View Full Version : New pbook's in October, Sporting the rumored PPC 7448?
Quagmire
2004-09-23, 15:27
Macsnews is saying that the rev d(rev c for 15") is supposedly coming next month. Sporting the highly rumored PPC 7448. The 12" and lower 15" is rumored to be clocked at 1.6 Ghz and the high end 15" and 17" have is at 1.8 Ghz. Also the 12" sticks with the 5200 and the 15" and 17" get the 9800 mobile. The 12" will lower in price according to Macnews. I say bs. What do you say?
http://macintosh.fryke.com/cgi-bin/macnews.cgi/2004/09/23#20040923_pbs
wiskedjak
2004-09-23, 16:31
Doesn't seem unrealistic.
Quagmire
2004-09-23, 16:39
Doesn't seem unrealistic.
I never said the specs were unrealistic. But, 2 parts are though. The PPC 7448 and the 9800. We have heard nothing from Moto about the 7448. Have you seeen the size of the chip and heatsink of the 9800? It is huge. There is no way apple can keep it's 1" pbook if they add that chip. You would have to accommodate the size of the GPU and the heat that it produces.
windowsblowsass
2004-09-23, 17:00
it isnt a full 9800 its a 9800mobile just like the 9200/5200s in there now are not the desktop chip
Quagmire
2004-09-23, 18:26
it isnt a full 9800 its a 9800mobile just like the 9200/5200s in there now are not the desktop chip
Yes, I know that. But, there still big chips. They still get hot. In an 1" enclosure, the GPU will have to probably be scaled down to keep the pbook from overheating.
The talk about not fitting into a 1" case leads me to a question. For those wanting a PowerBook G5, would you rather a thicker laptop now or wait until the chips are cool enough to fit into the same form factor?
Quagmire
2004-09-23, 19:20
The talk about not fitting into a 1" case leads me to a question. For those wanting a PowerBook G5, would you rather a thicker laptop now or wait until the chips are cool enough to fit into the same form factor?
The G5 can be fit into the 15" and 17" pbook only right now since they have room to let the heat escape. But, apple would have to stick with the 9700 from keeping the pbook case from melting. ;) . Apple might use the same cooling strategy in the pbook like the iMac G5. Give them to MWSF to WWDC they would be able to shrink the G5 to an 1" enclosure. We will see how Powertune works out in the iMac G5 to see they can do the same in the pbook.
it isnt a full 9800 its a 9800mobile just like the 9200/5200s in there now are not the desktop chipTheres a Radeon 9700 Mobile in the larger PowerBooks today. 9200 is in the iBooks. The 9800 Mobile should fit just fine.
I don't see anything wrong in this prediction, it's believable. The timing is spot on the average update cycle for PowerBooks. Freescale have mentioned a successor to 7447A, but they haven't named it officially. 7448 seems logical enough and some processor upgrade-vendors have mentioned this processor by this name for some time.
I see no reason why Motorola should preannounce this processor to the public since it's a ordinairy step in the G4s evolution. It will probably arrive silently when it's ready. The seminar at the upcomming Microprocessor Forum in October will be about dual core PowerPCs, ie the new e600 and e700 cores, and I suspect that Freescale will concentrate its marketing on these parts even if they might be years away.
I take it the 7448 still uses the MPX bus?
The talk about not fitting into a 1" case leads me to a question. For those wanting a PowerBook G5, would you rather a thicker laptop now or wait until the chips are cool enough to fit into the same form factor?
Both.
Unify the two iBook models and the 12" Powerbook so that they share a common architecture as a 13.3" widescreen laptop.
Spend the manufacturing savings on developing a slightly thicker than usual Powerbook G5 to sell alongside the current crop of Powerbooks. Then, when the technology makes it easily possible, go back to the 1" form factor.
Yes Way. That sounds right on!
Sounds credible to me. The Cram and Jam (buy a laptop & iPod and get a rebate) ends in September, great opportunity to keep on selling iPods in the face of increased competition and to thin out the old PB inventory.
The 7448 should make a good showing for a laptop chip. Look at the iMac G5 v PB discussion. G5's don't seem to respond well to having their busses restricted, especially at 1.6-1.8 speeds. Suddenly the chip's not so fast anymore. G4 will be fine.
Powerbooks do need to come down slightly in price. If a G4 fits, use it.
Quagmire
2004-09-26, 19:06
Well, the G4 is a great chip for portables I agree there. But, it has horrific FSB. If IBM could take over the G4's developement and make it 64 bit, 90 nm, faster FSB, and stay at the 4-7 stages with low heat, there is your mobile G5. I think the dual core G4 won't make it in the pbook due to that IBM should figure out how to make it cooler and smaller.
Well, the G4 is a great chip for portables I agree there. But, it has horrific FSB. If IBM could take over the G4's developement and make it 64 bit, 90 nm, faster FSB, and stay at the 4-7 stages with low heat, there is your mobile G5. I think the dual core G4 won't make it in the pbook due to that IBM should figure out how to make it cooler and smaller.
Uh...
That's impossible. It's a G4. If you want to have IBM take it and change it in all those ways, it's not a G4 anymore. It would be better for them to just develop a brand new chip. But I don't see why the G4 is bad. Go ahead and say how the FSB is bad, the fact that a 1.5 GHz G4 is nearly as good as a 1.8 GHz G5 speaks for itself. All it really needs is the ability to make full use of DDR - then it'll go from already good to awesome.
Quagmire
2004-09-26, 20:08
Uh...
That's impossible. It's a G4. If you want to have IBM take it and change it in all those ways, it's not a G4 anymore. It would be better for them to just develop a brand new chip. But I don't see why the G4 is bad. Go ahead and say how the FSB is bad, the fact that a 1.5 GHz G4 is nearly as good as a 1.8 GHz G5 speaks for itself. All it really needs is the ability to make full use of DDR - then it'll go from already good to awesome.
True...
It will be changed to the G5 mobile. The G4 is a great chip. But, has crappy FSB due to Moto. Also, go back in the desktops since the G5 mobile will beat the ass out of the PPC 970fx.
How do you know there will be a G5 mobile? There won't necessarily be one. There was never a mobile 604/604e back in 1996/97. PowerBooks went straight from the 603e to the G3. They COULD do the same thing now. Not necessarily, but it's possible.
anything less that a straight up G5 in the next powerbook will make apple look like a failure imo. it's all about brands. i'm sure i wouldn't notice any big difference between a fast G4 or a slow G5 but i would NOT buy a G4 powerbook released now.
Patchouly
2004-09-26, 22:28
For the next PowerBook revision, I think Apple needs to concentrate on 2 major current weaknesses - battery life and display quality. I'd like some sort of 'XBrite' or 'ClearView' technology used in the LCDs with a smidge of a resolution bump (or as an option) and battery life closer to what they claim (and without shutting off AirPort, slowing down the G4 and not turning down the brightness). There are many similarly priced notebooks out there with superior (gorgeous) displays and truly long battery life (while remaining powerful and fast). Please don't remind us that they don't run OS X! I for one am tired of Apple (and the cult following) using that as an excuse and choosing not to follow or to at least feel pressure from competition.
anything less that a straight up G5 in the next powerbook will make apple look like a failure imo. it's all about brands. i'm sure i wouldn't notice any big difference between a fast G4 or a slow G5 but i would NOT buy a G4 powerbook released now.
Why wouldn't you buy a G4 powerbook now? They're decent machines. With all the trouble that Apple has with cooling the G5, even in the new iMac, I think I'd be initially skeptical about buying the first generation G5 laptops. Based on the news sites, and if I'm wrong you can clear this up for me, the traditional cooling methods in a laptop ain't gonna cut it with a G5 so I'd take a wait and see approach.
onlyafterdark
2004-09-26, 22:54
anything less that a straight up G5 in the next powerbook will make apple look like a failure imo. it's all about brands. i'm sure i wouldn't notice any big difference between a fast G4 or a slow G5 but i would NOT buy a G4 powerbook released now.
I dont agree with that in the slightest. PB's are great for what they are meant to do. All of the iLife apps run great, Adobe programs run without any major hitches, and movie making is easy and fast enough for the majority of people who need to do that kind of thing. Even games can be played without many speed issues. Its true that the G5 may have more of a "brand name" associated with it but that doesnt mean shit. Just because something is more recognized does not make it better. :no:
I would rather see a faster, more refined G4 (or possibly a dual core G4) in the next PB's with longer battery life and a better graphics card. Higher resolution and a brighter screen are secondary in my books because I would end up getting a 12" with a external desplay anyway. A G5 just isnt that important in PB's right now. :\
kscherer
2004-09-26, 23:12
Honestly, I think that an October PowerBook release is a pipe dream. We all want them, but they ain't commin'! Especially this close to the new iMac release. Apple needs to sell lots of iMacs to get it into the market and new PowerBooks would cut into those sales. I think MWSF in January is much more logical. We might see a minor speed bump in October, but nothing else. A new PowerBook revision demands a big show.
onlyafterdark
2004-09-26, 23:28
Good point.
Apple needs to sell lots of iMacs to get it into the market and new PowerBooks would cut into those sales.How do you figure this? The iMac and the PowerBooks is not catering to the same market. Surely there are some that could go either way but most buyers of iMacs won't look to the PowerBook as an alterative and vice versa.
ibooks are being upgraded now... (past due) Macrumors buyers guide
they can't have faster ibooks than powerbooks - so both are coming now :)
ibooks are being upgraded now... (past due) Macrumors buyers guide
they can't have faster ibooks than powerbooks - so both are coming now :)
Are you saying you've just read this, or are you speculating? Can you post the link if you read it...
http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/
The ibook is 5+ days over due for an upgrade...
Quagmire
2004-09-27, 13:55
Apple upgrades their computers whenever they want. They do not listen to a forums buyers guide. We just keep track of the average days of the refreshes. Remember the emac was better then the imac(excluding the LCD). I say January the pbook will be upgraded and the ibooks in late October into November.
Its true that the G5 may have more of a "brand name" associated with it but that doesnt mean shit. Just because something is more recognized does not make it better. :no:
<snip>
A G5 just isnt that important in PB's right now. :\
i never said brand names are better. :|
but they do sell products! and they make consumers feel good.
i think a G5 is very important in a PB right now. i also think a lot of people are so sad it's not already there they say things like "A G5 just isnt that important in PB's right now." to try to make it feel better.
read that again please, no hard feelings ok, just my opinion.
;)
Apple upgrades their computers whenever they want. They do not listen to a forums buyers guide. We just keep track of the average days of the refreshes. Remember the emac was better then the imac(excluding the LCD). I say January the pbook will be upgraded and the ibooks in late October into November.
yep.. october (kind of what an average time of release means) :)
curiousuburb
2004-09-27, 15:52
Freescale chip details thread (http://forums.applenova.com/showthread.php?t=2013)
7448 looks to be single-core, MPX bus external, and not due to even sample until mid '05.
Quagmire
2004-09-27, 15:59
Freescale chip details thread (http://forums.applenova.com/showthread.php?t=2013)
7448 looks to be single-core, MPX bus external, and not due to even sample until mid '05.
MMM... The 7448 not even due for sampling intill '05. Now what G4 is left for apple to refesh the pbooks with? Looks like apple has 2 choices. A) Work as hell to get the G5 pbook by January. B) Overclock the 7447A.
complete side discussion...
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I thought that powerlogix was going to use the 7448 in their next release which on their phone line says soon...
So, I cancelled my dual 1.33 order in anticipation of the new cards. I would guess they would use some other current powerbook chip and give dual 1.6 ish?
_____________
resume normal discussion :D
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