12" Powerbook uses the same motherboard as the future iMac

Posted:
in Future Apple Hardware edited January 2014
Just a guess but:



The 12" powerbook has DDR ram, GeForce 4 graphics card, Ultra ATA/100 harddrive controler, built in bluetooth, connector for airport extreme and is probably useing one of the new G4 chips. Notice how Apple hasn't announced the bus speed on this or the 17" powerbook.



Having the 12" powerbook and iMac use the same basic motherboard would save considerable money and explain how Apple will be able to sell the powerbook for 1799. These are all the features rumored for the new iMac.



More Proof: On the Applespec site, the 12" Powerbook links to the regular apple.com site, not the normal specification page. It seems Apple wants to keep alot of the specs covered up. Also notice how the things won't ship for another 2-4 weeks . . .



<a href="http://www.info.apple.com/support/applespec.html"; target="_blank">Applespec link</a>



[ 01-07-2003: Message edited by: jante99 ]</p>

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 18
    algolalgol Posts: 833member
    Good point I believe it!
  • Reply 2 of 18
    wmfwmf Posts: 1,164member
    The specs always come out a week or two later than the announcement.



    I seriously doubt that the PowerBook and the iMac could share a motherboard, since the cases are completely different shapes.
  • Reply 3 of 18
    I've been trying to find the bus speed all afternoon.... glad I'm not the only one who noticed that.



    the 12" pbook board is so small they could EASILY put it into the normal iMac base.



    I like that theory.
  • Reply 4 of 18
    Excellent post Jante 99. I think it's right on the money.



    This is what an AI thread should be: specific, well-reasoned and deductive. Unfortunately, that's a bit rare around here.
  • Reply 5 of 18
    evoevo Posts: 198member
    If this is true, then according to <a href="http://forums.appleinsider.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=2&t=001914"; target="_blank">this thread</a>, the iMac will be getting a 167MHz bus... maybe the eMac too?
  • Reply 6 of 18
    a@rona@ron Posts: 201member
    AFAIK the 12" uses a 133 bus because it is DDR 266, the 17" uses a 167 bus because it is DDR 333. Is this a reasonable assumption or not? I simply do not know if it is that simple but I suspect it to be. BTW does anyone know if Safari is named so because of the beach boys song 'Surfing Safari'? I think I remember SJ being somewhat of an oldies fan (including beach boys). The referance to surfing is obvious because it is a browser



    A@ron
  • Reply 7 of 18
    evoevo Posts: 198member
    [quote]Originally posted by A@ron:

    <strong>AFAIK the 12" uses a 133 bus because it is DDR 266, the 17" uses a 167 bus because it is DDR 333. Is this a reasonable assumption or not? I simply do not know if it is that simple but I suspect it to be. BTW does anyone know if Safari is named so because of the beach boys song 'Surfing Safari'? I think I remember SJ being somewhat of an oldies fan (including beach boys). The referance to surfing is obvious because it is a browser



    A@ron</strong><hr></blockquote>



    Oh yeah, I guess you're right... but a bus speed bump of only 33MHz in over a year's span of time seems woefully unimpressive
  • Reply 8 of 18
    lucaluca Posts: 3,833member
    Just a year? No, the iMac has had a 100 MHz bus speed since late 1999, when the iMac DV was introduced.



    The iBook had a 66 MHz bus speed from the introduction (mid 1999) until late 2001 when the 600 MHz version came out, and even then, the low end model still had a 66 MHz bus. So the iBook didn't have a 100 MHz bus across the board until May of 2002.



    [ 01-08-2003: Message edited by: Luca Rescigno ]</p>
  • Reply 9 of 18
    jante99jante99 Posts: 539member
    Apple will save enourmous amounts of money if they can use the same motherboard in the 12"Powerbook, iMac, and eMac. A while back there was talk about doing this. I think this is the payoff of all of Apple hard work. I predict the price of the iMac and eMac will go down. Plus I am still hoping that this motherboard uses real DDR bus. Even if it is only 133 ==&gt; 266.



    I guess we will know the answer on January 26th. The day that iLife comes out and the new iMac and eMac.
  • Reply 10 of 18
    matsumatsu Posts: 6,558member
    I think Apple has about 2 years of mot use left in it. I know IBM has some interesting stuff on tap, but thats for the PM's and the BIG Powerbook. DDR in laptops makes sense since it uses less power, and although Apple doesn't have a DDR FSB, the 7457 and 7457RM are supposed to be as drop in a replacement for the 7455 as you can get, topped with nicely scaling speed and very nice power/heat characteristics.



    I think y'all maybe right. The DDR controller is merely waiting for a G4 to fully use it.
  • Reply 11 of 18
    hotboxdhotboxd Posts: 125member
    I think it's more likely that the next iMac will share the motherboard with the 17" Powerbook because of the bus speed and the graphics chip.



    I generally thought that Apple's motherboards used pretty much the same components throughout the model lines, it was just the shape of the actual silicon board that was changed? I don't see how using the exact same motherboards would make much difference in price, silicon isn't expensive to manufacture. It's just the components like the busses, memory controllers etc. that would be shared. It seems that changing the iMac's internal structure to accomodate a motherboard not sized specifically for it would cost more than simply designing a newly shaped silicon board that would fit the iMac's enclosure.
  • Reply 12 of 18
    g-newsg-news Posts: 1,107member
    According to xlr8yourmac, the graphics chip is actually on a separate module, not soldered onto the mainboard. so the graphics card definitely doesn't matter.

    I don't think the iMac will get FireWire 800 and gigabit ethernet. My money is more on the midgetbook idea.



    G-news
  • Reply 13 of 18
    I think it is DDR 2100 as well. In one of the screenshots from Apple System Profiler (I do not recall where) It showed the 17" as having a 167 mhz bus. Anyways, I think for some of these reasons I will pick the redesigned 15.2 inch whenever it is released.
  • Reply 14 of 18
    arty50arty50 Posts: 201member
    An update to the iMac is definitely in the works. I remember Ive or someone high up being asked about the current iMac's memory when it came out. The interviewer was asking why the two RAM slots were different, and the reply mentioned that they had to do this for space reasons but were working on correcting it in a revision.
  • Reply 15 of 18
    screedscreed Posts: 1,077member
    It seems to me more logical that the miniBook will be the bases of a revved e- and iMac and the AluBook predicates a new PowerMac that will bridge the current MDDs and the 970-based PowerMacs (assumptions at full speed) coming in late Summer or Fall or who-the-hell-knows.



    Think about it: Firewire 800 in eMacs and iMacs before a PowerMac revision?!



    Screed
  • Reply 16 of 18
    cliveclive Posts: 720member
    This is just my first impression, could be wrong, but my guess is that the 12" PB board is actually a modified iBook board ? in effect a G4 iBook.



    If you look at the specs, and various bits and pieces, this does fit together:



    Neither PB12 or iBook have Gigabit ethernet or PC card slots or that powered Apple video out thingy.



    Both have almost identical out ports and screens.



    Very similar dimensions.



    And can someone post a big alert once a hack to boot it into 9.x is announced, because I want one!
  • Reply 17 of 18
    yomofoyomofo Posts: 35member
    [quote]Originally posted by jante99:

    <strong>Just a guess but:





    Having the 12" powerbook and iMac use the same basic motherboard would save considerable money and explain how Apple will be able to sell the powerbook for 1799. These are all the features rumored for the new iMac.



    More Proof: On the Applespec site, the 12" Powerbook links to the regular apple.com site, not the normal specification page. It seems Apple wants to keep alot of the specs covered up. Also notice how the things won't ship for another 2-4 weeks . . .

    </strong><hr></blockquote>



    I agree the 12" powerbook is where they should start for the new iMac, but the form factor of ther 12" powerbook and its arrangements of ports makes it clear that it is actually a heavily upgraded and slightly downsized 12.1" iBook.
  • Reply 18 of 18
    kidredkidred Posts: 2,402member
    [quote]Originally posted by eVo:

    <strong>



    Oh yeah, I guess you're right... but a bus speed bump of only 33MHz in over a year's span of time seems woefully unimpressive </strong><hr></blockquote>



    Yea my mom is still bitching that grandma's imac still only has a 100mhz bus
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