Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Another Week, Another PowerBook Rumor?

Originally posted by NicoMan
Talking just about the processor is pointless. The G5 comes with a new chipset, a new type of RAM, a faster memory bus, etc... Do you have more information than we do, to be so adamant about power/heat issues of the G5 in the PB? Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see a PBG5, but let's remember that we are just speculating here.

L8rz!!
Click to expand...

You are right and wrong all in the same paragraph. Faster memory bus doesn't mean you HAVE to have a 1GHZ bus in a G5 PowerBook; even a 400Mhz bus would do. New RAM??!!? The only difference between the RAM used in the 17” PowerBooks and the G5 is the speed. (333Mhz vs 400Mhz.) Heck looking at the specs sheet for the G5 on Apple’s site reveals that the 1.6Ghz G5 is using PC2700 333Mhz DDR SDRAM the exact same type of RAM used in the 17” PowerBook. The only thing IMHO that needs to be designed from the ground up is the chipset and mainboard. This is why I personally doubt that we are going to see a G5 based PowerBook until Spring. (Pick your event where its going to be announced at.) You also have other issues to worry about. Specifically battery life. Something everyone who talks G5 laptops avoids. Yes the G5 at lower clock speeds eats less power but that doesn’t mean you can slap a G5 CPU and its support chips in a case and call it ready to ship. There is A LOT of fine tuning going on to tweak the system. Heck on my Dell laptop I’ve seen battery life performance increase simply by flashing the BIOS to the latest version. If anything is holding back a G5 notebook I’m willing to bet it’s the development process of these components.
What I’m wondering if in addition to the chipset if Apple and IBM may be in the process of tweaking the CPU for laptop batter life. Consider this for a second. Wasn’t the 970 specifically built for Apple? Would it be totally out the realm of possibility that while designing the 970 Apple requested a parallel track for a scaled down version for the PowerBook Line? *shrugs* Just a thought.
 
Has anyone considered that the announcement might be for a G5 XServe?
Oracle World is starting - wouldn't this seem like a good time to finally announce this? I mean, who would still buy a G4 XServe now?

Plus, this would be something Jobs wouldn't want to announce in Paris, which is much more of a consumer-oriented event, with less interest in servers.
 
Originally posted by SiliconAddict
Pick your event where its going to be announced at.
Click to expand...
Hmm I'd say January MWSF (you need a keynote for that) rather than a special event like the one for the new iPods and ITMS. Just my feeling. In typical fashion, SJ will announce availability 1 or 2 months later and ppl will get them at the end of those 2 months (shall we say end of march or something?), like the 17" PB and the PMG5s....

Speculation, speculation... *sigh*
 
Originally posted by SiliconAddict
You are right and wrong all in the same paragraph.
Click to expand...
I hate to admit it, but you are right. (Mental note: I should think before I write, not after...)
 
Originally posted by chazmox
I
Powerbooks are a very respectable part of Apple's revenue and that revenue may have a shortfall this quarter if the low stocks at resellers and distributors are of any guide. Therefore, if they wait for Paris they only get 2 weeks of sales in this quarter and if they release this Monday they get three weeks. One extra week may not be much, but it IS 50% more than if they released in Paris and may be enough of a motivation to release as early as possible!
Click to expand...

Okay... I did not consider that aspect. I would agree to a point. And that would be those who have been waiting (me) are going to buy on day one. I take my CC with me to school everyday (I teach and normally do not carry CC with me) just in case they are released that day. I will order as soon as I find out. So one week may not make that much differance.

Though for business situations it may.
Wk 1 Computer comes out. Convince boss
wk 2 - fill out paperwork.
wk 3 - order that puppy.

So you may be correct and you do have a REALLY GOOD point. So I hope you are correct.
 
A few predictions for the Paris Expo...

40 GB iPods
iTunes for Europe!

Updated iMacs
New Pro BT keyboards
New Pro BT mouse with (gasp) 2 buttons and a scroll wheel!

And an official release date for Panther.

'nuff said.
 
40 GB iPods
iTunes for Europe!

Updated iMacs
New Pro BT keyboards
New Pro BT mouse with (gasp) 2 buttons and a scroll wheel!

And an official release date for Panther.

'nuff said.
Click to expand...
I'll settle for 2 button + scroll wheel mouse.
 
Originally posted by iJon
no, i would want it so you can use it in your car without connecting anything.
Click to expand...

Bluetooth couldn't even do that. It's not fast enough to transmit high-quality audio in real time.

Originally posted by bobisbob
why would apple announce any new hardware when Steve Jobs is doing a keynote the following week? He's gotta have something to talk about. And being the showman that he is he'll want it to be something people have been waiting for.
Click to expand...

If he announces a non-G5 PowerBook at Expo, he's going to be lynched. Better to get the disappointing news out quickly than to let it wait for a big event.

Originally posted by iJon
lol, dont get to excited, go look at the heat sinks in the g5's, i doubt they have found a solution for those in the powerbooks yet. rumors and tech notes have already shown that these processors are too hot, and not battery and power effiecient for the powerbooks yet. but you keep waiting, hopefully it will come soon (a year)
Click to expand...

The 1.2 GHz G5 is comparable in wattage and heat to current incarnations of the G4. It is possible.
 
This is posted over at the SpyMac forums. I know, I know, Spymac, but FWIW.......

Hey guys, i have a friend who works for springboard media in philadelphia, this is a small store that deals with all apple stuff, but they are not an official apple store. Now im not saying that i am god and know for sure that they are coming, but, he said tomorrow they are getting an ''unknown'' shipment of new keyboards and powerbooks and he says most likely its new powerbooks and not old ones because they have been out of powerbooks for some time now. So this could be a possibility but im not 100% sure by any means. Feel free to flame if you must. Just putting my 2 cents in on the subject matter.
Click to expand...
 
most interesting

but wouldn't it be unusual to announce and have available new products on the same day? i mean, to be able to walk into a store and pick it up?
 
As long as the things are shipping the next couple of weeks I'm happy! I don't even care anymore if it's a G5, G4 or heck what color the thing is ... I JUST WANT ONE OF THE DAMN THINGS NOW!!!😉
 
okay, so it's Monday now and i've checked the Apple site. hhmmm... nothing new yet. oh well, they might do it later.

and there still hope for AppleInsider! Tuesday or Wednesday as possible dates for a G4 PowerBook release. cool...😀 but i guess they won't be available immediately or we'd have heard of unmarked boxes being delivered to Apple Stores.

yeah, it's got to be this Tuesday... or next Tuesday (Expo Paris). These couple of weeks have to be definite winners! 😀
 
Originally posted by cb911
okay, so it's Monday now and i've checked the Apple site. hhmmm... nothing new yet. oh well, they might do it later.

and there still hope for AppleInsider! Tuesday or Wednesday as possible dates for a G4 PowerBook release. cool...😀 but i guess they won't be available immediately or we'd have heard of unmarked boxes being delivered to Apple Stores.

yeah, it's got to be this Tuesday... or next Tuesday (Expo Paris). These couple of weeks have to be definite winners! 😀
Click to expand...

It's Sunday evening back in the Pacific Time Zone. Maybe you should check the Apple site on Monday, when it's Monday at Apple 🙂
 
yeah, it's got to be this Tuesday... or next Tuesday (Expo Paris). These couple of weeks have to be definite winners!
Click to expand...
At this point, I'm expecting nothing, hoping for nothing. I'll believe it when I see it. Until then, hurry up Apple!
 
Originally posted by Phil Of Mac
It's Sunday evening back in the Pacific Time Zone. Maybe you should check the Apple site on Monday, when it's Monday at Apple 🙂
Click to expand...

good idea. so it's Monday now right? it's got to be at least 8:30 in the moring now! 😕
 
Originally posted by Puppies
*SIGH*
Oh well, at least I have something to YET AGAIN pretend to look forward to. Technically every week that goes by, it gets more and more likely we'll see an update.
Click to expand...

You're falling victim to the "gamblers falacy"... It's like playing craps and saying that with each roll that goes by, it's more likely the next roll is a 7. The odds don't, in fact, change...

You'd be right for most engineering efforts, but I think this is best modeled as a random process.
 
According to buyersguide.macrumors.com, PowerBook AND iMac are due for update. Which one do you think will get an update first?

Personally, I think PowerBook will have to be first because they wouldn't want to release iMac that has faster processor than PowerBook. Maybe they'll update them both at the same time?

I wonder what they could possibly update on iMac besides processors? New case? BlueTooth and FireWire 800? Wireless keyboard and mouse?
 
its monday morning here in new york, but its not updated yet🙁
i should keep in mind that its only 6 am here😛

what time does apple usually update thier front page? please tell me the time zone also. thanks🙂
 
Originally posted by macphoria
According to buyersguide.macrumors.com, PowerBook AND iMac are due for update. Which one do you think will get an update first?

Personally, I think PowerBook will have to be first because they wouldn't want to release iMac that has faster processor than PowerBook. Maybe they'll update them both at the same time?

I wonder what they could possibly update on iMac besides processors? New case? BlueTooth and FireWire 800? Wireless keyboard and mouse?
Click to expand...
MacBidouille kind of says PBs and otherwise there is talk of the iMacs. I'd like to see both updated, but then what would SJ talk about in Paris. ITMS and iPod refresh are not enough for a Keynote. What do you think?
BTW, the UK Apple Store is currently down...
 
Originally posted by bennetsaysargh
its monday morning here in new york, but its not updated yet🙁
i should keep in mind that its only 6 am here😛

what time does apple usually update thier front page? please tell me the time zone also. thanks🙂
Click to expand...


Well it is 7:11 in Chicago (I am in MN) so 5:11 in Appleland. They are updating right now.
 
hmmm, everybody stopped posting. They must be doing SOMEthing else....... what could it be........what could it be. You guys wouldn't be shamelessly refreshing the apple store over and over again hoping to be the first with a new powerbook would you??
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back