Sources have told MacDailyNews that “marketing types” within Apple Computer have discussed skipping the “G6” moniker or ending the “G” CPU naming scheme with the “G5” due to the potential confusion and/or dilution caused by the recent debut of General Motor’s Pontiac G6, otherwise known as “The Oprah Car.” 276 Pontiac G6s were given to surprised audience members on The Oprah Winfrey Show to celebrate the start of her 19th season on September 14, 2004.
Apple first starting using the “G” moniker with the November 1997 introduction of the Power Macintosh G3, with featured a “generation three” or “G3” PowerPC 750 processor. The “G4” made its debut in September 1999 in the “Power Macintosh G4” which featured a PowerPC 7400. The “Power Mac G5” debuted in June 2003 with a PowerPC 970.
According to sources, the final decision, which would presumably be Steve Jobs’ decision, has not yet been made. Of course, Apple has time, as “G5” is very young in its product lifetime and has found it’s way only into Power Mac G5 and iMac G5 desktops so far, with PowerBook, eMac, iBook, and “future” products still to go.
MacDailyNews Take: General Motors’ Pontiac make is hardly known as a “premium” brand and the Pontiac G6 is a fairly “cheap” car as far as the sticker price goes (base MSRP: US$21,300) – an entry-level sedan. Apple might not wish to associate or confuse its future flagship, high-performance CPU with a Pontiac car, even if it’s a subconscious association. Beleaguered Gateway is more “The Pontiac” of the personal computer industry, not Apple.
Well, if they skip G5, that’ll screw up my buying scheme: Only buy the odd numbers.
Like the Star Trek movies…
XXX; I would like to give you a break but remember most people are stupid, and they will make a sub-conscious connection. Even as far across a car-computer connection. I too like you, believe I can walk into a store and purchase a computer without thinking of a car, but the power of marketing is undeniable.
Canon has been using a “G” for their Powershot cameras for quite a while. I have a “G5” and I believe there is now a “G6”. I’d say the name is overused. Apple can come up with something more interesting.
“”G6″ is boring. A name like Pentium, for example, has punch.”
I’m not sure I agree that “Pentium” has punch, but…
Actually, Intel named it “Pentium” because they discovered they cannot copyright “586” and companies like AMD were selling CPUs called something like AMD486. Intel tried to trademark “486” and was told they couldn’t.
“Like the Star Trek movies…”
My mistake, it’s actually the opposite of the Star Trek movies–only the even ones (ie, ST2: Wrath of Khan, ST4: Journey Home, etc.)
How about the G-11? “This one goes to 11…”
Or the G110. “There are 10 types of people in the world. Those who understand binary and those who don’t.”
The new CPU should be named ‘RDF’.
They will come out with something cool like “PPC-90 DoubleStressed” or “PPC90NM3.04DCSSOIPM” for PowerPC 90 nanometer 3.04 GHz Double stressed silicon on insulator PowerMac!
Or “Mach 6”, Or RippedForceX!
Or not.
How about G9? Then when the G8 admits China, Apple can sue them and make billions
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Intel has been kicking everybodys ass with their naming schemes for years. “Pentium” is an INCREDIBLE name for a chip. now with “HYPERTHREADING” technology. Yes, people, they DESTROY the names Apple has come up with.
Sales clerk: “Good day sir, can I show you this Dell computer with a 3 Ghz Pentium 4 chip with Hyperthreading? Or perhaps you wanna see this 2ghz Apple G5?”
Clueless customer: “Ummm 3 ghz must be better than 2, and Pentium sounds powereful, and that hyperthreading sure sounds impressive. How much does the Dell cost?”
And we wonder why Apple has a hard time selling computers. Time for them to come up with some f*cking marketing fer chrisakes!
How about just further developing the G5…still stuck at under 3GHz…
G-Spank:
Dell sells direct. What sales clerk is selling Dells versus PowerMacs?
Ford used to sell a car called the Fiesta, but it certainly was NO party. And so naming has always been misleading. Let’s keep it simple. PowerMac 6. Done.
“I think Apple should come up with something kewl to make the processor sound like a screamer IMHO.”
How about calling it Liberace? That says screamer to me.
Not what you meant? OK, I’ll get my coat …
Apple’s G-series can hardly be compared to Pontiac’s one car. Confusion between a car and a computer ? I doubt it. Apple will consider the idea of confusion but, I think, will decide that it’s not important enough to change their naming convention. But if they want my suggestion, how about: G-SIX
I’ve got it! You want bad-ass names? How about cruise missiles from the 50s and 60s:
Triton
Matador
Regulus
Snark
Rascal
Blue Steel
Skybolt
…and, of course, “Hound Dog”
F’in eh.
“Yes, um, I’d like to order a PowerMac with the new Matador processor. What’s that? Red cape is included. Uh, okay…”
Why does MDN hate on Gateway so much? I would expect that being Apple fans corresponds to general apreciation for underdogs (it does for me), and Gateway is certainly an underdog in the PC biz at the moment. Constantly using the ‘beleaguered Gateway’ tag smacks of all the PC-biased analysts who constantly preach doom and gloom for Apple. Aren’t we better than them?
I thought the point (or, one of the points) of moving to the Apple platform was to rise above such pettiness.
I think GM was absolutely sure what they were doing, because in the commercial they say the first G6. Everyone knows that the G5 is Apple’s. They are using the association for their benefit just like all the crappy multicolored plastic stuff that came out after the iMac was launched.
Ok, one thing to get out there – Apple is an international company. So, to all you American’s out there, the Pontiac G6 is only relevant in your lovely country. It means nothing to anyone else.
They should call the new chip the G-Spot
Nobody is going to confuse a car with a computer — that’s not the issue. But they’ll (consciously or subconsciously) *recall* the car when they hear the name of the computer, and that will subtly influence their impression and experience… and probably vice-versa, which is why the marketing people at Pontiac snagged “G6” for themselves, happy to piggyback on Apple’s highly-rated brand value.
But I doubt anyone should be too worried. The Pontiac G6 will have faded into mediocre American car obscurity by the time Apple rolls out the next generation of machines.
Why not stay on the Apple theme?
“I’ll take a Strudel and Tart. No… 2 gigahertz, please. Oh, maybe a dual-processor Cider with a sprig of superdrive? Yes, yes, and the Processor a la mode. Thank you.”
…dual [Apple] core…
huh? huh? I’m tellin’ ya, it could work!
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GM is international as well.
Vauxhall and Opel are both GM divisions.
<<ahem>>
vauxhall cavalier = chevy cavalier
Opel Omega = Cadillac Catera
Saturn L-Series = Vauxhall/Opel Vectra
The name “Mac” which has been used for the past 20 years bears an association with crappy McDonalds fast food and unskilled, minimum wage burger flippers. So what were you saying about Pontiac?
Catholic and Christian people might associate the word “Apple” with the forbidden fruit from the garden of Eden and the original sin which led to the fall of man. With such an association, would these people even think of buying from Apple?
I still can’t get beyond the name Microsoft. I mean, come on! Who the hell wants a micro-soft???