Will Apple bite on Motorola's PowerPC chip?
Posted by malebolgia on 24 February 2004 - 05:06 · 10 comments & 777 views
About the Author
Full name: Unknown
Forum name:
malebolgia
Contact: via forum PM
Submissions: Normal · Headline
Full name: Unknown
Forum name:
malebolgiaContact: via forum PM
Submissions: Normal · Headline
Slashdot It!
Submit to reddit
Submit to blinklist
Bookmark on del.icio.us
Add to furl
Share on Facebook
Add to Windows Live
Add to Google- Advertisement
-
-
#1 Posted by nic on 24 Feb 2004 - 05:15
- There should be some bidding to take place, and the result SHOULD be cheaper macs. But this is apple we are talking about
-
(2 replies)
#2 Posted by Liquid on 24 Feb 2004 - 05:29
- OO Im getting my powerbook soon
I think ill wait now 
-
(1 reply)
#3 Posted by Mav Phoenix on 24 Feb 2004 - 05:41
- Good, competition is always good.
-
(2 replies)
#4 Posted by akuma-x on 24 Feb 2004 - 07:04
- iBook - G4 1.42GHz
Powerbook - G5 1.8GHz-2.0GHz
-
#4.1 Posted by darthfader on 24 Feb 2004 - 07:44
- exactly. no more PB G4's
-
#5 Posted by NinjaOfLove on 24 Feb 2004 - 21:17
- It'd be a cool chip for ZIF upgrades for older macs
Motorola said it is now producing samples of a 1.42GHz PowerPC processor, a chip analysts say might soon find its way into the PowerBook, Apple's high-end laptop. Motorola said the chip has a typical power consumption of less than 20 watts, a level that makes it suitable for laptops. The chip also contains multimedia instructions that are required for chips that Apple bills as G4 processors. "It certainly would be a fit for a portable Mac," Mercury Research analyst Dean McCarron said. "It's obviously up to Apple whether they would do that versus using an IBM (chip)."
A Motorola representative declined to comment on whether Apple might be interested in the chip. In a press release, Motorola said the chip is designed for a wide range of uses, including in computing as well as embedded, noncomputer, tasks. An Apple representative also declined to comment, citing its policy of not discussing future products. Motorola made the chips for the first Mac in 1984 and was the provider of the "68000" chips that powered all Macs until the PowerPC arrived in the mid-1990s. Originally a joint effort of IBM and Motorola, both companies now make PowerPC chips independently. IBM is the sole supplier of G5 chips, while Apple has used both companies at various times to supply other PowerPC processors.
Wind River has traditionally provided operating system software for mission-critical devices such as the Mars exploration rovers and jet fighter control panels. But as its clients become more interested in cheaper software for high-volume, low-margin business, the company said it started exploring Linux, a software which is free to use, copy, and distribute.
"Wind River brings their tools and platform to the table, Red Hat brings its services and Linux expertise to the table," said Richard Williams, an analyst with Summit Analytic Partners. "When you put these two together, it is a lot faster to provide Linux to the market."
Alameda, California-based Wind River said clients such as Nortel Networks Corp. and Lucent Technologies Inc. have asked for Linux. But its more expensive flagship VxWorks software, which is designed to be faster and more reliable, will continue to be used in areas where higher security is needed.