15" G5 Powerbook.. when and how do you think?

[toughboy]

the macrumors.com and other apple rumor sites (and the links they support) keeps saying that portable G5 will be a 15" Powerbook with lots of great features...

what would/could you say about its specifications-release date-price trio?

 

[hvfsl]

The PPC970 is avaliable from 1.4 to 1.8Ghz so I expect around 1.4Ghz. It should be cheaper than current models because the PPC970 costs a lot less than the G4. However if one model has the PPC970 then all the models will also have to be upgraded.

You can also expect Radeon 9600M graphics and DDR333 RAM.

 

[yzedf]

I expect to be underwhelmed. I can not really see the 970 coming to the PB at WWDC. It is a developers conference, not a MacWorld Expo. Maybe update the PB 15" to the Al style, but I am expecting a G4 to be inside. 1GHz or 1.25GHz is my guess. Maybe update the 12" to a 1GHz with L3 cache, and give the faster G4 to the 17" as well as the 15".

I would love to be proven wrong of course.

 

[Sun Baked]

Still think it'll end up being the 7457 with the low end at 1GH and a 1.25-1.3GHz upper end, 15-inch being the same features as the 17 and the 12-inch using no L3 cache.

Motorola has some hints on the site that the 7457 is lurking in the background and the current rev. 3.3 7455 is now shipping in volume to the masses.

If Apple wasn't going to use the 7457, you'd expect Motorola to be quite open about the availability of the pilot production chips.

 

[zuggerat]

hope ur wrong (in a good way)

 

[maradong]

ppc 970
ddr ram
ati 9600 mobile
80 gig hd
ae
gig ethernet
usb2
dvi
that s it ;-) my dream machine.

 

[pyrotoaster]

When: WWDC

What (very rough specs):
1.2 GHz 970
333 MHz DDR RAM
40 to 60 Gig Hard drive
AirPort Extreme
Ethernet
DVI
USB 1.1
Firewire 400
Firewire 800

I've seen rumors and more concrete info to suggest this, and I've also jumped to some conclusions.

 

[NicoMan]

Originally posted by Sun Baked
Still think it'll end up being the 7457 with the low end at 1GH and a 1.25-1.3GHz upper end, 15-inch being the same features as the 17 and the 12-inch using no L3 cache.

Motorola has some hints on the site that the 7457 is lurking in the background and the current rev. 3.3 7455 is now shipping in volume to the masses.

If Apple wasn't going to use the 7457, you'd expect Motorola to be quite open about the availability of the pilot production chips.

I'll have to agree with you on this one (btw the 7457 without L2 is the 7447 I think)

NicoMan

 

[NicoMan]

Originally posted by maradong
ppc 970
ddr ram
ati 9600 mobile
80 gig hd
ae
gig ethernet
usb2
dvi
that s it ;-) my dream machine.

That's seems reasonable for WWDC. Apart from the 970. I don't think so... And that's why all those stories about PPC970 in a powerbook haven't been pulled... They are just speculation.

NicoMan

 

[Foxer]

You're all forgetting Bluetooth...

 

[Sun Baked]

Originally posted by Foxer
You're all forgetting Bluetooth...

Wonder if you guys have given up on the PowerBook 15AF yet...

 

[pyrotoaster]

Originally posted by Foxer
You're all forgetting Bluetooth...

I did! Yes, Bluetooth is must.

Originally posted by NicoMac
That's seems reasonable for WWDC. Apart from the 970. I don't think so... And that's why all those stories about PPC970 in a powerbook haven't been pulled... They are just speculation.

NicoMan

A story being pulled is not confirmation that the info in it is accurate. By the same token, a story not being pulled is not confirmation that info in it is wrong.

There are plenty of times when Apple hasn't pulled a rumor that wound up being right.

 

[occam]

1.2GHz 970 PB > 3GHz Pentium IV tower?

I just want to see Steve give the keynote demo of his latest and greatest PowerBook 1.2GHz handily beating the latest and greatest 3+ GHz tower at Steve's chosen benchmark! That'll define "The Year of the Notebook" for me!

Plus it would be great advertising for the new 970 and the 1.8GHz Apple towers (which would presumably torch PC's at the same benchmark). Granted, it's all hype, but it'd make clear that the Mac's are (finally) back.

 

[rmac]

Originally posted by pyrotoaster
I did! Yes, Bluetooth is must.

A story being pulled is not confirmation that the info in it is accurate. By the same token, a story not being pulled is not confirmation that info in it is wrong.

There are plenty of times when Apple hasn't pulled a rumor that wound up being right.

Right. I'm sure they want to be inconsistent about this. Otherwise it'd be like saying "We can't comment on unreleased products" to correct rumors, but saying "no, that's not true" to incorrect ones. Doesn't work too well.

Anyone want to speculate about the monitor size (switching to 15.4" for sure?) and resolution: 1600 x 1000 or 1920 x 1200 or the downgrade to 1280 x 800?

 

[pyrotoaster]

Originally posted by occam
I just want to see Steve give the keynote demo of his latest and greatest PowerBook 1.2GHz handily beating the latest and greatest 3+ GHz tower at Steve's chosen benchmark! That'll define "The Year of the Notebook" for me!

Plus it would be great advertising for the new 970 and the 1.8GHz Apple towers (which would presumably torch PC's at the same benchmark). Granted, it's all hype, but it'd make clear that the Mac's are (finally) back.

That would be cool, but there are two problems with it:

1. We don't actually know how fast the 970 really is, yet.
2. The first batch of 970 machines may be retro-fitted to run on a 32-bit OS (Jaguar) until a 64-bit OS (Panther) arrives. This would slow them down.

Still, that would be cool.

 

[toughboy]

Originally posted by pyrotoaster
When: WWDC

What (very rough specs):
1.2 GHz 970
333 MHz DDR RAM
40 to 60 Gig Hard drive
AirPort Extreme
Ethernet
DVI
USB 1.1
Firewire 400
Firewire 800

I've seen rumors and more concrete info to suggest this, and I've also jumped to some conclusions.

Well.. this system was somewhat what I'd expected.. Only, I wait a better (faster) cpu.. 1.4 or 1.5 would satisfy me..

 

[ColoJohnBoy]

Ahhhhh, allow me to dream for a moment......

Steve will walk on stage to enthusiastic, yet somewhat apathetic applause, at WWDC. He'll go on with his usual ramblings, how Apple's stock has been performing, how the introductions of newer products have gone, perhaps some new software and minor upgrades to existing hardware. Then he'll begin walking to the podium, saying "But for the good stuff," taking a slug of water from his bottle. A photo of the three PowerBook models will apear on screen. "Despite a few early setbacks, we've had enormous success with both the 12" and 17" PowerBooks. But something has been lacking," he'll say, a picture of the TiBook now appearing. "The Titanium G4 was, and still is, a landmark, a work of art, the pinnacle of mobile computing. What if we made it better?" The audience will gasp excitedly. "How about this?" The picture changes to a thing of beauty. A new Aluminum PowerBook. "Not only is it encased in aircraft-grade aluminum, with a 15.4 inch screen with a maximum of 1600 x 1200 resolution. It has something completely new on the inside. It runs on a 1.4 GHz IBM PowerPC 970 64 bit processor." The audience will cheer, gasp, exclaim, with a possible few faintings among some of the more sensitive audience members. "It comes with DDR RAM, supporting up to 2 GB. It comes with a standard 60 GB hard drive, with the option to upgrade to 80 GB. It comes with an ATI Radeon 9600 graphics chip. It comes with Apple's SuperDrive, which now burns DVDs at 2x, on the go. It includes built-in Bluetooth technology, AirPort Extreme card, DVI connector, PCI card slot, the same light-up keyboard as the 17" PowerBook, and it's still only one inch thick and weighs only 5.2 pounds. All of it, for only $2499."

I love dreams. Expect they give me improbable hopes. Oh well.



Visit Blue Pudding!
http://bluepudding.1hwy.com

 

[pyrotoaster]

Originally posted by toughboy
Well.. this system was somewhat what I'd expected.. Only, I wait a better (faster) cpu.. 1.4 or 1.5 would satisfy me..

The reason I'm going with 1.2 GHz is because there have been reports that IBM has been manufacturing 1.2 GHz 970s. The catch is that IBM doesn't have any plans whatsoever to use 1.2 GHz 970s. It also doesn't seem to be a likely desktop processor, so a Powerbook would be the most likely candidate for it.

Also, don't forget that the 970 is 64-bit. It will be more powerful than a Pentium, G3, or G4 at the same speed. Once Apple has these new machines running an OS optimized to take full advantage of the 64-bit processing, you should see a real power and speed improvement over the listed clock speed.

 

[toughboy]

Originally posted by Foxer
You're all forgetting Bluetooth...

thats totally right..
the new system will launch with bluetooth built-in (not bluetooth ready!) and irda built-in in my opinion...

does the 15.2" tiBooks have irda (infra-red)?? anybody have an idea?

 

[toughboy]

Originally posted by pyrotoaster
The reason I'm going with 1.2 GHz is because there have been reports that IBM has been manufacturing 1.2 GHz 970s. The catch is that IBM doesn't have any plans whatsoever to use 1.2 GHz 970s. It also doesn't seem to be a likely desktop processor, so a Powerbook would be the most likely candidate for it.

I didnt know that IBM was manufacturing 1.2GHZs.. well ok, thats also considerable that Apple wouldn't want to make a big jump in processor speed where they can enjoy the profits little by little..

My expectation was because of the portable PCs sold at 2+GHz P4s... Apple should somehow close the distance between them, and go ahead.. A 64bit 1.5 GHz 970 could do that I guess...

 

[pyrotoaster]

Originally posted by toughboy
I didnt know that IBM was manufacturing 1.2GHZs.. well ok, thats also considerable that Apple wouldn't want to make a big jump in processor speed where they can enjoy the profits little by little..

My expectation was because of the portable PCs sold at 2+GHz P4s... Apple should somehow close the distance between them, and go ahead.. A 64bit 1.5 GHz 970 could do that I guess...

I wouldn't rule out the possibility of a 1.4 GHz Powerbook, but I wouldn't count on it. Although I would rule out a 1.5 GHz Powerbook, as - according to various rumors and other info - IBM is only manufacturing 1.2, 1.4, 1.6, and 1.8 GHz 970s right now (although we should expect them to break the 2 GHz barrier by the end of the year).

Remember, Apple's angle here isn't just that these are faster processors, but they're better processors, and actually faster than their clock speeds let on.

One situation where we might see a 1.4 GHz 970 would be if Apple put the 1.2 GHz in the 12" Powerbook. While that's a little less likely, it's not impossible considering the recent price drop.

 

[toughboy]

Originally posted by pyrotoaster
I wouldn't rule out the possibility of a 1.4 GHz Powerbook, but I wouldn't count on it. Although I would rule out a 1.5 GHz Powerbook, as - according to various rumors and other info - IBM is only manufacturing 1.2, 1.4, 1.6, and 1.8 GHz 970s right now (although we should expect them to break the 2 GHz barrier by the end of the year).

Remember, Apple's angle here isn't just that these are faster processors, but they're better processors, and actually faster than their clock speeds let on.

One situation where we might see a 1.4 GHz 970 would be if Apple put the 1.2 GHz in the 12" Powerbook. While that's a little less likely, it's not impossible considering the recent price drop.

what do you mean by "no just faster but better"

 

[cb911]

Originally posted by toughboy
thats totally right..
the new system will launch with bluetooth built-in (not bluetooth ready!) and irda built-in in my opinion...

does the 15.2" tiBooks have irda (infra-red)?? anybody have an idea?

if you've got Bluetooth, i don't think you really need irda. and irda was last in the Rev. B TiBooks (i think. but it definitely wasn't in either the Rev.C or current models.)


i'm about 80% sure we'll see 970 PowerBooks at WWDC. althought it is a developers conference, developers need to know about new hardware to develop the appropriate stuff... so it makes sense if you look at it from that way.

i not too sure about the specs myself, but i think we'll see 1.4GHz 970's and a 15.4" screen, as well as a backlit keyboard.

also, about the OS that the 15" will ship with... don't for get that they probably won't change the actual processor, but they will more likely sell a update to 10.2 with the machine so that it can run Jaguar, but without the optimisations of Panther. as i understand it, even without the optimisations of Panther the 970 running on Jaguar with and update will still provide performance comparable with current G4's.

 

[pyrotoaster]

Originally posted by toughboy
what do you mean by "no just faster but better"

64-bit processors process a bigger chunks of data. For example: A 1 GHz 64-bit processor doesn't process data a faster speed than a 1 GHz 32-bit processor, but processes more of it at once, which results in it being done faster.

 

[rmac]

Originally posted by ColoJohnBoy
Ahhhhh, allow me to dream for a moment......

Steve will walk on stage to enthusiastic, yet somewhat apathetic applause, at WWDC. He'll go on with his usual ramblings, how Apple's stock has been performing, how the introductions of newer products have gone, perhaps some new software and minor upgrades to existing hardware. Then he'll begin walking to the podium, saying "But for the good stuff," taking a slug of water from his bottle. A photo of the three PowerBook models will apear on screen. "Despite a few early setbacks, we've had enormous success with both the 12" and 17" PowerBooks. But something has been lacking," he'll say, a picture of the TiBook now appearing. "The Titanium G4 was, and still is, a landmark, a work of art, the pinnacle of mobile computing. What if we made it better?" The audience will gasp excitedly. "How about this?" The picture changes to a thing of beauty. A new Aluminum PowerBook. "Not only is it encased in aircraft-grade aluminum, with a 15.4 inch screen with a maximum of 1600 x 1200 resolution. It has something completely new on the inside. It runs on a 1.4 GHz IBM PowerPC 970 64 bit processor." The audience will cheer, gasp, exclaim, with a possible few faintings among some of the more sensitive audience members. "It comes with DDR RAM, supporting up to 2 GB. It comes with a standard 60 GB hard drive, with the option to upgrade to 80 GB. It comes with an ATI Radeon 9600 graphics chip. It comes with Apple's SuperDrive, which now burns DVDs at 2x, on the go. It includes built-in Bluetooth technology, AirPort Extreme card, DVI connector, PCI card slot, the same light-up keyboard as the 17" PowerBook, and it's still only one inch thick and weighs only 5.2 pounds. All of it, for only $2499."

I love dreams. Expect they give me improbable hopes. Oh well.



Visit Blue Pudding!
http://bluepudding.1hwy.com

"...eyery man's dream, Dr. Jones."
Yeah, I'd say that you pretty much hit it on the head there, ColoJohnBoy.
A few people here are speculating about 1.4 Ghz, which is the first time I've heard that. Wonder if the 970 will have a speed throttle function where the chip can fall back to 800 Mhz, or something like that, to conserve battery life on the road. I was surprised to hear that the 12" currently does something like this....thought it was just an Intel thing. Some people hate the idea of this, but it seems like a good trade off to me (especially if it means getting a 970 in a Powerbook soon).

If the 15" Powerbooks are G4 updates, wouldn't Apple want to get them out before WWDC? Would give everyone here time to mourn ahead of time and then get psyched up for WWDC again, rather than be dissapointed during it. Well makes sense for this small majority of the Mac community at least.