Next revision of the Powerbook/iBook?

Posted:
in Future Apple Hardware edited January 2014
Hi all,



I wanted to know if someone has an idea of when will be the next revision/update of the Powerbook or the iBook.

Will there be and update to the powerbook G4's before it's going to use G5 chips (which is going to take quite some time from what I read)?



Thanks alot.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 30
    uhm....the next powerbook/ibooks will have the G99 chips and live your life for you



    seriously though they just updated the portable line...so buy it unless you wanna waot forever...whether or not the next line of powerbooks will have g5's or not is up for debate but i'm not gunna guess.



    As for when they will be updated again...next winter/spring...enjoy
  • Reply 2 of 30
    sh0ewaxsh0ewax Posts: 114member
    There was just a post about this very topic... I'd say it might be a week/2weeks old, still VERY current, said what was said above... and its still to early to tell with all the probelms IBM has been having with the die shrinking of G5. But 8-10 months seems to be the rev-life of the PB's so that seems like a good estimate... That also puts in in prime time for MWSF, plus or minus a couple weeks... good stuff IMO..
  • Reply 3 of 30
    Since I ordered a loaded 15" on Wednesday I'm obviously in the camp that doesn't believe that there will be any significant improvements for a while. There might be one more tweak, but the main engineering work is on the next generation.



    Right now that is also in the air - IBM is having (or had) problems with the 970FX, the Power 5 based Gx is heading to reality and FreeScale (Moto without the duds that screwed up the G4) is also impressing Apple with things scheduled for summer. Best guess is that the Power 5 based chip will go into PM's and the 970fx will go into PBs, unless FreeScale can kick their @ss for less money.



    Look for fall for anything significant unless IBM really pulls something out of the hat.
  • Reply 4 of 30
    ipodandimacipodandimac Posts: 3,273member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by tphss

    Hi all,



    I wanted to know if someone has an idea of when will be the next revision/update of the Powerbook or the iBook.

    Will there be and update to the powerbook G4's before it's going to use G5 chips (which is going to take quite some time from what I read)?



    Thanks alot.




    Just updated, so it's irrelevant when the next updates will be. Also, I doubt you need a G5 powerbook, if you're considering one.
  • Reply 5 of 30
    tphsstphss Posts: 9member
    Thanks alot everyone.



    P.S.

    Ofcourse I don't NEED, but it would be nice

    Anyway if I'll spend so much money on a powerbook and a month later it will be updated, it will be quite annoying.
  • Reply 6 of 30
    nebagakidnebagakid Posts: 2,692member
    I promise to you that in a month's time, your computer will still be a new PowerBook.
  • Reply 7 of 30
    I don't need one. But I'd like one.

    And I don't need one anyway. Maybe I can justify it by the time they arrive. And maybe I'll have enough money to buy one by then.



    I really wanted a G4 when it came out, but there's something not quite right about the AlBooks. For some reason that escapes me, I prefer the TiBooks. I don't know what it is.



    So I'd like a G5 when they get here. I'd be interested in educated guesses as to when they'll get here, so I can save up.



    With the rumours about IBM ramping up the production of 975s in May, it seems reasonable to assume that at least the worst of the problems with the 970FX have already been resolved. (Would it make sense to put alot of resources into making a chip when you can't get its predecessor quite right yet? I have to think not.)
  • Reply 8 of 30
    tphsstphss Posts: 9member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Nebagakid

    I promise to you that in a month's time, your computer will still be a new PowerBook.



    I'm only buying a Powerbook or maybe a iBook on July/August anyway...
  • Reply 9 of 30
    sh0ewaxsh0ewax Posts: 114member
    It will still be new don't worry. Now if you are looking to buy a G5 PB definitevely in the future, you might consider buying an iBook now, then dumping it on eBay by the time the G5 rolls out... You would lose a little cash but it might be worth it to you, depending on how much you want one..
  • Reply 10 of 30
    tphsstphss Posts: 9member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Sh0eWax

    It will still be new don't worry. Now if you are looking to buy a G5 PB definitevely in the future, you might consider buying an iBook now, then dumping it on eBay by the time the G5 rolls out... You would lose a little cash but it might be worth it to you, depending on how much you want one..



    That's a pretty good idea, haven't thought about doing that...
  • Reply 11 of 30
    resres Posts: 711member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by ipodandimac

    Just updated, so it's irrelevant when the next updates will be. Also, I doubt you need a G5 powerbook, if you're considering one.



    I'm so tired of people saying that. Of course he doesn't need a faster computer, in fact, no one needs a computer at all (it is not integral to survival). We just want computers, and there is nothing wrong with wanting a G5 powerbook.



    Truthfully, it is going to take a long time before any computer company comes out with a laptop computer that will really satisfy my "wants." Maybe in an other decade or two. Until then I'll just keep up grading every couple of years to the fastest computer I can afford.



    Right now I'm trying to deiced whether to hold out for a G5 powerbook or get one of the just updated one. It is a tough decision: the new powerbooks are twice as powerful as my current 800MHz G4 Ti powerbook, but not really quite fast enough for some of the recording projects I want to do.
  • Reply 12 of 30
    tphsstphss Posts: 9member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Res

    I'm so tired of people saying that. Of course he doesn't need a faster computer, in fact, no one needs a computer at all (it is not integral to survival). We just want computers, and there is nothing wrong with wanting a G5 powerbook.



    Truthfully, it is going to take a long time before any computer company comes out with a laptop computer that will really satisfy my "wants." Maybe in an other decade or two. Until then I'll just keep up grading every couple of years to the fastest computer I can afford.



    Right now I'm trying to deiced whether to hold out for a G5 powerbook or get one of the just updated one. It is a tough decision: the new powerbooks are twice as powerful as my current 800MHz G4 Ti powerbook, but not really quite fast enough for some of the recording projects I want to do.




    You said just what I wanted to say.

    And I will most likely use the portable computer i'll buy for video editing, picture editing and maybe sound recording, but most likely that I will buy a desktop computer for audio recording and editing.
  • Reply 13 of 30
    sh0ewaxsh0ewax Posts: 114member
    What was said by both of you above is very true, but in the light of recent updates, it seems very unlikely that a new update will be available within the next couple months, thus Spring '05 seems most likely in my opinion... None-the less, if you are going to buy that desktop, look more thuroughly into getting an iBook, it will save you some money, unless you can afford both of the "top-of-the-line" computers available in the pro-user catagory...
  • Reply 14 of 30
    cosmonutcosmonut Posts: 4,872member
    Did anybody else notice something strange about Nebagakid's post?



    I think someone's kicking the habit!
  • Reply 15 of 30
    cocoa treecocoa tree Posts: 31member
    As it seems there are 2 options.

    1. Apple uses a low-voltage version of the PPC970fx with a higher clock multiplier.

    2. Apple uses the Freescale e600.

    I tend to believe that option 1 will be the one.

    Apple could reuse some of its motherboard and system controller design of the PowerMac G5 for the PowerBook. As IBM learns to handle their 0.09 micron process they will be able to aim for an even lower-voltage version.

    Of course it would be perfect for performance and power reasons to have the system controller on the chip. On the other hand that is a little unflexible. If you want to alter the system controller, you would have to change the chip.

    Alternatively IBM could include a bigger cache to compensate for the slower bus.

    Freescale's e600 product is 90% vaporware as of now. I highly doubt, that they are able to improve the e600 core (more pipeline stages for more MegaHertz), add Rapid IO in place of MaxBus and shrink to 0.09 micron all at the same time.

    My prediction is that we will see a PowerBook G5 by AppleExpo 2004 or MWSF 2005.
  • Reply 16 of 30
    matsumatsu Posts: 6,558member
    Reasons why you won't see a PB G5 any time soon:



    The G5 depends on high clock and a huge FSB for it's speed.



    Both things that are very hard to accomodate in a laptop. A G5 with a high FSB multiplier may not be worth it unless the CPU Hz climb a great deal. A faster clocking G5 might all the benefits of a die shrink, and there you are back to square one.



    It's ever more apparent that mobile CPU's will have to develop in a different direction than desktop CPU's.



    Which is not to say that IBM can't do it, or that the G5 isn't a great place to start. It just may be a lot more complicated than a simple die shrink.



    The longer it takes, the more viable moto/frescale becomes.



    Imagine, if you will, today's G4, die shrunk, with a DDR FSB, and 2MB of L3 cache enabled? Moto/freescale is really only one revision away from such a product.



    If you're Apple, would you turn it down?
  • Reply 17 of 30
    messiahtoshmessiahtosh Posts: 1,754member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Sh0eWax

    What was said by both of you above is very true, but in the light of recent updates, it seems very unlikely that a new update will be available within the next couple months, thus Spring '05 seems most likely in my opinion... None-the less, if you are going to buy that desktop, look more thuroughly into getting an iBook, it will save you some money, unless you can afford both of the "top-of-the-line" computers available in the pro-user catagory...



    We will get updates in late September, that's my guess...or possibly by early January (MacWorld San Fran).
  • Reply 18 of 30
    quagmirequagmire Posts: 558member
    When the Powerbook G5's come around I would like to see a 20" screen.
  • Reply 19 of 30
    sh0ewaxsh0ewax Posts: 114member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by quagmire

    When the Powerbook G5's come around I would like to see a 20" screen.



    I imagine it would come with straps already attatched so that you could carry it on your back like a backpack.
  • Reply 20 of 30
    cubistcubist Posts: 954member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Sh0eWax

    I imagine it would come with straps already attatched so that you could carry it on your back like a backpack.



    Or how about pop-out wheels on one corner, with a handle so you could pull it behind you.
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