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Xtrem 1.2 GHz will reportedly ship in January

updated 08:15 am EST, Wed December 6, 2000

Xtrem, the company that earlier this year made headlines with its announcement of a 1.2 GHz Power Mac G4, plans to the ship the system for £2,000 (US$2,870) in late January, according to The Register. Skepticism has surrounded the machine since its announcement, and will, no doubt, continue until it actually ships. In October, Xtrem began shipping MacThrust, its $60 collection of jumpers for easily overclocking B&W G3 and Yikes! G4 systems.

by MacNN Staff

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12/06, 08:23am | report spam | close Reply | delete
ripoff

All you're getting for that $60 is a reconfigured jumper block for your machine...or you could go down to Radio Shack and buy a bag of jumpers for under $5 and do it yourself; instructions are all over the web (try xlr8yourmac.com for starters) and with some configurations all you need to do is switch the jumper from one set of pins to another, you don't even need additional ones. What a gyp.

And as for the G4, well, Power Computing made Macs that were faster than Apple's, but they absolutely sucked for reliability and build quality (a machine with both NuBus and PCI slots using two different ROMs? Whatever.). I wouldn't be placing an order for 500 to upgrade my enterprise's systems anytime soon if I were you.

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12/06, 08:43am | report spam | close Reply | delete
why is this even here?

There isn't even news in this bit. It only reiterates what everyone already knows: these guys are a joke. Why give them more free publicity?

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12/06, 09:48am | report spam | close Reply | delete
Both of you

Ok, if you jumper your own mac and blow it up then you are responsible for the damages. What you are paying these guys for is so you won't have to take the chance and void your own warranty.

Steve

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12/06, 09:54am | report spam | close Reply | delete
Power Computing

Man, I don't know which Power Computing box you used, but you are SO wrong. I have an upgraded PowerCenter Pro that's been my daily workhorse machine for three and a half years now, and it's still solid as a rock (other than one fan that's gotten kinda noisy). Everyone else I know who's had a Power machine swears by 'em, too.

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12/06, 10:42am | report spam | close Reply | delete
stupid!

even if you buy a jumper from these l4m3r�z it�s �still� voids your warranty (besides there are no warranty for those macs now anyway)

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12/06, 11:00am | report spam | close Reply | delete
Hey stupid!

What is a "l4m3r'z?"

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12/06, 11:06am | report spam | close Reply | delete
Two Points

Two points:

1. I'm taking a wait and see attitude with xtrem.com

2. I have (4) Power Computing boxes that have been upgraded again and again and are still extremely stable. These have been the most reliable Mac OS computers that I've purchased in the last 5 years.

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12/06, 11:07am | report spam | close Reply | delete
WTF?

Well I am not sure what you are talking about in regards to Power Computing machines having 'both NuBus and PCI slots using two different ROMs'. We don't have any of these mystical entities.

Our school district does have a number of PCI PowerComputing machines, and when the RAM, processor, and HD are upgraded they perform at G3 levels. A heck of a lot better than buying a new computer. And they are all still in service. More than I can say about Apple's crappy 7200s, 5200s, and 5260s. The PowerLogix Z-Force cards work fine in all incarnations of PCI Power Computing, including the PowerCurve and PowerBase.

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12/06, 11:19am | report spam | close Reply | delete
1200 = 600x2

anyone else notice that xtrem is going to be coming out with it's "1200mhz" mac the same time apple ships dual 600mhz machines? do they really think they can overclock a single chip 100 percent?
no way, baby.

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12/06, 11:40am | report spam | close Reply | delete
Xtrem is such a joke!

I'll gladly eat my words if they manage to double-overclock a 600MHz G4. Who is funding this company? They must be fools.

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12/06, 11:42am | report spam | close Reply | delete
yup

60 bucks for 5 cent jumpers... that's bad

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12/06, 11:46am | report spam | close Reply | delete
Its Fake

God, is everyone stupid? The site is a fake! It came out months ago and was supposed to be a joke!

Get real!

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12/06, 12:28pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
I want one!

I don't want to wait for MacOSX. Thanks to XTrem, I can now run COS at 1.2GHz! Keeeeewl!

Europe seems to have cornered the ultra-high-end vaporware market, that's for sure...

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12/06, 12:28pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
It is possible to hit 1.2

But not with the existing G4. Either Xtrem has got their hands on some sample G4's done with SOI, or they've got their hands on samples of the G4+ which could see its intro around that time. Mot had a G4 on SOI running at 1 GHz, and in January of this year they had the G4+ running at 780 MHz.

So Xtrem may be able to pull it off. Shoot, even if they hit 1 GHz, that's still definitely going to be much faster than the MHz on chips Apple will have in its boxes in that timeframe.

Same old rule though - real artists ship. I'll believe it when I see it.

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12/06, 12:29pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
Seriously...

"It's Fake" - Your claim seems to be kinda off, considdering that they haven't been joking so far. They have delivered (almost) what the promised so far, namely an accelerator for g3's. (sure, it's very easy to do this overclocking yourself if you aren't a newbie, but that's beside the point here).

l4m3r�z is a way of saying "lamers"

4 = A
3 = E (backwards)

etc etc.

Only people who think they are mean or something use that way of writing...quite frankly though, it's just a pain in the *** having to read it...so QUIT IT!

Im gonna be doing just what "Two points" is gonna do. If Xtrem AB actually releases their fabled machine and it works as good as any other, GREAT, otherwise, well, it would have been kinda cool... :/

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12/06, 01:03pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
Once and for all...

Xtrem Claims to be an Apple Value Added Re-Seller. What this means is that they do *not* have some super secret "G4+", but that they bought a bunch of standard G4's from Apple, at wholesale and are selling a modified product to the end user. It's the same program as ClubMac's build your own computer, as far as Apple is concerned.

Xtrem's only shipping product, which is essentially, a set of jumper blocks with diagrams, shipped two months late and is horribly overpriced. Furthermore, it *does* void your warranty.

People are skeptical of Xtrem's G4/1200 MHz Mac because of the claims it makes. Even if they have abandoned all of Apple's hardware, they have the problem of creating a 1200MHz G4 chip, seeing as how very few (if any) actually exist, on planet earth, at least. Sure, it's feasible to overclock a 500MHz G4 to 1200MHz, but the chip would be wildly unstable, assuming it would even run. Even if it would run in a relatively stable state (say crashing only 4-5 times and hour), it would soon over heat the rest of the components. This is deep in multi-Water Peltier territory.

Also, what is with Xtrem's hardware specs: 150 MHz bus, (I guess they build their own motherboards) 320MB/s SCSI RAID Controller (uh-huh, sure), 15000 rpm Ultra160 SCSI (that alone would cost more than the $2000 sticker price), 1.5 Gtexels/s Graphics (what the h*** is a Gtexel?), Super Silent Drive (SSD�) (it must be magic�), Stunning Aluminum Casing (yep fully rendered to look like a microphone), Active Cooling System (ACS�) (also known as a Fan�). Puh-leaze.

I might as well call CNN and tell them that I'm going to build cars that drive 30,000 miles on two ounces of orange juice, with a fully-immersive THX/DVD entertainment system, leather seats and walnut trim, and there's a Super Model included with every purchase. All for under $15, tax, title and tags extra. It must be true -- it's on my website.

If you want a faster mac, I would suggest that you write and or call Apple, expressing your concern over Motorola's failure to deliver faster G4s. Otherwise, stop fantasizing about giant 1200 MHz microphones.

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12/06, 01:12pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
Apples and, er, Powers

Please don't confuse this sort of (as yet, at least) vaporware with the machines Power Computing produced. We still have a Power Center Pro 210 at home with the original hard drive (only upgrade has been a 10/100 Ethernet card to speed network backups) and its performance is pretty much indistinguishable from the Rev. B (233 MHz) iMac the kids have.

Power may have been unable to manage their way out of a paper bag, and may have never heard of inventory control, but they (1) made awesomely fast (for their day) machines of good reliability, and (2) had the best print ads ever in the Mac world. Funny, I still have that "cold, dead fingers" one....

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12/06, 02:20pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
It's about time.

It is quite possible to hit 1200 mhz with a 500-600mhz G4. Notice on their web page they talk a very small amount about an 'active cooling system.' Every one of us has one of these ACS things. It's called a refrigerator. Don't believe me? Kryotech was selling AMD Athlon 1000's by overclocking and refrigerating athlon 600's. It's been done. www.kryotech.com to see.. (i dunno if they're still around... hmm..) Instead of air cooling the chip to room temperature, it's water-cooled to below zero. Sound like voodoo? Semiconducting electronics operate with less resistance when cooler, superconducting eventually at absolute zero. (0 degrees kelvin) I think it's kinda cool, actually. Nyuk nyuk.

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12/06, 02:31pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
COS Redux

I thank the person who posted the COS comment that appeared above. I remembered the �product�, but could not remember the name. Who else remembers them? I think they were around about two years ago, and COS was a fictitious OS that was supposed to run all Mac apps, twice as fas as the Mac OS, and in 4 Megs or RAM. I forget whether it also walked your dog and made breakfast for you.

Now this 1200 MHz Macalike, well, I guess we'll see. But I can't say that a company whose product so far is a few dollars worth of jumpers wrapped in packaging and marketing hype is exactly a confidence-inspirer. That silver box for the jumpers makes it look like some sort of high-end CPU upgrade. I had to squint really hard to figure out what it actually was. If the current product is an indication, I think we would be fair to say that this company is a lot more about hype than engineering. Sea monkeys, anyone?

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12/06, 02:34pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
BTW

My PowerCenter blew up. :-(
Sorry, Power Computing.

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12/06, 03:49pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
Power Computing

A friend of mine had his Power Computing machine replaced three or four times. I wouldn't have touched one with a ten foot pole at that point.

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12/06, 04:03pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
D'uh... the price

I doubt that it wil be $2800 for the maxed out configuration they advertise...

Apple does the same thing "G4/500 256/40GB!! $1599*"

Then they have small text that reads "* - starting at"

I'm sure that maxed out config will cost $5000, at least.

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12/06, 04:05pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
PowerComputings were the

They simply could not withstand the abuse normal users threw at them. Pathetic machines.

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12/06, 06:44pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
That case...

Some people think that case looks a lot like a recording-studio microphone. I think it looks a lot like something more closely related to computers: a heat sink.

Think about it. It's an aluminum case (very heat-conductive) with a lot of surface area. There's little holes all over the place (at least it looks like it), assumably for ventilation. I'm guessing that if this thing isn't the vapour that it appears to be, then that case is designed more for function (heat dissipation) than for appearance. The whole thing could be an integral part of whatever complicated cooling system that processor would need to endure such extreme overclocking. There could even be some non-refridgerating liquid cooling going on in there, with radiator tubing running through the case.

If this thing works, and it doesn't explode violently within 5 minutes of plugging it in, maybe it'll double as a space heater for those cold winter months. :)

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12/06, 06:51pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
Carl

I think the main reason people doubt this whole thing is that the company is based in Sweden and few of you have any way of checking it out. If this were a Cuppertino company, there would be more faith. Remember though, Sweden's internet penetration is higher than the US, Sweden is an very advanced, wealthy country with a population much more highly educated than the US (I'm talking about the average person on the street). The Swedes invented dynamite too, and are consistently at the forefront of technological innovation. It might just be true. Then again, it might not. One last thing. It's not as though most companies don't package a lot of cheap components nicely and charge a huge amount of money for them...that's how they make money. Xtreme's product might be useful for those of us who are scared of clocking our computers. Just chill guys - let's see what happens.

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12/06, 09:12pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
Bovine Musings

Smells like a cow pasture to me.

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12/06, 09:40pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
Unrealistic? Slightly im

Before I delve into Xtreme, quick point here. PowerComputing boxes are unreliable. The CD drives they used wore worthless. Power units in all PowerComputing machines are beginning to go. And no replacements. But they were revolutionary machines; they pushed Apple and they are still viable 2nd/3rd hand units. I prefer my 7500, but that is sentimental.

On to Xtreme. What surpises me, more than their claims, is the cost. I'd expect the machine they talk about to cost ~$6000, or �4200. And that is from a large company. The cost of R&D on a machine like this has to be enourmous (Steve W. doing a little tinkering in a European garage?). The promised innards of this machine alone would cost $3000, let alone anything else. I do believe this machine is possible, and will probably run well for a couple years. And it will turn Apples head if we are lucky.

1200Mhz G4? Sure, Motorola has manufactured normal clock rate chips at that speed but it is cost prohibitive to build. Overclock a 500-600Mhz chip then. Damn hot. That is why the case is the heat sink. Smart idea, a slight varient on the cube theme.

If it does come out, snatch one up. If you can afford it. Hey, if nothing else, I garuntee it will make for a good Apple collectable. Me? I'd love one.

BiG�

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12/06, 10:38pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
US Trademark Office

Word Mark: SSD
Goods and Services: IC 009. US 026. G & S: Peripheral Equipment for Computers-Namely, a Large Capacity, High-Speed Auxiliary Storage Device. FIRST USE: 19821112. FIRST USE IN COMMERCE: 19821112
Mark Drawing Code: (1) TYPED DRAWING
Serial Number: 73410558
Filing Date: January 24, 1983
Published for Opposition: January 17, 1984
Registration Number: 1273387
Registration Date: April 10, 1984
Owner: (REGISTRANT) CRAY RESEARCH, INC. CORPORATION DELAWARE RIVERSIDE PROJECT 770 INDUSTRIAL BOULEVARD CHIPPEWA FALLS WISCONSIN 54729
Assignment Recorded: ASSIGNMENT RECORDED
Attorney of Record: PAUL A. WELTER
Type of Mark: TRADEMARK
Register: PRINCIPAL
Affidavit Text: SECT 15. SECT 8 (6-YR).
Live/Dead Indicator: LIVE

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12/07, 12:22am | report spam | close Reply | delete
Just sell me the case!

I honestly don't care if Xtreme can overclock a G4 to 1200MHz. I couldn't afford it anyway. But I wouldn't mind that case of theirs. Polished cast allumimum exterior mid tower enclosier. Man that thing looks sweet! Forget the 1200MHz G4 and just sell me that case! :)

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12/07, 04:27am | report spam | close Reply | delete
Power Supply replacements

A bog-standard and cheap ATX Power supply happily resides in my Powerbase.

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12/07, 05:16am | report spam | close Reply | delete
I have a 1.2Ghz prototype

What a bunch of pessimistic boofheads you sorry lot are.
For your information, I've been running 1.2 Ghz in my
DP500 for months with greater reliability than the original configuration. Just because you find it difficult to believe something is impossible doesn't mean it is, only that it's impossible for you!
In fact, running this topology, one can theoretically achieve
up to 49 Ghz !!!! A clue: basic quantum physics. A world in which apparently simple resistors become complex filters and superconductivity used to be "practically" impossible.
Deep down you really want this product but find it easier to
depreciate other's efforts rather than have to admit something is beyond your severely limited comprehension.
Poor insecure people. Go back to school and study wavelet theory, maybe call the CIA and find out how a license plate can be read from 32000 miles through haze and temperature! Quantum Physics. Everything you knew is
now wrong, Einstein would turn in his grave.
By the way, if you believe a word of this, you're even more gullible than I thought! Bye everyone, love ya all!

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12/07, 05:21am | report spam | close Reply | delete
I have a 1.2Ghz prototype

What a bunch of pessimistic boofheads you sorry lot are.
For your information, I've been running 1.2 Ghz in my
DP500 for months with greater reliability than the original configuration. Just because you find it difficult to believe something is impossible doesn't mean it is, only that it's impossible for you!
In fact, running this topology, one can theoretically achieve
up to 49 Ghz !!!! A clue: basic quantum physics. A world in which apparently simple resistors become complex filters and superconductivity used to be "practically" impossible.
Deep down you really want this product but find it easier to
depreciate other's efforts rather than have to admit something is beyond your severely limited comprehension.
Poor insecure people. Go back to school and study wavelet theory, maybe call the CIA and find out how a license plate can be read from 32000 miles through haze and temperature! Quantum Physics. Everything you knew is
now wrong, Einstein would turn in his grave.
By the way, if you believe a word of this, you're even more gullible than I thought! Bye everyone, love ya all!

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12/07, 05:23am | report spam | close Reply | delete
I have a 1.2Ghz prototype

What a bunch of pessimistic boofheads you sorry lot are.
For your information, I've been running 1.2 Ghz in my
DP500 for months with greater reliability than the original configuration. Just because you find it difficult to believe something is impossible doesn't mean it is, only that it's impossible for you!
In fact, running this topology, one can theoretically achieve
up to 49 Ghz !!!! A clue: basic quantum physics. A world in which apparently simple resistors become complex filters and superconductivity used to be "practically" impossible.
Deep down you really want this product but find it easier to
depreciate other's efforts rather than have to admit something is beyond your severely limited comprehension.
Poor insecure people. Go back to school and study wavelet theory, maybe call the CIA and find out how a license plate can be read from 32000 miles through haze and temperature! Quantum Physics. Everything you knew is
now wrong, Einstein would turn in his grave.
By the way, if you believe a word of this, you're even more gullible than I thought! Bye everyone, love ya all!

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12/07, 10:53am | report spam | close Reply | delete
Is the 1200Mhz Possible?

As the former founder of XLR8 and a pioneer in the field of active cooling and clock chipping, I believe the claims of 1200Mhz can be achieved and demonstrated in an ideal and controlled environment. I do however also feel it is impossible to replicate in any amount of consistency and stability.

Pat Berry

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12/07, 11:57am | report spam | close Reply | delete
A few points to be made

They simply could not withstand the abuse normal users threw at them. Pathetic machines.

Wrong, wrong, wrong. The PowerComputing slamming is so far off base that it was tough to read through all of the tripe while reading through this nearly totally unrelated thread.

Fact: I've owned a PowerBase 180 and a PowerCenter 210, both of which I used extremely often and they performed solidly. They gave me far, far more bang for the buck than anything Apple could produce and were far easier to work with internally. I upgraded the h*** out of my PowerComputing clones and they performed flawlessly. I'm a power user that tinkers continually and they never failed me.

Fact: The graphic design office I'm working in has had a group of the PowerCenter 210's with no upgrades that have been performing flawlessly since their introduction. With the exclusion of one of the machines that had it's graphics card go out this year they have stood the test of time admirably.

You see, PowerComputing clones still have quite a following for good reason. Before I upgraded to a Dual G4 500 with Radeon I was still using my upgraded PowerCenter and I passed it down to a family member. There are numerous websites and a major discussion board for all each of the models of PowerComputing clone. The machines have proven to be solid performers and continue to be solid performers for those that still use them. There are issues with every machine ever made by Apple or any other computer maker. Problem machines will always show themselves with any make or model. I think that the reason some of you have had so many problems with PowerComputer clones is for the sheer fact that so many of them were sold and are still used. They did what Apple could not do and still arguably cannot do. They gave users very powerful, fully-upgradeable machines at a very affordable price point. The cost for performance was very much in the buyers favor.

As for Xtrem and their 1.2Ghz machine I'll believe it when I see it. I think that it's more a publicity stunt than anything so that the creators of the website and idea can put this in their resume. You do know that the creator is a graphic designer don't you? I also think that the timing of the release date is shady to say the least. Saying they'll have their 1.2Ghz machine ready by January when Apple has said that they'll release new systems at the same time? I think these people are mac users that wanted publicity for their own reasons and that may also want to push Apple a little bit. I can't fault them for it.

With that said I think that a heavily overclocked machine for the Mac side along the lines of the kryotech machines PC'ers have had for a while now is a welcome thing. It can be done, people, if not at the level Xtrem is touting then surely an overclocked machine in the range of 1Ghz could be made. h***, do a little looking around and you'll see that people have overclocke

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12/07, 12:01pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
above post continued...

...do a little looking around and you'll see that people have overclocked their Dual's to 600mhz a piece and that there are people that have done such things as clock their 400mhz machine up to 600. These are amateurs! Imagine what could be done with the kind of technology Kryotech uses! I doubt the price more than anything.

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12/07, 03:13pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
Think of Kriotek

i don't know anything about xtrem, but there is a company out there called kriotek which makes over clocked K6 systems. Now if a K6 runs so much hotter than a G4 and is clocked up to 1.2ghz with their cooling method, who's to say a company can't overclock a G4 using the same cooling method. Overclocking a chip 700mhz definatly sounds like it's pushing it, but I wouldn't rag on xtrem too much until we actually see the finished product. p.s I'm not really sure I'm spelling kriotek correctly :)

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12/07, 03:28pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
i could be true

Other companies did this last year with Athalons and they run a lot hotter than G4 chips so its possible. I would be really worried that the cooling system would fail and your g4 would be a ball of fire.

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12/07, 03:38pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
You are forgetting

The G4 is NOT limited by heat! It is limited by its very short pipeline (4 stages, I think), and it is practically *physically* limited by how much MHz it can achieve. Even kryotech-style cooling in optimum conditions isn't going to bring a 500 or 600 MHz G4to 1 GHz, let alone 1.2 GHz!

And not to mention that they specifically mentioned that the 1.2 GHz speed was from ONE processor, not dual 600s. For those of you saying it's no big deal to get dual 500s up to 600... let's see you double that! ;-)

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12/07, 03:47pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
No you are forgetting

If you're talking about the physical limitations of latency then yes there is a limit to how far a processor can be pushed. But extreme cooling improves conductivity and increases the speed of the processor's millions of transistors. Thus decreasing latency and allowing you to increase the rate at which electrical signals are fed to the processor (ie clock speed).

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12/07, 04:14pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
overclocking

What Extreme failed to mention is that your mac will have to be placed in a freezer for it work correctly at 1.2 Ghz

asdf
asdf!

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12/07, 06:04pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
The most interesting...

Where do we insert CDs and floppy? Where's the power switch?

Maybe it's a kind of new furnace... Winter is cold in Sweden! :)

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12/07, 06:33pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
Yes, but...

Most knowledgable people, such as those from XLR8YourMac, confirm that in its current state, the G4 is physically limited more by design than heat. I believe some readers even tried using elaborate liquid or peltier-cooling systems and were unable to significantly overclock a G4. I have never heard of *anyone* getting over 600 MHz, and even that is rare.

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12/07, 07:21pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
PPC

We have 4 PowerCenter Pro 180. Two are used in a 24/7 server for the last 3 years. The only upgrade is a PowerLogix G3 220 accelerator (overclocked to 300 mhz). One is dead because some bozo tried to connect a SCSI Zip drive while the computer was still running. The last one is my computer with the same card as the others except that I have it clocked to 325 mhz (temp is 27-30 C). I still feel that I got a great deal with the PowerComputing machines. Apple products that were sold at the same price point and during the same time frame have not fared as well. The performa series, 7200 come to mind.

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12/08, 05:36am | report spam | close Reply | delete
Dont say die to quickly

There core strategy is possible, by deeping the pipelines and using the faster ram ie. 133 and 166mHz and there cooling technology it is possible to get a stable 1.2gHz machine. I achived 700mHz atble on my g4 450 yikes with only the addition of coolant and a bigger heatsink and fan with faster ram. But hey imagine how completely stupid you all gonna look if they actually succeed. And if they dont then hey you all said they would. I wonder who has something to prove here ;)

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12/08, 05:36am | report spam | close Reply | delete
Dont say die to quickly

There core strategy is possible, by deeping the pipelines and using the faster ram ie. 133 and 166mHz and there cooling technology it is possible to get a stable 1.2gHz machine. I achived 700mHz atble on my g4 450 yikes with only the addition of coolant and a bigger heatsink and fan with faster ram. But hey imagine how completely stupid you all gonna look if they actually succeed. And if they dont then hey you all said they would. I wonder who has something to prove here ;)

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12/08, 06:16am | report spam | close Reply | delete
Get a life!

What is the matter with all of you?
Half of the posts here refer to PowerComputing machines, the other half slashes and slanders at a product that does not yet exist.
All the techno babble aside, why are you all so extremely pessimistic? and take a step back and look at the Xtreme website (as I just have).
On credibility stakes: the company is actually shipping a product, they aim to make some money, why on earth do you think they would compromise themselves with such an elaborate hoax? Surely noody would buy anything from them again if this turned out to be the case.
Why would they want to create such a hoax, what is in it for them? maybe the interest they have generated has enabled them to sell some of their other products (that clearly some of you have bought) but surely it would be the most idiotic marketing strategy possible then to turn around and say 'actually it was all a joke'. Self-annihilation.
They spent considerable time (and money) developing the 3-D models and web-site
Considerable thought has gone into the enclosure.
If you compare this to the other mock-ups (of the various G$ PowerBook variety and 'future models') flying around on the web, these are clearly much more elaborate and plausible.
Sure it might all be a joke (but why?, surely you can think of a better use for your money, certainly of a better joke�) but then again it might not be. Either way I think you should give these guys some credit (at least for the controversy they are creating).
(also the price is mentioned as 'not determined' on their site).
I say 'Thunderbirds are go!' and the very best of luck FAB

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12/08, 09:26am | report spam | close Reply | delete
Get a life! (2)

I completely agree with the previous post. You all sound like what PC-users sounded like when we were going GUI and they were still CLI. They couldn't stop complaining about the uselessness of a mouse, windows and icons. Look how the whining stopped and now they all jumped the bandwagon too. So I say - keep a positive angle on new stuff. People have been know to do what others thought impossible before, so maybe we get luck and it happens again. Or it may all be just a hoax. At least something happens and either way I don't see all this negative attidude doing any good.

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12/08, 09:44am | report spam | close Reply | delete
It's a pile

Sorry, cheerleaders, but this whole thing is a hoax. Remember COS? I'll believe it when I see it.

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12/08, 11:53am | report spam | close Reply | delete
COS

I posted the 'get I life' thing earlier.
COS had the difference that little or no money was spent in creating a story.
The web-site was a piece of trash and there was no other product as far as I remember.
COS always looked like a hoax to start with.
But I remember another thing of some while back, were there not some engineers in Switzerland or somewhere that had successfully ported MacOS to Intel in some lab? Apple killed them, as far as I remember. Equally Apple killed that alternative processor that was floating around some years ago (some extreme 604, then hailed as the future, the name escapes me now) they took a big stake in the company and then killed the whole thing.
I think there is a lot more happening than eventually sees the light, just because you have not got it on your plate does not mean it is not there (and it is just plain stupid to so vehemently argue against something you have so little information about). If the world is round, how come we don't all fall off�, come on, just because you can't do it does not mean somebody else can't.
There is a lot of stuff you cannot see yet you believe exists, how come? what proove do you need? (I hope little green men are not among it, although apparently something like 45% of Americans believe in them, how come 85% of you guys have some unnatural hate for this machine, be it real or not?)

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12/08, 11:56am | report spam | close Reply | delete
above

I know, you are all employed by Apple!

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12/08, 11:57am | report spam | close Reply | delete
above

I know, you are all employed by Apple!

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12/08, 01:35pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
they're cooling it!

Nope, I think I see what they're trying to do. They say they've got some fancy cooling system. key beeing it's sub-zero. By cooling the processor, they're trying to make the 100% overclocking stick... I'm no engineer, so I won't bother to speculate whether this has a chance or not. seems like it's worth a shot to me...

Can anyone explain to me how these guys can license the macos or roms or whatever without apple's help?

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12/08, 01:45pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
cooling

to follow up my last post, there's been some people who've dipped their entire machine in... er... mineral spirits, I think, and then cooled the lot. at any rate, I hope it wouldn't be "water cooled" as someone suggested! you burst a pipe and you're dead. you need something that doesn't conduct!

anyway, like everyone says... wait and see...

oh, and I believe the magic 604 you're referring to was the Mach5. and I believe it actually shipped in some 8600s and 9600s. this is why BeOS didn't boot on all 8600s. I can't remember which mine was. sadly, I think it's a 604ev. BeOS worked. I should have gone for the Mach5. :)

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12/08, 02:14pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
above

NO, NO, THE CHIPS WERE NOT MOTOROLA, BUT SOME NEW VENTURE sorry bout the caps.
They had a whole system running at some point xtrem-something x� x(plode)�xponential!!!!, I think it was Xponential fire-something�

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above

Here you go:

Apple drops Exponential chip
By Jim Davis
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
May 13, 1997, 7:00 p.m. PT

SAN JOSE, California--Apple will not ship a computer that uses the X704 processor from Exponential Technology in the next year, an Apple executive said today at the company's Worldwide Developer Conference, dealing yet another blow to the beleaguered chipmaker.

The decision could mark a serious blow to Exponential's efforts to market a high-performance processor based on the PowerPC design. Exponential, which has been developing a highly touted 533-MHz PowerPC processor for Macs, announced last week that it is laying off 25 percent of its workforce and could only deliver a 410-MHz processor by the third quarter of this year.

"We didn't see a significant performance advantage vs. what we were getting from the G3 processor from IBM and Motorola," said Phil Schiller, vice president of desktop and server product marketing for Apple. "We will not ship an Exponential processor in our product line in the next year. We just didn't see any benefit to our customers," he said, noting that if Exponential could ship a faster processor, Apple might rethink its plans.

Exponential's 533-Mhz X704 processor was originally planned for release this July.

G3 is the generic name that refers to the next generation of PowerPC processors that will debut at slower speeds than the Exponential chip but will have other enhancements to boost performance. The G3 processors, code-named Mach 5 and Arthur, reportedly will also cost significantly less than Exponential's processor.

The X704 processor is a PowerPC-compatible chip designed for such applications as desktop publishing, multimedia authoring, and image processing.

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12/08, 02:42pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
above

Here you go:

Apple drops Exponential chip
By Jim Davis
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
May 13, 1997, 7:00 p.m. PT

SAN JOSE, California--Apple will not ship a computer that uses the X704 processor from Exponential Technology in the next year, an Apple executive said today at the company's Worldwide Developer Conference, dealing yet another blow to the beleaguered chipmaker.

The decision could mark a serious blow to Exponential's efforts to market a high-performance processor based on the PowerPC design. Exponential, which has been developing a highly touted 533-MHz PowerPC processor for Macs, announced last week that it is laying off 25 percent of its workforce and could only deliver a 410-MHz processor by the third quarter of this year.

"We didn't see a significant performance advantage vs. what we were getting from the G3 processor from IBM and Motorola," said Phil Schiller, vice president of desktop and server product marketing for Apple. "We will not ship an Exponential processor in our product line in the next year. We just didn't see any benefit to our customers," he said, noting that if Exponential could ship a faster processor, Apple might rethink its plans.

Exponential's 533-Mhz X704 processor was originally planned for release this July.

G3 is the generic name that refers to the next generation of PowerPC processors that will debut at slower speeds than the Exponential chip but will have other enhancements to boost performance. The G3 processors, code-named Mach 5 and Arthur, reportedly will also cost significantly less than Exponential's processor.

The X704 processor is a PowerPC-compatible chip designed for such applications as desktop publishing, multimedia authoring, and image processing.

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above

followed by:

Exponential sues Apple
By Michael Kanellos
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
September 15, 1997, 1:05 p.m. PT

Exponential Technologies, a now-defunct chip vendor that just a year ago represented the cutting edge in microprocessors, has filed suit against former ally Apple for allegedly breaking off a supply contract earlier this year and also interfering with sales to Apple clone vendors, a situation that ultimately forced Exponential to shutter most of its operations.

The suit, which was filed in Santa Clara County Superior Court in California, seeks $500 million in damages from Apple under nine causes of action. Michael Kalkstein, a senior partner at Graham & James, represents Exponential. News of the suit came via a note sent by Exponential to former employees.

Stephanie Dorris, Exponential's CFO, explained that the complaint contains causes of action for breach of contract, fraud, and interference with prospective economic advantage, among other causes of action.

The suit arises out of a series of development and purchase agreements between Exponential and Apple, Power Computing, and Umax Computing, the two most successful clone makers. Among other claims, Exponential alleges that Apple refused to license ROM code to the clone makers, which then made it impossible for the clone makers to adopt the Exponential chips.

Early this year, Exponential had been set to supply Apple with superfast PowerPC X704 processors running at speeds of up to 533 MHz. Gil Amelio, the former Apple CEO, at one point even demonstrated a system with the chip during a speech. Conceivably, chips based on an Exponential design would have expanded the amount of software that could run on Apple machines.

In May, however, Apple said it would not use the Exponential X704 chip in its computers. Former employees of the company said that signaled the demise of the company.

Phil Schiller, vice president of desktop and server product marketing for Apple, said at the time that Apple dropped Exponential because its chips did not provide significant performance advantages. "We will not ship an Exponential processor in our product line in the next year. We just didn't see any benefit to our customers," he said then.

Interestingly, technology pioneered by Exponential is similar to the designs Intel plans to incorporate into its next-generation 64-bit Merced chip and were the subject of an intensely competitive silent auction earlier this summer. An undisclosed purchaser picked up the patents for around $10 million, said various sources.

Katie Cotton, an Apple spokeswoman, reported that the company has not been served with the complaint yet and had no comment.

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12/08, 03:31pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
Reality Check

Lamers,

1. Drop all the blah blah about other chips and Power computing. It's not relevant.

2. They are an existing company with an existing product, and fac no small legal liability for false advertising (especially in Sweden).

3. They are trying to accomplish something very difficult. SOme support would be nice.

4. It IS theoretically possible. in real world conditions, however, and after some year of use, I would be worried. After all, what heppens if a critical cooling component fails? Explosion? Fire? Shutdown? how (and where) would you service it?

5. If Apple, IBM, and Mot remove opposable digit from hindquarters, these guys could accelerate a 1Ghz to 2Ghz. We're still behind on fundamentals.

6. For niche market and specific tasks, if it works, it's great. For Joe Enduser, think twice, no, think many times, before buying. If they can pull it off reliably.

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12/08, 05:43pm | report spam | close Reply | delete
1.2 ghz

Hey, let's save the ripping on Xtrem until they ship a product. Then, if you don't like it you can rip on it. Let's give them a chance to deliver.
If they do deliver as promised, I insist that you naysayers eat your words. If they do not, let's not beat them up for trying.

Secondly, innovations in any industry often come from outside the main organizations. Why not use super-cooling technology and other technologies to to cramk up the volume? If you don't undersand a technology (or anything) or you could not figure out how to do it yourself, allow for the possibility that someone else does and could 9in any area of life)!

I am a loyal Apple user and generally am in favor of what Steve Jobs has done. However, Power Computing certainly pushed the envelope significantly further than Apple is or has, and I was very sorry to see them go. They really kicked a**! Apple is a bit too conservative in my view.

Kerplagh

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12/09, 09:20am | report spam | close Reply | delete
overclocking

As I write this my NuBus 8100-100 likes the Newer G3 250 ugb. I doesn't need to overclock in order to accomplish the speed boost, it compensates through bus speed. These people are offering a piece of equipment that could thoretically destroy any Mac it enters.

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12/11, 06:52am | report spam | close Reply | delete
licensing

I still don't understand how a company can make macOS machines; I thought apple pulled licensing and won't share ROMs. can someone please explain this aspect?

Thanks.

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Xtrem 1.2 GHz will reportedly ship in January

updated 08:15 am EST, Wed December 6, 2000

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