Original URL: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/09/16/apple_dual-core_g5/
Apple 'readies' dual-core Power Mac G5s
IBM chip to drive series before Intel switch - report
Posted in Mac Channel, 16th September 2005 12:19 GMT
Apple is likely to ship Power Mac G5 desktops based on dual-core IBM PowerPC processors, perhaps by the end of the month.
So claims (http://www.thinksecret.com/news/0509g5.html) Think Secret, citing unnamed sources who said the update will come earlier than planned because of allegedly weak demand for the latest single-core systems.
Apple last updated the Power Mac G5 line in April, bumping the top-end two-processor 2.5GHz model to 2.7GHz. Two months later, CEO Steve Jobs announced the transition to Intel processors, just ahead of IBM's formal announcement of the much-rumoured dual-core PowerPC 970MP.
It's the 970MP that will drive the new Power Mac line-up, the sources claim. While the part is not expected to clock above 2.7GHz, by equipping each two-processor machine with four processing cores instead of two, Mac users should see a hefty performance increase.
Apple Expo Paris takes place next week, and despite the company's no-show for a keynote, it's suggested that it may use the exhibition to give the 970MP-based Power Macs their first public appearance.
The sources also claimed Apple's PowerBook line will not now be updated before January 2006. ®