(Rumor) G4 speedbump on Monday
I'm never one to actually be the source of a rumour BUT a buddy of mine works for Ingram Micro and said that Apple would be doing a semi-quiet low-key G4 speed bump "next monday". (I can never figure out if people are saying THIS Monday or a Monday a week or more away.)
Either way, he said that they were told to be ready to update the product SKU list and one of the companies listed was Apple. He pressed his boss (who is essentially one of Apple's biggest direct buyers) and he said only they were G4 867, 933, and 1Ghz machines. He said Apple was going to offer dual's as BTO at any speed but only at the Apple store. Which ruffled IM's feathers. He said that other than speed the only other change was RAM/hard drive size. No other changes on stock configs ( much less a mobo change)
Now the friend of a friend part....
He has a friend who works for a Apple related vendor/developer who said that Apple wanted this speed bump to be a quiet one because these products would only ship for less than 4 months because they are to be EOL'ed at MWNY were G5's would be released/announced. He said the G5 were the machines that everyone is hearing the 1.2, 1.4 1.6 Ghz speeds from and that they wold absolutely be ready in quantity for MWNY. He said that he had seen a bare shell case and one of the immediate things he noticed was a firewire port and a USB port connection at the front of the machine.
This guy has never claimed to know anything in the past when I have asked him about upcoming products so I at least believe that this is indeed what he was told. Hopefully , it's accurate.
MSKR
Either way, he said that they were told to be ready to update the product SKU list and one of the companies listed was Apple. He pressed his boss (who is essentially one of Apple's biggest direct buyers) and he said only they were G4 867, 933, and 1Ghz machines. He said Apple was going to offer dual's as BTO at any speed but only at the Apple store. Which ruffled IM's feathers. He said that other than speed the only other change was RAM/hard drive size. No other changes on stock configs ( much less a mobo change)
Now the friend of a friend part....
He has a friend who works for a Apple related vendor/developer who said that Apple wanted this speed bump to be a quiet one because these products would only ship for less than 4 months because they are to be EOL'ed at MWNY were G5's would be released/announced. He said the G5 were the machines that everyone is hearing the 1.2, 1.4 1.6 Ghz speeds from and that they wold absolutely be ready in quantity for MWNY. He said that he had seen a bare shell case and one of the immediate things he noticed was a firewire port and a USB port connection at the front of the machine.
This guy has never claimed to know anything in the past when I have asked him about upcoming products so I at least believe that this is indeed what he was told. Hopefully , it's accurate.
MSKR
Comments
A quiet overnight speedbump just to keep the sales up a teeny bit, then a proper new Powermac in the middle of the year.
Which won't be a G5.
Which doesn't exist yet.
ok...
Power Mac G4 expected to break 1GHz next week
January 18 - 09:10 ET: Apple will revise its Power Mac G4 configurations on Tuesday, January 22, or shortly thereafter, MacMinute has confirmed. Apple U.S. sources tell us three configurations will be offered: 800MHz, 933MHz, and dual-1GHz, with all models "shipping immediately." Pricing and additional specifications are unclear, although sources suggest that Apple may make the SuperDrive standard on all systems. MacUser UK, meanwhile, is also reporting that the high-end Power Mac G4 configuration will top out at dual-1GHz. <hr></blockquote>
[ 01-18-2002: Message edited by: Fran441 ]</p>
The iMac is too good of a deal to pass up, especially right now that I need a new machine.
Dude, I'm gettin an iMac!
(after the PM is quietly updated of course, just in case they do surprise us with a G5 )
Hmm...reaching 1GHz is reaching 1GHz.
1.2 GHZ would be breaking it. I wish these rumour sites would get their "facts" straight!
At least we know that a handfull will be a megahertz or two over 1 GHz, 'breaking' the gigahertz 'barrier'.
A 1.6 GHz will not come out now on the other hand.
[ 01-18-2002: Message edited by: the revealer ]</p>
I wasn't expecting a G5, but I was expecting more than this. Hopefully the dual gigs will be $2999 US.
Please. This is such a f*cking joke. I doubt you understand the first thing about RISC vs. CISC in the context of current processors(G4/Athlon/P4). To be honest, neither do I, except that I understand enough to know that a gross oversimplification like "RISC vs. CISC" is absurd when you are talking about the highly complex of today. First of all G4 is hardly totally RISC, and the P4 and Athlon are hardly totally CISC. Secondly your whole belief that CISC is inherently inferior is bullshit. And lastly, you ignore the differences in other components. Apple machines still have 133MHz buses and crap graphics cards.
The current towers are crap, and Apple is sadly mistaken if they think a 1GHz machine can tide Mac users off until MWNY. It is the Flower Power iMac all over again.
<strong>I sure hope they put the Superdrive standard across the line. I was waiting for this news to decide for sure on my iMac purchase. I can't wait till MWNY for a G5 (especially not knowing it will really come to pass or not).
The iMac is too good of a deal to pass up, especially right now that I need a new machine.
Dude, I'm gettin an iMac!
(after the PM is quietly updated of course, just in case they do surprise us with a G5 )</strong><hr></blockquote>
I, for one, hope that if a SuperDrive is standard across the line I'll have the BTO option of downgrading the drive. It's really not something I'm interested in paying for. Even if it only shaved $200 off the price, I'd gladly drop it in favor of a ComboDrive or a regular old DVD drive.
I'm getting a iMac. I'll sacrafice the 5% performance delta and expansion (I've never upgraded any PC I've owner more than RAM and HD)
I'm only going to miss the 60% more real estate 1280x1024 gives you.
15 inch LCD, 867mhz G4, Superdrive???, 133mhz bus, 3 PCI, 1 AGP, and what video card?
or
$1799
15 inch LCD, 800mhz G4, Superdrive, 100mhz bus, no pci, GeForce2MX
Yikes!
If Apple cuts the 15 inch LCD out of the product line and puts the 17 inch in its place then that would be a much better value...but what are the chances of a 17 inch LCD at 599? I'd say ZERO.
SkullMac, you're right, you should be able to downgrade to a Combo or DVD. But I think the Superdrive will have to be standard to compete with the iMac.
Please. Apple can't control Motorola and when the Apollo will be done. Apple can't control Motorola and when the G5 will be done.
Apple can't magically produce a G4+/G5 machine at 2 GHz and say 'Tada'. They need to have the chips from Motorola, and they don't.
This is why we saw no new Power Macs at MWSF, and this is why we are seeing 7450 dual 1 GHz machines next week (hopefully).
Maybe you'd rather have Apple hold out until MWNY without breaking the gigahertz barrier. I can't tell whether or not you want that to happen.
But as I posted in another thread, Apple has NEVER released a new machine which makes the old top of the line model they sold the day before completely obsolete. The last time that it even came close was when the G4 was introduced, and Apple continued selling G3 towers until the G4s shipped. Plus, the clock speeds were still similar enough to not cause a major issue.
We are seeing the same thing here: the machines will start at 867 MHz and go up to 1 GHz.
A dual 1 GHz G4 is welcome news to me. We'll finally be over 1 GHz.
G-News
After thinking about this, this is in line with what Apple has done in the past, which is to force feed the resellers not-so-ideal spec'ed machines and then offer amore popular, spec as BTO via the website. (as in duals in the past)
MSKR
<strong>these products would only ship for less than 4 months because they are to be EOL'ed at MWNY were G5's would be released/announced. </strong><hr></blockquote>
Unless my math is wrong, "less than 4 months" after Jan 22 is not MWNY, it is May ... which is when the WWDC is. A new processor, 64-bit OS, etc seems like something that the geeks at WWDC would like to see.
<strong>Get rid of your Apple stock NOW, before it's too late. If the specs are what we're being told, stocks will take a major dive until the G5 is eventually announced at MWNY.
G-News</strong><hr></blockquote>
Are you joking? Apple is already selling more iMacs than they can build. Not everyone is as fixated on clock speed.