PowerBook Updates in September?

[VicMacs]

What an interesting attitude...
You got what you paid for.
You can always wait forever for
the next great thing but that is
rather wasteful of your time.
You have an excellent machine
to use now. Updates happen.

ok man that did not rhyme

No, seriously, if this update happens it would be a really good buy and I'll tell you why, it will be a clean design with the most corrected known flaws and if youre a one machine person then you should get that and hold off the purchase of a powerbooktel until rev B because rev As just suck bigtime, they always have a nice machine and say, oh well let's see how anxious people are of buying it... take the superdrive off, ummm yeah put minimal ram on it... make a nicer video card optional, and lets price it up a bit to see how much people are desperate to pay? but for these last-of-the-mohican rev Z pbs they're more like... man let's put in all we got to get rid of all these frickin parts we have so that when we sell the powerbooktels we do it all from scratch and not use the old parts...

i think...

so give it to us now, the last AluBook of a great series if not the best of the world.

 

[kirk26]

Last chance to get a piece of history if they are released.

 

[Little Endian]

As I stated in a previous posts this would happen.

https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=1606195#post1606195

https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=1618718#post1618718


Regardless of whether it's a 30Mhz or 300Mhz bump in speed we will see a nice bump in performance, doubling the L2 cache and moving the FSB from 167 to 200Mhz will make the difference.

http://www.freescale.com/webapp/sps/site/prod_summary.jsp?code=MPC7448

Moto/Freescale states that the 7448 tops out at 1.7Ghz however Motorola/Freescale has always been conservative with clockspeed ratings. Remember the Current PowerBook at 1.67Ghz uses the 7447A which according to Motorola tops out at only 1.42Ghz yet Apple was able to get a nice 250Mhz higher than what the manufacturer states. Also the Last PowerMacs to use a G4 the Dual 1.42Ghz used the 7455 which was rated at only 1Ghz.

Hopefully Apple will be able to get 1.8Ghz or better out of the 1.7Ghz rated 7448.

 

[andiwm2003]

ok man that did not rhyme

No, seriously, if this update happens it would be a really good buy and I'll tell you why, it will be a clean design with the most corrected known flaws and if youre a one machine person then you should get that and hold off the purchase of a powerbooktel until rev B because rev As just suck bigtime, they always have a nice machine and say, oh well let's see how anxious people are of buying it... take the superdrive off, ummm yeah put minimal ram on it... make a nicer video card optional, and lets price it up a bit to see how much people are desperate to pay? but for these last-of-the-mohican rev Z pbs they're more like... man let's put in all we got to get rid of all these frickin parts we have so that when we sell the powerbooktels we do it all from scratch and not use the old parts...

i think...

so give it to us now, the last AluBook of a great series if not the best of the world.

you're so right. and the same will be true for the last of the g5 powermacs.

 

[kalisphoenix]

Last chance to get a piece of history if they are released.

Nah, you'll see them on eBay soon, along with the Powerbook 190cs... except in greater quantities.

"What's special about the Powerbook 190cs?"
Exactly.

 

[EGT]

Meh

Can you justify buying the last version so close to the Intel switch? I want me a maxed out dual-core son of a ***** Intel powerbook that's going to last me a good few years ... with all the goodies that apple is going to offer. But then again, buying a rev. A?

Hmmm

"Almost 2.0Ghz"

 

[jc27]

Awwwww, boo. To late for me. And no 12"?

You know, I would have thought they would have updated late-July for the back to school college and high school goers. But isn't this a little much for an expo? If it's right before the intel swith, they're not going to do a major change in form factor, and it's 30 mHz (i was thinking at least 130)! The only reason I would see is if they up the resolution and even that…

 

[jc27]

Don't be so cynical.
It's an e600. Good enough. It should have some VERY good battery life at 1.7 GHz.

I'm very surprised its not dual core, actually.

Not positive here, so don't yell at me, but the reason it's not dual core is the dual core e600's aren't based on the 74xx line, so you need a different socket, and the dual core one isn't out yet either. However, the dual core and it's sibling are much faster.

http://www.freescale.com/webapp/sps/site/overview.jsp?code=DRPPCDUALCORE

 

[MikeAtari]

Altivec Optimisation!

It's interesting to me they spent time on the Altivec code.
Apple directed? Competition with IBM?
Or was this the bottleneck to more megahertz?


The 7448 includes the same powerful 128-bit AltiVec vector execution unit as found in previous MPC74xx devices, but with the enhanced support for out-of-order instructions. AltiVec technology may dramatically enhance the performance of applications such as voice over IP, speech recognition, multi-channel modems, virtual private network servers, high-resolution 3D graphics, motion video (MPEG2, MPEG4), high fidelity audio (3D audio, AC-3), and so on.

AltiVec computational instructions are executed in the four independent, pipelined AltiVec execution units. A maximum of two AltiVec instructions can be issued in order to any combination of AltiVec execution units per clock cycle. In the MPC7448, a maximum of two AltiVec instructions can be issued out-of-order to any combination of AltiVec execution units per clock cycle from the bottom two AltiVec instruction queue entries. For example, an instruction in queue 1 destined for AltiVec integer unit 1 does not have to wait for an instruction in queue 0 that is stalled behind an instruction waiting for operand availability.
Power Management

 

[sethypoo]

I predict black anodized aluminum (similar to the Motorola RAZR v3 in black) for the x86 PowerBooks.

The last PPC PowerBooks will still be the same bare aluminum color.

However, if Apple is desperate to sell the PPC PowerBooks, they could charge maybe $100 extra for a black option.

I'm trying to imagine this, and I think that a black anodized aluminum PowerBook would be gorgeous.

This update sounds promising, but I'm going to wait for the dual core Yonah PowerBooks.

 

[Little Endian]

Nah, you'll see them on eBay soon, along with the Powerbook 190cs... except in greater quantities.

"What's special about the Powerbook 190cs?"
Exactly.

The PowerBook 190cs was the last 68K based Apple laptop. All other Laptops thereafter were PowerPC based.

 

[pubwvj]

PPC processors will be supported and around for *years* to come yet. Using rosetta you'll be able to run the ( majority )your PPC software on an Intel Machine...

Unfortunately the MacIntel machines using Rosetta will not run a very important segment of software - legacy programs that run under Classic and have no option for updates because the developers have abandoned the products or the developers themselves are gone. Legacy programs are critical for many people who have been using computers for the past 20 and even just 10 years. Many publishing houses have tens of gigabytes of publications in older file formats that are only available through legacy programs that only run in Classic. There is a tremendous amount of educational software that is also only available in Classic. I hope that Apple will continue to support legacy applications. Write them at: http://www.apple.com/macosx/feedback/ to let them know if you need legacy application support.

 

[pubwvj]

What an interesting attitude...
You got what you paid for.
You can always wait forever for
the next great thing but that is
rather wasteful of your time.
You have an excellent machine
to use now. Updates happen.

ok man that did not rhyme

*grin*
I thought of setting it to rhyme and meter.
But at the time I focused on writing neater.

Of posts we make
There is the thought
perhaps, haku.

 

[ebunton]

Gosh im VERY surprised no one is talking about apple thinking of ending the 12inches life!

That would never happen!
There is a place for a dinky 12 incher in the Powerbook range... Imagine all those "prosumers" who want a truly portable Mac.

 

[mddharma]

I would be pissed. If they discontinue the 12" PB, they had better put all of the features of the PB on the iBook (screen spanning, DVI, etc). If they don't they're leaving alot of high-end users out in the cold.

I would think A LOT OF PEOPLE would be pissed if they discontinue the 12" PB. It would be insane. I am waiting for the next revision to buy a 12"PB as I want the smallest most powerful mac laptop I can get. If they discontinue it, I will be left wondering what direction to go in. 15" is just to big for portability, and the 12" Ibook just doen't cut it with the features.

 

[AidenShaw]

think Cisco and TiVo....

It's interesting to me they spent time on the Altivec code.

The real answer is in the rest of your quote:

AltiVec technology may dramatically enhance the performance of applications such as voice over IP, speech recognition, multi-channel modems, virtual private network servers, high-resolution 3D graphics, motion video (MPEG2, MPEG4), high fidelity audio (3D audio, AC-3), and so on.

Embedded processors in high speed networking and media applications need SIMD instructions. Cisco is already using PPC chips in their routers, and the demand for processing power in the router is growing rapidly (SSL encryption, VPN, IDS (Intrusion Detection Systems),...).

Today's TiVos use a low power PPC chip, and a dedicated MPEG hardware chip. Maybe the next TiVo will use a higher performance PPC and do it in software.... (Might be cheaper, and could be upgraded to new media formats via a firmware update.)

 

[BigMäc]

The MPC7448 has a max. FSB of 200 MHz.
What is dual-channel DDR2 SDRAM good for if they use this CPU?

 

[Surreal]

All I have to say is: GeForce Go 6800 Ultra

If the powerbook doesn't have it, I'm not interested. http://www6.tomshardware.com/mobile/20050224/index.html

this quote made me laugh...

"The new Dell design is not only sleek with its special LEDs, but much lighter as well. Weighing in at 8.7 lb (about 3.9 kg) the XPS Gen2 is about 28% lighter than the whopping 12 lb (5.5 kg) Clevo based systems, such as those offered by Sager, CyberPower, and Hypersonic. Even the charger is 18% lighter, at just over 2 lb (0.93 kg). "

 

[themacman]

I want a pb for school but if its only a speed bump there will probably be a whole new revamped pb at MWSF. the thing im wondering about is if apple will actually have a rev E of a product taht sounds a little crazy.

 

[Surreal]

The MPC7448 has a max. FSB of 200 MHz.
What is dual-channel DDR2 SDRAM good for if they use this CPU?

i wondered about that too. i hope it's a g5. even if it is 1.5 in the top.

 

[SiliconAddict]

Unfortunately the MacIntel machines using Rosetta will not run a very important segment of software - legacy programs that run under Classic and have no option for updates because the developers have abandoned the products or the developers themselves are gone. Legacy programs are critical for many people who have been using computers for the past 20 and even just 10 years. Many publishing houses have tens of gigabytes of publications in older file formats that are only available through legacy programs that only run in Classic. There is a tremendous amount of educational software that is also only available in Classic. I hope that Apple will continue to support legacy applications. Write them at: http://www.apple.com/macosx/feedback/ to let them know if you need legacy application support.

How long do you expect them to boatanchor themselves to the past? At some point its going to drag down the OS. Why do you think MS's OS's never amount to much in terms of security? Its because of backwards compat with 9x software that didn't have NTFS security.
Don't get me wrong I think its good that Apple has suported classic apps as long as they have but at some point a line needs to be drawn and the tightwads who have stayed on these classic apps need to convert their files and move forward. Tech progresses. People need to deal with that fact.
Of course I'm one to talk. We still have a user in my office with a Windows 3.11 system that is hooked up to a reel to reel drive. Its a secondary system only but still. A Pentium 90Mhz with 16MB of RAM needs to be shoved into lava pit.

 

[SiliconAddict]

i wondered about that too. i hope it's a g5. even if it is 1.5 in the top.

It won't be. But you may continue to hope....

 

[digitalbiker]

FUD

G4 powerbooks will always be slower than Centrino based Laptops - which are advancing further.

I call troll here. How can you say a G4 PowerBook will ALWAYS be slower than a Centrino based laptop?

First this is a rumor site and the specs reported here are rumors. No one knows the details of this update.

What if the last of the PPC PB's goes out with a bang and Apple comes up with a new system board that uses DDR2 with a high speed dual core Freescale chip and a potent GPU such as the GeForce Go 6800u or the ATI mobility X850? Or what if they use two low power 7448 in a dual processor 17" machine? Who knows?

The current PB is only slightly slower at some operations than the current Centrinos, it is faster at others. The primary issue holding back the G4 is a slow FSB. However if Apple figures out a way around this limitation like more L2 cache, dual core or dual processor, and new memory controller then the current crop of Centrino laptops fall to second place.

 

[SiliconAddict]

this quote made me laugh...

"The new Dell design is not only sleek with its special LEDs, but much lighter as well. Weighing in at 8.7 lb (about 3.9 kg) the XPS Gen2 is about 28% lighter than the whopping 12 lb (5.5 kg) Clevo based systems, such as those offered by Sager, CyberPower, and Hypersonic. Even the charger is 18% lighter, at just over 2 lb (0.93 kg). "

Yah dell had an ad on TV the other day with someone asking to touch the thing. IMHO the thing is butt ugly. The only reason I would want to touch the thing is to throw a paper bag over it. The engineers hit that computer with an ugly stick while they were creating it.

 

[crazzyeddie]

i wondered about that too. i hope it's a g5. even if it is 1.5 in the top.

A 1.5ghz G5 would be noticably slower than a 1.8+ghz G4, plus put out more heat and have shorter battery life...