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Potential Apple Product Update Dates?
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Xnet said:
Hardware only, true. But..and I know this is overused...you get more and better software - in particular the OS - with a Mac. If you're just into gaming, the PC's a better deal. You get the same basic parts in a Dodge Neon R/T that you do in an Infiniti I35. It's probably even faster and costs half as much. But...the Infiniti is better. Better look and feel. Better drive. But, all in all, the same parts. I'm sure there are better car analogies. Camaro/Boxer? Mitsu Evo/350Z? Whatever...
Compare a Mac to a PC and you get the same thing. The magic of the Mac is in the way it all works together - and in the Unix core, which is excellent if you're even remotely into that stuff. People love their Macs. People use their PCs to run their PC programs. Few people love Windows - it's a means to an end. Lots of people love Mac OS.
But, pound for pound, PCs are cheaper, yes.
After reading the Apple Press Release about the Xserve G5s just shipping, I'm pretty sure that we're not going to see new PMs shipping any time soon.
http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2004/mar/23xserve.html
"Single processor 2.0 GHz Xserve G5 servers are available immediately through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com) and Apple Authorized Resellers. The dual processor 2.0 GHz and cluster-optimized dual 2.0 GHz Xserve G5 servers will be available in April through the Apple Store..."
If apple can't provide Dual 2.0 GHz at 90nm, I don't expect them to be able to ship faster G5s any time soon. I guess its possible that they will announce PM 2+GHz at 130nm, but I thought that all of the rumors were pointing to a 90nm process.
I'm afraid I'm leaning towards the next Powermac update being this summer at 3.0GHz.
W
http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2004/mar/23xserve.html
"Single processor 2.0 GHz Xserve G5 servers are available immediately through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com) and Apple Authorized Resellers. The dual processor 2.0 GHz and cluster-optimized dual 2.0 GHz Xserve G5 servers will be available in April through the Apple Store..."
If apple can't provide Dual 2.0 GHz at 90nm, I don't expect them to be able to ship faster G5s any time soon. I guess its possible that they will announce PM 2+GHz at 130nm, but I thought that all of the rumors were pointing to a 90nm process.
I'm afraid I'm leaning towards the next Powermac update being this summer at 3.0GHz.
W
srobert said:
What about Linux? The point is the price difference is enough to sway people away from the Mac. Honestly, for over $1k you have to be a zealot to go for the Mac.
There's another grad student here who has a $2k budget from her advisor to buy a system. It's pretty damn tough to get a $2k Mac for that (it needs to be able to do some work so the i/eMac is out). For that money we can build a cutting edge (64 bit AMD) PC with lots of RAM and a nice LCD flat panel or we can buy the bottom of the barrel PM G5 and try to find a cheapo 17" monitor and not enough RAM. And in neither case will we be running Windows.
Downdivx said:
Yes, I second that.
This is an official Press Release from Apple, so we can safely assume that the info is correct and not 'twisted'. A fact is that the single Xserve's ARE shipping, and in them are the new 970Fx processors. So it's safe to say the processor itself is fine, is ready. The processor is the same as in the dual Xserve's right? So that leaves 2 possible reasons for the dual delay.
1 : They don't have the quantity of processors received from ibm to assemble the duals and ship them to the customers.
2 : There are still heat-issues on the dual Xserve, but in this stage, would that be possible? That would be a real problem if that's the case, in this late stage of production. that could imply some modifications to the cooling system, and other internal parts of the dual. So this seems to me as NOT a possibility.
So the only reason is quantity imho.
And if this is true, than the updated PM's (with the same processor but at higher speeds?) will maybe be announced soon, but not shipping until the larger batch of customers received their dual Xserve G5.
That would leave us, potential rev B owners, with a timeframe of shipping PM's at least begin may..
As i read my post again..i think i'm going to cry
DVDR dual layer SuperDrive timelines
Hi, im new here. I dont own a mac yet, but I am going to buy a 15" PowerBook soon (and I am very excited). I am a computer science student. I currently use PC's in a mixed windows, linux environment. I think the mac will play very nicely with the other machines. I plan on doing alot of development with it and hopefully some more multimedia things involving dvds.
I am sure most of you have seen/read about the new dual layer DVD burners that are coming out. I was wondering if anyone could make a guess as to when we could see a dual layer dvd burner in a PowerBook/SuperDrive. I am not looking for wild guesses, just for an educated guess based on knowedge of apple release cycles and hardware updates.
I most likely will not be waiting for the dual-layer dvdr's to buy my new powerbook, but I am considering waiting for the rumored 'updates' to come out.
Thanks.
Hi, im new here. I dont own a mac yet, but I am going to buy a 15" PowerBook soon (and I am very excited). I am a computer science student. I currently use PC's in a mixed windows, linux environment. I think the mac will play very nicely with the other machines. I plan on doing alot of development with it and hopefully some more multimedia things involving dvds.
I am sure most of you have seen/read about the new dual layer DVD burners that are coming out. I was wondering if anyone could make a guess as to when we could see a dual layer dvd burner in a PowerBook/SuperDrive. I am not looking for wild guesses, just for an educated guess based on knowedge of apple release cycles and hardware updates.
I most likely will not be waiting for the dual-layer dvdr's to buy my new powerbook, but I am considering waiting for the rumored 'updates' to come out.
Thanks.
tsk said:
That is a huge problem - at this rate Linux could over-take the Mac as a viable platform for everyday use in a few years. Once Adobe, Macromedia and others, port their apps to Linux it'll be just about over for the Mac other than maybe high end video stuff.
If Apple wishes to remain competitive it needs to position-itself competitively in the marketplace.
Xnet said:
Of course. Once Linux has the style, usability, and interface design of OSX, and the gigantic support of hardware and games manufacturers, hell, it's game over.
of course, people have been saying that for years, and there's still fledgling USB support and non-existent firewire support in Linux. And people still have problems getting soundcards running...
true
yes, I experienced Sound card problems when running linux also........Just thought I'd get it out there.......
yes, I experienced Sound card problems when running linux also........Just thought I'd get it out there.......
Mr Maui said:Iowaa. Is that an indian tribe. Or perhaps an island in the Hawaiian chain. J/K
Don't knock us Iowans. I was born in Keokuk Iowa, which makes Ames ("One of the 20 best places in America to live and work by BestJobsUSA.com (2002)") look big.
Of course, now we know you're just trying to post your way to "regular" and then to having an Avatar...
Konsole said:
I think it'll be a while until they get into a small enough form factor for the PB's. It's not a bad idea to wait for the next updates (if you can wait that long), but things like dual-layer slot-loading DVDs will take a while. Just my 2 cents.
jsw said:Don't knock us Iowans. I was born in Keokuk Iowa, which makes Ames ("One of the 20 best places in America to live and work by BestJobsUSA.com (2002)") look big.
Of course, now we know you're just trying to post your way to "regular" and then to having an Avatar...
Ouch!! If I were sensitive ...
srobert said:
I really wish this was enough to offset the huge price differences. While I agree that there is some inherent value in the G5 hardware quality and experience over a stock HP or Dell system I also believe Apple must do something to be more price competitive. I personally have no desire to see marketshare slip down another percentage point . . . especially when the rest of the company (software, ipods, etcetera) seems to be hitting on all cylinders. I'm willing to pony up the dollars for superior hardware, but I have my own economics to consider.
Patiently waiting for updates . . .
klaus said:Yes, I second that.
This is an official Press Release from Apple, so we can safely assume that the info is correct and not 'twisted'. A fact is that the single Xserve's ARE shipping, and in them are the new 970Fx processors. So it's safe to say the processor itself is fine, is ready. The processor is the same as in the dual Xserve's right? So that leaves 2 possible reasons for the dual delay.
1 : They don't have the quantity of processors received from ibm to assemble the duals and ship them to the customers.
2 : There are still heat-issues on the dual Xserve, but in this stage, would that be possible? That would be a real problem if that's the case, in this late stage of production. that could imply some modifications to the cooling system, and other internal parts of the dual. So this seems to me as NOT a possibility.
So the only reason is quantity imho.
And if this is true, than the updated PM's (with the same processor but at higher speeds?) will maybe be announced soon, but not shipping until the larger batch of customers received their dual Xserve G5.
That would leave us, potential rev B owners, with a timeframe of shipping PM's at least begin may..
As i read my post again..i think i'm going to cry
I think you are close but you left out the systemboard issue. They may have the single processor board in quantity but not the dual.
If that is the case, it would have no bearing on desktop G5's because they use different system boards. I heard there was a problem with ATI that was holding up the new G5's.
Why wait?
At the rate of current product cycles, the first powerbook with a dual layer superdrive will not be until early 2005. My question is, why wait? Get a powerbook now and start learning and enjoying OS X and when the 3rd party drive start showing up this summer, just pick one up and throw it in a firewire enclosure. It will be cheaper than a superdrive in a powerbook anyway and you can build up enough data in the meantime to fill up a 9.4gig dual DVD disk.
Konsole said:
At the rate of current product cycles, the first powerbook with a dual layer superdrive will not be until early 2005. My question is, why wait? Get a powerbook now and start learning and enjoying OS X and when the 3rd party drive start showing up this summer, just pick one up and throw it in a firewire enclosure. It will be cheaper than a superdrive in a powerbook anyway and you can build up enough data in the meantime to fill up a 9.4gig dual DVD disk.
EggyToast said:
Linux has really come a long way in a lot of these areas. For many people it's really a viable alternative to Windows. It really suits my needs personally. I think the area it's probably most lacking is in graphics area which is where a lot of people here need it. USB support is pretty well established. I've had no problems running anything (that's not to say it isn't there). In general soundcards work just fine. Yes there are some quirks, but it's largely the exception.
I'm personally a PC user and if it weren't for the fact that Macs are now running unix, I probably wouldn't be interested in owning one. And honestly, for the desktop price difference there is no way I can justify a Mac, but that's just me. (I'm in the market for a laptop and that I can justify.)
Help me take the plunge?
Hey y'all. I've been about to buy a 15" powerbook for some time now (and I mean a loooong some time now). I keep waiting for these rumored updates or price drops. But my original blueberry ibook is coughing and gasping with a very full hard drive, and I don't want to wait too much longer. My needs are not sophisticated - surfing the web, word processing, simple spread sheets and database stuff, downloading music, and eventually basic photoshop. Why a powerbook? I'd like to buy more than I need in hopes that it will last me 5 years. And besides, they're very cool machines. So here's my question:
I want to get a BTO 15" - the 1.25 with a combodrive swapped for the superdrive and my 512 of RAM on one stick. If I order that tomorrow and new pb's come out &/or there's a price drop within two weeks, can I return it for the better or cheaper one - or am I stuck?
Also, any of you have a cannon 900 or 960 printer? If so, do you like it? Which is better?
I'm traveling a bunch in April and May. It would be fabulous to have my new computer with me, but should I hang in there and be patient?
What would you do in my position?
Thanks so much for your help!
Hey y'all. I've been about to buy a 15" powerbook for some time now (and I mean a loooong some time now). I keep waiting for these rumored updates or price drops. But my original blueberry ibook is coughing and gasping with a very full hard drive, and I don't want to wait too much longer. My needs are not sophisticated - surfing the web, word processing, simple spread sheets and database stuff, downloading music, and eventually basic photoshop. Why a powerbook? I'd like to buy more than I need in hopes that it will last me 5 years. And besides, they're very cool machines. So here's my question:
I want to get a BTO 15" - the 1.25 with a combodrive swapped for the superdrive and my 512 of RAM on one stick. If I order that tomorrow and new pb's come out &/or there's a price drop within two weeks, can I return it for the better or cheaper one - or am I stuck?
Also, any of you have a cannon 900 or 960 printer? If so, do you like it? Which is better?
I'm traveling a bunch in April and May. It would be fabulous to have my new computer with me, but should I hang in there and be patient?
What would you do in my position?
Thanks so much for your help!
The new G5s coming out are still going to have fans in them, but are suppose to run quieter than current models. Apple is still having problems with leaks in the liquid-cooled models I've heard. Liquid-cooled models are suppose to run silent. I sure miss my fanless old iMac DV 500. Silence is golden!
I sure miss my fanless old iMac DV 500. Silence is golden!