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64-Bit Jaguar and 970 PowerMacs

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Apr 12, 2001
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eWeek provides some corroboration of rumors floating around regarding the upcoming release of 970 based PowerMacs:

Sources said that the IBM chip will make its first appearance in a new Power Mac known internally as Q37. However, sources said, Q37 won't ship with a 64-bit version of Mac OS X, limiting OS performance gains in the initial release. Instead, Q37 will launch with a special build train of the current Mac OS X Version 10.2, a k a Jaguar.
Click to expand...

Code named Smeagol, this newest Jaguar update will provide compatability for the new machines while Panther is in the works. According to eWeek, Smeagol may not be complete for a month or so after WWDC, suggesting new machines would not be able to ship until that time.
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2003/06/09/64-bit-jaguar-and-970-powermacs/
Step in the right direction

Well...I guess we all want the whole package (OS updates, processor, kitchen sink) but at least things appear to be moving forward. -R
 
Well there you have it, something is definitely going to happen! :)

Let's hope Apple is goign to sort their OS niggles out soon to get these machines out on the shelves, howevr a little patience is okay too if that means the product is even better...

Good news regardless!
 
Just read it. Great informative article. I think that it fills in the gap where many of the rumor sites leave off.

Smeagol,...great build name. As well as, my other favorite ApplePI! :) (Apple Processor Interconnect)
 
Almost a rumor round up, really, but the specifics on the GCC compiler issue just add more validity to the whole thing.

Fantastic - I can't wait to see the new machines.

One question - how much 'performance' boost will we see with Panther?

D
 
just heard a message from an apple rep...though he said nothing at all about specifics, he did say that there are going to be "interesting" things announced that the scientists where i work would be interested in....

can't wait
neil
 
nice. outside rumor-site speculation/reporting of the 970. i just hope their "sources" aren't macwhispers and macbid. ;)

is this the first we've heard of hardware codenames? i think it is. and the smeagol name is priceless.
 
I certainly hope that it significantly improves the os performance, to make things a little snappier.

Along with Mr. Anderson, my question is:

How long before we see ports of the major design apps to 64bit? (Well, at least the programs that would benefit from such architecture, such as video and 3D.)
 
Hmm.

Not that eWeek has the best reputation, but its better than most (all?) of the Mac rumor mills around...

The timing makes some sense, especially since the systems could indeed be shown at WWDC and then released in time for back to school, following eWeek's suggested schedule.

Of course, there's only one problem. Can anyone confirm the gcc issues? Is this really so significantly different? If so, that would mean that software built for the G4 series wouldn't run on the 970 without modification, which is something that I have a hard time believing (from previous statements and from IBM history).

I could easily see this being two things. One, a stronger confirmation of what's been suspected for some time, that the 970 is what's next and that its release is imminant. Two, that someone is not wanting too many people to hold off on purchasing macs until after WWDC.

I admit that my thought after reading this was, "Well, time to pick up a current generation system instead of waiting." Makes you wonder. Its not like Apple hasn't proved themselves shrewder than the media before (although that's nearing the dangerous territory of "They didn't say it wasn't so, and so of course it must be!"

Hmm.
 
Very very exciting! Apple's recent history has been to be incredibly organized in their releases, so I hope that all of this OS business will run quite smoothly with no confusion for buyers.

Arigato,
Brook
 
Am I the only one not getting the 'Smeagol' reference??

And secondly, it's always fun to get into the rumor train of thought, but I'm just waiting for Panther to come out on the new 15" PowerBook.
And I'm with you Macphisto... 10.3 damn well better be snappy. I was sorely disappointed in my 12" PB's performance.
 
I have never been so aroused by the combination of words like IBM chip will make its first appearance in a new Power Macs and 64-bit and 970....I ****ing love being a Mac USER!!!!!!!



p.s I love how Safari v80 shows me all my spelling mistakes automatically...now all they need to work on is my grammar :)()
 
The specificity of this report is indeed quite intriguing. So a WWDC intro and early-August shipping? Sounds about right to me. The only thing that seems strange is that they're suggesting it's the software that's holding up the release, not hardware. And is it really likely that a 64-bit OS X would offer major performance benefits over a 32-bit version???
 
This is good, eWeek is by far the most reputable site that has confirmed Apple's use of the 970-and they have even laid out a similar timeline to when they will be released when compared to what MacB has been claiming for weeks.

I just have to figure out a way to justify buying a revision B Power Mac G5 in Jan 04'! :)
 
I can't wait for the keynote for this one...

"And with the Q37, I dub 2003 - the year of the desktop!" :D

Oh well. I'm happy and sad. ;)
 
HA! Before september!

SWEET! at least now we know that its a pre september release! its dissapointing that they may not be available immediately after wwdc. still im hoping that they at least reveal it at the keynote.
 
I thought that Panther was going to be ready by the WWDC? Surely the OS will be ready before the hardware comes into the shops. Or does it take a while after the WWDC for the new OS to be released? Can anyone explain this to me.....
 
Originally posted by dongmin
So a WWDC intro and early-August shipping?
Click to expand...

I think Apple may have some short term pain in the quarterly financial statements. Their PowerMac shipment were already falling in their last statement, and I have to believe that rumors this quarter about a revolutionary jump in hardware has hurt PowerMacs even more for this quarter.

If Apple announces and then doesn't ship for six weeks or more, I can't imagine anyone buying a G4 during that time (not without a huge discount). That would be half a quarter with almost no revenue from the PowerMac line.

In the long term it won't matter, but I could see it hurting Apple's quarterly profits and stock value for a few months.

Hoping for shipment this month!
 
Originally posted by arnette
Am I the only one not getting the 'Smeagol' reference??
Click to expand...


'Smeagol' is from JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings.

It is the actual (original) name of the character most people know as 'Gollum', who was known to refer to the One Ring as "My Precious".

history info link

- - -

FWIW, insofar as 'Q37', I was just thinking about Q-Ships today.

(to preemptively explain another likely obscure reference, Q-Ships was a military term for warships disguised as mere freighters. They were designed to look like sitting ducks to lure attacks from German U-Boats and then pound the snot out of them.

The term was later used to describe high performance sports cars that were similarly "disguised", although more in Europe than in the USA, where we called them "Sleepers".

A modern example of a Sleeper or Q-Ship automobile would be something like the Audi RS4 Quattro Avant. It looks like a normal compact station wagon, but its engine has been worked over by Porsche: 0-60mph is <5 sec, 0-100ph is <12sec, and 0-125 is 17sec. Coming back down, you find that Porsche's worked on the suspension/braking systems too: 70mph-0 in 155ft.


It would be nice to have a Macintosh Q-Ship :D


-hh
 
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