Monday, June 9, 2003 |
14:32 - We wants it... we wants it!
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,3959,1121736,00.asp
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Apparently the 970-based Power Macs are nearer release than anybody had guessed-- even to the point of clearing the tower before the software is even ready for them.
Sources said that the IBM chip will make its first appearance in a new Power Mac known internally as Q37. However, sources said, Q37 won't ship with a 64-bit version of Mac OS X, limiting OS performance gains in the initial release. Instead, Q37 will launch with a special build train of the current Mac OS X Version 10.2, a k a Jaguar.
This build, code-named Smeagol, will run on the new chip but won't take advantage of many of its key features, including 64-bit support. Sources said Apple's goal for Smeagol is to deliver Mac OS X performance at least "on par" with what Jaguar could achieve on Motorola G4 chips running at the same speed; the move will allow Apple to ship the new hardware before Mac OS X 10.3, a k a Panther, can take advantage of all the new processor's capabilities.
Even before Panther ships, early adopters of the new Mac system should also apparently be able to take advantage of the new processor's fast new front-side bus and cache.
Say what you will about Apple; but I just love their code-names. Marklar... Sméagol... and let's not forget the ever-popular BHA.
This could be interesting, in any case. People are used to new machines feeling faster than their old ones right out of the box, even if for no other reason than that they haven't installed any software on it yet to slow it down. But this time, it means people might go out, buy 970-based machines, get the modest performance boost you'd expect from any next-generation CPU... and then, in September, they can install an OS upgrade that kicks it all up another four or five more notches. BAM! Or something.
This could all still be smoke, naturally. But this week it seems all the tech rags have scoops on the G5 line, so it can't all be disinformation. At least, it'd better not be, or else there'll be a horde of angry Mac people out here in rumorville.
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