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My iBook thinks it's a Powerbook!

M

MukelG

macrumors member
Original poster
Feb 13, 2006
36
0
I recently took my Book to the Apple Store to have my ibook fixed [fell off desk, whups] and when I got it back, it thought it was a powerbook.

Here's the specs:
Machine Name: iBook G4
Machine Model: PowerBook6,7
CPU Type: PowerPC G4 (1.5)
Number Of CPUs: 1
CPU Speed: 1.33 GHz


What gives?
 
PowerBook6,7 is the name of the processor, all iBooks have the processor name like that. My iBook G4 (in sig) also has the PowerBook6,7 in system profiler. My clamshell has PowerBook2,1. It's normal!

EDIT: I have the same iBook as you (if yours is a 12") but mine says CPU Type: PowerPC G4 (1.2) not 1.5....dunno why it says that....maybe someone else knows what that means.
 
ITASOR said:
PowerBook6,7 is the name of the processor, all iBooks have the processor name like that. My iBook G4 (in sig) also has the PowerBook6,7 in system profiler. My clamshell has PowerBook2,1. It's normal!

EDIT: I have the same iBook as you (if yours is a 12") but mine says CPU Type: PowerPC G4 (1.2) not 1.5....dunno why it says that....maybe someone else knows what that means.
Click to expand...

Yea, it's a 12" iBook.
 
I don't think it has to do with the voltages, but rather with the processor model or revision.
 
I had a 12 inch ibook. It decided it wanted to be called a powerbook when I put a faster, larger HD in it. The speed difference went to its head I think.
 
I turned my friends 1.33 12" iBook into a powerbook

Gave it a superdrive and a 100gig hard drive.

It is very happy.
 
My sisters says the same thing.

Are the internals of the 12in PBG4 1.33 GHz and the 12in iBG4 1.33 GHz identical? If so, I'm guessing they just transplanted the internals, rather than making a custom chipset for the iBook, hence the name being the same.
 
No, there are at least some differences between the PB 12" and iBook architecture. For instance the last iBook had the 512MB built-in memory and so on.... Also I think the PB has an extra speaker or something like that, doesn't it?

But anyway, the way I understand the numbers, the first number is the series and the second number is the model. So my much older iBook G4 is a Powerbook 6,3.
 
mkrishnan said:
No, there are at least some differences between the PB 12" and iBook architecture. For instance the last iBook had the 512MB built-in memory and so on.... Also I think the PB has an extra speaker or something like that, doesn't it?

But anyway, the way I understand the numbers, the first number is the series and the second number is the model. So my much older iBook G4 is a Powerbook 6,3.
Click to expand...

Not only that, but the PowerBook G4 had a different bus speed (167 MHz vs. 133 MHz). And of course, the logic boards are not the same, as evidenced by the ports being arranged differently and the RAM being in different spots.
 
admanimal said:
My iMac says its a PowerMac, it's nothing unusual.
Click to expand...

And my PowerMac thinks its a supercomputer, no wonder it refuses to do any of the mundane tasks I put it to do... too little for him I guess...

Nah seriously its possible Apple swapped your processor and downclocked it for whatever reason, did your problem involve a chipset problem?
 
Chone said:
And my PowerMac thinks its a supercomputer, no wonder it refuses to do any of the mundane tasks I put it to do... too little for him I guess...

Nah seriously its possible Apple swapped your processor and downclocked it for whatever reason, did your problem involve a chipset problem?
Click to expand...

No I'm serious, my iMac is listed as a PowerMac8,2 in the system profiler. There is nothing out of the ordinary with this person's iBook, it's supposed to say PowerBook.
 
admanimal said:
No I'm serious, my iMac is listed as a PowerMac8,2 in the system profiler. There is nothing out of the ordinary with this person's iBook, it's supposed to say PowerBook.
Click to expand...

Absolutely. I think these values date back quite a way through Macintosh history. The PowerMacX,X tag literally means that it's a Power PC-based machine, making it distinct from the earlier 680x0-based machines.

This is all part of the Mac system's "Gestalt" -- an historic set of functions used by applications to find out about the system on which they were running.

An (apparently) complete list of Gestalt values for different Macs is here. I'm not entirely sure if the Gestalt is still around in these post-Classic times, but there's certainly something very similar.

[edit:]A bit of historical geekery: PowerMac1,1 was the blue Power Macintosh G3, and the PowerMacX,X tag survived all the way up to the G5. Likewise, I believe the PowerBookX,X tag covered the entire PowerBook/iBook range. Just checked my MBP, and it looks like they've started afresh: MacBook1,1. I wonder what the new Intel iMacs are tagged?
 
Chone said:
And my PowerMac thinks its a supercomputer, no wonder it refuses to do any of the mundane tasks I put it to do... too little for him I guess...

Nah seriously its possible Apple swapped your processor and downclocked it for whatever reason, did your problem involve a chipset problem?
Click to expand...
really funny:D
my ibook also tells me it's model is powerbook6,5
 
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