FINAL MWSF Predictions: The writing on the wall - Page 3

Here is my evaluation of what could be on tap for MWSF:
Low end iMac?$699
700 MHz G3 in same form factor
100 MHz system bus, 128 MB PC100 SDRAM
20 GB Hard Drive, Slot loading 24 x CD-ROM
Two USB Ports, two 400 Firewire
ATI Rage 128 Ultra, AGP 2X

LCD iMAC $999
15" LCD Display
800 MHz 7450 G4
133 MHz system bus, 128 MB PC133 SDRAM
40 GB Hard Drive, CD-ROM
Two USB Ports, two 800 Firewire
NVIDA GeForce 2MX w/32MB of SDRAM
Built in Airport

LCD iMAC $1,199
15" LCD Display
900 MHz 7450 G4
133 MHz system bus, 256 MB PC133 SRAM
60 GB Hard Drive, DVD-ROM
Two USB Ports, two 800 Firewire
NVIDA GeForce 2MX w/32MB of SDRAM
Built in Airport

LCD iMAC $1,499
15" LCD Display
1 GHz 7450 G4
133 MHz system bus, 256 MB PC133 SDRAM
80 GB Hard Drive, DVD-ROM/CD-RW
Two USB Ports, two 800 Firewire
NVIDIA GeForce2 MX w/TwinView and 64MB of SDRAM
Built in Airport

Low end Powerbook $2,199
Same form factor
733 MHz 7450 G4
133 MHz system bus, 256 MB PC133 SDRAM
30 GB Hard Drive, DVD-ROM w/DVD-Video
Two USB Ports, one 400 Firewire
ATI Mobility Radon
Built in Airport

Powerbook $2,999
Same form factor
900 MHz Apollo 7460 G4
400 MHz system bus, 256 MB PC 266DDR-SRAM
40 GB Hard Drive, DVD-ROM w/DVD-Video
Two USB 2 Ports, Two 800 Firewire
Book E Core
NVIDIA GeForce2 MX w/TwinView and 64MB of SDRAM
Built in Airport
Gigawire

Powerbook $3,299
Same form factor
1.13 GHz Apollo 7460 G4
400 MHz system bus, 256 MB PC 266DDR-SRAM
60 GB Hard Drive, DVD-ROM/CD-RW
Two USB 2 Ports, Two 800 Firewire
Book E Core
NVIDIA GeForce3 w/TwinView and 64MB of SDRAM
Built in Airport
Gigawire

Power Mac G5 $2,199
Same form factor
1 GHz Goldfish 8500 G5
400 MHz system bus, 256 MB PC266 DDR-SRAM
40 GB Hard Drive, DVD-ROM w/DVD-Video
Two USB Ports, Two 800 Firewire
Book E Core
NVIDIA GeForce3 and 64MB of SDRAM
Built in Airport
Gigawire

Power Mac G5 $2,999
Same form factor
1.4 GHz Goldfish 8500 G5
400 MHz system bus, 256 MB PC266 DDR-SRAM
60 GB Hard Drive, DVD-ROM/CD-RW
Two USB Ports, Two 800 Firewire
Book E Core
NVIDIA GeForce3 w/twinview and 64MB of SDRAM
Built in Airport
Gigawire

Power Mac G5 $3,699
Same form factor
Duel 1.2 GHz Goldfish 8500 G5
400 MHz system bus, 512 MB PC266 DDR-SRAM
80 GB Hard Drive, DVD-ROM/CD-RW
Two USB Ports, Two 800 Firewire
Book E Core
NVIDIA GeForce3 w/twinview and 64MB of SDRAM
Built in Airport
Gigawire

IBook-same form factor
Speed bump to 700MHz

Possible Surprise. If shortneck iMAC unfolds the LCD iMAC specifications will change to that listed below and fills the Cube's marketing slot, look for the new iTablet? to position between the iBook and the Powerbook

Revolution iMAC 700MHz Sahara G3$799
New all in one iMac form factor
17" Short neck CRT
400 MHz system bus, 128 MB PC266 DDR-SRAM
20 GB Hard Drive, 24xCD-ROM
NVIDA GeForce 2MX w/32MB of SDRAM
2 USB & 2 FireWire 800
Built in Airport

800MHz Sahara G3 $999
17" Short neck CRT
400 MHz system bus, 128 MB PC266 DDR-SRAM
30 GB Hard Drive, DVD-ROM
NVIDA GeForce 2MX w/32MB of SDRAM
2 USB & 1 FireWire 800 Port
Built in Airport

900MHz Sahara G3 $1099
17" Short neck CRT
400 MHz system bus, 128 MB PC266 DDR-SRAM
40 GB Hard Drive, CD/RW
NVIDA GeForce 2MX w/32MB of SDRAM
2 USB & 1 FireWire 800 Port
Built in Airport

LCD iMAC would then be positioned as the cube's replacement. priced $1,199, $1,399 & $1,599

LCD iMAC $1,199
15" LCD Display, 17? LCD Display add $200
800 MHz 7450 G4
400 MHz system bus, 128 MB PC266 DDR-SRAM
40 GB Hard Drive, CD-ROM
Book E Core
Two USB Ports, two 800 Firewire
NVIDA GeForce 2MX w/32MB of SDRAM
Built in Airport
Gigawire

LCD iMAC $1,199
15" LCD Display, 17? LCD Display add $200
900 MHz 7450 G4
400 MHz system bus, 128 MB PC266 DDR-SRAM
60 GB Hard Drive, DVD-ROM
Book E Core
Two USB Ports, two 800 Firewire
NVIDA GeForce 2MX w/32MB of SDRAM
Built in Airport
Gagawire

LCD iMAC $1,499
15" LCD Display, 17? LCD Display add $200
1 GHz 7450 G4
400 MHz system bus, 128 MB PC266 DDR-SRAM
80 GB Hard Drive, DVD-ROM/CD-RW
Two USB Ports, two 800 Firewire
NVIDIA GeForce2 MX w/TwinView and 64MB of SDRAM
Built in Airport
Gigawire

New at MWT in March

iBook G3 $1,299
new form factor
800MHz Sahara G3
13? screen
400 MHz system bus, 128 MB PC266 DDR-SRAM
20 GB Hard Drive, 24xCD-ROM
NVIDA GeForce 2MX w/32MB of SDRAM
2 USB & 1 FireWire 800
Built in Airport
Gigawire


iBook G3 $1,499
new form factor
900MHz Sahara G3
13? screen
400 MHz system bus, 128 MB PC266 DDR-SRAM
30 GB Hard Drive, DVD-ROM
NVIDA GeForce 2MX w/32MB of SDRAM
2 USB & 1 FireWire 800
Built in Airport
Gigawire

iBook G3 $1,599
new form factor
900MHz Sahara G3
13? screen
400 MHz system bus, 128 MB PC266 DDR-SRAM
40 GB Hard Drive, CD-RW
NVIDA GeForce 2MX w/32MB of SDRAM
2 USB & 1 FireWire 800
Built in Airport
Gigawire

iBook G3 $1,699
new form factor
1 GHz Sahara G3
13? screen
400 MHz system bus, 128 MB PC266 DDR-SRAM
60 GB Hard Drive, DVD-ROM/CD-RW
NVIDA GeForce 2MX w/32MB of SDRAM
2 USB & 1 FireWire 800
Built in Airport
Gigawire

Powerbook $3,699
Same form factor
1.2 GHz Goldfish 8500 G5
15.1? screen
400 MHz system bus, 256 MB PC 266DDR-SRAM
80 GB Hard Drive, DVD-ROM/CD-RW
Two USB 2 Ports, Two 800 Firewire
Book E Core
NVIDIA GeForce3 w/TwinView and 64MB of SDRAM
Built in Airport
Gigawire

ITablet? if not introduced at MWSF $1,899
800 MHz Goldfish 8500 G5
400 MHz system bus, 256 MB PC266 DDR-SRAM
40 GB Hard Drive, DVD-ROM/CD-RW
Detachable screen
Enhance handwriting recognition
Two USB Ports, Two 800 Firewire
Book E Core
NVIDIA GeForce3 and 64MB of SDRAM
Built in Airport
Gigawire

PowerMac

G5 64bit processor:
dual core, 512KB L2 shared cache, 400MHz RapidIO bus
built-in memory controller for DDR333 or DDR266 SDRAM
1.2, 1.4, 1.6GHz speeds
256MB RAM; 16GB maximum; 4 slots.
4 PCI-X slots; 1 AGP 8X slot
Gb Ethernet; built-in airport 2
3.2Gb Firewire; one optical port, 2 standard.
All new case.

iMac

1GHz G4 all models
15.2" LCD with nVidia GeForce 3MX graphics
256MB PC133 SDRAM; 1.5GB max; 3 slots
Built-in airport.
3.2Gb Firewire; one optical port, 2 standard.
All new case.

iBook

1GHz G3 all models
256MB PC100 SDRAM

PowerBook

1GHz G4 all models
256MB PC133 SDRAM

Cinema Displays

17", 19", 24"
New cases.

iSlave

Your own robotic slave.
G5 at 1.6GHz
16GB or RAM with 200GB long term storage.

This is my run of the Keynote. After the usual comments about iPod sales, iBook sales, and the feature bump on the powerbooks, His Steveness discusses the history of the iMac and its need for an evolution:
iMac II
1ghz G4 Apollo
133 mhz bus
256 MB Ram
Geforce 2 (integrated)
15.1 LCD
Improved sound system (5.1 & built in Sub?)
DVD, Combo, Superdrive

Then His Steveness Discusses some new software to be bundled with the iMac II

OS X 10.2
Appleworks 7 (rebranded?)
iMovie 3
iPicture
Quicktime 6 and Mpeg 4

He demos an expanded iDisk, iTools, iCards, iPhotos, iDream, iTunes, etc.

Then...Steve sets the tone by
pausing...
pausing...
pausing...
and then in the most serious and chilling tone states that it is now time to "unleash the hounds".

"We've got some news for the industry...Think... Powerful!"

Powermac G5
1.2, 1.6, 1.4 Dual 64 bit
256, 512, 1 GB DDR Ram
Geforce 3 Stock
Combo, Superdrive, Superdrive

"and one more thing...OS X Server has found a new home"

Powermac G5 Rack Server
1.4 Dual 64 bit
2 GB DDR Ram
"The hub that keeps your world turning"


(no iBook or Powerbook updates, though perhaps a drop in price on the iPod)

[ 01-02-2002: Message edited by: thesilent ]</p>

Yes! Keep the G5 predictions coming!! I can only hope that these come true

Powermac G5
1.0, 1.2, 1.4, dual 1.2
Same case, new color scheme, maybe some minor changes.
DDR RAM, fast bus (not 400 MHz, but fast).

LCD iMac
G4, 933, 1.066, 1.133
133 MHz bus
Lame-ass video card.
Display choice:
Display will "snap" on, connected to an ADC port+swivel arrangement. Two different sized LCD displays will be available.

This also is key, because as LCD prices drop, Apple can quickly update the screen size of the iMac with little development cost.

No changes to laptop lines.

Some new product, but I've got no idea what.

Not a PDA or a Newton II.
Not an iPhone.
Not a pager.
Not a camera.

New iPhoto.

?

I think the G5 would sport a totaly new case to seperate it from the G4's and QS's. Not to mention the compliants about the QS case and that it's ugly.

No, a totaly new Titanium/Metal case for the G5. It burns and toasts Pentium/Athlons so it needs to be metal

OK, my own thoughts on what may be coming, and how.
I'm not really bothered by any updated/new iMac, I'm sure it will be gorgeous and impressive, but I want maximum processing power, and already have several displays. There may be new digital devices, but I would just be guessing wildly.

PowerMacs: I believe the G5 will debut, in a new case. The new case is, I suspect, a necessity, because the G5 will generate a lot of heat, it is fast and massive, and will readily scale to 4 processor boxes, and might be able to go higher. That also means a new power supply in the box.

Together with recent improvements in emulation techniques, it may be possible for Steve to do a photoshop bake-off showing the new machine beating a 2GHz P4 beast, and then say that it was running windows photoshop under emulation, natively it blows it away. This may be a dual processor machine, as I suspect one processor translating, one executing, could lead to huge speed improvements in emulation.

New on the display front, a choice of a detachable display, which works as a normal display when connected to the computer, but switches to an airport link when detached. When detached, the display will be suitable for general purpose programmes, web surfing etc., but will not be able to do games, full-screen video and such like. The screen will also be a touch-screen for input, with handwriting recognition and gestures, but also a wireless keyboard for more serious work.
Possibly, the screen can act as a very basic computer when completely isolated from the main computer, but is not, of itself, a PDA. The screen is optional becaused it will add considerably to the cost, but I have always wanted to be able to sit confortably in an armchair and use a powerful computer, so I would pay for it.

My 2 Eurocents worth

Michael

And long life to the Euro !!

[quote]Originally posted by Toofeu:
<strong>And long life to the Euro !!</strong><hr></blockquote>

Do you care? Well okay then

I love these G5 predictions, so please keep them coming! Moreover, this thread seems to be more productive than the tired iWalk debate.

iWalk notwithstanding, I predict HUGE DISSAPOINTMENT! on nearly every hardware front. Perhaps some significant iApps will appear, but in general people will be let down by expectations of Apple's own creation. This time they did it, not us. Rumors were actually relatively sedate until a few days ago. And it's gonna hurt them, and their stock. If they don't impress, really impress, to the level of all but the most rabid optimists, count the show a failure.

[quote]Originally posted by Matsu:
<strong> [SNIP] If they don't impress, really impress, to the level of all but the most rabid optimists, count the show a failure.</strong><hr></blockquote>

Apple itself has inflated expectations by an order of magnitude; as you state, only Apple is to blame if the company fails to deliver. However, I remain optimistic, for the key reason that the reference points we have suggest that Apple will deliver. As another pointed out, Apple has generated similar hype only at key product introductions. Whatever Apple has for us, the company believes that this is a major event, one set apart from most every other keynote. It has to be big. Of course, on the other hand, Apple hasn't always been on the ball with its product intros: BD and FP iMacs, overpriced Cubes, lack of CD-RW options for an extended period are the major ones to come to mind. Nevertheless, Apple's betting it has something great, and I don't want to bet against SJ. . .

People keeps thinking that "Goldfish" is the nickname for the G5 - it is not- it is the nickname for the Apollo. Get ready to be disapointed. Apple's idea of great is nobody elses!

[quote]Originally posted by anand:
<strong>People keeps thinking that "Goldfish" is the nickname for the G5 - it is not- it is the nickname for the Apollo. Get ready to be disapointed. Apple's idea of great is nobody elses!</strong><hr></blockquote>

I wish people wouldn't be so eager to seal themselves inside a casket before the product is even announced. If Apple comes through with 1.6GHz machines, I doubt anyone will give too much of a sh*t what comes after the "G." Keep it in that perspective. It's all about how fast they can get - and at this point it's totally a wildcard.

-S

No G5 this time, G4 Apollo up to 1GHz (but not much faster), LCD iMacs with only slightly faster G3s. The i and PowerBooks are not touched, maybe for Tokyo.
New iApp and some new iDevice and probably the all new "extended Digital Hub strategy" (whatever that is ).


bye.

[ 01-03-2002: Message edited by: GnOm ]</p>

[quote]Originally posted by GnOm:
<strong>No G5 this time, G4 Apollo up to 1GHz (but not much faster), LCD iMacs with only slightly faster G3s. The i and PowerBooks are not touched, maybe for Tokyo.
New iApp and some new iDevice and probably the all new "extended Digital Hub strategy" (whatever that is ).


bye.

[ 01-03-2002: Message edited by: GnOm ]</strong><hr></blockquote>


Sounds like you just read MacMinute or something. That information is not accurate

[quote]Originally posted by Matsu:
<strong>iWalk notwithstanding, I predict HUGE DISSAPOINTMENT! on nearly every hardware front. Perhaps some significant iApps will appear, but in general people will be let down by expectations of Apple's own creation. This time they did it, not us. Rumors were actually relatively sedate until a few days ago. And it's gonna hurt them, and their stock. If they don't impress, really impress, to the level of all but the most rabid optimists, count the show a failure.</strong><hr></blockquote>

Matsu - you're just scared that Apple won't come through! SJ knows hype - you won't be disappointed!

[quote]Originally posted by SpiffyGuyC:
<strong>

I wish people wouldn't be so eager to seal themselves inside a casket before the product is even announced. If Apple comes through with 1.6GHz machines, I doubt anyone will give too much of a sh*t what comes after the "G." Keep it in that perspective. It's all about how fast they can get - and at this point it's totally a wildcard.

-S</strong><hr></blockquote>

I think this is especially appropriate if we get a new mobo that can drive the processors to their limits, i.e. ddr ram, ata-100 or &gt; etc. I for one would be very happy with multicore G4's and new mobo technologies.

[quote]Originally posted by Junkyard Dawg:
<strong>Powermac G5
1.0, 1.2, 1.4, dual 1.2
Same case, new color scheme, maybe some minor changes.
DDR RAM, fast bus (not 400 MHz, but fast).

LCD iMac
G4, 933, 1.066, 1.133
133 MHz bus
Lame-ass video card.
Display choice:
Display will "snap" on, connected to an ADC port+swivel arrangement. Two different sized LCD displays will be available.

This also is key, because as LCD prices drop, Apple can quickly update the screen size of the iMac with little development cost.

No changes to laptop lines.

Some new product, but I've got no idea what.

Not a PDA or a Newton II.
Not an iPhone.
Not a pager.
Not a camera.

New iPhoto.

?</strong><hr></blockquote>

I'm with you! But I will add that the iMac LCD will NOT be 1024x768. It will be a widescreen because it needs more screen space, not just a bigger screen.

[quote]Originally posted by SpiffyGuyC:
<strong>Sounds like you just read MacMinute or something. That information is not accurate
</strong><hr></blockquote>


actually not, I read this:

<a href="http://www-3.ibm.com/chips/products/powerpc/newsletter/oct2001/new-prod1.html" target="_blank">http://www-3.ibm.com/chips/products/powerpc/newsletter/oc t2001/new-prod1.html</a>

and this:

<a href="http://www.motorola.com/mediacenter/news/detail/0,1958,568_322_23,00.html" target="_blank">http://www.motorola.com/mediacenter/news/detail/0,1958,568_32 2_23,00.html</a>

and came to the conclusion that 1GHz is at the top of my expectations.
Talking ´bout my hopes is a different thing though


bye.

[ 01-03-2002: Message edited by: GnOm ]</p>

Barring any unforseen photo leaks that are actually credible (unlike iWalk), I would say this is what we're most likely to see:

New LCD iMac, perhaps using Apollo
733, 800, 867 MHz

More Quicksilver Power Macs
800, 933 and 1GHz
Maybe new Radeon cards standard
Maybe all with Super Drive
(since they still can't get their shit together)


Speedbumped TiBooks


Demo of OS X v10.2, possibly with release date / time-frame.

[quote]Originally posted by bernard:
<strong>IBM "sahara" (4stage 512L2 256bit ) is likey to BLOW past G4 7450's at similar clock speeds, in non Altivec stuff (not that there is much) should do alot for notebooks less power and way more speed. if G4's haven't scaled well? we may not see em for a while. whatever it is it better be good.

</strong><hr></blockquote>

For starters, the IBM PowerPC 750 FX, aka Sahara, has 5 stages.

It's larger L2 cache, wider internal bus, faster front side bus and additional registers are said to provide a 25% boost in performance over other G3 chips.

I wouldn't expect it to "blow" past the G4s though, even for non altivec jobs. The PowerPCs may have 2 additional instruction pipeline stages (7 vs 5), but the G4s (in the form of the 7450) also have additional Int and Altivec units. The G4's already had a better FP unit, etc. I would expect a little more parity in performance than anything else for non-altivec tasks.

Steve