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http://www.macnn.com/articles/02/01/21/opinion:.will/

Opinion: will IBM supplant Motorola for G5s?

updated 10:05 pm EST, Mon January 21, 2002

 
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osOpinion has posted an editorial by Kelly McNeill on an alternate path the much-awaited G5 processor could take. "What I find curious is the fact that few have considered the notion that Apple might not turn to Motorola for its next-generation G5 processor. While there is a slight difference in features when comparing the Motorola PPC road map to IBM's own road map, the two are still surprisingly similar."


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  1. MacNN.com Reader

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Jul 2001

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    01/21, 10:28pm | report spam | Reply |

    It's been awhile

    All your 1st posts are belong to us!

  1. JL!

    Junior Member

    Joined: Apr 2000

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    01/21, 10:40pm | report spam | Reply |

    Faster?

    I'm all for this idea if two things happen:

    1) IBM develops chips faster than Moto
    2) The chips IBM develops are faster than Moto's

    If they can do those two things, we'd be dumb NOT to do that.

  1. g3towerdude

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Aug 2001

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    01/21, 10:50pm | report spam | Reply |

    wow

    I'm all for this idea if two things happen:

    1) IBM develops chips faster than Moto
    2) The chips IBM develops are faster than Moto's

    If they can do those two things, we'd be dumb NOT to do that.

    Man, you are a f****** genius.

  1. MacNN.com Reader

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Jul 2001

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    01/21, 11:08pm | report spam | Reply |

    Who cares..

    AS LONG AS I GET A G5, I don't care who fabs it! Go with whoever can get it done!!

  1. Mystigo

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    01/21, 11:14pm | report spam | Reply | delete

    RoadMaps

    I don't recall seeing the G5 on either IBM or Motorola's road maps.

    The only roadmaps on which I have seen the G5 are those belonging to MacOSRumors and The Register.

    They both predicted volume shipments of 1.2 to 1.6 GHz machines by now.

  1. MacNN.com Reader

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

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    01/21, 11:24pm | report spam | Reply |

    to the guy above

    I think you need to get a clue. both companies have the G5 on their roadmaps.

  1. MacNN.com Reader

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    01/21, 11:25pm | report spam | Reply |

    What about AltiVec

    I thought that AltiVec was the property of Motorola. Even if they went with IBM, wouldn't there would still be some kind of dependence on Motorola?

  1. MacNN.com Reader

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

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    01/21, 11:32pm | report spam | Reply |

    May not have a choice...

    Listening to the business news this evening, I heard yet another report on Moto receiving pressure from investors and others in the business community to either sell off or flat out shutter their semiconductor unit.

    Now, true, Apple could buy the business and produce their own chips, but personally, I don't think they're up to running a semiconductor business on top of their existing hardware business; I think they'd be spreading themselves too thin and stepping too far outside the business they know. Another question would be if a semiconductor unit could be economically viable with only one internal customer; trying to service other markets, i.e. embedded processors, would again seem like stepping way outside their core knowledge.

    JeffM.

  1. Dan Harkless

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    Joined: Sep 2001

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    01/22, 12:41am | report spam | Reply |

    Re: What about AltiVec

    Yeah, I'm surprised the author of that article didn't address the subject of AltiVec. Apple has had a lot of recent success in getting multimedia software companies to leverage AltiVec, and in doing so itself in its iSoftware. One of the big reasons the new iMac has a G4 is to get the AltiVec instructions and get much better performance in iMovie and iDVD.

    Now, while the Motorola roadmap linked to from that article doesn't specifically mention AltiVec in the "G5" box, I presume that's because it just carries over from the G4. Surely they're not just tossing it out without a suitable replacement technology.

    In any case, I certainly don't see any AltiVec replacement in the "Planned" boxes in IBM's timeline. I guess the SIMD stuff could take away some of the need for the AltiVec instructions, though...

  1. Mystigo

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    01/22, 12:57am | report spam | Reply | delete

    Whoops

    Should have looked at the "road map" first. Yes -there is a G5 on the Mot one. I guess there is one on the IBM one as well. I didn't really see it though.

    My main point is that the G5 is supposed to be here already according to the rumor sites. I don't believe it will be here anytime soon. Six months at the earliest.

    Since Mot's road map ends in 200x, that could put the G5 somewhere around 2003 on that scale.

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