Mactel release timeline predictions!

[YoNotYoshi]

Hey guys, I was bored so I thought of some possible release timelines. To make things sort of plausible I made several assumptions:

1. Powerbook will switch before ibook does.
2. Powermac will switch before iMac does
3. iMac will switch before eMac does
4. eMac will switch mid-late summer to complement an upcoming school year.

With these qualifications, here are some of my predictions:

1. Apple decides to switch their mobile lineup to Pentium M's first, before switching the high-end desktop G5's.

Powerbook: Announced @ Macworld06 "1H 2006, ships by mid-april
iBook: Announced @ Macworld06 "1H 2006", ships by WWDC2006
Powermac/xserve: Announced WWDC 2006 "in time for leopard", ship by end of 2006.
iMac: Announced Macworld07, ships 1H2007.
-WWDC2007 is strictly OSX Leopard business and dev switch progress-
eMac: Ships before end of summer 2007
Mac Mini: Holiday season 2007

2. Apple goes high-end to low-end.

Powermac, Powerbook: Announced @MacWorld06, both are out by WWDC 2006.
xserve: Announced @ WWDC 2006, released soon after.
iMac: Released "in time for leopard" by end of 2006
ibook: Announced Macworld07, ships 1H 2007.
-WWDC2007 is strictly OSX Leopard business and dev switch progress-
eMac: Ships before end of summer 2007
Mac Mini: Holiday season 2007

3. Apple starts with mac mini getting Pentium M, then follows a "Mobile in 2006, Desktop in 2007" approach
Macmini: announced Macworld06, out soon after
Powerbook: Announced WWDC06, out soon after
ibook: Paris 2006, out late summer 2006
Powermac: Announced Macworld07, out soon after
xserve: announced WWDC07, out soon after
emac: Ships by end of summer 07
iMac: Ships by end of 2007.

What do you guys think? which one is more likely? anyone have their own predictions?

 

[edwardk9]

Apple already said they would start from lower end models (mac mini, ibook) and work their way up starting in 2006.

 

[rockandrule]

Sure they said that, but they need to get a new PowerBook out. It really would ruin the selling plane if they decided to throw out a Centrino iBook before a PowerBook. I believe we will see all three relatively close (within MWSF and WWDC). My thoughts, PowerBook then Mac mini then iBook. Not sure of that order, but that's the way I believe it will be done.

 

[Sun Baked]

Right now the XServe, PowerMac, and iMac G5 use IBM chips ...

The iMac may flip back to a consumerish processors from a workstation processor ... but the switch on the PowerMac and XServe will happen sometime before the contract expiration date listed in my signature.

And the switch should be complete by October 2007...

 

[wdlove]

With Apple you really never know what they are going to do until the release announcement. At least we have less than a year until the first Intel Mac's are released.

 

[dsharits]

I've heard everywhere that the Mac mini will be the first to get bumped up, followed by most likely the PowerBooks, and the Power Macs will be the last to get the switch.

 

[solvs]

I'm sure the portables will go first. Steve made a big deal about power consumption and how there was no mobile G5. The G4 is going nowhere fast, despite the high hopes we had for Freescale. Maybe 1 more little bump to a 1.8 G4 or something, maybe a few new features or a price drop. Minor bump on the iBooks. PowerMacs later, since the G5 still has a little life in it, but they'll go the P5 or whatever is out at the time. e/iMacs somewhere in the middle, depends on what they want to do with them. Especially if the Intel chip is cheaper/faster/lower power. Same witht the mini.

Unless the G5 really isn't going anywhere, then PowerMacs sooner than later. But I have a feeling they have at least a few more MHz in them yet. Maybe.

 

[runninmac]

Apple already said they would start from lower end models (mac mini, ibook) and work their way up starting in 2006.

Im pretty sure that it was cNet that reproted that not apple

 

[edwardk9]

Im pretty sure that it was cNet that reproted that not apple

I'm pretty sure that Steve Jobs said that during his keynote speech - but I could be mistaken.

 

[topicolo]

Steve Jobs did say that during his speech

 

[edwardk9]

Steve Jobs did say that during his speech

I have read so much about it lately. Things get jumbled up.

 

[alawrence101]

Sure they said that, but they need to get a new PowerBook out. It really would ruin the selling plane if they decided to throw out a Centrino iBook before a PowerBook. I believe we will see all three relatively close (within MWSF and WWDC). My thoughts, PowerBook then Mac mini then iBook. Not sure of that order, but that's the way I believe it will be done.

I'm with you on this. I imagine they'll roll these three out first around the same time as each other. Out of the three, I'd bet that the new iBooks would be last. I definitely can't imagine them releaseing the new iBooks before the new PowerBooks when the PBs are already so desperate for an update.

 

[mad jew]

I'm with you on this. I imagine they'll roll these three out first around the same time as each other. Out of the three, I'd bet that the new iBooks would be last. I definitely can't imagine them releaseing the new iBooks before the new PowerBooks when the PBs are already so desperate for an update.

I agree. I think the notebooks are where the real performance gains will be had, so it makes sense to release an Intel PowerBook first preceded by a bumped PPC iBook.

 

[Belly-laughs]

I agree. I think the notebooks are where the real performance gains will be had, so it makes sense to release an Intel PowerBook first preceded by a bumped PPC iBook.

Unless of course the G4 offerings at the time will be faster than whatever Intel chip they choose for the iBook. When the Intel chips are introduced in the PBs I wouldn´t be surprised if we´ll see up to 0,5GHz difference between the consumer and pro portable lines, perhaps even single core vs. dual core.

The same goes for the desktops; the consumer models will get Intel chips that don´t match the PPCs in the Pro models.

 

[CmdrLaForge]

As I recall Jobs told the developers to get their apps out by mid 2006. I mean this is really important, because he wants that the apps are available when the Mactels hit the market.

And that why I really don’t see any Mactels to be announced at MWSF06.

It the plan is to release the first Mactels at MWSF06 Jobs would have told everybody to get the apps out by early next year or beginning next year.

I think what he said was: “when we meet here again next year the first will be in the marketplace”

I think Mini, iBook and Powerbooks go first and then iMac and Powermac.