“Apple’s Power Mac G5 line will see an upgrade in the near future, possibly before the close of the month, sources have informed Think Secret. Poor sales of the current models is likely the driving force behind the premature revision, which will come less than six months since Apple last upgraded the line,” Ryan Katz reports for Think Secret.
“The April Power Mac G5 revision saw only an incremental boost in performance as the top-end model went from dual-2.5GHz processors to dual-2.7GHz. At the disappointment of many potential customers, Apple continued using the single-core PowerPC 970FX processors in the G5s and not the highly anticipated dual-core PowerPC 970MP chips, which were not ready at the time. The 970MP is said to deliver performance improvements of 50-80% in many tasks over the single-core 970FX,” Katz reports.
In July, IBM announced the PowerPC 970MP processor would be available in speeds of 1.4GHz to 2.5GHz. “The upgraded Power Mac G5 line could be introduced as early as next week around Apple Expo, despite Apple’s withdrawal from the keynote presentation,” Katz reports.
More details in the full article here.
On August 18, Apple Insider reported that Caris & Company analyst Mark Stahlman said in a research note that PowerPC 970MP processors could make their Apple debut in a revision to the PowerMac G5 line at Apple Expo in Paris which runs September 20-24.
Related MacDailyNews articles:
Apple to debut dual-core Power Mac G5 Dual 2.5GHz in September? – August 18, 2005
I can guarantee this will happen, just because where I work we desperately needed a new G5 and had to buy the dual 2.7s… so I know these will come just to spite us. But it will be good for Apple… I wish we could have waited a few more weeks.
Steve did say that the PowerPC is still viable during the transition period.
It might be interesting to see what Freescale offer on the PowerPc front once the switch to Intel is complete.
This is gonna be a hard transition for Apple I think. Intel is a ways off, and the G5’s are stalled…at least perception-wise.
Yeah, at my office there is a pecking order for top Macs. Everyone gets an upgrade (of sorts) as new Macs are introduced. I got the dual 2GHz G5 upon its introduction (how many years ago?) and my assistant got my 800MHz G4. For him that was a nice upgrade from the aqua G3 he’d been using. But until there is a compelling and significant upgrade from Apple, he’s won’t be getting a “new” hand-me-down G5 from me.
I think that the problem of slowing sales is, in part, due to just how GOOD the existing G5s are. I do heavy duty PhotoShop and Final Cut Pro editing on my 2-year old (3?) G5 and never think to myself, “what a dog this computer is.” I am still quite content.
I don’t think the upcoming revision is ‘premature’. I think it’s timely. Usually, Apple updates their product lines every 6-7 months. Fve months isn’t too premature compared to that, especially considering the one year span we had going from Rev A to B Power Macs.
Most of the top retailers have been offering up to $150.00 rebates on PMG5’s the past few weeks. New faster G5’s are coming soon.
I think they should re-design the PowerMac to make it shorter. One dual-core CPU will do a better job of two single-core CPUs so the new PowerMac would not need the lower area reserved for the 2nd CPU in the current design. Dual dual-core CPUs would be overkill for anything less than a render farm or server-type equipment. Besides, wouldn’t software need to be re-written to take full advantage of four cores?
Spark makes an excellent point! Apple sales are slow because no one is throwing out their Macs!! They last over twice as long as any PC becuase people first must need to be discontent with their existing computer in order to buy a new one.
Steve has already assured us that the transition will be seamless. There will be no separate versions of software or even Mac OS X. You just load the ONE disk, and the Mac finds what it needs. If you have an Intel Mac and run PowerPC software, it will automatically translate it for you.
All of this CPU fear is completely based on the whole Microsoft/Dell experiences with various Intel processors. Apple does things MUCH differently, and they would NEVER go back to the days of trying to decode the software box to see if your system specs match the software’s requirements. When did you last do that for your Mac? Apple sure as Hell isn’t going to start now.
RELAX people… it’s an Apple!
You might want to wait a little bit mattso
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I’m so disappointed in my G5 PowerMac that I’ll sell it to you for more than what I paid for it.
Speak for yourself SOL there is no such thing as overkill when it comes to computation power, BRING IT ON!!!
I just hope that I’m not S.O.L. when it gets here.
MW = serious
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as in, some serious juice on the way!
I’m for big engines with lots of horsepower. Bring on the double dual core processors. When it comes to multi-track digital audio with lots of plug-ins running there is no such thing as overkill.
Who in their right mind would buy a high end Mac right now. I don’t know about you but I try to make mt Macs last 5 years. What sort of support and software do you think will be available in 3. . . 4 . . 5 years for the PPC chip? Rosetta, pee-yuke!! Universal binaries, right.
No thanks I’ll be patient for 6-8 mos.
What????? Apple makes computers???? I thought they only made ipods….
If it’s just a single dual-core chip, so what? The performance over a regular dual PowerMac will be a wash.
I understand Apple has its hands tied, but the new PowerMac better be a dual dual-core to generate excitement. I think a lot of people would buy such a beast.
A dual-core at the same clockspeed as two single-core cpu’s will be faster in some areas and slower in others; the dual-core shares a L2 cache which is twice as large (times two cores) as the current 970, but both cores in the chip must utilize the same front-side memory bus/bandwidth. Dual dual-core (ie G5 Quadra) will automatically take advantage of the multithreading in Mac OS X, the same way dual cpu’s do now. Event the Apple Intel Developer Transition Kit has “simulated” dual-core behavior, ala HyperThreading, and appears to the system as two logical execution cores and simultaneously executes two threads at once, albeit on the same physical core.
I am going to purchase the high-end G5 Quadra as soon as it becomes available, and will continue to upgrade to the latest PPC model until Apple discontinues them, and that will be my final* Apple hardware purchase… until they adopt the CELL, and/or come up with something better (that isn’t Intel-based, obviously)…
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* except for an HD (1920×1080) multi-core Apple MacIntel PowerBook, of course.
“I am going to purchase the high-end G5 Quadra as soon as it becomes available, and will continue to upgrade to the latest PPC model until Apple discontinues them, and that will be my final* Apple hardware purchase… until they adopt the CELL, and/or come up with something better (that isn’t Intel-based, obviously)”
I’ll bet you are talking out your ass, buddy… In 5 years, when your G5 Quadra finally starts to show it’s age and fewer and fewer universal binaries exist, you’ll be buying yourself a new Intel based mac, and be all ga ga over it…
It happened 10 years ago with the PowerPC… I recall many people refusing to buy the new Macs,but most did eventually, or they switched to the PC.
Either that or you’re a putz who thinks an otherwise invisible piece of hardware makes a difference… It’s a Mac. It runs Mac software… What’s the problem???
Where the heck is Nick DePlume?? Working at McDonalds to pay his lawyer???
“I just hope that I’m not S.O.L. when it gets here.”
Nobody wants to be Sol when it gets here.
🙁
fuck! can’t we please have a 3Ghz* Towar of Power!
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*Yes I just want to be able to say to my PeeCee using friends that I have a 3Ghz machine too! Is that so bad? Regardless, I getting one, 3G or not.
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MDW: Freedom!!! Yeah right!!!! –Zach De La Rocha