IBM Delivering 90nm Chips?

[MacRumors]

According to this Electronics Weekly article, IBM is about to begin delivering 90nm chips to Apple:

IBM is about to deliver its very first volume production of an SOC on 90nm, said Reeves. This will be a design for Apple.

Unclear is the significance of the "SOC" -- whether this represents any new information, or somehow simply refers to the 970 chip is not completely clear.

The Xserve G5s utilize the 90nm PowerPC 970 and is scheduled to begin shipment in February.

[yoman]

so are new powermacs around the corner?

[jbrown]

are these different to the ones in the xserves??

suitable for Powerbooks??

[dho]

Originally posted by yoman
so are new powermacs around the corner?

I sure hope so, because we arent #1 anymore

[gwuMACaddict]

sweeeeeeeeeeet!

[virividox]

new powermacs = price drops woo hoooo dual 2 gigs wont be expensive hahahah

[spencecb]

Hopefully PowerMacs are coming....this means we will be able to reclaim our position as the fastest desktop computer in the world again, as the Wintel world hasnt done much lately either!!!

[machan]

i wish they'd hurry up and put out the dual 2.0-2.4 ghz lineup....so i can buy a dual 3 ghz at the end of the year!

[arn]

well, it could just mean Xserve G5s... which are shipping this month.

(didn't I say that already?)

arn

[yoman]

Originally posted by arn
well, it could just mean Xserve G5s... which are shipping this month.

(didn't I say that already?)

arn

Sorry arn,
it's just that we are desperately searching for any hope, whatsoever, of any upgraded Macs or Books.

[nicely]

Assuming this first volume shipment is for the Xserve and Power Macs, how long do you think it will take Apple to get them onto logic boards and in stores? Two weeks, three?

[RichardCarletta]

Mac OS 10.3.3 is causing delays for the next revision of the G5 Powermacs . Mac OS 10.3.3 is expected to be released in 2 weeks or less . Once it comes out , the PowerMacs will be updated .

[Chaszmyr]

If Apple doesn't even have them yet, couldn't it be next month before they made them into machines?

[lem0nayde]

I tried to do research on "SoC" technology - but the results were mind numbing. It seems to have something to do with having a flexible architecture on the chip that allows for one chip to be used to function for many different applications by swapping out the pieces specific to those applications. Most of IBM's examples seemed to be aimed at markets that require many many different designs based on the same chip. Like embedded applications. I couldn't find a mention of the G5 and SoC together.

Note - I have no idea what I am talking about - the stuff was very hard to sift through.

Maybe it is a G5 iTablet with optional G5 iPhone and a G5 iPDA.

or....a dodecahedron shaped G5 iMac.

or...a Dual 4Ghz G6 PowerMac.

or...nothing at all.

[0 and A ai]

Originally posted by machan
i wish they'd hurry up and put out the dual 2.0-2.4 ghz lineup....so i can buy a dual 3 ghz at the end of the year!

u mean this summer?

[machan]

Originally posted by 0 and A ai
u mean this summer?

no, i really do mean end of the year. i don't care when they come out (end of summer or whatever), but i want to buy one for myself for xmas.

[0 and A ai]

Originally posted by RichardCarletta
Mac OS 10.3.3 is causing delays for the next revision of the G5 Powermacs . Mac OS 10.3.3 is expected to be released in 2 weeks or less . Once it comes out , the PowerMacs will be updated .

Really? Are you sure? Seems just like two weeks ago you said something else.

Originally posted by RichardCarletta
The annoucement of the new revision B. G5 Powermacs has been delayed by the following factor : apparently not enough customers have yet bought up their existing inventories of their current revision A. G5 Powermacs . Too many customers thought the new revision B. G5 Powermacs would be announced at Macworld Expo 2004 and chose to wait to buy them after that. As a result too many of the revision A. G5 Powermacs hsve remained unsold so far. That is one reason why price reductions have recently started on some models . I suspect that soon demand for revision B . Powermacs will be too high and supply of revision B . Powermacs will be too low. That is one reason why they should also introduce a G5 iMac this month too. Not everyone needs to buy a Powermac G5 . Some people can get by with a G5 iMac instead.

[0 and A ai]

Originally posted by machan
no, i really do mean end of the year. i don't care when they come out (end of summer or whatever), but i want to buy one for myself for xmas.

oh lol

[marco114]

Has anyone received their Xserve G5's yet? We ordered 3 and they are saying mid-march.

XSERVE/2GHZ DP/2GB/750/CD/RAID PCI/RA/LL Z08Y03H4X
On or before 03/22/2004
3 Dual 2GHz PowerPC G5 065-4573
2GB DDR400 ECC SDRAM 065-4829
750GB ADM (3X250GB SERIAL ATA)065-4840
CD-ROM 065-4577
HARDWARE RAID PCI CARD 065-4790
PCI VIDEO CARD065-4845
Mac OS X Svr,Unlmtd Lic 065-4581
Country Kit065-4580

Got the 3.5TB XServe raid in a couple of days ago... schweet! But, it's taking forever to format.

[neilw]

Though it doesn't really qualify as an SOC, I'd nonetheless assume that (if true) this refers to Apple's system controller chip. This would be a prerequisite to shipping Xserves, and introducing all the other potential product updates based on the 90nm G5's.

So the clock is ticking. I'd expect new Macs in about 4-5 weeks. Dunno if Apple will pre-announce or not; I'd guess not for the PowerMacs.

[V.A.Toss]

SOC wasnt designed for desktops, it was designed for more compact and portable machines.

Whats the point in having a system-on-a-chip in something as large and static as a powermac? none.

I would be very surprised if it did end up in a powermac, and if it was a 970 based SOC. There was news about a PPC750-based SOC a while back that they were developing, but to go back to the 750 is also pretty unlikely.

SOC was being developed for compact machines.
So, Laptop? possibly, though i still think apple would rather wait for a regular 970 based powerbook.
iMac? more likely, needs to be compact, and the range needs updating badly.

Im feeling ambitious though, so i would put my money on an anniversary mac of some sort. Its hard to imagine, but still more likely than putting an SOC in a powermac.

[Mac-Xpert]

Originally posted by RichardCarletta
Mac OS 10.3.3 is causing delays for the next revision of the G5 Powermacs . Mac OS 10.3.3 is expected to be released in 2 weeks or less . Once it comes out , the PowerMacs will be updated .

What makes you think that? What special hardware besides speedbumped 970's would the next G5 have that would require the 10.3.3 update?

I remember people saying something similar before the first G5's where introduced. They said it would require Panther or that it would require a 64-bit OS. Well we know now that both weren't the case. I think a slightly patched 10.3.2 for any new drivers would do just fine.

[hopkinssm]

Couldn't this be a typo? It makes more sense as 90nm SoI (Silicon on Insulator) chips.....

[Photorun]

It's all nice but when the hell are new displays coming?!?

[TRiPod]

Originally posted by V.A.Toss
SOC wasnt designed for desktops, it was designed for more compact and portable machines.

Whats the point in having a system-on-a-chip in something as large and static as a powermac? none.

remember the xserve g5? that would complete the equation.