For those who are worried about the 'big hole' between 222 and 666, wouldn't it be logical that there is a third model? Well it could be the 444... About its specs, maybe it would be a 222 with dual processors or a 666 with a single processor - I dont know, what do you think?
Interesting first post, but as was said: it's nothing completely new -- it could be a conglomeration of wishful thinking as well. That, and I'd hate to see Apple moving away from real codenames!
But there's just so much speed developing behind this WWDC train; if Steve were to announce NOTHING publicly, there will be interesting reactions here. But if he announces anything behind NDA to a few developers, surely we'll have someone there to debrief us.
September won't be bad anyway, if that's accurate. We could perhaps see them announced at the Seybold Seminars (much like the G4s), albeit with the units shipping immediately, along with their portable companions.
Well, there's still Panther. That's as consumer as it gets.
Remember, Apple's idea of "great" and "exciting" may be slightly different than the denizens' of AppleInsider (see: "way beyond the rumor sites").
Actually I think that in any case - even if the PPC970 shows up at wwdc - we are propably under estimating Panther. I mean come on, I remember reading about Jaguar in January 2002 and actually saw the beta in may or something, and now with Panther we know absolutely nothing.
So I think its quite possible that Apple would stream the keynote with or without any PowerMac announcements. Panther should be and hopefully will be enough to satisfy any keynote watcher.
Baloney as usual. The only individuals that know what is coming are a few in Cupertino.... and they aren't telling. NDA has been fortified so there are no reliable leaks. As usual...... pre announcement "hopes" rather then facts.
Colour me skeptical. If it's true that the 970-based systems will use HyperTransport, then according to the eweek/smeagol thread you've got all sorts of options for flexible expansion that would make this kind of schema unnecessary.
If we choose to believe the HyperTransport thing (and I do, although I was still betting on RapidIO until recently), it seems to makes more sense to suppose that the 970-based boxen will provide expansion through some kind of HT-based external chassis.
That said, there's a lot of good suggestions here, though they're generally of a familiar cast. A low end powermac = the fabled headless iMac, right? The AIO format is great for schools and almost nowhere else. I expect to see a move away from AIOs for the general consumer market, but the retention of this form factor for education.
And of course there's a widespread expectation that Apple will release some real video workstations. I'm not sure if the so-called 666 model fits the bill.
Apart from that, we all hope that Apple will spring a few pleasant surprises on the mobos: such things would be more likely to appear on duallies at first.
But obviously there's a significant lag between the time when a CPU rolls out of the Fishkill plant's driveway, and when a 970 Powermac rolls into an Apple warehouse.
I just want to point out that this isn't obvious at all. Apple will have (of course) very good information about when the 970's are rolling out. They probably won't wait until they actually have 970's to get ready to use them. There's a lot of stuff that they can do, related to getting the new PM's out the door, without actually, physically having production quantities of the processor. The lag doesn't need to be significant. But I'm not saying that we'll have new PM's at WWDC.
Aw man, I hope this isn't true. I want a small tower with lots of CPU-grunt. Apple has always tied CPU power to greater expandability, but there are a whole bunch of people who want a faster computer without any need for a large tower, big power supply, lots of drive bays and a full complement of slots.
A well written, realistic, and believeable rumour. Hopefully Apple will talk about their use of the 970 at WWDC a little more widely that described here. They'll need to if they want developers up to speed on 64-bit PPC.
But if true, what's going to happen at the keynote to support the "hubbub" around it right now? Big German developers getting a satallite feed. Apple stores showing the keynote live, which Apple has never done with a WWDC keynote.
If we accept the fact that the 970s won't be introduced, what's left to show? I can't imagine Panther will be that exciting.
Hmmmm. No 'hole in the middle'. If there's 3 of each then...that can cover alot of ground from under 1K to 3K approx'. Much in the way the current Powerbooks do now. Except the entry '222' will be much cheaper than the current 12 inch Powerbook.
Nice. Could see 1.4 at under a K. '1.6?' just over a K. 1.8 970 at 1 and a half to just under 2K.
3 '666' models going at 2 and a half K to 3 and a half K.
Hmmm. This would jibe with the 'X-Station' rumours. Aha.
The splitting of the new Towers won't be over G4s. But over the amount of 970s and the underlying MB.
Pros and Uber Pros.
I hope this corresponding 'hike' of the duals to the Uber mobo has a corresponding leap in standard graphic card options. Such priced machines better not be shipping with ATI face sucker graphic cards ala 9000 on a machine costing £3and a half K would be laughable. Bet we're talking Quadro or FX or Ati 9700 as standard at least. The new Apple aint as stupid as the 'old' Apple.
Hmmm. Though I'm tinged with disappoint that I won't be able to get an Apple dual for under 2K...(on this evidence...) at least we'll be able to get a '3.6 gig' 'G4' for under 2K. Many a Wintel owner would grant grudging respect for that kind of performance. Don't see many dual Wintels under 2K?
Lemon Bon Bon
Keep in mind we've only ever heard 1.4ghz and 1.8ghz. So don't be surprised if there's 4 option, 2 upper and 2 lower scale.
Colour me skeptical. If it's true that the 970-based systems will use HyperTransport, then according to the eweek/smeagol thread you've got all sorts of options for flexible expansion that would make this kind of schema unnecessary.
If we choose to believe the HyperTransport thing (and I do, although I was still betting on RapidIO until recently), it seems to makes more sense to suppose that the 970-based boxen will provide expansion through some kind of HT-based external chassis.
That said, there's a lot of good suggestions here, though they're generally of a familiar cast. A low end powermac = the fabled headless iMac, right? The AIO format is great for schools and almost nowhere else. I expect to see a move away from AIOs for the general consumer market, but the retention of this form factor for education.
And of course there's a widespread expectation that Apple will release some real video workstations. I'm not sure if the so-called 666 model fits the bill.
Apart from that, we all hope that Apple will spring a few pleasant surprises on the mobos: such things would be more likely to appear on duallies at first.
Late to the party?
Quote:
CNet reports that Apple Computer is planning to discuss their use of HyperTransport at WWDC:
The Cupertino, Calif.-based company will use HyperTransport as a high-speed link between the two processors that make up the chipset in new desktop Macintoshes, sources said. A chipset is a group of chips that manages the internal functions of a computer.
According to the article, Hypertransport 1.0 allows for data transfer rates of "6.4 gigabytes to 12.8 gigabytes" [ed note: per second] and while definite ship dates for new computers are unclear, they expect that "it should not be too long" before the technology makes it into new Macs.
Aw man, I hope this isn't true. I want a small tower with lots of CPU-grunt. Apple has always tied CPU power to greater expandability, but there are a whole bunch of people who want a faster computer without any need for a large tower, big power supply, lots of drive bays and a full complement of slots.
A well written, realistic, and believeable rumour. Hopefully Apple will talk about their use of the 970 at WWDC a little more widely that described here. They'll need to if they want developers up to speed on 64-bit PPC.
I would second this, what I need is masses of processing power and a little expandability. At the moment I need a dual processor machine for development of multi-threaded software, but cannot afford prices any higher than current machines.
if true, i quickly see apple making a 444 version for people like programmer (apple will hear a loud outcry for this...they may ramp it up quite quickly)...which would be the 222 with dual 970 chips...people want speed....
222...under 1 k tower people...budget minded computer users...some schools etc
444...1,400 plus tower...similar in price to todays towers...comsumers and pros that want speed and some upgrade and ram expansion and the best video cards...this is for gamers and small business and the geeks who like power and speed (and who doesn't)
666...uber pros in movies and music and rendering who need tons of ram and expansion
i still think we will at least see them at WWDC...apple is selling WWDC hard
Yeah, I am definitely in the low expandability but Dual CPU lust category. I have never had more than 2 PCI cards or 3 HDs in a machine, ever, yet my last "upgrade" went from a dual processor to a single, and has left a rather sour taste in my mouth.
If my options were between a 222 and 666 as mentioned above, I would end up being pretty disappointed. I would hope Apple will do its homework and come to the realization that need for speed != need for expandability. And after the past couple years, I think everyone on this board has a need for speed - even if it is just to stroke the egos a little bit!
yeah...for business 222 would be great...cheaper box that does alot fast and can be used with existing monitors...
for my kids, 222 would be great...cheaper box that does alot fast and can be used with existing monitors...can grow with them if they become computer geeks...and stay the same and not expand if they decide to become normal humans
for my mom, the 22 would be ok, but i would keep her with an iMac2...she should never go inside any machine (and i know lots and LOTS of people like her...which is why apple should continue to make at least one AIO)
but for me to leave my beautiful iMac FP i would need the 444...dual chips that can do alot super fast and allow me to add internal hard drive space and change out a graphic card to something faster and better...weeee, i would pay more for that because i would use it...i could never use nor need the 666...it would be a waste of space and expansion...
anyway i ramble...
give me the 444 and beautiful new monitors and apple will sell on in september (and they will sell a gobi iBook as soon as it comes out too)
I don't believe a word of it. Here's why. It's someone in here that I've read before. This whole "My First Post" thing isn't cutting it. Sentence structure, and the way they explain why they have never posted here, and why they waited until now is all too familiar. I've seen this person's writing in here often enough to recognize them, but I can't put my finger on who it is.
The only way to get a dual processor Mac is to buy a 6 PCI slot behemoth? I hope not.
If there's no hardware at WWDC, why is Apple showing the keynote to consumers in Apple retail stores?
Given that 970s ARE so 'cheap' and that duals have been so 'accessible' for so long then it would be VERY disappointing.
Yeah. And what is Frank Casanova and Apple getting so excited about...and why the change in Apple Store layouts if there's nothing but a 'big disappointment' waiting for us cometh the WWDC?
if true, i quickly see apple making a 444 version for people like programmer (apple will hear a loud outcry for this...they may ramp it up quite quickly)...which would be the 222 with dual 970 chips...people want speed....
222...under 1 k tower people...budget minded computer users...some schools etc
444...1,400 plus tower...similar in price to todays towers...comsumers and pros that want speed and some upgrade and ram expansion and the best video cards...this is for gamers and small business and the geeks who like power and speed (and who doesn't)
666...uber pros in movies and music and rendering who need tons of ram and expansion
i still think we will at least see them at WWDC...apple is selling WWDC hard....
it will be interesting to see...the AI front page seems to say otherwise, and some of the mods seem to think the front page news is at least somewhat on the up and up...so do i believe the mods of this guy??
ha
though i would love to see a 222/444/666 type product offering for the new 970 pm...if it is only 222/666 i will be surprised and slightly disappointed....maybe 222/666 at WWDC with 444 coming in sept??
Comments
-Snowster
But there's just so much speed developing behind this WWDC train; if Steve were to announce NOTHING publicly, there will be interesting reactions here. But if he announces anything behind NDA to a few developers, surely we'll have someone there to debrief us.
September won't be bad anyway, if that's accurate. We could perhaps see them announced at the Seybold Seminars (much like the G4s), albeit with the units shipping immediately, along with their portable companions.
Originally posted by GardenOfEarthlyDelights
Well, there's still Panther. That's as consumer as it gets.
Remember, Apple's idea of "great" and "exciting" may be slightly different than the denizens' of AppleInsider (see: "way beyond the rumor sites").
Actually I think that in any case - even if the PPC970 shows up at wwdc - we are propably under estimating Panther. I mean come on, I remember reading about Jaguar in January 2002 and actually saw the beta in may or something, and now with Panther we know absolutely nothing.
So I think its quite possible that Apple would stream the keynote with or without any PowerMac announcements. Panther should be and hopefully will be enough to satisfy any keynote watcher.
- Snowster
If we choose to believe the HyperTransport thing (and I do, although I was still betting on RapidIO until recently), it seems to makes more sense to suppose that the 970-based boxen will provide expansion through some kind of HT-based external chassis.
That said, there's a lot of good suggestions here, though they're generally of a familiar cast. A low end powermac = the fabled headless iMac, right? The AIO format is great for schools and almost nowhere else. I expect to see a move away from AIOs for the general consumer market, but the retention of this form factor for education.
And of course there's a widespread expectation that Apple will release some real video workstations. I'm not sure if the so-called 666 model fits the bill.
Apart from that, we all hope that Apple will spring a few pleasant surprises on the mobos: such things would be more likely to appear on duallies at first.
Originally posted by Dapper Dan
But obviously there's a significant lag between the time when a CPU rolls out of the Fishkill plant's driveway, and when a 970 Powermac rolls into an Apple warehouse.
I just want to point out that this isn't obvious at all. Apple will have (of course) very good information about when the 970's are rolling out. They probably won't wait until they actually have 970's to get ready to use them. There's a lot of stuff that they can do, related to getting the new PM's out the door, without actually, physically having production quantities of the processor. The lag doesn't need to be significant. But I'm not saying that we'll have new PM's at WWDC.
A well written, realistic, and believeable rumour. Hopefully Apple will talk about their use of the 970 at WWDC a little more widely that described here. They'll need to if they want developers up to speed on 64-bit PPC.
But if true, what's going to happen at the keynote to support the "hubbub" around it right now? Big German developers getting a satallite feed. Apple stores showing the keynote live, which Apple has never done with a WWDC keynote.
If we accept the fact that the 970s won't be introduced, what's left to show? I can't imagine Panther will be that exciting.
theFly
www.flyonthemac.com
Rumors You Can Bet On
Originally posted by Lemon Bon Bon
Hmmmm. No 'hole in the middle'. If there's 3 of each then...that can cover alot of ground from under 1K to 3K approx'. Much in the way the current Powerbooks do now. Except the entry '222' will be much cheaper than the current 12 inch Powerbook.
Nice. Could see 1.4 at under a K. '1.6?' just over a K. 1.8 970 at 1 and a half to just under 2K.
3 '666' models going at 2 and a half K to 3 and a half K.
Hmmm. This would jibe with the 'X-Station' rumours. Aha.
The splitting of the new Towers won't be over G4s. But over the amount of 970s and the underlying MB.
Pros and Uber Pros.
I hope this corresponding 'hike' of the duals to the Uber mobo has a corresponding leap in standard graphic card options. Such priced machines better not be shipping with ATI face sucker graphic cards ala 9000 on a machine costing £3and a half K would be laughable. Bet we're talking Quadro or FX or Ati 9700 as standard at least. The new Apple aint as stupid as the 'old' Apple.
Hmmm. Though I'm tinged with disappoint that I won't be able to get an Apple dual for under 2K...(on this evidence...) at least we'll be able to get a '3.6 gig' 'G4' for under 2K. Many a Wintel owner would grant grudging respect for that kind of performance. Don't see many dual Wintels under 2K?
Lemon Bon Bon
Keep in mind we've only ever heard 1.4ghz and 1.8ghz. So don't be surprised if there's 4 option, 2 upper and 2 lower scale.
Originally posted by boy_analog
Colour me skeptical. If it's true that the 970-based systems will use HyperTransport, then according to the eweek/smeagol thread you've got all sorts of options for flexible expansion that would make this kind of schema unnecessary.
If we choose to believe the HyperTransport thing (and I do, although I was still betting on RapidIO until recently), it seems to makes more sense to suppose that the 970-based boxen will provide expansion through some kind of HT-based external chassis.
That said, there's a lot of good suggestions here, though they're generally of a familiar cast. A low end powermac = the fabled headless iMac, right? The AIO format is great for schools and almost nowhere else. I expect to see a move away from AIOs for the general consumer market, but the retention of this form factor for education.
And of course there's a widespread expectation that Apple will release some real video workstations. I'm not sure if the so-called 666 model fits the bill.
Apart from that, we all hope that Apple will spring a few pleasant surprises on the mobos: such things would be more likely to appear on duallies at first.
Late to the party?
CNet reports that Apple Computer is planning to discuss their use of HyperTransport at WWDC:
The Cupertino, Calif.-based company will use HyperTransport as a high-speed link between the two processors that make up the chipset in new desktop Macintoshes, sources said. A chipset is a group of chips that manages the internal functions of a computer.
According to the article, Hypertransport 1.0 allows for data transfer rates of "6.4 gigabytes to 12.8 gigabytes" [ed note: per second] and while definite ship dates for new computers are unclear, they expect that "it should not be too long" before the technology makes it into new Macs.
Originally posted by Programmer
Aw man, I hope this isn't true. I want a small tower with lots of CPU-grunt. Apple has always tied CPU power to greater expandability, but there are a whole bunch of people who want a faster computer without any need for a large tower, big power supply, lots of drive bays and a full complement of slots.
A well written, realistic, and believeable rumour. Hopefully Apple will talk about their use of the 970 at WWDC a little more widely that described here. They'll need to if they want developers up to speed on 64-bit PPC.
I would second this, what I need is masses of processing power and a little expandability. At the moment I need a dual processor machine for development of multi-threaded software, but cannot afford prices any higher than current machines.
michael
222...under 1 k tower people...budget minded computer users...some schools etc
444...1,400 plus tower...similar in price to todays towers...comsumers and pros that want speed and some upgrade and ram expansion and the best video cards...this is for gamers and small business and the geeks who like power and speed (and who doesn't)
666...uber pros in movies and music and rendering who need tons of ram and expansion
i still think we will at least see them at WWDC...apple is selling WWDC hard
g
If my options were between a 222 and 666 as mentioned above, I would end up being pretty disappointed. I would hope Apple will do its homework and come to the realization that need for speed != need for expandability. And after the past couple years, I think everyone on this board has a need for speed - even if it is just to stroke the egos a little bit!
- Panther will be done by september
- Smeagol would not be needed
Alas there *must* be a 970 shipping before september
for my kids, 222 would be great...cheaper box that does alot fast and can be used with existing monitors...can grow with them if they become computer geeks...and stay the same and not expand if they decide to become normal humans
for my mom, the 22 would be ok, but i would keep her with an iMac2...she should never go inside any machine (and i know lots and LOTS of people like her...which is why apple should continue to make at least one AIO)
but for me to leave my beautiful iMac FP i would need the 444...dual chips that can do alot super fast and allow me to add internal hard drive space and change out a graphic card to something faster and better...weeee, i would pay more for that because i would use it...i could never use nor need the 666...it would be a waste of space and expansion...
anyway i ramble...
give me the 444 and beautiful new monitors and apple will sell on in september (and they will sell a gobi iBook as soon as it comes out too)
g
Although I never believe rumors anyway.
Originally posted by cocoa tree
there is only one caveat:
- Panther will be done by september
Says who?
The only way to get a dual processor Mac is to buy a 6 PCI slot behemoth? I hope not.
If there's no hardware at WWDC, why is Apple showing the keynote to consumers in Apple retail stores?
Given that 970s ARE so 'cheap' and that duals have been so 'accessible' for so long then it would be VERY disappointing.
Yeah. And what is Frank Casanova and Apple getting so excited about...and why the change in Apple Store layouts if there's nothing but a 'big disappointment' waiting for us cometh the WWDC?
Lemon Bon Bon
if true, i quickly see apple making a 444 version for people like programmer (apple will hear a loud outcry for this...they may ramp it up quite quickly)...which would be the 222 with dual 970 chips...people want speed....
222...under 1 k tower people...budget minded computer users...some schools etc
444...1,400 plus tower...similar in price to todays towers...comsumers and pros that want speed and some upgrade and ram expansion and the best video cards...this is for gamers and small business and the geeks who like power and speed (and who doesn't)
666...uber pros in movies and music and rendering who need tons of ram and expansion
i still think we will at least see them at WWDC...apple is selling WWDC hard....
2nd that.
Lemon Bon Bon
ha
though i would love to see a 222/444/666 type product offering for the new 970 pm...if it is only 222/666 i will be surprised and slightly disappointed....maybe 222/666 at WWDC with 444 coming in sept??
wonder what neworder thinks of this new "rumor"
g