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Make Mine a G4 (5/30/98)
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Sure, Apple's current Power Mac G3's are awesome machines. The thing is, they aren't really high-end systems, despite the blistering speed of the processor that drives them; they have fairly low RAM expansion limits, they come with an internal IDE drive instead of high-speed SCSI ones, there are only three PCI slots, the bus speed can't compete with those of high-end PC systems, etc. The current crop are mid-range machines (and they're priced that way!), but they're not suited to all of the abuse a serious graphics or video producer can dish out-- and at six months old, they're getting a little long in the tooth, anyway.
That's why we're pleased to see Mac the Knife's description of the next generation of Power Macs. Due sometime this winter, the new systems reportedly include four PCI slots, a fast bus, and a super-speedy G4 processor. Sounds promising! Mac OS Rumors builds on this description, with lots of detail. The four PCI slots may include one 66 MHz 64-bit slot. The "fast bus" is 100 MHz, though that may move to 133 MHz later. And the speed of that G4? 600 to 850 MHz.
The interesting bit is that this new "Pro" motherboard is expected to be used in both the next-generation Power Macs and PowerBooks. (Of course, stuff like the PCI slots would be removed from the portable version of the board, but the basic design would be the same.) And according to Rumors, the first systems based on this motherboard may ship in time for next January's MacWorld Expo, since IBM is working closely with Apple on the board design. Imagine the scene if Apple demos an 850 MHz PowerBook on stage next January... Heart attacks in the audience, religious raptures in the aisles, frenzied road warriors storming the stage-- not a pretty sight. ;-)
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SceneLink (751)
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And Now For A Word From Our Sponsors |
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 | | The above scene was taken from the 5/30/98 episode: May 30, 1998: Apple's going after the grey marketers by offering a bounty to its authorized resellers. Meanwhile, back in the labs, the finest minds in Cupertino prepare the next generation of Power Macs with G4's at the core, and Byte magazine will reappear in the fall once it's been "refined..."
Other scenes from that episode: 750: Psst! Wanna Buy a Mac? (5/30/98) Apple continues its fight to improve both the quality and profitability of how Macs get sold. First, it focused on putting "stores within stores" in all CompUSAs, and then cut all of its other national retailers who weren't pulling their weight... 752: Not Dead, Only Sleeping (5/30/98) It would appear that reports of Byte's death were greatly exaggerated. According to a CMP Media press release, Byte was purchased from McGraw Hill, along with InformationWeek, InternetWeek, Network Computing, and Windows Magazine....
Or view the entire episode as originally broadcast... | |  |
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