New Powerbook
I see MacRumours buying guide has both the iBook and Powerbook heading for the end of their life cycle. My Ti550 is rapidly heading for replacement as its hard life means it is starting to fail (space bar dodgy, CD writer no longer write, battery shot, plus usual chipped paint). Wondering when we are likely to see the next incarnation of Powerbook. I don't care if its a G4 or G5 or whether it hasn't got the latest ATi Mobility in it, I care about not buying a laptop that's coming to the end of its life cycle now. I will need to be purchasing over the next month or so, certainly before Xmas
Any info going?
Regards
Chris
Any info going?
Regards
Chris
Comments
Originally posted by Chris Hinds
Any info going?
Wild rumor by O'Grady's Powerpage
Originally posted by philby
Wild rumor by O'Grady's Powerpage
They have hardly been accurate in the past with such predictions. Interesting reading though.
Originally posted by PB
They have hardly been accurate in the past with such predictions. Interesting reading though.
Seems pretty blatant Powerpage is making it up.
They are saying that Tiger was supposed to released in September! They are saying Apple is testing Powerbook G4's of 1.8 and 2.0 GHz G4s! They are saying Powerbook G5's could be announced in MWSF05, but shipping in 1.5 months! No idea on which would be announced though.
They really have no idea, not even enough of one to make it sound accurate.
The only thing we know is that the 7448 will be sampling in 1H 05 with volume production in 2H 05, the 8641D will be sampling in 2H 05 with volume production in 1H 06, and that IBM is trying to improve its 90 nm fab so that they can ship low voltage 970fx's. I definitely think IBM will solve its 90 nm well before Freescale can ramp up the 7448.
I definitely think the Powerbook G5 is coming. Well, convinced it is very much possible. It will be announced within the next 4 months. Whether it replaces the Powerbook G4 or is in addition to it will be up to Apple. It is coming though. Just look at the kodawarisan pictures of the 17" iMac G5 internals and compare it to Powerbook internals:
17" iMac G5 internal:
15" Powerbook G4 internal:
17" iMac G5 logic board (from front to back):
15" Powerbook G4 logic board (from bottom to top):
17" iMac G5 970 CPU is passively cooled!:
I think it is fairly obvious that Apple can make a 17" Powerbook G5. It's the iMac G5 without the massive power supply and speakers which occupy the entire chin of the iMac G5. For the 15" Powerbook, Apple will have to squeeze the roomy iMac G5 logic board components together through a higher layered PCB and smaller, but functionally equivalent components (capacitors, resistors, et al). Everything else would also be smaller, notebook hard drives are 4 times smaller than desktop hard drives, SO-DIMMs are twice as small as regular DIMMs, and the ports would be side mounted. It will be a very tight fit as apparent with the 15" Powerbook G4.
Apple's selling plenty of Powerbooks and iBooks without a revision c?
We'll know after their quarterly results.
If they can deliver a G5 by Jan' and looking at your picks it looks as if they can...then why bother with 1.8 gig G4 for a few months?
It's the iMac G5 'without' as you say.
It looks...for a company like Apple?
'Doable'.
Lemon Bon Bon
PS. Will we get a tweaked enclosure? Mock-up artists to the ready...
Originally posted by THT
I think it is fairly obvious that Apple can make a 17" Powerbook G5. It's the iMac G5 without the massive power supply and speakers which occupy the entire chin of the iMac G5. For the 15" Powerbook, Apple will have to squeeze the roomy iMac G5 logic board components together through a higher layered PCB and smaller, but functionally equivalent components (capacitors, resistors, et al). Everything else would also be smaller, notebook hard drives are 4 times smaller than desktop hard drives, SO-DIMMs are twice as small as regular DIMMs, and the ports would be side mounted. It will be a very tight fit as apparent with the 15" Powerbook G4.
Well, I've played around with the 20" iMac the other day, and just from sitting there in the shop showing a screensaver, it had heated up quite nicely, with hot air being blown out at the top, before I even started up an application. A Powerbook G5 using the same components would have to have a really good cooling system built-in. I'd be suprised if it happens before mid-2005, much as I'd like it to.
Originally posted by philby
Well, I've played around with the 20" iMac the other day, and just from sitting there in the shop showing a screensaver, it had heated up quite nicely, with hot air being blown out at the top, before I even started up an application. A Powerbook G5 using the same components would have to have a really good cooling system built-in. I'd be suprised if it happens before mid-2005, much as I'd like it to.
But if (as THT said) Apple uses the 90 nm low voltage G5 chip, then it just might be doable.
Originally posted by DHagan4755
But if (as THT said) Apple uses the 90 nm low voltage G5 chip, then it just might be doable.
The iMac already uses these kinds of chips.
Ibm had tha same pain as the whole rest of the industry to shrink to 90nm without the expected results (lower power / heat) -- after all it's the same physics. So they're hitting the same wall as Intel and AMD etc.
The better approach would be using the freescale dual-core chips.
After all you're not a orthodox processer fanatic, are you?
You care about:
- speed
- the OS
- probably design
- and quality
Andt not whether it's G-whatever ...
I thought the iMac G5 was using the same chips as the Power Mac G5. 90nm or not, I thought the issue of voltage was separate.
Freescale and Crolles will, in all likelihood, not be an exception and will run into issues with their 90 nm. The 25 watts typical dual-core 8641D at 1.5 GHz? Under 10 watts for typical for a 1.4 GHz 7448? It's purely marketing. First off, dollars to donuts, Freescale is using the 2.3 Dhrystone MIPS/MHz "benchmark" for their marketing specs, a benchmark that probably exercises all of 2 integer units. Second, they actually haven't sampled these chips yet and there is no evidence that they have mastered their 90 nm fab. They'll need low-k dielectrics for <1.1 volt chips, and this is from a company who had to backport their low-k to 180 nm in order to produce higher MHz G4s for Apple because they couldn't do it for the 130 nm fab. Since corrected though.
I think the odds are pretty good that the 8641D will hit closer to 50 watts than 25 when first released. There's nothing magic about it. The 8641D is a 150+ million transistor chip. I'm finding it hard to believe that it will run cooler than the 970fx on the same tech.
As for as a 970fx in a Powerbook form factor, I think it is doable. The 970fx in the iMac G5 is passively cooled. In a notebook form factor, I don't see a problem with putting a thin blower on top of it for active cooling.
Originally posted by THT
[...] In a notebook form factor, I don't see a problem with putting a thin blower on top of it for active cooling.
Except for the noise. Especially notebook fans are loud (compared to normal operation noise).
No way: the current 17" 1.5 get's blazing hot and a G5 PB would have to sun at least 1.6 to 1.7 GHZ in oder to top the current PBG4 ... and because of the higher rated bus there will be additional chips (North-/Southbridge) that will generate heat.
No-f-way.
Originally posted by BNOYHTUAWB
Except for the noise. Especially notebook fans are loud (compared to normal operation noise).
They could use quieter fans.
No way: the current 17" 1.5 get's blazing hot and a G5 PB would have to sun at least 1.6 to 1.7 GHZ in oder to top the current PBG4 ... and because of the higher rated bus there will be additional chips (North-/Southbridge) that will generate heat.
I'm thinking 1.8 and 1.6 GHz 970fx. If the low-k dielectric is turning out well, then 2 GHz. Same iMac G5 architecture with 1/3 bus ratio. No big deal with "additional chips". It's not like the Powerbook G4 hasn't had north and south bridges in their designs before.
Originally posted by THT
They could use quieter fans.
I'm thinking 1.8 and 1.6 GHz 970fx. If the low-k dielectric is turning out well, then 2 GHz. Same iMac G5 architecture with 1/3 bus ratio. No big deal with "additional chips". It's not like the Powerbook G4 hasn't had north and south bridges in their designs before.
Just that the current bus speed is about 1/5th of what it will be ...
Originally posted by THT
As for as a 970fx in a Powerbook form factor, I think it is doable. The 970fx in the iMac G5 is passively cooled.
INCORRECT. it is actively cooled. when the case is closed there is air circulation in the iMac G5 and that cools the processor.
Originally posted by Nr9
INCORRECT. it is actively cooled. when the case is closed there is air circulation in the iMac G5 and that cools the processor.
You know. Looking the kodawarisan pictures again, I think you are correct. The 970fx air flow is cooled by the small fan on the very top. Mea culpa.
I guess in terms of volume we're talking about fitting everything into (best case) 1/3 of the space and it needs to be very rugged to allow for portability!
We're talking notebooks here and not some device that will allow you to cook coffee!
Originally posted by THT
You know. Looking the kodawarisan pictures again, I think you are correct. The 970fx air flow is cooled by the small fan on the very top. Mea culpa.
By removing the hot power supply and the TFT panel from the enclosure, putting in GPUs, RAM, hard drives and optical units intended for portable use and placig the fans to directly cool the processor it's still doable. A processors @ 1.5 GHz should also draw less power than the 1.6-1.8 GHz processors in the iMac. And.. really Apple could open up for more air vents and position the fans more cleverly. It's still doable.
Originally posted by Henriok
By removing the hot power supply and the TFT panel from the enclosure, putting in GPUs, RAM, hard drives and optical units intended for portable use and placig the fans to directly cool the processor it's still doable. A processors @ 1.5 GHz should also draw less power than the 1.6-1.8 GHz processors in the iMac. And.. really Apple could open up for more air vents and position the fans more cleverly. It's still doable.
You'd get a 18-19" enclosure (there's an awful lot of whitespace -- pun intended -- around the 17" screen in a iMac) and more than 1"!
Originally posted by BNOYHTUAWB
Remember we're talking about manufaturing a PB that is (screen closed) a mere 1" thick which leaves about 0.75" for the case where everything needs to fit in. In a iMac G5 can easily double that AND there is more space length x width!
I guess in terms of volume we're talking about fitting everything into (best case) 1/3 of the space and it needs to be very rugged to allow for portability!
It is doable. It's always been Apple's choice on what design and market choices they make, and they could have had a 1.5" Powerbook G5 w/130 nm 970 last year if they wanted to. Now, it appears they are only waiting for low-k 970fx chips.