Year of the Notebook - 970 Powerbook?
Steve has said this will be the year of the notebook. What is the possibility that if the Power4/G5 (whatever you or Apple want to call the new chip from IBM) PowerMac is released at MacWorld NY, that by the end of the year we will have all new Powerbooks (or at least the current form factor) with the new chips?
This would allow a G4 iBook to be brought out as well - as it would not be competting directly with the Powerbook.
With the new Powerbooks at the beginning of the year - and these Powerbooks at the end, that would really make it the year of the notebook.
Is it possible? Or would the uber-powered Powerbook have to wait quite awhile?
[ 02-04-2003: Message edited by: macmike ]</p>
This would allow a G4 iBook to be brought out as well - as it would not be competting directly with the Powerbook.
With the new Powerbooks at the beginning of the year - and these Powerbooks at the end, that would really make it the year of the notebook.
Is it possible? Or would the uber-powered Powerbook have to wait quite awhile?
[ 02-04-2003: Message edited by: macmike ]</p>
Comments
First of all, the Power Mac G4 was introduced in late August of 1999 at Seybold SF.
The first PowerBook G4 was not announced until early January of 2001. People had been betting on the next PowerBook also getting a G4 processor (at the time, that was the Pismo), but Apple launched that instead with a G3/500, Airport, and 2 Firewire ports.
If Apple does manage to get a Power Mac out the door with a 970 this year (which will be an accomplishment in itself), I would not expect a PowerBook with that type of power for quite some time afterwards.
We also have to remember that there might not be a Macworld NY this year so trying to speculate what might be launched at a July show is premature.
To be honest, I'll be surprised if the 970 *does* make it into the Power Mac lineup this year. I know that Apple desperately needs something to jumpstart Power Mac sales like the G4 did when it was launched but I'm sure that Apple also doesn't want a repeat of what happened when the G4s did launch.
If you remember, wait times were quoted in months, after having people wait for such a long time, the G4/500 was canned entirely (and was reintroduced much later) and the entire line was bumped down by 50 MHz (to a low end 350 MHz machine) with no real price cut from what people had already paid. In other words, it was a nightmare situation. Dealers couldn't sell Power Macs since the G4 was 'out' but not available to sell, people were sitting on their wallets waiting for the PowerBook G4 even though the Lombard wasn't that old, iBooks hadn't even begun to ship yet (they were due in mid-September with 140,000 on back order), and iMacs were looking for another update.
So even if a Power Mac launches with a 970, I highly doubt we'll see a PowerBook with a 970 by the end of the year. Apple can't afford to repeat the mistakes of the past.
[ 02-04-2003: Message edited by: Fran441 ]</p>
<strong>I wouldn't bet on it and I'll tell you why.
First of all, the Power Mac G4 was introduced in late August of 1999 at Seybold SF.
The first PowerBook G4 was not announced until early January of 2001. People had been betting on the next PowerBook also getting a G4 processor (at the time, that was the Pismo), but Apple launched that instead with a G3/500, Airport, and 2 Firewire ports.
If Apple does manage to get a Power Mac out the door with a 970 this year (which will be an accomplishment in itself), I would not expect a PowerBook with that type of power for quite some time afterwards.
We also have to remember that there might not be a Macworld NY this year so trying to speculate what might be launched at a July show is premature.
To be honest, I'll be surprised if the 970 *does* make it into the Power Mac lineup this year. I know that Apple desperately needs something to jumpstart Power Mac sales like the G4 did when it was launched but I'm sure that Apple also doesn't want a repeat of what happened when the G4s did launch.
If you remember, wait times were quoted in months, after having people wait for such a long time, the G4/500 was canned entirely (and was reintroduced much later) and the entire line was bumped down by 50 MHz (to a low end 350 MHz machine) with no real price cut from what people had already paid. In other words, it was a nightmare situation. Dealers couldn't sell Power Macs since the G4 was 'out' but not available to sell, people were sitting on their wallets waiting for the PowerBook G4 even though the Lombard wasn't that old, iBooks hadn't even begun to ship yet (they were due in mid-September with 140,000 on back order), and iMacs were looking for another update.
So even if a Power Mac launches with a 970, I highly doubt we'll see a PowerBook with a 970 by the end of the year. Apple can't afford to repeat the mistakes of the past.
[ 02-04-2003: Message edited by: Fran441 ]</strong><hr></blockquote>
That all seems to make sense and Apple I'm sure would like to avoid the problems they had when they launched the first G4 Power Macs. One would think they will have learned from their mistakes...
But, why say that it is the "year of the notebook" with just one announcement - you would think they would want to have several notebook announcements throughout the year (otherwise why make the "year of" statemement?).
Also, I was undert the impression that there will be a MacWorld in New York this year - Apple was upset with the move to Boston in 2004. Are they pulling out of this year's show in New York as well?
IDG is planning on having Macworld in NY this year but there is no guarantee that Apple will attend. I'm still confused as to why Apple had no problem with IDG making the move to Boston up until the deal was done. Apple then putting out a press release during the announcement between IDG and the city of Boston makes it more apparent that Apple wants a sweeter deal when it comes to Macworld and this was their way of sending IDG that message but that's another story.
I'm also not saying that there won't be more great laptop introductions later this year. I expect a 15" PowerBook update fairly soon along with a really good iBook update as well. I also think that the PowerBooks will get another bump later in the year (1.25 GHz perhaps). But I don't see the 970 happening (although I would be happy to be proven wrong).
Second of all, unlike the G4, the 970 will be undergoing a process shrink mere months after its introduction. The G4 didn't get a process shrink until the short-lived 550MHz 7410, a year after the PowerBook G4 bowed in. At .09μ it should be cool enough and cheap enough to go into a design originally intended for the .25μ 7400 G4. Since I wouldn't expect that until spring '04, there might be room for a 7457-based PowerBook for fall '03 - the 7457 will be a pin-compatible drop-in replacement for the 7455, so it would be no trouble to use it for a single model.
Once the PowerBook has moved to the 970, the iBook will be free to move to the 7457(-RM), if Mot has that in production.
The wild card here is Motorola. I know hardly anyone is expecting anything out of them except for a die-shrunk G4, but I have a nagging suspicion that they've got something else in the works. It's just a suspicion, though.
[ 02-04-2003: Message edited by: Amorph ]</p>
<strong>There are two variables that are different ....just a suspicion, though.
[ 02-04-2003: Message edited by: Amorph ]</strong><hr></blockquote>
Well I think the same, great post!
Who wouldn't want that as their Flagship Laptop? The U.S.S. Kitchen Sink, as it were.
<strong>I wouldn't bet on it and I'll tell you why.
First of all, the Power Mac G4 was introduced in late August of 1999 at Seybold SF.
The first PowerBook G4 was not announced until early January of 2001. People had been betting on the next PowerBook also getting a G4 processor (at the time, that was the Pismo), but Apple launched that instead with a G3/500, Airport, and 2 Firewire ports.
If Apple does manage to get a Power Mac out the door with a 970 this year (which will be an accomplishment in itself), I would not expect a PowerBook with that type of power for quite some time afterwards.
We also have to remember that there might not be a Macworld NY this year so trying to speculate what might be launched at a July show is premature.
To be honest, I'll be surprised if the 970 *does* make it into the Power Mac lineup this year. I know that Apple desperately needs something to jumpstart Power Mac sales like the G4 did when it was launched but I'm sure that Apple also doesn't want a repeat of what happened when the G4s did launch.
If you remember, wait times were quoted in months, after having people wait for such a long time, the G4/500 was canned entirely (and was reintroduced much later) and the entire line was bumped down by 50 MHz (to a low end 350 MHz machine) with no real price cut from what people had already paid. In other words, it was a nightmare situation. Dealers couldn't sell Power Macs since the G4 was 'out' but not available to sell, people were sitting on their wallets waiting for the PowerBook G4 even though the Lombard wasn't that old, iBooks hadn't even begun to ship yet (they were due in mid-September with 140,000 on back order), and iMacs were looking for another update.
So even if a Power Mac launches with a 970, I highly doubt we'll see a PowerBook with a 970 by the end of the year. Apple can't afford to repeat the mistakes of the past.
[ 02-04-2003: Message edited by: Fran441 ]</strong><hr></blockquote>
You are looking at it from the point of view that Apple just chose to wait that long to get out a G4 Powerbook. The G4 was and is a power-hungry and hot-running chip. The 970, from all appearances thus far, will not be. Remember that the Powerbook G3 (Kanga, not Wall Street) was released right alongside the Power Mac G3, since it was no hotter or more power-hungry than the 603e, and could be dropped directly into the 3400 (5300? I don't remember) enclosure. Since the 970 should be easier than the preceeding chip to put into a portable, I would expect a simultaneous release into desktop and portable lines.
But hell, the chip only exists to me on paper, so what do I know?
If there is no memory chips that fit and run in a portable due to size or heat issues there will not be a 970 in a powerbook even if the CPU as such would work.
The power deficency is most felt in the towers and I think it here that the 970 wil start. Inplementing the new CPU is not that trivial with the new bus design having a tower with plenty of space and power do help a lot compared to a PB.
The towers are the weakest link in the current lineup so that is the place to put in the 970 and some additonal cool features <img src="graemlins/cancer.gif" border="0" alt="[cancer]" />
First it's the year of the notebooks, then this quote from a paper yesterday:
"We have a very strong new product pipeline for 2002," said Jobs, who is chief executive. "We're going to keep investing through this downturn and continue to move our products and distribution channels ever further ahead of our competitors, so that when the economy rebounds we will be positioned for growth."
I wouldn't be surprised if the 970 hits desktops in late summer and we get portable versions in the fall.
I agree that the current enclosures are great - no need to change them, just put in the faster chip. Or is there even a possibility of dual G4's in the meantime?
<strong>Well, supposedly the low voltage 970 at 130 nm uses 19 W at 1.2 Ghz. Is that cool enough?</strong><hr></blockquote>
Maybe not for the thin laptops Apple wants to make. That's why i said when they move the 970 to 90nm, then it'll be an attractive laptop processor. Should be in the first half of 2004that the 90nm 970 comes into full production.