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New Mac System Specs

Posted by Zonk on from the they-know-how-to-bring-the-shiny dept.

xyankee writes " Think Secret appears to be dishing more of the dirt that Apple loves to hate so much, this time dropping details on updated Power Mac G5, iMac G5, and eMac systems soon to be released. Looks like speed bumps all around: Power Macs get to 2.7GHz, iMacs to 2GHz, and eMacs to 1.42GHz. Video cards and SuperDrives are also upgraded."

34 of 650 comments (clear)

  1. Slow learners? by TripMaster+Monkey · · Score: 5, Interesting


    If my memory serves, a judge passed a ruling on this a little while ago. Shouldn't they be at least slowing down a bit while this is resolved? And if not, why didn't someone give some sort of cease-and desist order?

    (Disclaimer: IANAL, and watching them on TV gives me a headache.)

    --
    ____

    ~ |rip/\/\aster /\/\onkey

    1. Re:Slow learners? by As+Seen+On+TV · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Actually, there is. In California, which is the controlling jurisdiction, it's against the law to knowingly publish trade secrets. Unannounced product details are definitely trade secrets.

      Not to mention the fact that Nick Ciarelli is apparently still actively engaged in tortious interference.

    2. Re:Slow learners? by grimharvest · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Now why would trade secrets be protected so extensively when journalists are free to publish governments secrets (Daniel Ellsberg) and then of course you have some dipshit like Nixon trying to discredit him. Once a secret's out, it's out. Tough shit.

    3. Re:Slow learners? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      If my memory serves, a judge passed a ruling on this a little while ago. Shouldn't they be at least slowing down a bit while this is resolved? And if not, why didn't someone give some sort of cease-and desist order?

      Ah, but you're assuming that what they are posting now isn't made up or guessed-at. Just because they posted inside information before doesn't mean that everything they post is.

      If they truly have "highly reliable sources" that provide such detailed information, why don't they publish such details consistently?

      If you look at the previous article, it's pretty content-free, and impossible to disprove the accuracy of. They take something very predictable ("Apple will update the PowerMac G5 line."), add in something likely ("Apple will release new and updated products at or before NAB."), throw in some plausible speculation ("They might use versions of the PPC 970 chip that have been developed publicly."), and some eventual guarantees ("Apple will adopt Blu-Ray") : and you end up with the "message":

      "Apple will release updated G5s with new chips and Blu-Ray at NAB."

      If Apple *doesn't* do exactly this, ThinkSecret can always say "Well, Blu-Ray was delayed because of technical issues." or "It's been pushed back to WWDC."

      So, my point is that : if they had access to the detailed specs they posted today, why would they post plausible fabrications like the above instead?

  2. No word yet... by daveschroeder · · Score: 5, Interesting

    ...on whether these use the already-known-to-exist IBM PowerPC 970MP, a dual core version of the G5. This could mean that we'd have >2.5GHz dual-dual core Power Mac systems.

    Further, an update to Apple's CHUD tools (subsequently pulled) had clear references to quad processor capability, as well as references to the 970MP, and the single core 970GX.

    What could essentially be called "quad G5" systems (including Xserves) are just a matter of time. And with dual >1GHz frontside busses and PC3200 DDR RAM (8GB max in Power Mac, 16GB max (also ECC) in Xserve), these machines are nothing to sneeze at.

    What will be interesting to see is when the Power Macs will have PCI-X and Blu-Ray. From the most current round of rumors, it looks like that's still another upgrade away...

    1. Re:No word yet... by ArbitraryConstant · · Score: 1, Interesting

      It's very unlikely that IBM can deliver a dual-core chip with higher clock speeds than are currently available, due to power constraints.

      --
      I rarely criticize things I don't care about.
    2. Re:No word yet... by algae · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Actually, the 1x PCI-E should be plenty for gigabit ethernet, especially since it's a point-to-point instead of shared bus; there'll be no contention with other high-bandwidth devices.

      I'd imagine 4 or 8x would be pretty nice for a multiple (quad?) Gig-E card though :D

      --
      Causation can cause correlation
    3. Re:No word yet... by xutopia · · Score: 2, Interesting

      seems as though Victorinox is the first but that Wenger later became the people who produced the knives used by the army. Victorinox is the "original" right?

    4. Re:No word yet... by EggyToast · · Score: 2, Interesting

      There's lots of options nowadays that only use the external "breakout box" and connect using something like Firewire. There are pros and cons of both forms, but they're a good example of how PCI is a limited format, not for bandwidth but for size. You can't stick a lot of stuff on just a PCI card, and by forcing things onto a breakout box or dongle card, why not simply use a standardized high-bandwidth external protocol like Firewire?

    5. Re:No word yet... by Tumbleweed · · Score: 3, Interesting

      What will be interesting to see is when the Power Macs will have PCI-X and Blu-Ray.

      I think someone else has already correction your confusion about PCI-X and PCIe, so I'll comment on the Blu-Ray thingy. Sony has been making noises about helping avoid the format war between Blu-Ray and HD-DVD, so I think Apple would be making a _huge_ mistake going with Blu-Ray just as Sony's about to cave. Let's hope they're not that dumb, and that they simply use NEC's dual layer DVD+-RW drives.

    6. Re:No word yet... by MoonBuggy · · Score: 3, Interesting

      New Power Macs (don't know when it started, but I got my current machine mid March this year) have dual layer burners included, but not functional.

      Apple calls it a "PIONEER DVD-RW DVR-117D" which is referred to almost nowhere, but on the physical drive it has another model number (I forget what) which is a dual layer drive. Many people have speculated that since Tiger supports dual layer burning from the Finder but Panther does not, the drives will automagically open themselves into dual layer mode when it's installed, or from a firmware update shortly afterwards. I guess I'm gonna find out when my copy arrives.

    7. Re:No word yet... by javaxman · · Score: 2, Interesting
      . Sony has been making noises about helping avoid the format war between Blu-Ray and HD-DVD, so I think Apple would be making a _huge_ mistake going with Blu-Ray just as Sony's about to cave.

      #1 - Sony's not about to cave.

      #2 - Apple's already backing Blu-Ray. Check out the list of companies. They aren't alone.

      Sony is sure to put Blu-ray drives in their PS3. They're equally as likely to release a bunch of movies in this format. They may have some olive branch to offer the HD-DVD association, but they're not saying they're stopping BD-DVD to create a single standard. Here's the story you may be talking about. From what miniscule information is there, it may just be that they're doing either (a) a PR move to make it look like they tried, or (b) offering up their tech with some modifications, pricing, or other tricky business. Either way, it's a pretty safe bet that Blu-ray is going to end up in PS3's at the very least, and it may just be Sony saying "we think we've already won, how about you save face by playing nice with us, we'll call Blu-ray HD-DVD if you like".

      In any event, it'll be well over a year before Apple has the option of putting a Blu-ray disk reader in a machine, let alone a writer, so they simply will use dual-layer DVD+-RW drives for some time.

  3. Smaller portable needs. by BWJones · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I am still waiting for a subnotebook from Apple. My 12in Powerbook is nice, but what I would really like is a subnotebook, perhaps even an Newton replacement. I've made an argument for Apple's reentry into the "PDA" market here. If such a device could be made, I am sure it would have huge sales. The market is moving towards smaller devices that are even more portable and there are folks that are clamoring for it. Mark Cuban also makes a compelling argument for smaller portable devices here.

    Don't get me wrong....Apple needs to keep its Pro level line on top of things. In fact, I will likely be ordering a new G5 to replace my dual 2.0 G5 if they are in fact announced, but as the numbers are showing after Apple's financial conference yesterday, portables are where the market is at.

    --
    Visit Jonesblog and say hello.
    1. Re:Smaller portable needs. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      Sounds like you want a ThinkPad X40 with OS X (which is exactly what I want). If you look at the Japanese subnotebooks in Dynamism like the Panasonic W2, you can make them smaller and much lighter than the 12" PB without even losing the optical drive. The really skinny subnotebooks all tend to be much more expensive than Apple's though.

    2. Re:Smaller portable needs. by UWC · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Every time I'm in CompUSA I have to take a few minutes to marvel at the tiny Sony subnotebook (I guess it's branded as a Vaio of some sort). No optical drive, of course, because it's maybe half an inch thick when closed, but a surprisingly nice screen (I forget if it's 800x600, 1024x768, or something in between with a different aspect ratio), full size keyboard that extends to all edges, and a 1GHz Pentium M. The pointing device is a Thinkpad style nub because there's no room for a touchpad (even the mouse buttons are curved a little around the edge of the case in the half inch beyond the space bar). It can't weigh much more than 1 pound. I fear I might have bought one by now if it was $1000 instead of $3000. I'm still paying off a bulky $2800 desktop replacement from a couple years ago... though I've bought a Mac mini (and the obligatory 512MB RAM and putty knife... and a new LCD...) in the interim and am enjoying it.

      --
      Honor Among Slackers. A veri
    3. Re:Smaller portable needs. by sakusha · · Score: 2, Interesting

      You apparently haven't read the rumors on the next releases of FCP and Motion. They are rumored to support XGrid rendering, so you can slave together whole render farms of Macs for additional processing power.

  4. Cool! by jargoone · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I decided a couple weeks ago that I wanted to Switch(tm). Tiger release gets announced, I'm good there. Now I have another reason I have to wait for! It's all good though, the Dual 1.8 is the one I want, and I expect the refurb prices to drop like a rock once the new ones come out. Anyone know if this will be the case?

  5. This'll be my first mac by m_dob · · Score: 2, Interesting

    My XP laptop's dying, and I've been looking for a new computer. Had ThinkSecret not put this rumor out, I may have gone for another windows machine. Now it'll be a mac for sure.

  6. MP by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Interesting

    Antares?

  7. YES!! by commodoresloat · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Bring back the eMate plastic clamshell casing, stick a G4 in it, and sell it for $350. I love the eMate, but I can't figure out any way to get the information I type on it into my Mac. So it collects dust these days.... The form factor is perfect. Sure, they can make it white instead of ugly dark green (personally I like the green), but if Apple comes out with something of that form factor at a reasonable price, I will buy 2 of them!!

  8. Re:Power Book? by PaxTech · · Score: 2, Interesting
    I'd settle for a dual G4 Powerbook. My old Powerbook went off lease a few months ago and now I'm waiting to buy a new one until either a G5 or a dual G4 comes out.

    And waiting..

    And waiting..

    --
    All movements for social change begin as missions, evolve into businesses, and end up as rackets.
  9. document tracing technologies by Fox_1 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Two eMac models, code-named Q86J
    I remember reading about different techniques to track leaks of top secret documents from the CIA, one method was to use synonyms of different words in each copy of the document and see if the leaks used the same synonyms in their materials. While I doubt the code-name is an example of this, I wonder in Apple's quest to track it's leaks what kind of internal tracking/security features it's using for documents about new products.

    --
    The rock, the vulture, and the chain
    1. Re:document tracing technologies by BitGeek · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I've been in exactly this situation. I used to work for Compaq. I knew the product by one code name, my boss used a different one when talking to her boss. Her boss used a third when talking to his boss, and the board knew it by yet a fourth code name. Each variation of the product had its own code name as well. Furthermore, the hardware people and the software people on this product used different sets of code names- so when talking to my peers I had to use another term for it than when talking to my boss.

      Granted, I pretty quickly learned all five code names because its damn hard to use two different names and keep straight which name to use with which person.

      But this was in the early 90s. That QJ86 looks like an identifier that narrows the leak to a group... or it could be that the leaker made it up to avoid being discovered, and that's just a redherring and Apple has no product with a code name like that.

      --
      Yeah, and you guys panned the ipod too: http://apple.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=01/10/23/ 1816257
  10. Micro ATX G5, BYOKDM by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The exclusion of keyboard, display and mouse makes the Mac Mini a great value, and the forced repurchase of KD&M makes the iMac a bad value. Customers accept it with laptops for the sake of compactness, but not desktops. Apple should bring out a Micro ATX desktop with the same specs of the iMac G5, but it should be as easy to open and swap the components as a Shuttle PC, and let you BYOKDM. Apple could probably sell it for $900, making it a great machine to go between the Mac Mini and Power Mac.

  11. Re:But what about the PowerBooks!? by argent · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Because a G5 powerbook is "the mother of all thermal challenges" (direct quote from Apple).

    You don't want a G5 powerbook. You want a dual-G4 powerbook. the new Freescale dual-G4 chip breaks the G4 166 MHz system bus bottleneck, *and* gives you dual-core as well. It would breeze past any underclocked G5 Apple could fit in a laptop the size of a Powerbook.

  12. Huh? by commodoresloat · · Score: 4, Interesting

    You would have bought windows again if not for a tiny processor speed bump on the macs? Of course, once you turn on your new Mac you'll see the real reason to switch.... OS X, not sheer processor speed.

  13. Re:Pfft, why? by ttys00 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Linux runs on many architectures. You can run Linux on Apple hardware if you want - after all, Linus does.

  14. Re:Still waiting... by Dan+Ost · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I'd rather have a dual core G4 in a laptop than a single core G5. Top speed
    isn't as important to me as smooth operation.

    --

    *sigh* back to work...
  15. iMac + KVM ? by CaptainPinko · · Score: 1, Interesting

    I'm really torn between deciding to get a Mac Mini and an iMac. I'd like the additional power and LCD screen the iMac provides. Problem is that I will still continue to use the Dell I currently own (hey, it was a gift, couldn't exactly say 'no') for various things such as testing web pages in IE, rading something up in VS.Net, a few games etc. With a Mac Mini I could use a KVM to switch between the two systems seemlessly. So my question is there anyway I could hook up an iMac as an external monitor to another computer? Considering I'm using a CRT and was thinking of replacing it anyway this would be ideal.

    --
    Your CPU is not doing anything else, at least do something.
    1. Re:iMac + KVM ? by Sixtus · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Best thing you can do is this:

      http://www.microsoft.com/mac/otherproducts/otherpr oducts.aspx?pid=remotedesktopclient

      Works well, including sound, and you can put your noisy dell some place else (assuming fast ethernet, maybe link them via firewire, fastest port on the mac, cheap addon for the pc).

  16. Re:I'm happy by TheRaven64 · · Score: 2, Interesting
    For about the same price, you could get a Mac Mini and a 20" screen. For what you are doing, it would be fast enough (my PowerBook is only a 1.5GHz G4, and it only really struggles with some video editing tasks and large compiles). If you find you need something faster, you can either wait until the Minis get a speed bump[1], or upgrade to a PowerMac, without having to replace the screen.

    [1]I suspect that Apple will want to go dual-core as soon as possible. The iBook and eMac are likely to be the only single processor machines, with the PowerBook and Minis getting dual-core G4s, and the iMac and PowerMac getting dual-core G5s (with the PowerMac getting 2 of them - hence the focus on fine-grained locking in the Tiger kernel).

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    I am TheRaven on Soylent News
  17. Re:hard drive conundrum by kilfarsnar · · Score: 3, Interesting

    As a general rule, I use at least two drives. I have three in my G4 PowerMac at the moment. What I love about multiple drives on the Mac is that you can install a system on more than one and boot to it if one drive fails. Yes, this can be done on a PC, but not without fussing with the boot.ini file and the like, IIRC. On a Mac it is quite easy to boot into a different system; either through the control panel, or by having it search available drives for bootable systems!

    --
    "What the American public doesn't know is what makes them the American public." -Ray Zalinsky (Tommy Boy)
  18. Re:But what about the PowerBooks!? by TheRaven64 · · Score: 3, Interesting
    The MPC8641D is from FreeScal's System on Chip (SoC) range, and includes more or less everything except GPU (PCIe controller, memory controller, GigE controller) on die. Designing a logic board for it is going to be significantly less of a challenge than designing the existing logic boards - and they've had six months since FreeScale announced the chip to be working on it.

    Apple are in no hurry to move to 64-bit. Unlike x86, PowerPC was designed as a 32/64-bit ISA from the start, and so 64-bit code has no benefit at all unless you are addressing more than 4GB of RAM, or doing 64-bit integer arithmetic. In fact, it gives you a performance penalty - pointers are larger, thus taking up more cache space, and load / stores take longer. On x86-64, this is offset by making the architecture marginally less GPR-starved in 64-bit mode. Note that Carbon and Cocoa are still 32-bit, for exactly this reason - Apple don't want people complaining that their G5 is slower than a G4.

    IBM have been launching a low-power G5 Real Soon Now(TM) since before the G5 was released, so don't hold your breath on that one. A dual-core G4 would out-perform a single-core G5 (remember the dual 1.42GHz G4 Vs 1.6GHz G5 benchmarks? The dual 1.8GHz G5 was only slightly faster, and that's with the low FSB speed of the current G4s), and performance per watt is what counts in a laptop. If IBM can produce something that will beat a 1.5GHz MPC8641D at 15W, I would be very surprised - we're talking at least a 2.5GHz G5 here, and the current ones are around 45W.

    --
    I am TheRaven on Soylent News
  19. Dual cores all the way by Enrique1218 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I am in the market for a new market for a new Macintosh. However, since I am poor, I would like Apple to put dual cores or dual processors in every damn system they make. Don't hold back. Just think of it, dual processor eMac. See Dell top that!!! Have mercy on me please, I can't afford a PowerMac in this economy!!! Rant done, I crawl back to my shanty.

    --
    You don't have to be smart to use a Mac, you just have to be smart enough to buy one