Macinchat's MWSF rumors
I don't remember MacinChat being a rumor site. I really don't know these guys. For what its worth:
"Without getting into the who, where and why...
We have received confirmation that the following products will be introduced and/or updated at this upcoming MWSF '04:
NEW Powermac G5 configurations:
Uni III motherboard
DDR400 Ram
New Processors and bus:
Single 2.0 / 1.0 GHz
Dual 2.2 / 1.1 GHz per processor
Dual 2.6 / 1.3 GHz per processor
Things that have not changed:
AGP 8X
2 Serial ATA drives
Same port complement (USB 2.0, FW400/800, etc...)
Optical audio issues have been resolved, USB static issues have been resolved, and the fan subsystem runs even quieter than before.
The single 2.0 will come at the same price-point as today's 1.6. The dual 2.2 will come at the same price-point as today's dual 1.8, but the dual 2.6 will come in at a higher price-point than the current top of the line dual 2.0 (aaproximately $400 more). I don't think too many folks will mind, because this machine is the most impressive desktop workstation ever, on either platform.
The Dual 2.6 will ship in the first week of February, the other two machines will ship immediately.
New Apple displays (new enclosure):
20 inch
23 inch
30 inch
Pricing on the displays was not revealed.
New G5 Xserve:
Although we were previously told the enclosure would be 3U, we are now being told the enclosure will be 2U. Dual 2.6 will be the top-of-the-line configuration.
new iLife Application:
Apple will release a new consumer music editing application, and it will NOT be called iMusic. We have the new name, which is very cool, but we will not disclose it.
More info:
New iPods: We cannot confirm or deny the existence of the lower priced iPods.
This is shaping up to be the another great Macworld!
Michael"
Sounds nice if its true!
"Without getting into the who, where and why...
We have received confirmation that the following products will be introduced and/or updated at this upcoming MWSF '04:
NEW Powermac G5 configurations:
Uni III motherboard
DDR400 Ram
New Processors and bus:
Single 2.0 / 1.0 GHz
Dual 2.2 / 1.1 GHz per processor
Dual 2.6 / 1.3 GHz per processor
Things that have not changed:
AGP 8X
2 Serial ATA drives
Same port complement (USB 2.0, FW400/800, etc...)
Optical audio issues have been resolved, USB static issues have been resolved, and the fan subsystem runs even quieter than before.
The single 2.0 will come at the same price-point as today's 1.6. The dual 2.2 will come at the same price-point as today's dual 1.8, but the dual 2.6 will come in at a higher price-point than the current top of the line dual 2.0 (aaproximately $400 more). I don't think too many folks will mind, because this machine is the most impressive desktop workstation ever, on either platform.
The Dual 2.6 will ship in the first week of February, the other two machines will ship immediately.
New Apple displays (new enclosure):
20 inch
23 inch
30 inch
Pricing on the displays was not revealed.
New G5 Xserve:
Although we were previously told the enclosure would be 3U, we are now being told the enclosure will be 2U. Dual 2.6 will be the top-of-the-line configuration.
new iLife Application:
Apple will release a new consumer music editing application, and it will NOT be called iMusic. We have the new name, which is very cool, but we will not disclose it.
More info:
New iPods: We cannot confirm or deny the existence of the lower priced iPods.
This is shaping up to be the another great Macworld!
Michael"
Sounds nice if its true!
Comments
i still think steve's got a few surprises up his sleeve...
Originally posted by Gamblor
I hope this rumor is wrong... The Powermacs should all be duals (at current price points), leaving room for single proc G5's to be introduced starting at $1k.
..or poised to be used in the top of the line iMac 20" model.
Single 2.0 GHz for $1800 -> dual 2.2 GHz for $2500 -> dual 2.6 GHz $3400? Not a chance.
A single 2.0 GHz Power Mac G5 shouldn't at all affect iMac sales. The 15" iMac's days are numbered. It's going to be just the 17" and 20" next round and clockspeed probably won't be an option. It'll probably be either 1.6 or 1.8 GHz, not both.
- Entry 1.6 -> 2.0 $1800
- Mid dual 1.8 -> dual 2.2 $2500
- High dual 2.0 -> dual 2.6 $3000 -> $3400
Doesn't look too bad price wise, certainly performance wise it is a great jump. I expect the entry will have PCI-X, plus not be limited in memory. The new entry should smack all G4s, the new high should be faster than any x86...Looks like there's room for G5s in other boxes... How about the original entry minus pci slots in a cube for $1500?
I'm hoping the display rumor is right, because I want one! 20" for $999?
Originally posted by jwdawso
Looks like there's room for G5s in other boxes... How about the original entry minus pci slots in a cube for $1500?
[/B]
Never again will the CUBE rise from its forgotten grave
Originally posted by mlnjr
Correct me if I'm wrong, but if Apple already has machines out now with two 2 GHz processors in them, how is having machines with dual 1.1 and 1.3 GHz processors that exciting? Unless these configurations will be added to the mix?
I think he was quoting bus speeds (for whatever reason).
I don't buy it myself.
Right now, at least in the Graphics industry, there is still a need for a dual boot and I'm sure that is part of the reason that Apple is still selling the "legacy" G4 tower. The current model is fast enough for most of the applications that will be run on them, though it could use a boost to at least 1.4, or if Motorola has 7457's coming of the line even faster. This could be seen as backpedalling on the all OS X statements from Jobs, but they are already doing that to a degree now. OS X is mature enough now for this industry, but Quark 6 isn't and it will take up to 18 months for the publishing industry to switch production to this or another page layout application (Some projects, like text book projects can last up to 24 months, and once they start the programs used to produce them rarely if ever change, even if it is a version revision, so there will be a need for OS 9 boot production computers for a while).
Originally posted by Ensign Pulver
Link?
http://macinchat.com/6/ubb.x?a=tpc&s...81&m=529008865
Originally posted by @homenow
Apple really needs to keep a headless box in a lower price point. This should start out at no more that $1299, preferably $999 to allow a few configurations between the bottom end an the G5 tower. If I were building a "wish list" for it there would be at least 1 PCI slot, and AGP slot for custom building at Apple's stores. There is also a psychological aspect to the PCI slot, even if they are rarely used, that can be used as a marketing tool just.
never will happen. They tried something like that, it was the Cube, and it failed. It was a middle ground that gave either too few options and was too costly for what is was offering (no monitor). If Apple went any lower, than would not be making as much money as they could.
Originally posted by Nebagakid
... If Apple went any lower, than would not be making as much money as they could.
By that logic Apple should bump the price of their entire line-up $100 +, because lord knows they could still sell them at that price so they are loosing $100 or more per computer.
The Cube came out at what, $1799 (which gave it a bad rap from the start) and when they pulled the plug on it they were selling the 450 Cube for $1299 if I remember correctly. This was also shortly after the Y2K buying spree, and in the heat of the economic downturn. There were many things factors working against the Cube, not all of them within Apples control. I personally think that at the price point at the end would have worked for Apple, but they needed to keep it around for a little longer for that to happen. I know that the company that I work for had a pretty large order for Cubes ready to go, but it was held up because of the economic downturn, so instead we got a bunch of 733 G4's that will never see an upgrade card and use a lot more desk space up. As for myself, I picked up a floor model about 6 months after they went off the market (for $699 if I recall).
As for the need for a lower price desktop (non-AIO), Apple acknowledged that when they kept the G4 tower around, which a quick check at the store is still available starting for $1299. They need to keep a model in there to cover the lower end, and it needs to get below that psychological barrier of $1000 for better "starting at" advertising. It should also offer a similar price/performance ratio to the iMac. As I stated in a thread on the iMac, up until recently the high end iMac held the same or faster clock speed as the low end PowerMac, and if sales are going to pick up then they need to regain that standing.
The main reason that Apple needs a "consumer" tower though is to gain market share. Although they have put the switcher campaign on hold for the moment, they still need to address this problem. They wont be able to do that with the iMac/eMac alone, they need another product to address the needs/wants of people who don't want AIO computers, but can't afford $1700 for a home computer. This is also the format that most Wintel consumers expect in a computer, and may be reluctant to move to an iMac because they perceive it as a toy. Add to that the number of Designers that may be putting off a new home computer purchase because of the price of the entry G5's, when a few years ago the entry PM was $1499 its now $1799. (I don't consider the G4 PM a current computer especially since it is not even using the highest speed G4 that is available and was used by Apple in that line-up, and the $1499 price was for a computer using the latest chips that Apple had available. Heck, even the $1299 Cube had the latest crop of G4 chips in them)