to Intel, I'd say the likelihood is to see Freescale Dual-Core G4s more than a G5.

Apple will not serve the PB G5, until its time...

~Shard~ said:

What has your friend told you then about upcoming PowerBook updates? Sounds like he's quite the valuable source to have, please share!

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Well there is that pesky NDA and he only told me about it after the fact. I respect that, and don't ask him about anything he's currently working on. Of course it has nothing to do with the fear of a team of deadly Apple assault Ninjas (wearing black mock turtlenecks and blue jeans, natch) swooping into my bedroom on a dark night to silence me.

I just heard that there will be Powerbook G5s on Tuesday.

dotdotdot said:

A Dual 2.7 G5 is basically just an overclocked Dual 2.0 GHz G5...

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Considering Apple and IBM are the manufacturers, and overclocking means to clock a chip higher than it's rated to run by the manufacturer, that would be untrue. Much like the G4s, just because it's hot, doesn't make it overclocked, just clocked as high as it can go. AMD and Intel do the same thing. But no, you will never see a G5 PowerBook.

To the original poster, buy a new iBook to test the waters. Whenever the next revision comes out (any day now) if you can wait. Go to an Apple Store sometime and play with them extensively to see what you think. If you can wait a year, but next June Steve Jobs said that there would be Intel Macs, and we're all guessing they'll be portables since the G5 still has a little life left in it (as opposed to the G4, at least) and he made such a big deal about power consumption. Otherwise, the G4 is fine. It's not great, but it does run OS X fairly well with a good video card and lots of RAM.

solvs said:

Considering Apple and IBM are the manufacturers, and overclocking means to clock a chip higher than it's rated to run by the manufacturer, that would be untrue. Much like the G4s, just because it's hot, doesn't make it overclocked, just clocked as high as it can go. AMD and Intel do the same thing.

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No, overclocked, as in IBM made processors of over 3 GHz and sent Apple ones at 2.3 GHz and Apple overclocked it to 2.7 GHz...

You can't overclock a Dual 2.7 G5, because its already overclocked. And thats why is so damn hot.

dotdotdot said:

No, overclocked, as in IBM made processors of over 3 GHz and sent Apple ones at 2.3 GHz and Apple overclocked it to 2.7 GHz...

You can't overclock a Dual 2.7 G5, because its already overclocked. And thats why is so damn hot.

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The 2.7 PPC970FX is likely as hot (if not a bit more) than the original PPC970.

IBM did their best to downplay the heat of the original PPC970, but some of the more recent documents from IBM put it in as a 100+W chip

IBM - BGA Solution for G5 said:

2. Cooling Challenge

The PowerPC 970 chip has a very high power density, yet is air cooled. The chip area is approximately 128 mm2, and the peak heat load at 2.0 GHz could exceed 100 watts. An aggressive cooling solution is required to assure the low operating temperatures required for peak performance.

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Which is a bit more than they admitted to in the original PPC970 Max Power Docs.

The numbers being tossed around for the 2.7GHz PPC970FX is 115W.

Edit: Remember heat wasn't the problem with the PPC970FX (especially with water cooling), it was voltage -- both low and high. Too low and it stopped working (so no low power variant), and too high and the lifespan tanked to nothing (so no high performance variant.)