theory on: imac update/mysterious 1.42GHz 7455
Apple upgraded the PowerMacs before the iMacs 3 times now. The new 1.42Ghz PowerMacs are faster than before but still seem to have the 7455 under their hood. So where in the world did the PPC7457 go?
Perhaps the small iMacs cases can not withstand the heat of the faster 7455 and apple has been waiting on the promised 7457 to update the iMacs. Of course, as we know motorola, as usual, is having trouble with yeilds of 7457s faster than 1.42Ghz. Maybe apple has enough to update the iMac or the Powermac but not both. Apple couldn't give the iMac a faster bus than the Powermac. It is possible apple could have dumped the 7457 into PowerMacs and left the iMacs to rot, but why pay the price of a new chip that, like the rest of the G4 series, is having trouble scaling already. That is if you plan to change your chip supplier...
According to Motorola documents the PPC7457 was supposed to be out by February. It is true they were having problems with yeilds faster than 1.42Ghz, but apple could have put the 7457 in the top end PM as to provide a faster bus and bigger L2 cache. So whats going on here? Why can Motorola get the 7457 to go faster than 1.42Ghz but the 7455 is already running in the new PMs at that same speed. This makes no sense! The only reasonable explanation is that, after motorola's last pitfall with poor yeilds of the 7457, apple cancelled all their future orders with motorola. Perhaps they got some good news form their freinds at IBM.
We all know that the PPC970 from IBM is the most likely candidate, but none of us really have a good idea as to when to expect this chip. It seems to me that if you look at Apple's rather funky lineup that it seems they are waiting on something. Why upgrade the iMacs, iBooks, and the 15" Powerbooks if you are about to come out with a chip that is 2 times faster than the current one. It seems that Apple is just trying to get by for the next few months on minimal upgrades. The rather odd absence to the 7457 and the mysterious 1.42Ghz 7455 lead me to believe that this is the last line of G4 computers. Actually I am quite sure we will not see a G4 Mac in any 2004 product. This, however, will be a year of transition.
Perhaps the small iMacs cases can not withstand the heat of the faster 7455 and apple has been waiting on the promised 7457 to update the iMacs. Of course, as we know motorola, as usual, is having trouble with yeilds of 7457s faster than 1.42Ghz. Maybe apple has enough to update the iMac or the Powermac but not both. Apple couldn't give the iMac a faster bus than the Powermac. It is possible apple could have dumped the 7457 into PowerMacs and left the iMacs to rot, but why pay the price of a new chip that, like the rest of the G4 series, is having trouble scaling already. That is if you plan to change your chip supplier...
According to Motorola documents the PPC7457 was supposed to be out by February. It is true they were having problems with yeilds faster than 1.42Ghz, but apple could have put the 7457 in the top end PM as to provide a faster bus and bigger L2 cache. So whats going on here? Why can Motorola get the 7457 to go faster than 1.42Ghz but the 7455 is already running in the new PMs at that same speed. This makes no sense! The only reasonable explanation is that, after motorola's last pitfall with poor yeilds of the 7457, apple cancelled all their future orders with motorola. Perhaps they got some good news form their freinds at IBM.
We all know that the PPC970 from IBM is the most likely candidate, but none of us really have a good idea as to when to expect this chip. It seems to me that if you look at Apple's rather funky lineup that it seems they are waiting on something. Why upgrade the iMacs, iBooks, and the 15" Powerbooks if you are about to come out with a chip that is 2 times faster than the current one. It seems that Apple is just trying to get by for the next few months on minimal upgrades. The rather odd absence to the 7457 and the mysterious 1.42Ghz 7455 lead me to believe that this is the last line of G4 computers. Actually I am quite sure we will not see a G4 Mac in any 2004 product. This, however, will be a year of transition.
Comments
If apple planned on staying with the G4 PowerMacs for at least 6 months why wouldn't they just wait a while for the 7457 to meet minimum yeilds. The only reason they would update the Powermacs prematurely, since they were really not that old, is that they plan to upgrade them again really soon. They just wanted one last upgrade to keep sales up this quarter.
Apple seems bent on artificially propping up iMac sales with pathetic low end tower offerings. Stupid, because a cheap tower almost certainly has a better margin than a custom enclosed LCD included iMac. Ah well, it's the year of the laptop and now you know why.
Too bad there isn't a desktop worthy of the new 20 and 23" FP displays.
<strong>IF THE iMAC DIES IT IS BECAUSE THEY HAVE NOT GIVEN THE DAMN THING AN UPGRADE IN 13 MONTHS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :eek: :eek: <img src="graemlins/oyvey.gif" border="0" alt="[oyvey]" />
Could not say it better myself!
I see the new 1ghz powermac as a switcher machine for those that want to be able to upgrade. You can get a 1ghz powermac and a 17" lcd for about 200 bucks more than the 17"imac.
<strong>So where in the world did the PPC7457 go?</strong><hr></blockquote>
Where did it go? How about it is not coming.
Outside of some leaked MOT pdf file, has the 7457 been mentioned? If you look back over MOTs history, all of the 7400 series were announced MONTHS before their release at some microprocessor forum. So why would all of the sudden this revision just "slip out" and into future macs. For all everyone knows it is vaporware, and doens't exist. I would not get my hopes up of ever seeing this supposed chip, as until MOT announces it at a microprocessor forum, there is nothing!
[ 01-28-2003: Message edited by: kupan787 ]</p>
<strong>iMac sales are VERY MUCH relavent to this thread.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Damnit this is my thread I decide what is relavent! lol
Oh and the reason I think the 7457 is about ready is becuase it would be the logical progression of the G4. (and all the Motorola documents stating that it would be available starting 1Q-03) If there is no 7457 then there is no future to the G4. Either way I would be right in the long run.
<strong>
there is no future to the G4.</strong><hr></blockquote>
ah the first bit of sanity so far
if main G4 production/development switches away from motorola and to IBM, then perhaps the G4 has a future. Someone clarify this question of mine: I know IBM produces the G3, but can they actually develop the G3/G4 or simply produce what Motorola develops? I'm curious as to the IP of the situation.
one lesson learned over the past few years has been to trust motorola as far as you can throw a tuxedo sock: counting on something like a 7457 is simply not realistic
as for the iMacs, they are not a failed idea: they just won't sell at their current price/performance point. even joe shmoe sees the lack of value in the iMac line. A significant speed bump/price drop will do the trick. People like cute desktops--a laptop is not for everyone...repeat, a laptop is not for everyone! Plenty of Joe Shmoes only use their computer at home and will not ever have the incling or no-how to upgrade
<strong>Considering the current trend I would expect a nice prioce drop on the iMac line. I don;t see how they are dead, however, that's just an idiotic baseless whine.</strong><hr></blockquote>
it's not an idiotic baseless whine. 15" iMac sales are stagnent. is it DEFINITELY because they are under-spec'd and overpriced? not necessarily. it is possible people just aren't into the whole iMac idea. furthermore, some might contend that apple will keep with the 15" lcd at a not particularly appealing price/performance ratio. i don't agree either notion, but calling the idea idiotic is simply unnecessary.
[ 01-28-2003: Message edited by: Reality ]</p>
My guess is that its just not ready yet in the volumes Apple needs, and the iMac update can wait a month or two because once they do update it the production run can be fairly long (even if a few speed bumps happen along the way).
The PowerMac, on the other hand, is suffering from poor sales (the worst of Apple's lineup) and if they are going to replace it in the Aug-Sept timeframe it doesn't make sense to put off the production run because then it'll be too short and excess inventory is bound to be left over. The existing G4 design will be completely replaced by the new design. Considering the leap in performance the 970 represents, it should be clear that any unsold G4s with the 970 arrives aren't going to be moving anywhere.
this update has given us new clues into apples future processor strategy.
the chips in the purported specs are 7455,just by the cache sizes stated.
the 7455 has ramped to 1.42 ghz on a 0.18um process no less.
now,what of the 7447,7557?
it looks like they will be the low power chips used in the imac/powerbook lines.
from this we can guess that the next powermac update could be the mythical 970!
perhaps as early as MWNY2003!!!!!
<strong>We know the 7457 is coming soon because of the March conference notes that specifically mention it.
My guess is that its just not ready yet in the volumes Apple needs, and the iMac update can wait a month or two because once they do update it the production run can be fairly long (even if a few speed bumps happen along the way).
The PowerMac, on the other hand, is suffering from poor sales (the worst of Apple's lineup) and if they are going to replace it in the Aug-Sept timeframe it doesn't make sense to put off the production run because then it'll be too short and excess inventory is bound to be left over. The existing G4 design will be completely replaced by the new design. Considering the leap in performance the 970 represents, it should be clear that any unsold G4s with the 970 arrives aren't going to be moving anywhere.</strong><hr></blockquote>
------
I agree with you on the PowerMac side of things. I just think that the iMac has run into heat trouble or something cause not upgrading in 12+ months can't be normal.
Oh and President Bush wants to lower taxes, raise spending, save Africa, and Blow up Iraq. Its getting hard for me to vote Republican. Oh sorry off topic... I'm just pissed!
Besides, I am waiting to buy one which makes me very impatient.
<strong>it is possible people just aren't into the whole iMac idea.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Possible, but not likely given the massive sales at the outset, and the continued strong sales of the 17" model despite the price tag.
I continue to believe that the deal-breaker is the 15" LCD. There's no other way to explain why it floundered while the 17" sold - and sells - well despite having a premium price tag, and exactly the same machinery under the dome as the 15". Given that, I think a revamped iMac with a 17" LCD, DDR RAM, Airport Extreme, Bluetooth, etc. for $1199 or $1299 would be a strong seller. If there's some way Apple could get a baseline iMac under $1K, they could upsell to the $1299 model easily enough.
Also, note that Apple stopped manufacturing the 15" Studio Display at about the same time they stopped manufacturing the 15" iMac. If a 15" remains in the lineup it might inherit the same screen as the mid-line TiBook and get pushed down to a low price point. But I think the line will go all 17", and a reengineered eMac will hold the low end.
The 7457 will give Apple a lot of options. It doesn't have to clock higher out of the starting gate than the mature 7455 if it makes its debut in the consumer line - it just has to be cooler and cheaper, which it will be unless Moto is disguising a significant revision behind a product number that implies a mere tweak. Consumers don't even have to know it's a new chip. It will simply be a faster G4. By the time the 970 bows in, Apple should be able to get the iMac up to 1.6GHz or so with the '57.
[ 01-28-2003: Message edited by: Amorph ]
[ 01-28-2003: Message edited by: Amorph ]</p>