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http://www.insanely-great.com/news.php?id=453
The shape of things let unseen
By ron carlson, Insanely Great Mac
May 22nd 2002
With just nine weeks to go before the right coast event, rumors swirl and eddy around
Apple''s Pro desktop line
With the launch of Xserve, it seems a virtual certainty that the next update of
Apple''s Pro desktop line will ship with DDR266 RAM, though not a full implementation
thereof. This memory standard has been in available in PC desktops since early 2001
and continues to be Intel''s choice for mainstream desktop computers, though VIA and
SiS both are now pushing DDR333 chipsets.
Apple and Motorola are for better and worse followers. No where is this more evident
than in the G4''s limited system bus, which is currently capped at single-data-rate
(133MHz, 1GB/s) (Thanks to Chris for pointing out egregious errors in this section).
The motherboards inside updated PowerMacs will largely mirror the specifications (i.e.
system bus, memory bandwidth, cache) listed for the Xserve. Again, the underlying
limiting factor is the G4 processor and lack of support for faster than 133MHz
technologies.
Graphics, PCI support
Mac OS Rumors (MOSR) speculates that not only will the new Pro systems get faster
GeForce4-family graphics cards, Apple will also implement an 8X AGP slot. To be sure,
there will be faster graphics included, however, 8X AGP isn''t available yet on the PC
side. Apple''s apparently special relationship with nVidia could be the trump card
that brings 8X AGP to the Mac, but I''d say this technology won''t likely be available
until MWSF in January.
Aside from a faster system bus and juicier memory, the most interesting rumor
circulating about updated Pro towers is the possibility of the return of six PCI
slots. If Apple is to increase its already hefty share of the media-creation market,
six-slot systems are imperative. I have numerous friends still pluggin along with
Jurassic 9600s and they are loathe to give them up.
MOSR speculates that Pro 2002 desktops will include three 66MHz and three 33MHz slots.
During the height of "G5 fever" in the run up to MWSF last December when the high-end
was pegged at 1.6GHz and it appears that''s about the maximum we can expect when new
G4s are announced in July. MOSR and other sources say, however, that the most we can
expect is 1.5GHz with 1.4GHz as the most likely CPU to grace the innards of Apple''s
revised PowerMacs.
In terms of new and/or improved L3 cache technology, we''ve pretty much got the best
that''s currently available anywhere -- this is perhaps the only area where Macs
excell in comparison to their PC counterparts. But reason we''ve gotten this is
because Macs on the whole lag the throughput provided by PCs -- it''s a fix, it''s a
"kludge" used to make us more equal.
Updated I/O?
FireWire 2.0 (IEEE1394b) won''t likely make an appearance as silicon hasn''t been
announced. It''s possible Apple has managed to keep a lid on 1394b (800Mbs)
developments, but it''s highly unlikely given the number of players involved. It''s
probable that improved 1394a support (i.e. performance that approaches the theoretical
50MB/s maxium of the standard) will be included as TI and others are providing tweaked
chips.
Outside the Mac space and Japan, where the pursuit of technology is high religion,
FireWire is widely seen as foundering, so there''s not a lot of pressure to push out
the next version of the technology. Last year''s pricing and licensing issues have
been resolved, but now Intel has come out against the technology. Moreover, whereas
USB 2.0 implementations don''t require vendors to pay royalties, FireWire does.
On the PC side, USB 2.0 is gathering momentum. Intel product manager Grace Wang told
me that she expects one-third of all new PCs shipped by the end of 2003 will include
it. The caveat here, however, is that there are very few devices available that
implement USB 2.0 -- chicken and the egg. Also, some of the implementation problems
that plagued USB 1.0 also appear to be bedeviling v2.0 -- including buggy devices and
slow real-world throughput (13+MB/s as opposed to the advertised maximum of 60MB/s).
Moreover, although FireWire hasn''t really caught on in terms of the broader market,
it has taken firm root in the DV space. Ms. Wang''s assertion that USB 2.0 "is for
video" doesn''t jibe well with the reality that FireWire owns this space and that
there isn''t any consumer groundswell for USB 2.0-powered video devices -- it''s just
too esoteric for the average user.
The bottom line? Apple''s new PowerMacs won''t likely include USB 2.0 -- there just
aren''t enough devices to warrant it''s inclusion.
Networking
PowerMacs already include Gigabit Ethernet, so it''s unlikely that we''ll see any
change here. It is, of course, possible that Apple will "upgrade" on-board Gigabit
Ethernet from the anaemic 350Mbs speeds now common.
It''s widely rumored that Apple will add Bluetooth networking to its Pro desktop line.
Specifics aren''t known, but we reported, quoting MacUser UK, earlier this week that
experts are unconcerned with Apple''s cancellation of Bluetooth adaptor orders because
of the company''s plans to integrate the networking technology into upcoming desktops.
How this will pan out is anyone''s guess.
Wrap up
We will be seeing faster memory (DDR266) and CPUs, but clock speeds will likely still
be under 1.5GHz. The high-end will still be a dual processor G4, even if Apple does
call it a "G5." 8X AGP is an intriguing possibility and would do much to dispell the
impression that Macs lag behind in graphics technology, but to me it doesn''t seem
likely given the relative immaturity of the standard and lack of hardware.
Also, the advent of DDR266 a generational shift for the Mac and Apple will likely
emphasize this with new enclosures. It would be wise if Apple concurrently included
noise, power and heat-reduction technologies as these issues are of increasing
importance to users and administrators.
Post your comments at:
http://www.insanely-great.com/news.php?id=453
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Copyright (c) 2001 Insanely Great Mac. All rights reserved. This article
may not be republished in part or whole without explicit written
permission from IGM Publishing.
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