What will be next?

Posted:
in Future Apple Hardware edited January 2014
Hi!



Ok guys, now that Apple has new products lets begin the new rumors so we can have something to do in our spear time.



1. Powerbook G5

2. Wireless iPod

3. Apple PDA

4. Apple iPad



«1

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 35
    thttht Posts: 5,421member
    Code:




    machine last update

    ------- -----------

    Monitors January 03

    Xserve February 03

    iBook April 03

    eMac May 03

    PowerMac June 03

    iPod September 03

    iMac September 03

    Powerbook September 03









    Looks like the Xserve is next. After that the iBooks. The LCD monitors aren't as cycle intensive as other products, but they could receive price reductions perhaps, or maybe new aluminum design language in their form factors.
  • Reply 2 of 35
    stunnedstunned Posts: 1,096member
    A G5 iMac by early next year would be very nice. Though I doubt it wil happen....
  • Reply 3 of 35
    leonisleonis Posts: 3,427member
    Mojave based iBook
  • Reply 4 of 35
    vr6vr6 Posts: 77member
    I predict the eMac will get USB 2.0 ports and a faster processor.
  • Reply 5 of 35
    matsumatsu Posts: 6,558member
    I'm starting to wonder about the fate of motorola. Unlike others I did not see, I do not see, the G5 as the writing on the wall for moto. Crolles should help them, if they can get some talent back, they probably have designs worth developing. BUT...



    The 7447/57 should have been a far bit further along than they appear to have done. A 1.33 top end on a new .13u process (new for moto that is! ) is just fine for a laptop, but only just, and only for a short while. The G4 stacks up better than you think against mobile X86, but mobile x86 has gotten a LOT better in recent months.



    If Apple can get a G5 even close to acceptable as far as heat/power consumption goes, then the best course of action may be to make the 12" PB into an iBook (take guts, transfer to new plastic shell) and lets have 15 and 17" PB's on a G5 at least. If they can't get the 12 to swallow that hot throbbing lump of 64 bit CPU, I don't think anyone will be too miffed, provided it gets a faster G4 and the same case/IO specs as the G5 PB's. iBooks might look largely the same as a PB12 in my proposed sceme, but without the case and superdrive, and a little cheaper.



    iMacs, eMacs. I think the only thing to do with the eMac is drop the prices a lot and keep them on cheaper and relatively slower g4's. G4's can still get the budget DVD-authoring, photo CD/book making consumer running along at a decent clip. Good enough for a machine that should be cheap above all else.



    iMacs. iMacs are definitely NOT cheap or even really affordable for a consumer machine. Ideally they would drop in to current eMac price territory, keep the G4, for similar reasons to why the eMac needs to be cheap.



    That would leave space for a G5 headless product between the PM's and the iMac. Something SP, and cubish, hoping that by then the PM has moved on to all DUAL configs.



    The you would have a comfortable new distinction for the next couple of years. G4 consumer and G5 professional/high-end.



    Alas, I fear it might take a bit longer than 12 months to realize that.



    Here's hoping both IBM and moto can have increased success in the comming year.
  • Reply 6 of 35
    ragexragex Posts: 126member
    Looks like xServe is next up, probably the next machine to get a G5. The eventual iBook updates will be interesting.
  • Reply 7 of 35
    the g5 can't just be inserted into the existing lineup. take a look at the new PM. look at the fans. the whole thing is constructed to cool that thing.



    i think until something major happens like ibm announcing the wattage can be lowered, then you can begin starting rumors about g5 in the imac and powerbook.





    you know i'm right.
  • Reply 8 of 35
    thttht Posts: 5,421member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by macnn sux

    the g5 can't just be inserted into the existing lineup. take a look at the new PM. look at the fans. the whole thing is constructed to cool that thing.



    Just look at x86 notebooks. They use desktop Pentium 4 chips that use 80+ Watts, Mobile Pentium 4 chips that use 70+ Watts, Pentium 4-M chips that use 40+ Watts, and Pentium-M chips that use 25+ Watts. All of them in notebooks being sold today.



    Apple can very easily have a 1.6 GHz PPC 970, about 40 Watts maximum at 1.1V, notebook if they wanted. They will have to compromise with the thickness, a 1.5+ inch thick notebook will allow for 120+ Watt-hour batteries, twice that of current Apple batteries, and compromise on weight which probably will be around 8 lb.



    Quote:

    i think until something major happens like ibm announcing the wattage can be lowered, then you can begin starting rumors about g5 in the imac and powerbook.



    Apple has already said they intend on shipping 1.1V versions of the 970. They currently are at 1.3V. The voltage reduction reductions power consumption and therefore heat dissipation by about 20%, and along with bus slewing (dynamic voltage and frequency cycling) that is already used in the current Power Mac G5 systems, it is eminently possible to ship a 970 notebook.



    Apple just likes margins more than marketshare. Maybe they cranked the numbers and it shows that they won't sell much more systems with lower margins, and therefore sells the current systems seen. But it isn't because of engineering difficulties stopping them from shipping 970 notebooks.
  • Reply 9 of 35
    chuckerchucker Posts: 5,089member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by THT

    Apple has already said they intend on shipping 1.1V versions of the 970.



    When, where?
  • Reply 10 of 35
    thttht Posts: 5,421member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Chucker

    When, where?



    Whoops, that's IBM, not Apple. As for when, I don't know. There will be 3rd party system ASICs for the 970, some of it for the embedded market, in Q1 04. That's a sensible timeframe to me. IBM would have 6+ months of 130 nm process tweaking by then, so hopefully it'll mean 2.5 GHz 970s and low voltage 1.8 GHz 970s shipping by then.
  • Reply 11 of 35
    Before 2003 ends:
    • eMac update to match new iMac specs

    • Media event to release 2U XServe G5 (to accompany XServe G4).

    Early 2004:
    • iBook redesign adding 1Ghz G3, USB 2, FW 800, Airport Extreme

    • Full redesign of displays

    • iPod update and size bump

    Spring/Summer 2004:
    • PowerMac G5 speed bump

    • PowerBook G5 release

    Sounds feasible to me. It's certainly REALISTIC.
  • Reply 12 of 35
    I would love to see the whole display lineup go widescreen. The 17" LCD used in the iMac 17" and Pbook 17" seems like the natural choice. Would it not be economical to present this same LCD in a standalone product instead of using the current 17?, which is not used in any other of Apple's products? What do you people think?
  • Reply 13 of 35
    New XServes, followed by 1Ghz iBooks and 1.25 Ghz eMacs (to come up to iMac standards.) I predict:

    XServes by the end of the year or at the next show.

    eMacs by the end of the year or next show.

    iBooks by the end of the year (probably November/October.)

    PowerMacs at 2.3/2.5Ghz shipping in early-mid '04 (March or June-ish).

    PowerMacs at 3Ghz shipping in Sep/Oct/early Nov.

    PowerBook G5's in early '04 etc. announced MWSF shipping March or announced WWDC 2004 shipping immediately.

    Panther in late Oct or Nov. Preorders starting Oct.

    Edit: 3Ghz shipping Sep. etc. in 2004.
  • Reply 14 of 35
    Quote:

    Originally posted by delphi485

    I would love to see the whole display lineup go widescreen. The 17" LCD used in the iMac 17" and Pbook 17" seems like the natural choice. Would it not be economical to present this same LCD in a standalone product instead of using the current 17?, which is not used in any other of Apple's products? What do you people think?



    That would be reasonable.

    15" iMac: 1152x768 or 1280x854.

    17" Display: 1440x900.

    14" iBook: 1152x768.

    However not too likely. One reason is that widescreens are often less practical (what orientation is a piece of paper?.) Another is that 1440x900 has less pixels then the current 1280x1024.
  • Reply 15 of 35
    THT,



    ever think apple is not willing to make a 8lb, 1.5inch powerbook because it defeats the purpose of what they feel should be a laptop?



    p4 desltop replacement laptops are monstrocities compared to the simple beauty/functionality of apple powerbooks.



    i disagree with you. i dont think it is possible to implement the g5 at this point and time.
  • Reply 16 of 35
    I think they're going to surprise us, and put out the G5 based iBook next, probably in October to coincide with the release of Panther.



    Specs? I'm guessing:

    Good

    1.4GHz G5

    128M of memory

    20G HD

    Radeon 7500

    12" Widescreen

    New style chipboard case

    Combo drive

    $999



    Better

    1.6GHz G5

    256M of memory

    30G HD

    Radeon 7500

    12" Widescreen

    New style chipboard case

    Combo drive

    $1199



    Best

    1.65GHz G5

    256M of memory

    200G HD

    Radeon 7500

    12" Widescreen

    New style chipboard case

    Superdrive

    $1399



    14" models will be available for $200 more.



    All models will include FW400, USB2, SPDIF, and DVI. The new style case will include a removable keyboard with a replacement that features a trackball with three mouse buttons as an option.



    Well, you did ask.
  • Reply 17 of 35
    thttht Posts: 5,421member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by macnn sux

    ever think apple is not willing to make a 8lb, 1.5inch powerbook because it defeats the purpose of what they feel should be a laptop?



    But that's the problem, it shouldn't really be about what Apple thinks. It should be about what the market wants, and there is a market for all sorts of different laptops, including 8 lb 1.5+ inch and 3 lb 0.8 inch laptops. Tartarus, back in the Powerbook G3 days, Apple in fact had 1.5+ inch laptops.



    Quote:

    p4 desltop replacement laptops are monstrocities compared to the simple beauty/functionality of apple powerbooks.



    The existence of a Powerbook G5 does not negate the existence of a Powerbook G4, or a laptop with the current ~1 inch thick form factors.



    Quote:

    i disagree with you. i dont think it is possible to implement the g5 at this point and time.



    It's not an engineering problem. It's Apple not wanting to or not having the resources (manufacturing, people) to do so.
  • Reply 18 of 35
    moogsmoogs Posts: 4,296member
    We're almost guaranteed a second helping of G5 tower this winter, because there's no way in hell we're going to jump from 2GHz to 3 GHz in one update. There will be some middle ground somewhere, and logically it will be roughly 4-5 months from now.



    I think MWSF will have a couple hardware announcements (announcement being the operative word). I think it's very likely the 4:3 17" ASD is going bye bye. Say hello to 17" wide screen, possibly a LCD element refresh for the other two ACDs to improve the specs / performance a bit. The former is certainly overdue. If there are new ACDs, I think they'll be available almost right away.



    Not available right away: the G5 lineup will move to something like SP 2.0 GHz, DP 2.2 GHZ, DP 2.4 GHz, and I suspect the new chips may be a tweaked 970 (errata). Does anyone know if it is possible to make architectural changes to things like the ALUs without a complete re-design / starting from ground zero? This seems unlikely to me but it would be nice if IBM could do something about the lackluster integer performance.
  • Reply 19 of 35
    iBook and Xservers both depending on IBM.



    That is when IBM have the faster G3 and when IBM have released their own Linux 970 blade servers. BTW have they even been demoed after that pulled demo in CEBIT in February?
  • Reply 20 of 35
    addisonaddison Posts: 1,185member
    PANTHER IS NEXT. Panther is more important to 95% of user then new machines as it will offer a significant speed boost over Jaguar.



    On Hardware...



    I think xServe will be next and then iBooks. I expect xServe to get a speed bump before moving to the G5.



    I think iMacs will move to the 7457 at around 1.6ghz in January when the G5 gets a speed bump. I think the G5 will change to 1 x SP and 2 x DP.
Sign In or Register to comment.