Macbidouille is reporting on potential configs of rumored Apple Power Macintosh “G5” (PPC 970) machines. Here is a rough translation of the French site:
“If you do not want to read rumours, go your way. But you will miss an occasion to feel a exaltation that the Mac world has not seen for years! Apple shifted the dates of the WWDC because of the PPC 970. The new machines will be presented and will even be displayed at WWDC.
The machines will be also be displayed at Apple Retail Stores, but with initial delivery periods from 6 to 8 weeks.
There will be 3 configurations:
– single CPU at 1.4 GHz
– single CPU at 1.8 GHz
– Dual CPU at 2.3 GHz.
For this last, the motherboard is not yet completely finalized, but should be it during the first week of April. The contractor who will have won the bid for the motherboard single processor will also manufacture the dual processor. Thus note that there will be two versions of motherboards, since the processor is on a ZIF on the motherboard.
We acknowledge being extremely excited by all these rumors. Hooray! We finally will have what we need to fight against the Wintel world!”
Original article here.
Those configs are hedged at the end of the article saying “subject to last minute changes”.
Your translation is incorrect. It says there will be 2 motherboards BECAUSE the cpu will be on a zif not on a daughtercard. Doesn’t that make more sense? Here is the original:
Notez donc qu’il y aura 2 versions de cartes m�res, ce qui �tait pr�visible �tant donn� que le processeur n’est pas sur une carte fille mais directement pos� via un ZIF sur la carte m�re.
Corrected article. Thanks Tony. Our French is a bit rusty, to say the least!
So, we don’t have a final board layout or manufacturer yet, yeah, but let’s ship that puppy in June? Apple has NEVER moved that fast. If they remain on form, we’ll all be jazzed about G5’s and we’ll get dual 1.6GHz G4’s in June. They NEVER go for a spike in their CPU curve.
But wouldn’t it be great? Quads, baby!
It isn’t that Apple NEVER goes for a spike in the CPU curve. Its that Motorola never delivered it.
Why the heck are all these rumors being reported by a French site? Kinda makes me sick…
Why can’t information come from a French site? Are Americans so close minded? I hope not.
It makes u sick that this rumour comes from the French? Hmmm…the French – along with the rest of the world! – r sickened by americans. Quid Pro Quo, I guess.
Nice rumor, but a few flaws to say the least:
1. 2.3 GHz is a nice sounding number, but IBM has stated nothing close to this MHz speed for the first round of PPC 970’s.
2. This seems to suggest that Apple will be launching the “G5” at the WWDC? Not a chance. I will be shown there, but will not be launched to the public nor be able to be ordered until an August time frame.
3. This is the French we are talking about…
~OUT
We need faster Macs… Badly.. Last year, as the wintel world raced forward with 2-3 GHz Chips and motherboard speeds up to 533 mhz, Apple’s technology started to appear limited.
Apple, at the time, was just finishing up with the 5 year project to convert its userbase to OSX with the release of Jaguar. The software side has never looked better.
I dont know why Motorola has not managed to deliver a faster chip. My guesses are that the company as a whole is experiencing financial problems, they are miffed about Apple killing the clones, they are losing engineers, or they just dont care.
IBM, on the other hand, has to sell big servers that run PPC linux and AIX. IBM sees the advantage of selling 970s to Apple.
I hope that this happens rather quickly. I am a mac programmer and have started to look at power pc assembly, ppc chip specs, and ways for the Altivec chip to speed all of this up.
Apple needs the 970 now. Remember, a 64 bit chip can address terabytes of memory, the PPC was originally designed as a derivative of the Power3 64 bit chip from IBM and is easily converted (the ABI isnt that different), and the 970 has a 900 mhz system bus. Intel chips dont even have that now. Intel and MS cant even sell windows on 64 bit chips. Intel is even releasing the Centrino chip thats slower (** GASP! The HORROR **) , uses less power and generaates less heat. Intel isnt even buying their MHZ myth anymore.
Apple needs to outfit their mobos with the latest stuff. Serial-ATA, USB 2 *** NOW ***, FW 800, and the fastest stuff possible.
The daughter-card option seems contrary to Apple’s approach to computer design. They would rather have customers buying new computers than upgrade cards so I do not think there is any truth to this rumor (I would say I do not think there is much accuracy in this translation but I do not read French either).
As many other sites have pointed out in the last few months, the initial 970 CPUs will be clocked lower than 2 GHz. It is the 2nd generation that will supposedly reach 2.3 GHZ and higher. In any case, I hope dual configurations are available from day one. The 970 is supposed to be a next-gen CPU that is ahead of Intel’s offerings in many ways and the idea of dual configurations sounds like over-kill. Then again, if Mac users start complaining that their computers are too powerful I am sure that they will do so with a grin on their faces
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I hope they’re right, but from everything I’ve read it won’t be called the G5. Perhaps we’re in for a new name now?
this is not going to happen at wwdc. this kills a sell for the current line of systems. imac, powermac, ibook. not going to happen. just not. your hope will be dashed once again. apple is killing us.
Well if apple decide to go ahead with the G5 and we realisticly looking at winter 2003 for a launch – they could always offer it as a hi-end product for businesses…? anyway apple are always keeping future products under there hat until the launch – and if they don’t release something v.soon we (as in the mac communitiy) will fall behind, a every loosing battle against the ugly magenta box called the PC. True..?
I do not see Apple falling behind in any way to the Dells and HP computers out there. Apple regularly updates its products and keeps them just as feature-packed as always. Windows boxes might use higher clocked processors but they are not RISC and they do not utilize AltiVec. As the prefered alternative Apple computers are just as good today as they will be when 970 processors are used.
What’s all that bullshit about the French?
The French don’t hate Americans they just disagree with Bush (it looks like he cares more about his interests than he does about human beings – I didn’t say Chirac didn’t have any interests in Iraq too…)
Apple has a French division and an “Apple Expo” once a year in Paris (maybe the only one in Europe), so, it seems there is a lot of people working for Apple in France, and if you give any credit to rumors, I don’t see why this couldn’t be true… but once again, it’s only a rumor.
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Anyway I hope we’ll see the PPC970 inside our Macs pretty soon.
God bless Apple