next 15" powerbook to have IBM inside

Posted:
in Future Apple Hardware edited January 2014
Well, this is just a guess (and maybe some wishful thinking), but those are the facts:





-first, IMHO we're still some good months away before the 15"alu ships. Lazpilla is just reaching customers, and If the new 15 alu appeared now it would cannibalize 17" sales for sure.



-building a new 15 in alu case (therefore not a simple revision but a whole model change) and NOT upgrading the cpu it's something apple has NEVER done. Then if a cpu upgrade is on the planning, so lapzilla WILL. Lapzila has just been introduced (MWSF), then we can't expect a change till next 7 months (following apple powerbooks trend)



-current gigaTi is not that different from Lapzilla, or Lapzilla is not THAT revolutionary, but more an evolution of the 15" with a bigger screen. I'm sure there's already a Lapzilla mobo in a lab, ready to house a 970. (and take REAL advantge of the higher bus and ram speed, as well as fire800)



-IBM 970 is not longer a promise or vapourware but a reality (and sooner than we expected me thinks).



SO,



-By MWNY we may see the 970 into desktops, AND a lower speed version into the Lapzilla rev B, as well as into the NEW 15,4" Alubook.



-12" minibook can stay G4 to differentiate from the better powerbooks, and it will take place of the *entry-line* ibook macs, therefore making g3 ibooks dissapear as too many iLife apps already need a g4.





That's my guessing.

...Or perphaps is just that as i do 3D and those new Bad Centrinos smoke macs for breakfast, i'm trying to convince myself there's still life in MacLand for PROs (and not just for B&O fans; very cute but WAY overpriced for how -ahem*bad*ahem- they sound)



peace.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 78
    frostymmbfrostymmb Posts: 131member
    Not going to happen any time soon, and not in the way you have guessed. In order to (attempt to) meet the demand for faster PowerMacs, initial 970 supplies will go to the desktops, not portables. IBM isn't Moto, but you still can't expect such an inventory of 970 processors that Apple will just throw them into any machine they can and still meet demand. Read the scores of 970 threads for more explanation.



    The title of the thread had me thinking that perhaps there was some sort of inside info, uh, inside. This is just more 'guessing.'
  • Reply 2 of 78
    placeboplacebo Posts: 5,767member
    I'm seeing at least two more G4 updates for the PowerBook. No 970's any sooner.
  • Reply 3 of 78
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Placebo

    I'm seeing at least two more G4 updates for the PowerBook. No 970's any sooner.



    Amen. We have to wait for .09u...
  • Reply 4 of 78
    whoamiwhoami Posts: 301member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by T'hain Esh Kelch

    Amen. We have to wait for .09u...



    i agree fully!
  • Reply 5 of 78
    blackcatblackcat Posts: 697member
    The only reason why the G4 Powerbook took so long to follow the PowerMac was power consumption.



    This time the 970 will debut at a power consumption level less than the current 7445 but nearly 3x the speed. A 1.2 or 1.4ghz 970 Powerbook is possible from day 1.



    This doesn't mean Apple will do it, but I just don't see them selling many G4 anythings once the 970 is out - be it iMac, Powerbook or xServe.



    Perhaps rescheduling WWDC is a sign that Apple is about to go 100% 970.
  • Reply 6 of 78
    frostymmbfrostymmb Posts: 131member
    People still buy iBooks, so we all know that G3s are still selling. G4s in laptops, eMac, and iMacs will continue to sell with the 970 in PowerMacs and later Xserves.



    While 970s could be put into portables due to low power consumption/heat dissipation, it doesn't mean that it will happen soon. I definitely do not believe that it will happen alongside placement in PowerMacs. Besides, Apple won't have limitless quantities of processors even if IBM is good at chugging them out. They will need the initial supplies for PowerMacs and won't be going 100% 970. I speculate that the demand for 970 equipped PowerMacs is high enough that there will be shipping delays and perhaps an overall inability to meet demand just putting them in PowerMacs, especially if we get some good dual configs.
  • Reply 7 of 78
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Blackcat

    Perhaps rescheduling WWDC is a sign that Apple is about to go 100% 970.



    Imagine..!



    But seriously, no. Apple nor IBM has the capacity.



    And Apple would have to clear present stock now then, and they arent doing that.
  • Reply 8 of 78
    netromacnetromac Posts: 863member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by T'hain Esh Kelch

    Imagine..!



    But seriously, no. Apple nor IBM has the capacity.



    And Apple would have to clear present stock now then, and they arent doing that.




    Agree. They have to do this transition in steps. Most important and visible models first - PowerMac #1, PowerBook #2, iMac #3. When these models have gone 970, they can use the faster G4 processors in the iBooks and eMacs as a transition to an all 970 line.
  • Reply 9 of 78
    mrmistermrmister Posts: 1,095member
    That is a lovely fantasy, but no.



    I *do* agree that all signs point at it being easier to get the heat/wattage down on the PPC970 than it was for the G4, so I'm hopeful that we will have less of a wait before we get a G5(PPC970) PowerBook...but not in my wildest dreams do I expect it on as ambitious a timeline as the thread originator.
  • Reply 10 of 78
    maniamania Posts: 104member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by FrostyMMB

    People still buy iBooks, so we all know that G3s are still selling. G4s in laptops, eMac, and iMacs will continue to sell with the 970 in PowerMacs and later Xserves.



    People buy ibooks cause they are cheap. Powerbook users are different and might hold off if they saw/used a 970 in a desktop. I for one am tired of using the same old g4 for 2 years and seeing barely any reason to upgrade for a few hundred MHz.
  • Reply 11 of 78
    thttht Posts: 5,421member
    Well, hopefully, by the end of Summer we will see:



    17" Powerbook

    1600x1000 resolution

    Dual 1.3 GHz 7457 w/o L3

    128 MB graphics



    15" Powerbook

    1440x960 resolution

    1.25 GHz 7457 w/1 MB L3

    64-128 MB graphics



    12" Powerbook

    1024x768 resolution

    1 GHz 7457 w/1 MB L3

    64 MB graphics



    I saw the 12" Powerbook the other day. It's a much nicer machine that my iBook. Would love to have it The Motorola 7457 is a fine chip for portables, both the iBooks and Powerbooks. I'm not sure the PPC 970 is fit for notebook usage yet. IBM will have to add power conservation features on it (like on-the-fly clock rate and voltage changes), before it should be placed in a notebook. Maybe it does, and we don't know.



    On top of that, there will be bugs, lots of bugs, in a brand new architecture. Best to use it in desktops long before miniturizing and such for notebooks.
  • Reply 12 of 78
    Quote:

    The only reason why the G4 Powerbook took so long to follow the PowerMac was power consumption.



    This time the 970 will debut at a power consumption level less than the current 7445 but nearly 3x the speed. A 1.2 or 1.4ghz 970 Powerbook is possible from day 1.



    This doesn't mean Apple will do it, but I just don't see them selling many G4 anythings once the 970 is out - be it iMac, Powerbook or xServe.



    Perhaps rescheduling WWDC is a sign that Apple is about to go 100% 970.



    That would be Apple going for it all guns blazing. It would be a powerful component in their strategy if they can transition their 'power' desktops and laptop line to the 970 as soon as possible. With the iMac to follow quickly afterwards.



    Any reason they couldn't do it? Yields are rumoured to be quite okay for the 970...



    Lemon Bon Bon
  • Reply 13 of 78
    netromacnetromac Posts: 863member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Lemon Bon Bon

    That would be Apple going for it all guns blazing. It would be a powerful component in their strategy if they can transition their 'power' desktops and laptop line to the 970 as soon as possible. With the iMac to follow quickly afterwards.



    Any reason they couldn't do it? Yields are rumoured to be quite okay for the 970...



    Lemon Bon Bon




    Don?t think we?ll se a transition of the entire PowerBook line anytime soon. The 17? is arriving customers just now, and it?s just three months left to the WWDC. My prediction is that the 970 will be used in the 15? albook first, and the will find its way to the other PowerBooks when they are upgraded in August. This may be the reason why we haven?t seen any 15? albook yet.
  • Reply 14 of 78
    blackcatblackcat Posts: 697member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by T'hain Esh Kelch

    Imagine..!



    But seriously, no. Apple nor IBM has the capacity.



    And Apple would have to clear present stock now then, and they arent doing that.




    Apple has been known to landfill.



    As for IBM not having the capacity, I think they probably do, especially having built Fishkill.
  • Reply 15 of 78
    neutrino23neutrino23 Posts: 1,561member
    Mostly likely Apple will want to get one 970 based product line out the door for three to six months or so before they bring out others. It would be really risky to jump into using this on multiple product lines out of the gate. Even if they work well in the lab nothing beats the experience of having a hundred thousand of these in the field.
  • Reply 16 of 78
    blackcatblackcat Posts: 697member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by NETROMac

    Don?t think we?ll se a transition of the entire PowerBook line anytime soon. The 17? is arriving customers just now, and it?s just three months left to the WWDC. My prediction is that the 970 will be used in the 15? albook first, and the will find its way to the other PowerBooks when they are upgraded in August. This may be the reason why we haven?t seen any 15? albook yet.



    But apart from Apple history, what reason is there not to do this? Nobody is saying the 970 will ship at WWDC but if it ships in September there's no reason why the whole Power line can't switch.
  • Reply 17 of 78
    gargar Posts: 1,201member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Lemon Bon Bon

    Any reason they couldn't do it? Yields are rumoured to be quite okay for the 970...



    well... we're not sure about the yields of the 7457 that has to be ibooked.
  • Reply 18 of 78
    Quote:

    Originally posted by NETROMac

    Don?t think we?ll se a transition of the entire PowerBook line anytime soon. The 17? is arriving customers just now, and it?s just three months left to the WWDC. My prediction is that the 970 will be used in the 15? albook first, and the will find its way to the other PowerBooks when they are upgraded in August. This may be the reason why we haven?t seen any 15? albook yet.



    They have done it one time before.. Cant remember what model though.. \ 4 months between two models..
  • Reply 19 of 78
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Blackcat

    But apart from Apple history, what reason is there not to do this? Nobody is saying the 970 will ship at WWDC but if it ships in September there's no reason why the whole Power line can't switch.



    They are talking about two diffrent motherboards..



    And even though they share the same architecture, they are diffrent! After all, Apple goes with several diffrent models..
  • Reply 20 of 78
    blackcatblackcat Posts: 697member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by T'hain Esh Kelch

    They are talking about two diffrent motherboards..



    And even though they share the same architecture, they are diffrent! After all, Apple goes with several diffrent models..




    Rumors are, but we really don't know what reality has in store. Production rumors have also mentioned PDAs, new iPods, 15.4" powerbooks so it's not really much help either way.



    Logic says sales of G4 based systems will dry up once the 970 is released. Currently a Powerbook is slower but not masses slower, once Powermacs go 970 it will be 30% or less the speed of the Tower, with everybody knowing it's just a matter of time before we get 64bit laptops.
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