The xStation name fits nicely with xServer etc. Given that PowerMacs are increasingly associated with lame performance, Apple may be choosing to rebrand their towers with a new case and name that matches other well received portions of their product line.
Ergo, their probably isn't two tower lines but one new one and the end of the old one. A rebranding would greatly help emphasize the all new architecture.
Didn't we see a diagonal ship layout before? Is this new? No wait, that was a diagonal layout on a daughtercard. Hm.
The bit you quoted described a CPU mounted diagonally on a daughtercard. It's just that Google hilariously translated "daughter cards" as "charts girl".
I can't stop thinking about the length of these boards. I agree that it sounds like a Xserve 1U rack size board to me as well. I would certainly use a PowerMac in a 1, or 2U rack space if it had all the features of my standing desktop PowerMac model, but I fear that PCI-(X) space would be limited, and I would end up buying an Apple, or more likely a cheaper 3rd party Raid setup for added drive space. That would be totally unacceptable.
On the other hand if Apple is designing a new PowerMac enclosure for the 970 I hope they do not loose the drop down door. The convenience of the door alone is worth it's weight in gold, and everybody that ever expanded drive space, or memory, or just opened the thing is aware of it.
I'm wondering if the alleged format of these mobos points the way to a post El-Capitan case design. Is it possible that Apple is preparing a kind of blade-inspired desktop? I'd like to think so. Perhaps the SMP-friendly 970 + PCI-X + an innovative case design = even more reasons to be a happy Mac fanboy!
Wasn't the original NeXT Cube kinda blade-like? Not really one, but with a passive backplane that the MB card and another card(s) plugged into? The idea was to offer unusually good flexibility (for the time) in a relatively compact package.
Scratch my reference to PCI-X above: RapidIO would appear to be the best candidate here:
Quote:
IBM Microelectronics will continue to use Rapid I/O in its PowerPC chips in the future, said Calpesh Gala, a marketing manager for IBM PowerPC.
"There are a variety of technical, marketplace and customer reasons why we feel this interconnect outshines PCI Express," Gala said.
IBM Microelectronics evaluated PCI Express and also HyperTransport, but found Rapid I/O to be superior in speed, offering higher bandwidth, and in functionality, such as quick recovery from errors, Gala said.
If 970 performance dropped into the current PM prices tomorrow it be barely acceptable, in three to six months it'd already tread in the too high category, if they make their desktop macs any more expensive, regardless of the performance, then they've clearly lost it.
Let's also keep in mind that Fred Anderson has acknowledged that PowerMac price/performance has lagged and that Apple is going to take aggressive steps to revive it. Replacing it with a more powerful machine at twice the price doesn't sound like a very sensible approach.
As I recall, Jobs really liked his NeXT cube, which he temporarily revisited with the Mac Cube. However, it was too small, too difficult to upgrade, too expensive...a dead end. Now, we have an upcoming powerhouse of a CPU, with a strong upgrade path, backed by industry technology leader IBM.
The thought occurs to me that this might be a good opportunity to revisit the cube design. The odd shape of the reported two new motherboards gave me this thought. What if these new mother(?)boards were designed to plug into a backplane, alá the old NeXT cube design? The basic case shell would contain the backplane, all the usual port/connectors on the back with power supply and hard/DVD/CDROM drives; USB, FW, headphone jacks on the front. With such a modular design, true power users could add additional boards, perhaps up to four, while the basic box would only come with one board (either single or dual CPU version).
Such a modular construction could handle the entire Mac desktop lineup. Low end consumer boxes would be outfitted with the single CPU board, and perhaps even a backplane that didn't allow for more than one or two boards in a smaller case design, while the PowerMac lineup would come with the larger cube and be configured with from one through four single/dual CPU boards.
Such a design would allow true performance users the opportunity to throw money at the box and load it up with eight CPUs, while mere mortals could satisfy themselves with a simpler configuration. Of course, Apple would have to select several standard configurations to simplify the purchasing decision of regular users.
Now I'd like to hear from the true tech heads on this forum as to whether such a modular design would really be viable. Are such backplanes horrendously expensive? Would the firmware to handle multiple boards plugged into a single plane be prohibitively difficult to create or expensive to implement? Remember, the entry level box has to remain in the low $1500 range.
This just seemed such a logical approach. Apple has the opportunity to begin moving ahead and once again set the hardware standard. Since they have to completely redesign the electronics of the Mac to accommodate the new CPU, why not create an architecture that'll support rapidly upscaling the Mac's performance over the next few years?
Confirmed: New PowerMac Motherboards To Use PPC 970
A source inside one of the three OEM manufacturing companies now preparing bids on producing the two next generation PowerMac motherboards offered additional information about the new boards late Thursday.
According to our source, the new motherboards are designed around the IBM PPC 970 processor, with one board being a single processor design, and the other running two processors. This source states that he has seen and inspected pre-production board samples populated with the PPC 970 chips. Additionally, the bid deadline for constructing these boards was reaffirmed as March 28th, only one-week from today.
Two different MOBOS only for Power Macs or for pros & consumer
Confirmed: New PowerMac Motherboards To Use PPC 970
A source inside one of the three OEM manufacturing companies now preparing bids on producing the two next generation PowerMac motherboards offered additional information about the new boards late Thursday.
According to our source, the new motherboards are designed around the IBM PPC 970 processor, with one board being a single processor design, and the other running two processors. This source states that he has seen and inspected pre-production board samples populated with the PPC 970 chips. Additionally, the bid deadline for constructing these boards was reaffirmed as March 28th, only one-week from today.
Two different MOBOS only for Power Macs or for pros & consumer
If true this could signal the beginning of a split PowerMac line that I have been waiting for. A single processor, smaller PowerMac line in the $1200-$1700 range, and a high end dual processor PowerMac line in the $1800-$3000 range.
If Apple sold a 970 computer for $1200-$1500 with the 9700 (wow, 970, 9700, what an amazing combo! ), I'd buy it in a heartbeat. It won't happen though...this inexpensive beast would outperform the more expensive iMacs.
If Apple sold a 970 computer for $1200-$1500 with the 9700 (wow, 970, 9700, what an amazing combo! ), I'd buy it in a heartbeat. It won't happen though...this inexpensive beast would outperform the more expensive iMacs.
And you now what.. Me and my brother would too.
This would be THE mac for gamers! Which Apple lacks...
Powermacs will remain as they are. The 970 based computers will be completely different in form and will have a new name. They will be considerbly more expensive then the current PowerMac line. This is a given as ramping up new chips means less output and higher prices at first. Look for a price range of $2999 and up for low end system. This is the way it will be. Those that think it will come on the market at $1500 need a reality check.
Comments
Ergo, their probably isn't two tower lines but one new one and the end of the old one. A rebranding would greatly help emphasize the all new architecture.
I've visited the EG Plant several times. It's just an assembly, help desk, shipping facility.
Originally posted by sCreeD
Didn't we see a diagonal ship layout before? Is this new? No wait, that was a diagonal layout on a daughtercard. Hm.
The bit you quoted described a CPU mounted diagonally on a daughtercard. It's just that Google hilariously translated "daughter cards" as "charts girl".
Originally posted by onlooker
I can't stop thinking about the length of these boards. I agree that it sounds like a Xserve 1U rack size board to me as well. I would certainly use a PowerMac in a 1, or 2U rack space if it had all the features of my standing desktop PowerMac model, but I fear that PCI-(X) space would be limited, and I would end up buying an Apple, or more likely a cheaper 3rd party Raid setup for added drive space. That would be totally unacceptable.
On the other hand if Apple is designing a new PowerMac enclosure for the 970 I hope they do not loose the drop down door. The convenience of the door alone is worth it's weight in gold, and everybody that ever expanded drive space, or memory, or just opened the thing is aware of it.
I'm wondering if the alleged format of these mobos points the way to a post El-Capitan case design. Is it possible that Apple is preparing a kind of blade-inspired desktop? I'd like to think so. Perhaps the SMP-friendly 970 + PCI-X + an innovative case design = even more reasons to be a happy Mac fanboy!
Mmmmm ........ microblades ........
Gone fuzzy over the years.
IBM Microelectronics will continue to use Rapid I/O in its PowerPC chips in the future, said Calpesh Gala, a marketing manager for IBM PowerPC.
"There are a variety of technical, marketplace and customer reasons why we feel this interconnect outshines PCI Express," Gala said.
IBM Microelectronics evaluated PCI Express and also HyperTransport, but found Rapid I/O to be superior in speed, offering higher bandwidth, and in functionality, such as quick recovery from errors, Gala said.
http://www.zdnet.com.au/reviews/computers/components/story/0,2000023499,20270191,00.htm
(Yes, I know that PCI-X is not the same as PCI Express ... the difference makes the above quote even more compelling.)
Originally posted by Matsu
If 970 performance dropped into the current PM prices tomorrow it be barely acceptable, in three to six months it'd already tread in the too high category, if they make their desktop macs any more expensive, regardless of the performance, then they've clearly lost it.
Let's also keep in mind that Fred Anderson has acknowledged that PowerMac price/performance has lagged and that Apple is going to take aggressive steps to revive it. Replacing it with a more powerful machine at twice the price doesn't sound like a very sensible approach.
The thought occurs to me that this might be a good opportunity to revisit the cube design. The odd shape of the reported two new motherboards gave me this thought. What if these new mother(?)boards were designed to plug into a backplane, alá the old NeXT cube design? The basic case shell would contain the backplane, all the usual port/connectors on the back with power supply and hard/DVD/CDROM drives; USB, FW, headphone jacks on the front. With such a modular design, true power users could add additional boards, perhaps up to four, while the basic box would only come with one board (either single or dual CPU version).
Such a modular construction could handle the entire Mac desktop lineup. Low end consumer boxes would be outfitted with the single CPU board, and perhaps even a backplane that didn't allow for more than one or two boards in a smaller case design, while the PowerMac lineup would come with the larger cube and be configured with from one through four single/dual CPU boards.
Such a design would allow true performance users the opportunity to throw money at the box and load it up with eight CPUs, while mere mortals could satisfy themselves with a simpler configuration. Of course, Apple would have to select several standard configurations to simplify the purchasing decision of regular users.
Now I'd like to hear from the true tech heads on this forum as to whether such a modular design would really be viable. Are such backplanes horrendously expensive? Would the firmware to handle multiple boards plugged into a single plane be prohibitively difficult to create or expensive to implement? Remember, the entry level box has to remain in the low $1500 range.
This just seemed such a logical approach. Apple has the opportunity to begin moving ahead and once again set the hardware standard. Since they have to completely redesign the electronics of the Mac to accommodate the new CPU, why not create an architecture that'll support rapidly upscaling the Mac's performance over the next few years?
especially considering you could put 2 motherboards in a single cube. 2 computers in one.
kind of nifty.
A tiny bit of history.
Chas
Originally posted by Macmedia
Tried to find some info on the Elk Grove factory and turned up this piece on iMac Production.
I live in the area and can tell you that the so-called Elk Grove Apple factory is actually in a community known as "Laguna Creek".
So, its called the "Laguna" plant around here.
Originally posted by onlooker
And, dual processors for the high end models, not just low end.
So the 2x1.42 Ghz is low-end, and 1 GHz model is high-end?
http://www.envestco2.com/macwhispers...ves/000050.php
March 21, 2003
Confirmed: New PowerMac Motherboards To Use PPC 970
A source inside one of the three OEM manufacturing companies now preparing bids on producing the two next generation PowerMac motherboards offered additional information about the new boards late Thursday.
According to our source, the new motherboards are designed around the IBM PPC 970 processor, with one board being a single processor design, and the other running two processors. This source states that he has seen and inspected pre-production board samples populated with the PPC 970 chips. Additionally, the bid deadline for constructing these boards was reaffirmed as March 28th, only one-week from today.
Two different MOBOS only for Power Macs or for pros & consumer
Originally posted by Fat Freddy
News from MacWhispers:
http://www.envestco2.com/macwhispers...ves/000050.php
March 21, 2003
Confirmed: New PowerMac Motherboards To Use PPC 970
A source inside one of the three OEM manufacturing companies now preparing bids on producing the two next generation PowerMac motherboards offered additional information about the new boards late Thursday.
According to our source, the new motherboards are designed around the IBM PPC 970 processor, with one board being a single processor design, and the other running two processors. This source states that he has seen and inspected pre-production board samples populated with the PPC 970 chips. Additionally, the bid deadline for constructing these boards was reaffirmed as March 28th, only one-week from today.
Two different MOBOS only for Power Macs or for pros & consumer
If true this could signal the beginning of a split PowerMac line that I have been waiting for. A single processor, smaller PowerMac line in the $1200-$1700 range, and a high end dual processor PowerMac line in the $1800-$3000 range.
Originally posted by T'hain Esh Kelch
MmMmm... Do I smell gamer-cube...?
If Apple sold a 970 computer for $1200-$1500 with the 9700 (wow, 970, 9700, what an amazing combo!
Originally posted by kim kap sol
If Apple sold a 970 computer for $1200-$1500 with the 9700 (wow, 970, 9700, what an amazing combo!
And you now what.. Me and my brother would too.
This would be THE mac for gamers! Which Apple lacks...
Originally posted by T'hain Esh Kelch
And you now what.. Me and my brother would too.
This would be THE mac for gamers! Which Apple lacks...
Well...we can all dream about it.
Originally posted by kim kap sol
Well...we can all dream about it.
And we certainly do! 8)