Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Motorola to Have Rapid I/O in All Future Processors

Posted by pudge on from the what-about-mac-on-intel dept.

Anonymous Cow writes "This PDF from Motorola states that all future processors from Motorola will have rapid I/O (page 32). Further down (page 34) it claims that that Motorola has got a dualcore PPC processor in development. No launch dates are given." It also notes that they could achieve 3+ GHz, without significant increase in power consumption.

32 of 110 comments (clear)

  1. Buses... by Nexum · · Score: 4, Funny

    Like waiting for a bus...

    You're waiting for one for years (~3), and then two (970 & this) come along at once.

    --

    This sig has been deprecated.
    1. Re:Buses... by jjhlk · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I agree with you, but you're probably missing something...

      I've had a 1200Mhz Athlon for 2 years, and it is fast enough to run everything I need too. But I play a fair amount of computer games, and while I can handle everything so far (with only an 8500LE) by the end of this year the next-gen first person shooters are going to be out. If I move to any faster video card my CPU is going to bottleneck my frame rate.

      So if Apple can put out a computer with a cpu at around 1.6ghz /w Radeon 9700 I think it would handle games like Half-life 2 much better. The only problem then is actually get Half-life 2 to be ported to the Mac...

      I can't like Macs without my games! (Halflife2!)

  2. Conspiracy theory #9 by yorkrj · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Was the development of the 970 chip by IBM a ploy by Apple to provide Motorola with a much needed kick in the rear? Moto seems to be playing catchup with it's PowerPC line lately.

    1. Re:Conspiracy theory #9 by djward · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Hey, a little competition may have been all that was needed. And I have no doubts that Apple was playing both sides for the grand benefit of the middle. It just took a while.

    2. Re:Conspiracy theory #9 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Probably not, but maybe once Motorola realized that they'd be losing Apple's business to IBM in the not-too-distant future they decided that the PC market does matter to them after all.

  3. Nice Healthy Competition by Coyote67 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    This is certainly good news for the ppc crowd. Competition never hurts and imho is one of the major reasons ppcs never overtook x86s. If the new motos can perform as promised, apple could find space in their product line for them, maybe we'll see moto based ibooks/powerbooks and ibm based tower systems.

    --
    [Just Shut Up and Do What I say]
  4. and this will be released when... by Luxviaest · · Score: 3, Insightful

    our sun goes supernova with Moto's track record. Seriously folks, when was the last time Moto actually followed their roadmap?

    1. Re:and this will be released when... by simonecaldana · · Score: 5, Funny

      > our sun goes supernova

      Sun is not going to last long, rumors say it will be bought by Oracle

    2. Re:and this will be released when... by commodoresloat · · Score: 4, Funny

      Actually, they're going to be releasing this chip with Duke Nukem Forever pre-installed.

  5. Road map? by TheAvatar666 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Since when did Moto start following road maps? :-0

  6. Motorola sees the writing on the wall by SensitiveMale · · Score: 5, Insightful

    First motorola removed all macs from their offices.

    Then they basically fuck Apple and all mac users by ignoring G4 development for years.

    Apple finally gets pissed enough and goes to IBM for their processors.

    Motorola finally learns how important the G4 processor is to their bottom line after posting enormous losses year after year.

    IBM values a steady profit and their business practices show this.

    This is a smokescreen from motorola to try and keep Apple's business.

    I hope Apple tells them to fuck off.

    1. Re:Motorola sees the writing on the wall by snuffdiddy23 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      i don't blame them for not wanting others to boot their OS. they put nothing for security on the OS to prevent piracy, but they put something on the machine. if your machine is too old or too new to run an OS that you do not have free legitimate rights to you will not be able to run it in most cases, alot more secure than a serial number

      it is not like we see cheap SPARC or MIPS systems out there either, gotta go to the big boys for the big bad systems, anyone can make an INTEL box.

    2. Re:Motorola sees the writing on the wall by 2nd+Post! · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Playing 'hard to get' is in Apple's best interests; but it's also a good idea not to 'put all your eggs in one basket', and as such, Apple shouldn't spurn Motorola outright. 'A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush', and right now Motorola is a known quantity, and IBM is an unknown.

      So perhaps the best course is to...

      Keep Motorola
      Bet on IBM
      Plan around both

      --

      GPL Deconstructed
    3. Re:Motorola sees the writing on the wall by clifyt · · Score: 4, Insightful

      That would be a nice sentiment, other than stats showed that the clone market didn't increase sales of mac capible machines and meant losing a large source of their income from folks buying their 'Macs' from other companies -- and then having to play support when the clones didn't work the way they should have ruining the reputation of Apple.

      Either way, Mot wasn't selling any more chips...

    4. Re:Motorola sees the writing on the wall by rgraham · · Score: 3, Insightful
      Well, Apple's hands aren't clean either. They axed the clone market upon which clobbered demand (or at least the prospect of future demand) for their chips. If I was Moto I'd be pissed too.

      Yes and no. The problem with the Mac clones is that they weren't increasing the overall number of Mac sold, but were instead taking away from Apple's sales.
    5. Re:Motorola sees the writing on the wall by Dark+Paladin · · Score: 4, Interesting

      This makes a lot of sense, actually.

      The dual-core G4's could become something of an iBook line "Look, kids - faster iBooks, low power consumption", while the 970's could still be used in a new Powerbook line. "Need to warm up your lap? You can still do that with the 970 Aluminum 15"!"

      Apple would be wise to use both IBM and Motorola - that way if one causes a problem, Apple can turn to the other and say "So - what's your offer?"

      --
      52 Weeks, 52 Religions with John Hummel
    6. Re:Motorola sees the writing on the wall by andrewski · · Score: 2, Interesting

      It's ironic that this move, which saved Apple from certain doom, has come back to bite them. Motorola has truly been just ignoring their G3 / G4 business for too long, and it shows.

      Steve knows that Moto is just fuckin' with him this time. With much lower estimated cost re: the 970 vs the G4, IBM knows it is the apple of Apple's eye.

      We may see these G4's, if they ever really DO come out, in iBooks and iMacs.

      Just like I said when I heard that Sony was making a video game console. "I'll belive it when I see it."

    7. Re:Motorola sees the writing on the wall by questamor · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Another problem is the dreadful quality problems with clones. I worked phone support for several thousand MacOS installs, spread across anything from the first model powermacs to the newest G4s at the times.

      When it came to hardware failures, the mac clones outnumbered the apple made macs by something like 10 to 1. Considering there were far less clones in our installation than real macs, that's a pretty heavy bias against the clone boxes. The most common things to go were power supplies, CDROMs and floppy drives.

      Quality control was just nowhere near Apple's own. There are varying thoughts on how good Apple's quality is, but there's no doubt the clones were far, far worse.

  7. Motorola was damn near the death of Apple by SengirV · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Yawn. Why work on the G4 now Motorola? You've gotten this far with putting zero effert into it.

    Here is the real roadmap:
    1. Apple busts their hump working with IBM to get the 970 out the door.

    2. Apple pays lipservice to Motorola until the entire line transitions to 970, 980, etc...

    3. The second the entire line is free of the anchor known as Motorola's G4, Apple blasts Motorola for their ineptitude.

    Will the total $ gained/lost by IBM/Motorola mean all that much to either company? No.

    Will IBM's commitment to Apple help Apple? YES.

    Did Motorola's stepping on their dicks for so long hurt Apple? YES

    --

    Prof. Farnsworth - "Oh a lesson in not changing history from Mr I'm-My-Own-Grandpa!"

  8. for the embedded market? by Gizzmonic · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I think this chip is actually aimed at the embedded market, to compete with some of the newer MIPS-based CPUs. At any rate, if it's just appearing on a road map, it won't be in ANY machines for at least 2 years, and God help Apple if they are still using G4s by that time.

    --
    (-1, Raw and Uncut is the only way to read)
  9. 105 Degrees what? by Zo0ok · · Score: 4, Funny

    On page 5 I read "Top frequency is 1.3 GHz @ 105 degrees C".

    Do they mean Celcius, or do they actually mean Farenheit? Coult they possibly mean 105C?

    1. Re:105 Degrees what? by TheRaven64 · · Score: 4, Funny
      It's a missprint, it's actually Kelvin. Yes, that's right, the new G4s will be so cool that they will actually suck heat right out of the room, and use it as power. That 20-30w figure is the amount of electricity it generates by this process.

      Some manufacturers are going to sell blades with a G4 and an x86 chip in them taped together, with the G4 powered by the x86's waste heat...

      --
      I am TheRaven on Soylent News
    2. Re:105 Degrees what? by andrewski · · Score: 2, Informative

      That is probably with no cooling. A P4 with no cooling / heat sink can ruin close to FOUR HUNDRED DEGREES farenheit. That makes this chip seem cool.

      With a fan + heat sink / fan + heat pipes in laptops / etc, the surface temperature of the chip would never get even close to this hot.

  10. Motorola still screwing Apple by larryennis · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I think Motorola went to Fantasy Land at Disney Paris before their presentation!!! They said for a long time that they are looking towards the embedded market. That should have sent a red flag to Apple. But, I understand Apple too, being a long time customer and beliving in them to come through. PCs are at 3ghz, have faster I/O, 8X AGP, etc. Apple design is great, but they need machines to perform. To be right up on the heels of the PC or even steping on their feet. Instead Apple is in the cloud of dust and once in a while sticking their head out with design and software. I think Apple should go into other directions or the Mac is doomed. Direction #1: Stay with Motorola to have them supply the chips for the iBook ( they need to make the move to the G4 and these new Moto chips can do it.) and the iMac/eMac. Then Apple should look to IBM's 970 for the Power Mac and PowerBook. To take it to another level, they should go to AMD and use their "Clawhammer" for the Xserve. They have been not only talking to IBM but to AMD as well. AMD's chip will be great for the Xserve to run a whole slew of OSs for the corporate environment giving Dell and Compaq a run for the money. And the 970 to catch up to or pass (hopfully) the PC. I owned Apples all my life, and yes I do have a PC too, but my heart is with Apple and I do not want them to go the way like Sega.

    1. Re:Motorola still screwing Apple by paradesign · · Score: 2, Insightful
      apples already use AMD chips, just not for the CPU. so of course theyre talking to them, its how you build a system. id only imaging what it would turn out like if they did it all telepathicly.

      but seriously, you must be a real NOOB to think that Apple would switch away from PPC, either that your one of teh ones that wants OSX on x86, ugg. if anything theyll launch a Power4 based Xserve, but even that is highly unlikely.

      --
      I want 2D games back.
    2. Re:Motorola still screwing Apple by andrewski · · Score: 2, Insightful

      To take it to another level, they should go to AMD and use their "Clawhammer" for the Xserve.

      Not unless Motorola and IBM both go out of business suddenly. The 970 and obviously the Moto are both PowerPCs, and the 970 is a 64 bit machine that runs existing 32 bit PPC code natively also. There is no way that Apple is going to involve another architecture unless it is their only course of action.

      Binary compatibility of software is essential for Apple. Additionally, the PowerPC is a beautiful, proven design, unlike the 64 bit Intel and AMD chips.

  11. Low End Macs by robm3660 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Given the effort IBM has gone to in order to make the 970 perfect for Apple, I'm left with little doubt that all high-end Macs will soon be powered by the 970. Motorola's last-ditch efforts to boost the G4 are simply too late to dissuade Apple from that course of action.

    But the 970 will almost certainly be more expensive than the G4 at its introduction and possibly for some time afterward. Therefore, its probable that Apple is already planning to relegate its low-end offerings (iBook, eMac) to the G4 initially. These rumblings from Motorola are probably meant to persuade Apple to keep things that way for longer than it was perhaps already planning to. And if Motorola really does ramp the G4 to 3GHz in the near future (somehow I have my doubts about that) then they might just succeed.

    In any case, I still believe that it is only a matter of time before the the Mac line is converted entirely to the 970. But what I want to know is this: will Motorola gain access to the 970 design specs because of the Apple-IBM-Motorola (AIM) PPC contracts. If so, will we see Motorola 970s in the future? I hope so; competition of this sort always benefits the consumer.

    1. Re:Low End Macs by Alan+Partridge · · Score: 2, Interesting

      "But the 970 will almost certainly be more expensive than the G4 at its introduction and possibly for some time afterward."

      Rumour mills are reporting that the 970 will, in fact, be 25-30% cheaper than the G4.

      --
      That was classic intercourse!
    2. Re:Low End Macs by shawkin · · Score: 2, Informative

      Notes from assorted rumor sites claim that the 970 of about one third cheaper than the G4. Of course, rumor sites may be somewhat variable in utility.

  12. Dual Core Motorola Chip by kirn_malinus · · Score: 4, Informative

    There is an article up on the register about this - http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/39/31026.html

    --
    All circuits busy.
  13. Too little, too late. Motorola can suck it. by phillymjs · · Score: 2, Interesting

    They drag their asses for years and leave the G4 stuck in the doldrums, making Apple (read: Steve Jobs) look bad. Now that Apple is most likely going to take their business to a vendor who is interested in meeting the needs of their client (what a concept!), Motorola's getting interested in competing again? Please!

    It's way too late for that-- the die has been cast, and more than likely has been since the first generation of "we can't get faster CPUs, so we put in two CPUs" Power Mac G4s. Spend your development money on more uber-annoying "Hello Moto" ads, and leave the CPU business to companies who are serious about it, ya friggin' tards.

    ~Philly

  14. Apple's System Configuration: Prediction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting
    I can't believe that everybody missed this: Apple will have the following line-up in fall of 2003:
    • Powerbooks - dual core G4
    • iBooks/eMacs - single core G4
    • Power Macs - 970
    The 970 won't be used in other systems, because it'll eat power more than Moto's PPC. The only question is what will they put in the iMacs, where their is no power constraint like on the laptops. My guess is dual core G4, but chip costs will ultimately decide it.