970MP - Still Coming?

[KindredMAC]

Dreaming....

I am confident Steve will be announcing and demoing a top end 3GHZ Quad core machine at WWDC - shipping date is another thing - probably September

Otherwise this latest round of Powermac updates are going to really look mega lame and hit the bottom line hard - Apple cannot have 2.7Ghz single core processors in it's top end machine for the next 12 months while AMD and Intel start pushing Dual cores out the door.

What kind of sense does it make to update the Power Macs and then one month later have Steve say at WWDC, "One more thing, we have a Dual Core 3GHz Power Mac that we will bring out in September."??????

NO ONE would buy any of the newly upgraded G5's....plain and simple. To think otherwise is just plain retarded and I recommend that any of those that think this go take an Economics 101 course at their local Community College.

If anyone is going to have a pipe dream or is in a betting mood, your best bet is to place your chips on the PowerBook G5 if you really want to gossip up the rumor mills.

It's a fact that the iMacs, eMacs and iBooks will be updated in the coming weeks BEFORE WWDC. That only leaves the PowerBooks and the Mac minis for possible updating at WWDC. I seriously wouldn't be surprised to see a 1.5 GHz G4 pop up in the mini at WWDC. My pipe dream is that mini gets the 1.6 GHz G5 from the iMacs. They will still be slower than the iMacs, but make for a VERY nice introductory system for Windows users.

Just my thoughts and rants.....

 

[iGary]

I'll believe they can ship dual-core processors when they can actually ship an OS on the promised date.

Anyway, I hope this is true. I cannot afford a G5 right now, but I've got it slated in the budget for the end of the year. It's killing me cause with an edu discount, the dual 2.0's are downright affordable, but oh well, such is life.

*crosses fingers for dual-core*

I just can't wait to see if Steve even mentions PowerMacs at WWDC.

I doubt it.

 

[Cooknn]

I am confident Steve will be announcing and demoing a top end 3GHZ Quad core machine at WWDC - shipping date is another thing - probably September

Whoa. Time to start saving! I gotta have one of those

 

[iBunny]

BINGO! I'll write up his script:

"Two years ago, when we introduced the PowerMac G5, I stood here on this stage and announced that we'd be at 3GHz in a year. As I'm sure you all know (laughter), we weren't able to do that. You see, IBM had a very difficult time getting comfortable with the 90nm manufacturing process, along with the rest of the industry.

Today, however, we're proud to finally bring you the PowerMac you've all been waiting for. But we didn't want to stop at the dual 3GHz I promised would be here last year... we've effectively achieved *twice that* with 2 *dual core* 3GHz G5 processors in what is without a doubt the fastest desktop computer on the planet! (roaring cheers --> IBM exec visit --> Ives video --> kiddies at home watching the live stream pee their pants and run circles around the coffee table)"

You Mac people are really over the top haha

 

[jnicolso1]

Its all a bitter joke, next year we will hear how we are finally going to get to 3GHz, but steve will not care, he has all that iPod money now and doesn't need the Mac any more it is just a pain.

 

[dongmin]

My pipe dream is that mini gets the 1.6 GHz G5 from the iMacs. They will still be slower than the iMacs, but make for a VERY nice introductory system for Windows users.

A pipe dream indeed. If you get the chance, look at the inside of the Mini and compare it to the inside of the iMac. There's no way in hell the iMac-G5 implementation is gonna fit into a Mini case. Sorry. Even if they could make it work by some stroke of engineering genius, it would be prohibitively expensive. Wait until the 970x makes its way into the PowerBooks. Then wait a year or two. Then, and only then, will you see the technology trickle down to a $499 machine.

 

[poundsmack]

I dont think we will ever see a G5 in a Mini. I think instead we will see newer G4's possibly far off'ish future) with e600 cores. I dought though very strongly about a G5 in a mini

 

[JesterJJZ]

I hear that IBM has already delivered the 970mp chips to Apple. Now we just gotta wait for Apple to get the machines ready. No I don't know what speed they run at.

 

[Demon]

3Ghz

don't care what it takes... just roll in the 3 Ghz and i might consider a Powermac. delay long enough and i'll just go with the Mac Mini, it's just so ... mini.

 

[mvc]

Its going to be a long wait and anyone thinking they will see a new powermac in 6 months is smoking crack.

We're not talking about revision of the whole line, we are talking about extension, and Apple has pulled this rabbit out of the hat before, for example, the 12/17inch Powerbook launch, where the new models were a generation ahead of the old 15" and yet sold concurrently.

Whatever turns a buck.

There is no reason why they can't demo such a machine at WWDC, even if they can't sell it - and they've certainly done THAT before.

And if not this, what?

 

[mvc]

What kind of sense does it make to update the Power Macs and then one month later have Steve say at WWDC, "One more thing, we have a Dual Core 3GHz Power Mac that we will bring out in September."??????

NO ONE would buy any of the newly upgraded G5's....plain and simple. To think otherwise is just plain retarded and I recommend that any of those that think this go take an Economics 101 course at their local Community College.

If anyone is going to have a pipe dream or is in a betting mood, your best bet is to place your chips on the PowerBook G5 if you really want to gossip up the rumor mills.

It's a fact that the iMacs, eMacs and iBooks will be updated in the coming weeks BEFORE WWDC. That only leaves the PowerBooks and the Mac minis for possible updating at WWDC. I seriously wouldn't be surprised to see a 1.5 GHz G4 pop up in the mini at WWDC. My pipe dream is that mini gets the 1.6 GHz G5 from the iMacs. They will still be slower than the iMacs, but make for a VERY nice introductory system for Windows users.

Just my thoughts and rants.....

Nonsense, if what you are saying were true noone would buy anything but the latest top of the line machine, there is ALWAYS demand for the lower spec machines, cost is always the main purchasing factor.

If Apple say here's the new machine, its great, its fast and its $3500 (which is what will happen), and its shipping soon they will certainly have very little impact on sales of 1.8s. 2.3s and probably not much impact on the 2.7's as everyone looks at their budgets and decide how much bang for the buck they can afford. A top of the line machine is mainly for bragging rights, I bet the majority of their sales are in the mid range.

It's the same "sense" they applied to launching the 17" powerbook. And its not the first time they have added to the top end of the range for heavens sake.

And its not like Steve will SAY shipping September - he'll say order now, shipping soon and then we will all wait and wait and wait and wait for our orders like LAST time! Thats what I mean by "demo"!

 

[Opticdraft]

From what I have heard, the XBOX 2 will be released by the end of this year. Now the specs arent known officially but it is anticipated that it will use dual core. So if IBM is able to get dual core to microsoft by the end of the year, it should be more then possible for apple.

I hate to say that since I just ordered a new powermac... I could not stand waiting anymore.

 

[Nermal]

I am going to wait until the next revision. (I think)

Hehe, after seeing this news I'm beginning to feel the same way! I've already listed my G4 tower for online auction, so if it sells I'll get one of the new G5s, and if it doesn't I can wait for the duallies

 

[FlyNolJ]

don't care what it takes... just roll in the 3 Ghz and i might consider a Powermac. delay long enough and i'll just go with the Mac Mini, it's just so ... mini.

Yes. Roll in the 3ghz or roll in the dual-core, or roll in the something besides 2 or 3 year old technology and I'll jump on it(PCIe-HT 2.0 etc.). The 500 dollar mac mini + old school CRT is looking pretty good until Apple can get its thumb on something that is new orsignificantly improved, not old. Waiting for revision B of the mac mini, then when the NEW PowerMacs come out I'll give my parents a "mini" gift.

 

[Poff]

Yes. Roll in the 3ghz or roll in the dual-core, or roll in the something besides 2 or 3 year old technology and I'll jump on it(PCIe-HT 2.0 etc.). The 500 dollar mac mini + old school CRT is looking pretty good until Apple can get its thumb on something that is new orsignificantly improved, not old. Waiting for revision B of the mac mini, then when the NEW PowerMacs come out I'll give my parents a "mini" gift.

Even mac mini and 20" cinema is looking good. (compare it to a 20" iMac. Much lower price. You get a better screen etc.)

Then you can use your cinema as an extension to the triple core 4GHz G5 PowerBook whenever it's due and whenever you need a new computer.

 

[rockthecasbah]

Apple Expo in Paris

You all seem pretty confident that the dual cores are will be unveiled at WWDC, but that seems to early for me. Call me old fashioned but Apple Expo in Paris seems more realistic, and it would be just at the 6 month period for this speedbump....

 

[Bear]

...

If I'm correct, Apple is the only computer company that offers 64 bit processors in half of their desktop machines (iMac and PowerMac, with the Mac Mini and eMac still being 32 bit)

...

The DEC Alpha chip is 64 bits and has been in desktop machines for quite a while. Sun Microsystems has had their 64bit UltraSPARC processors available for several years and has had them in workstations for years (At least 7 or 8.) Sun is also selling AMD 64bit based systems and has a 64 bit OS (Solaris) for it.

Of course it sounds like you're ignoring the non-intel/non-Microsoft stuff like a lot of other people seem to do.

[Please note: The above in no way claims to be a complete list of 64bit processors available - they are just a few examples.]

 

[pigbat]

Here's my theory.

I think IBM haven't been able to push a dual-core processor beyond 2.3 GHz or so. So to Apple a dual 2.7 G5 PowerMac is still faster than a 2.3 dual-core G5 PowerMac. And to top that off, pairing two dual-core processors can be the "grandmother of all engineering problems" or however they call it.

There people! Enough with the 970MP talk, it's getting really old. New PowerMacs at WWDC? Sure, in your fantasy world.

I can't imagine multiple dual cores is the "grandmother of all engineering problems". AMD has several companies doing 4 dual core chips in a single machine and Sun is claiming they wil have 8 dual core AMDs in a single machine by the end of the year.

 

[Bear]

I can't imagine multiple dual cores is the "grandmother of all engineering problems". AMD has several companies doing 4 dual core chips in a single machine and Sun is claiming they wil have 8 dual core AMDs in a single machine by the end of the year.

Sun also has dual core UltraSPARC (64 bit procs) in several of their systems, including a system that can handle 72 physical procs.

 

[G4scott]

The DEC Alpha chip is 64 bits and has been in desktop machines for quite a while. Sun Microsystems has had their 64bit UltraSPARC processors available for several years and has had them in workstations for years (At least 7 or 8.) Sun is also selling AMD 64bit based systems and has a 64 bit OS (Solaris) for it.

Of course it sounds like you're ignoring the non-intel/non-Microsoft stuff like a lot of other people seem to do.

[Please note: The above in no way claims to be a complete list of 64bit processors available - they are just a few examples.]

The question is, are all the computers that those chips were in mainstream desktop computers? Were they computers that you could walk down to CompUSA and buy? Most of those examples seem to be for niche markets, whereas the PowerMac's and iMac's markets are pretty broad.

I'm not saying Apple was first overall, I'm just trying to say that they were the first to make 64 bit computers widely available.

Whenever it comes to putting new technologies into their product lines, Apple may not always be first, but because they control the hardware and the OS, they can usually make things happen faster than the x86 world. Look at 64 bit processors as far as Intel and AMD are concerned. There are processors available, but the mainstream OS that completely supports the processors is still somewhat incomplete (windows xp 64.) Other companies, like Sun, are also able to do what Apple can, as far as bring new tech to the front line, but how many normal desktop computer users are going to want to use Solaris?

 

[minimax]

I want a quadcore 3 ghz mac mini. Like yesterday.

 

[crpchristian]

What kind of sense does it make to update the Power Macs and then one month later have Steve say at WWDC, "One more thing, we have a Dual Core 3GHz Power Mac that we will bring out in September."??????

NO ONE would buy any of the newly upgraded G5's....plain and simple. To think otherwise is just plain retarded and I recommend that any of those that think this go take an Economics 101 course at their local Community College.

If anyone is going to have a pipe dream or is in a betting mood, your best bet is to place your chips on the PowerBook G5 if you really want to gossip up the rumor mills.
.....

Exactly. IF they come out with a (i'm halucinating) 3ghz dual g5 64bit proc...no wait..dual dual 3gz g5 63bit proc then it's either going to cost more money than any body in here would pay for or have justification spending for, or, yes, the current line would not sell at all. ITs obviously a middle line update awaiting new tech we just got but apple announce new PMs a MONTH after they just updated them and/or announce new PM's and reaveal their 'groundbreaking hardware technology' months and months before they are available...HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...oh yes yes..becuase apple has done that...hmm...lets seee....never. (steve will NOT pull a 'i promise 3ghz' ever again i'm sure..and you 'whah whah...where's my dual3ghz' babies are as much to blame for us never knowing what apple is doing becuase anytime they reaveal something in the works and are 3 seconds late delivering people start freaking and whining and bashing)

 

[zimtheinvader]

wtf

ok, so now I'm DEFINITELY not going to get a Powermac!! Its rediculous how outdated they will be 6mo from now even without becoming obsolete as a result of being replaced by Apple. Dual-core, dual-core, dual-core...or at least a redesigned 970 w/ DDR2, wait ...no, not even a redesign at this point...
...and still no 64-bit notebooks, (this is something PCs had YEARS, inexpensive PC notebooks had -YEARS AGO!!!!!)despite the advantages finally offered fully in Tiger.... still no mobile FCP editing platform!!!?? Come-on Apple, wtf??!!

 

[deputy_doofy]

This Waaaah, I want 3GHz whining has to stop. It was a prediction - a roadmap - told to the public. I hope it's the last time they make anything public because the public can't handle it.
Ok, I understand the PCIe complaints and I'm sure that's coming, too.
Give it time. Things don't always happen the way we want, when we want. That's how life works.

 

[keysersoze]

...
If Apple say here's the new machine, its great, its fast and its $3500...

I think that's a *wee* bit optimistic of a price point... ain't no way apple sells a dual-dual for that few pennies.