New eMac Tomorrow?

[Rod Rod]

That's good news - but what if it turns out to be a G5-based eMac and the PowerBook is still stuck on a G4? Won't all hell break loose all over the Mac user community?

well, yeah, but only among people who don't understand the difference between desktops and laptops... and people who think it's cool to hobble some machines for product differentiation.

until there is a practical, low-power, mobile version of the G5, the PB will remain a G4.

in the mean time, it's not very bright to wish Apple delayed the G5 iMac until after the PB went G5. it's also pretty dim to be disappointed if the eMac gets a G5 before the PB.

if the eMac gets a G5 before the PB, well what follows is very predictable. half the resulting posts will be cry-babyish "waaaah the 'PRO' laptop is lagging behind the 'lowliest consumer' machine / oh no the sky is falling / Apple how could you." the other half will be happy to finally buy an eMac for their mom/dad/child/own self, and appreciate Apple a lot more.

it makes no sense to hold back on product releases for one line for the sake of another line. let each model develop at its own pace. otherwise all product development will seriously slow down.

 

[aswitcher]

if the eMac gets a G5 before the PB, well what follows is very predictable. half the resulting posts will be cry-babyish "waaaah the 'PRO' laptop is lagging behind the 'lowliest consumer' machine / oh no the sky is falling / Apple how could you." the other half will be happy to finally buy an eMac for their mom/dad/child/own self, and appreciate Apple a lot more.

it makes no sense to hold back on product releases for one line for the sake of another line. let each model develop at its own pace. otherwise all product development will seriously slow down.

Yeah, just look at the Windows world and desktops outstrip laptops..."you can't change the laws of physics"...

 

[Dont Hurt Me]

Why not a slightly smaller case thats also lighter housing say a 15" LCD and a bumped G4 and FX5200. thats what i predict unless ibm had a bunch of chips(G5)they could only run at 1.4. Iam expecting a 1.4 or 1.5 G4 mated to this very inexpensive video chip. still better then integrated garbage. This makes for a terrific student machine and hope they do this. no more 32mb video apple.

 

[Rod Rod]

This is most interesting news. Won't every PowerBook owner complain if eMacs get G5 processors and they don't? That makes me wonder if a PowerBook update is also imminent...

I'm a PowerBook owner and I won't complain if the eMac gets a G5 processor before the PB does.

I understand the difference between desktops and laptops. Desktops will always be faster than laptops. That's just life and physics.

 

[aswitcher]

Why not a slightly smaller case thats also lighter housing say a 15" LCD and a bumped G4 and FX5200. thats what i predict unless ibm had a bunch of chips(G5)they could only run at 1.4. Iam expecting a 1.4 or 1.5 G4 mated to this very inexpensive video chip. still better then integrated garbage. This makes for a terrific student machine and hope they do this. no more 32mb video apple.

I would love them to go a 15.4" WS LCD, just like the PBs. But even with a G4 its a risky proposition. It will be more expensive (I guess) and likely will canabalise iMac sales...

 

[Mr. Anderson]

The one point the article makes, and its a good one, that will probably keep the G4 in the eMac one more revision is the availability of the G5 chip.

The question remains, though, is there any room for a speed increase on those G4 processors that would make an update more appealing than spending the money on an iMac and get a G5 instead.

D

 

[Dont Hurt Me]

I dont think you will see a G5 Emac for awhile. G4 still has a little ways to go as a entry machine for the Mac and i expect something big and new for powerbook in the next 6 months. Apple going to longer product update times is not good for the Mac consumer. It makes their supply problems worse because people will wait for the important update. Man in the Pc world updates are every few months it seems, but apple is going the opposite direction with longer update cycles. This isnt good in my H.O. Still am very interested on where the emac is going. Very nice machine. If apple would ever let all desktops go with upgradeable videocards their sales would increase across all the lines. But iam just a yahoo in Backward S.C.

 

[quagmire]

Could the new eMac(G5?) be the mysterious Powermac 9,1?

 

[GFLPraxis]

Whattabout...
A G5 eMac, underclocked to 1.4 GHz?

 

[MacSA]

Hey everyone -
As a service to fellow member MacSA, I'm notifiying everyone of this thread MacSA started regarding the possibility of a new eMac so we don't pollute this thread.

.......hmmmmmmmm It seems someone deleted my thread.

 

[Rod Rod]

.......hmmmmmmmm It seems someone deleted my thread.

kinda sorta ... it seems like a moderator merged that thread with this one. it's one of those calls mods have to make.

- Rod (not a Mod) Rod

 

[Zigster]

If there is a G5 emac with a 64mg video card, you will have one switcher right here.

Zig

 

[~Shard~]

If there is a G5 emac with a 64mg video card, you will have one switcher right here.

Zig

Sorry, but I don't really see that happening. Apple just put the G5 in the iMac (with delays nonetheless), and due to the G5 chip supply issues I don't think Apple would release a G5 eMac just yet - the extra demand would spread things too thin and Apple would run into issues again. eMacs will eventually get the G5, but I don't think for a while yet.

How about switching to the new G5 iMac instead?

 

[Zigster]

Bet you 5.00 bucks via paypal that the next emac is a g5. The last emac was just as fast as the previous imac, right? The major diff being...LCD vs CRT. I'm just going to use it for video editing. Still have to use a pc laptop for work.

 

[MacSA]

Bet you 5.00 bucks via paypal that the next emac is a g5. The last emac was just as fast as the previous imac, right? The major diff being...LCD vs CRT. I'm just going to use it for video editing. Still have to use a pc laptop for work.

The AppleInsider article refers to "slight external and major internal modifications to one of the company's current offerings " maybe they are making room inside the eMac for a G5 chip.

 

[thatwendigo]

The AppleInsider article refers to "slight external and major internal modifications to one of the company's current offerings " maybe they are making room inside the eMac for a G5 chip.

There's no way in hell the current eMac would accept a 970 at any kind of comparable clock to the iMacs. The space inside is smaller than that of the iMac, tighter, and has far less opportunity for cooling. In fact, it uses a single heatpipe to a fan in the back to conduct processor and optical drive heat away from the CRT.

The MPC7455a that's in the eMac has a predecessor that tops out at 19.9 watts typical consumption when the voltage is cranked all the way up. Interestingly, the chart provides no mention of a part that clocks like Apple's, and they make no mention of the specifics of a chip they likely manufactured mostly for Cupertino, as a sideline of the main body of 744x chips. By comparison, even a 1.6ghz 970 puts out more than that, and the iMac needs three dedicated blowers to maintain even remote cooling with any hint of quiet operation.

 

[~Shard~]

Bet you 5.00 bucks via paypal that the next emac is a g5. The last emac was just as fast as the previous imac, right? The major diff being...LCD vs CRT. I'm just going to use it for video editing. Still have to use a pc laptop for work.

Well, if the eMacs aren't actually updated for another 8 months, then perhaps at that stage of things it could be an G5, when the chip supply issues are better in hand. But if we see a new eMac even with the next 4 months I'd bet it won't be a G5.

 

[aswitcher]

By comparison, even a 1.6ghz 970 puts out more than that, and the iMac needs three dedicated blowers to maintain even remote cooling with any hint of quiet operation.

Yeah G4 for all the reasons mentioned is the go...major internal changes...mmm...better graphics card...better placement of BT, WiFi... new ports or port placement...faster cpu of course with better cooling...

What else...?

 

[Zigster]

Maybe you guys are right, but I find it hard to believe Apple wants g4 student machines running their new 10.4+ OS...you're trying to convert these kids, not make them laugh at how slow it is.

 

[johnnyjibbs]

Maybe you guys are right, but I find it hard to believe Apple wants g4 student machines running their new 10.4+ OS...you're trying to convert these kids, not make them laugh at how slow it is.

1.5GHz G4 > 1.5GHz G5

 

[tech4all]

1.5GHz G4 > 1.5GHz G5

Are you saying that a 1.5G4 is better than a 1.5Ghz G5? Or that it would be wiser to give students a 1.5Ghz G4 rather than a 1.5Ghz G5?

 

[~Shard~]

Are you saying that a 1.5G4 is better than a 1.5Ghz G5? Or that it would be wiser to give students a 1.5Ghz G4 rather than a 1.5Ghz G5?

That's the way I read what he' saying - either that or he needs a refresher course in grade 4 math...

The only thing I can think of that he might mean is that a student may not "need" the power of a G5, so therefore a G4 would be better suited for them. But that's kinda stretching it...

 

[johnnyjibbs]

I was just saying that a 1.5GHz G4 is proabably faster than a 1.5GHz G5, or certainly a G5 that has been crippled in terms of front side bus, etc (like iMac and eMac will be). There's probably not that much in it, but I remember serveral benchmarks (not just dual-processor-aware tests) showing that a dual 1.25 G4 was faster than a single G5 1.6 in many cases.

It would be interesting to see if that guy from Japan opens up the eMac G5 when it comes to see if it is a 970 or indeed a 74xx.

 

[NNO-Stephen]

I was just saying that a 1.5GHz G4 is proabably faster than a 1.5GHz G5, or certainly a G5 that has been crippled in terms of front side bus, etc (like iMac and eMac will be). There's probably not that much in it, but I remember serveral benchmarks (not just dual-processor-aware tests) showing that a dual 1.25 G4 was faster than a single G5 1.6 in many cases.

It would be interesting to see if that guy from Japan opens up the eMac G5 when it comes to see if it is a 970 or indeed a 74xx.

umm... there can't be a "G5" with a 744x part number.

 

[wrldwzrd89]

umm... there can't be a "G5" with a 744x part number.

Uhh...I think you misinterpreted the post you quoted. If the new eMac is G4-based, it will use one of the 74xx family of processors. If it is G5-based, it will use a processor from the 970 family.