Tag: g5

CNET News.com reports that Apple recently included photos of a yet-to-be released Power Mac G5 in a service manual, suggesting the the company will soon introduce updated models. The photos show a single heat sink covering dual G5 processors and a new vertical memory configuration. CNET News.com also notes that the new machines could be released “sooner rather than later” because wait times for the G5s have recently climbed to seven to 10 business days on the online Apple store.

The National Advertising Division (NAD) of the Council of Better Business Bureaus has recommended that Apple discontinue and modify its comparative performance claims regarding the Power Mac G5. NAD said the truth and accuracy of Apple’s claims were brought to their attention by Dell. NAD determined that the evidence provided by Apple did not provide a reasonable basis for its claims that the G5 is “the world’s fastest, most powerful personal computer” and that it “edged out the competition on integer.” Read More

IBM is ready to deliver a new version of its PowerPC processor — at speeds of 2.4 to 2.6GHz — to Apple by the end of this year, in time for a revision to the Power Mac G5 line, according to Peter Glaskowsky, analyst with Instat/MDR and editor-in-chief of the Microprocessor Report. “The main improvement to the PowerPC chip, known internally at IBM as the PowerPC 970fx, will be a reduction of the features on the chip itself, from sizes of 130 nanometers to 90 nanometers.

Fortune has named the Power Mac G5 as one of its “25 Best Products of the Year.” “The G5’s anodized aluminum enclosure isn’t just an aesthetic home run: Its perforations keep the computer from overheating. Two sleek handles make the machine easy to move. And the G5’s 64-bit processor is one of the fastest around.”

The online Apple Store on Tuesday began displaying a new promotional graphic that shows price cuts across the entire Power Mac G5 line. According to the image, the 1.6GHz and dual 1.8GHz models will both drop US$200 to $1,599 and $2,299, respectively. The dual 2GHz will shed $300, bringing its price to $2,699.

Following yesterday’s release of the dual processor 1.8GHz Power Mac G5 (US$2,499), an Apple executive discussed the price drops on the other G5 models. “No. 1, we’ve lowered the entry-level price point for a Power Mac G5,” said Tom Boger, Apple’s director of Power Mac product marketing.

“Having Apple Computer’s new Power Mac G5 around the office is like having a superhero assistant,” writes Jon Fortt in his review of the machine for the Mercury News. “If you’ve got lots of graphics or video heavy-lifting to do all at once, it’s amazing. If you’re just moving documents around, then there are less muscle-bound machines that are probably more in your price range.” Read More

ComputerWorld has posted several real world tests and numbers for the dual 2GHz Power Mac G5, including startup and reboot times, launch times for several applications and the times needed to process a variety of tasks. “It’s clear from two weeks of testing that Apple’s new Power Mac G5 dual 2-GHz machine is the fastest thing the company has ever produced.

Macworld has posted Henry Norr’s review of all three Power Mac G5 models. “Beyond all the geeky goodies, the real question about the Power Mac G5s was whether they would actually get real work done appreciably faster. Our tests leave no doubt about it: on almost every task we threw at them, the new machines left their predecessors in the dust.”

In a statement issued Tuesday, Apple said that it had started shipping some dual 2GHz Power Mac G5s, but said it would be getting up to volume production speed in the next two weeks. “The dual-processor 2GHz Power Mac G5s have begun shipping and are making their way to customers, with production volumes ramping up during the next two weeks,” Apple said in the statement acquired by CNET News.com.

Bare Feats has published a performance comparison of all three Power Mac G5 models. “It looks like the Dual G5 2GHz has the best bang for the buck,” the site reports. “The average speed advantage over the G5 1.8GHz is 45%. Yet it only costs 25% more (factory standard configuration).”

Several MacMinute readers report receiving e-mails from Apple with details on the delay of the dual 2GHz Power Mac G5. “The demand for the dual processor Power Mac has been overwhelming and our employees are working around the clock to meet demand,” reads a portion of the e-mail. “Initial units will be sent to education institutions to meet key back to school deadlines.