What is the next big thing gonna be? 

 
 
xwiredtva
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Posted: 20 July 2006 11:37 AM

An updated PPC chip in the new Powermac running 128bit… If you’ve kept up with your news from IBM they have allready created a PPC that can run 500ghz (yes thats a GHZ) at 4 degrees, 350ghz at 72*. Specifications are kept secret other than certified tests from an independant lab.

What I see is a Quad core ship running in two seperate sections as a dual core to acheive the 128bit thourouput. Might not see huge numbers but along the lines of a 3.0-4.0 with a data bus rate over 16gb. Ram specs will most likely be bumped to stay ahead of the curve so figure max mem of 65gb and a quad channel SATA for SATA optics that we may see in the future.

This is merely speculation due to the amount of $$ outlayed by IBM for the production of the PPC proccesor, not only for Apple but for themselves and the recent budget for improvements in manufacturing along with the lack of the adoption of the Intel chips to the powermac line.

Of course I’ll also add OS X 10.5 to the next big thing with it’s OpenGL Aqua interface and 3d desktop… oops… Did I give it away Steve? I like the circular rotating dock too…

     
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Buzz Bumble
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Posted: 21 July 2006 02:58 AM

You’re not going to get any more PPC-based Macs. Apple has moved to Intel chips, which is debatable as a good decision or not. They will now have to stick with Intel (or perhaps Intel-comptible like AMD) chips for at least the next five to ten years before switching yet again.

The PowerPC is now “relegated” to being used in game consoles and “ancient” Amigas.

There’s really only two reasons for Apple’s switch - both basically are “because Steve Job’s says so”. Firstly Steve Job’s believes the sun shines out of laptop bottoms and he couldn’t get a G5 PowerPC chip to run cool enough in a laptop (at least not quickly enough for his wants). Secondly he promised that there would be a 3GHz PowerMac and he was made to look like a bit of a fool or liar when he couldn’t actually produce it. There’s one rule at Apple: don’t cross Steve Jobs.

     
xwiredtva
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Posted: 21 July 2006 09:59 AM

The decision may have been made too quickly… As for Laptops, there fine but like you said they have issues when it comes to heat. I can see the dual core intels being a good idea, but the PPC chips ran cooler and with less power. I remember back in the day (yea, like it’s that far back) an iBook G3 would run for nearly 6hrs on the battery and barely reach 100* at the case, but at the time Intel latptops could get barely 2hrs.

IBM sold off the PC line (now Lenova) to be more of a producer of the parts that make them up. Should the PPC chip remain? I’m thinking Yes and only because of the recent improvements.

As for the GHZ speed rule, that’s out the window. Intel and AMD are producing chips that don’t have the BIG ghz numbers but are faster. Doing so using larger Cache memory, faster bus speeds and multipling the cores. We don’t NEED large frequencey’s what we need are effecient proccesors however most people see the larger number as faster and not what’s inside the chip. For those that still run a G4 like myself you know that a G4 is equal to a P4 in every aspect but the frequencys. Multiply the G4 speed by 2 or or 4 (dual) and you get the effective equvilant to a P4.

Dual cores… Not sure on these yet. Reports show them being faster in a Mac however I think that’s due to the change in Architecture of the chip design.

The PPC may or may not be dead. However I think there’s a holdout at Apple on the powermac side as a wait and see for the next generation. Were almost 3 years into this line (long for apple) with no switch or even an option to have an intel… However this may be the wait for the quad core chips which intel said yesterday will be available in the 4th qtr rather than 1st of 07. Maybe that’s what is gonna go in… Or maybe they wanna see what IBM can do. The G5 was the first 64bit computer and even today runs circles around alot of other PC’s. Time will tell I guess.

AMD’s in a Mac… Now that would be something to brag about! FWIW: I do not use intel chips on my PC’s. After burning up 7 in the last 5 years and never having a problem with the AMD chips I do not buy, endorse, or even run Intels anymore.

     
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Buzz Bumble
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Posted: 21 July 2006 08:43 PM

The PowerPC being used in Apple computers is a completely dead idea - it’s already been decided and the chageover is almost complete. Apple has repeatedly said that their entire Mac lineup will be Intel by 2007. The only PowerPC-based Macs you can still buy brand new are the last of the PowerMacs and possibly a few bits of old stock of the other models.

The replacement for the PowerMac, probably called the Mac Pro, has already been designed (supposedly by Intel since Apple were too busy with the iMac and laptops) and is likely already being manufactured now. It will almost certainly to be announced, if not shipping, at the Developer’s Conference in a couple of weeks (early August) and will definitely contain an Intel chip of some sort. The rumours say the high-end model will have two dual-core Intel chips.

There’s no escaping it. For better or worse we are now definitely stuck with all new Macs using Intel or compatible chips.

The PowerPC chip itself is of course not dead. It is still being used in game consoles (like the Xbox 360).

     
xwiredtva
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Posted: 24 July 2006 09:34 AM

Oh god… Intel designed it… Forget it. I’ll stick to the G4/G5 platforms for now. Can you say no style, no artistic design, certainly not futuristic enough… Probably overheat, be tempermental, have a BIOS, 6lbs of copper for the heat sink which then causes the MB to crack during shipping just like the original 423 P4’s did and most likely will have only current technology built into it, nothing a firmware upgrade can bump up.

Hopefully it doesn’t use proprietary memory like the first P4’s did…

     
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Buzz Bumble
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Posted: 25 July 2006 03:13 AM

I don’t know how true it is. It’s been REPORTED that Intel designed the motherboard, but the case is the same (or VERY similar) to the current G5, rumoured yet again to have two optical drives. They would also have had some stipulations from Apple about what had to be there for memory, etc.

     
PlayballTim
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Posted: 02 January 2007 02:56 PM

I can’t see Apple coping with carriers and competitors like Nokia, and Motorola, but CAN see Apple chasing the 100,000,000 user plus PTP phone market with a wifi phone. I’ve got a dozen other reasons, but it adds up to 1,200 words that can’t fit here. But check out the rationale on my blog, CogentPassion: