When will the iBook get a G4?

macaddict16

I almost bought a 800 mhz iBook, but then I remembered how even on my 700 mhz eMac OS X dosn't run very snappy. Some things work great, but sometimes I get the spinning beach ball. Once I upgraded to Jaguar it helped greatly, but some stuff is still pretty slow. Is the G4 in the iBooks near future (before next summer), or should I spend some extra money and get a Powerook?



Macaddict16

spart

The 800MHz 750FX is a great little processor that doesn't put out much heat and isn't so much of a drain on the battery.



The iBook will have it for quite a while, I'm guessing.

matsu

While those iBook look decent enough for now, they really should have a G4. You will want altivec, the rest of the line up uses it, software will take more and greater advantage of it.



After the initial frenzy wears off on these new models, by early next year, people will expect a G4. It really is the minimum for acceptable future proofing. Anything with a G3 will look and feel very old in a year from now.

macaddict16

I have also heard (I can't remember where) about the possibility of IBM adding a altivec to the G3's. Anyone heard of this or am I just lacking of sleep?



Macaddict16

flounder

well, I would guess it will have a G4 at the next revision which should be late spring to late summer of '03.

eman

[quote]Originally posted by Macaddict16:

<strong>I have also heard (I can't remember where) about the possibility of IBM adding a altivec to the G3's. Anyone heard of this or am I just lacking of sleep?



Macaddict16</strong><hr></blockquote>



If they did that wouldn't it basically be a G4?

steve

The iBook is a consumer portable which places the benefits of being light, silent, cool, and small far before power. I would like to see the iBook continue using IBM's evolved G3's, since they are the processor for the job. I'd also like to see what is currently known as Apple's "PowerBooks" come down to about $1799 and begin creating a market for the low-cost desktop replacement, which, in reality, is not what the iBook is about.



Simply put, when the GPUL comes to pass, it will be impossible to implement into a one-inch-thin titanium frame, so a new line of PowerBook must be created, which will further emphasize the iBook's role as a truly mobile computer. If you think about it, the iBook has already begun to traverse this road, what with its squinty-small 12" screen, locked resolution, castrated monitor spanning, and rapidly decreasing cost.

brussell

There was a quote from an Apple exec a few months back expressing some degree of commitment to the G3 being in the iBook. The Sahara is supposed to top out at 1Ghz, and it's supposed to be there by the end of 2002. Shortly after that the G4 will go smaller and then the 970 will come out. So it makes sense that there will be another update to 1 Ghz when the smaller G4 ups the ante in the other machines, probably in its next revision in Spring or Summer 2003. Then it will go G4 in the update after that, probably towards the end of 2003, after the 970 goes into the PowerMac. That's my guess anyway.

zaz

I would expect you might see an nVidia solution.



No, no.. not a piece of hardware... I mean a naming convention ala GeForceTi(GF2Ti) and GeForce3Ti.



IBM may sprout a G3 with Altivec(sic) and they arrive with the 970s timeframe.



Apple has a renaming party and we get G5 and G4 mobile pro (advanced G4 or G3 with Altivec?) and G5 mobile (G3 with Altivec)



well, food for thought...

junkyard dawg

Altivec is too widely used for Apple to continue using the CPU antique called "G3".



Even OS X performs better on a G4. I've tried out OS X on 600 MHz G3 systems that are noticeably slower than my 400 MHz G4! Altivec is for real, and Apple should make a 100% commitment to it. Without such a commitment from Apple, how can developers be expected to embrace Altivec?



I bought my G4 two years ago, and even then, I made it a point to get a G4 over a G3 as a way to "future-proof" my system. It turns out to be a great decision, because now I can use OS X no problem. But if I had bought a 400 MHz G3? Forget it, OS X would be a slug.



Don't forget, the G4 is also a low power, low heat dissipating CPU, much like the G3. These are not reasons to hold onto the G3, but excuses made FOR the G3. Altivec is Apple's savior, and they should acknowledge this by ditching the G3 ASAP.

neutrino23

The G3 is OK for its intended purpose. I use Jaguar on a Pismo 500 and on a Quicksilver 867. Definitely Jaguar is faster on the QS but it is OK on the Pismo when I need it for travelling. I tried a 700MHz iBook and it was even better. I imagine the 800MHz iBook with more graphics memory will be even faster.



If you need a G4 buy a Ti Book. For those who don't require the G4 the G3 provides a very nice, low-end platform. The newest G3 uses something like 3.6W @800MHz. This means it can be used with less cooling meaning less weight, less noise and less battery drain.



When the G4's power consumption drops down to this level it will be a great time for Apple to put this in the iBook.

matsu

Considering how much bigger the Ti's screen is, and that is sports a comparable battery life for roughly the same weight as an iBook (and a lot less than a 14" iBook) the cooling and size arguments have not really materialized. Yes the G4 is hotter, but it's also on a bigger process, I expect one the second they shrink it to .13 or IBM adds ALtivec to the Sahara. Come on now, X86 manufacturers have been dealing with a lot hotter chips than a G4 for some time now.

junkyard dawg

Look at it this way....the G4 and the G3 are much closer in power consumption and heat dissipation than the G4 and the Pentium 4. Dig?



The fact that the G4 is ALREADY used in a laptop proves that it meets the power and heat requirements for a laptop. It should be even easier to cram the G4 into the iBook's larger enclosure (or a new enclosure of comparable size).

steve

[quote]Originally posted by Junkyard Dawg:

<strong>Look at it this way....the G4 and the G3 are much closer in power consumption and heat dissipation than the G4 and the Pentium 4. Dig?</strong><hr></blockquote>



Yeah, but how noisy and hot does the PowerBook G4 get?



Look, I don't feel like typing my post again. Here's the link: <a href="http://forums.appleinsider.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=10&t=003070"; target="_blank">http://forums.appleinsider.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=10&t=003070</a>;



There is simply no arguing with my logic.

hotboxd

the ibook will get a G4 when it moves to the 7457 on 0.13soi mid next year.

off/lang

I think it might not be so much to do with heat and proformance issues than with cost and with multiple suppliers. By using the G3 in a machine, Apple is giving some rev. to IBM. This is good for two reasons. One, IBM has additional incentive to make additional processors. And, two, Apple has an alternative supplier than Moto.