Apple has introduced a second dual processor Power Mac and lowered the price of the entry level unit. The Dual Processor 1.8GHz G5 is the mid-level machine, joining the flagship 2GHz dual processor model. Details on the new Power Mac G5 are here (http://www.apple.com/powermac/)

The entry level 1.6GHz single processor G5 is now $1,799 USD. Remember to shop the Apple Education store for your student discounts. The single processor 1.8GHz is discontinued.

I don't expect any more new models before the holiday season. MacWorld is January 5 through January 7, 2004. Be aware that new models and lower prices on the current models will be available about that time. I expect new PowerBooks and upgrades to the Power Mac G5's. Speed bumps are likely in those product lines. I do not expect the PowerBooks to go G5. Significant issues regarding power consumption and heat are need to be solved before portable use.

I know the Holidays are coming up, but man, this sucks! Apple should've waited.

heath

Apple didn't release products this time of year in the past. They only started doing this in the last year or two. Think of it as a sort of Holiday present.

More of a holiday FUQ. That two hundred bucks could've gone toward a FCP 4 upgrade! Oh, well...If it increases sales, we all win. I see the big picture. Better products and prices, etc.

heath

How long ago did you buy your computer and which is it?

1.6 ghz G5, early September, so I could finish my film on DVD. The G4 400 mhz PowerBook I was using (my roommate's) wasn't fast enough and DVDSP 2 was crashing.

That's the life of tech...Glad I didn't buy a $300,000 CineAlta, only to have a new one come out that's better and cheaper a month later.

heath

You were between a rock and a hard place with your impending project and needing gear to finish. If you can at all help it don't buy until after MacWorld SF and mid summer. But Apple is changing their marketing, hence the new iPod in early May. Apple could deliver new products almost anytime now.

MacWorld SF in January is still the time to expect new products. I do expect to see new G5 Power Macs. Speed bumps are coming. I expect modest gains of .5 GHz or so in January. In August or so I expect to see 3+ GHz chips in the top of the line model. Apple and IBM have been fairly quiet on speed increases. They could surprise everyone with a bigger bump in January, only time will tell.

Probably smart business. More people are buying; I guess I'd be more annoyed if I bought a 1.8 ghz single processor...

heath

Back when the Key Lime iBooks were announced, I wrote an article about the issue of faster and better computers for less money always coming out. Even though the technology has changed in the last three years (I'm on my second PowerBook), the sentiment remains the same...

I called it No Regrets (http://gnuhaus.com/ibook_keeper/k18.html).

After buying high tech stuff for many, many years I think one of my most valuable lessons has been "don't look back". By now we should all know that there will always be a bigger/better/faster/cheaper machine just around the corner. You have to weigh all the options, pick your time and pull the trigger. If the idea of being able to buy something even better for less money in a couple months bothers you then you're going to be miserable a lot of the time.

Now of course we all need to reserve the right to gripe about it, but just don't let it get to you :-)

Good point. Don't look back!

hwm

It's a little tougher in the Mac world since you can't reliably upgrade your computer with newer processors, new motherboard, etc etc etc like you can in the PC world. But when I bought my dual 1Ghz G4, I knew it would be superceeded by a faster G4 or a G5 soon. I would have been mad if I got a SINGLE G4. I think when the time comes a few years from now for me to get a G5 or G6, I'll be getting the dual or the quad for sure. That way I won't feel too bad when newer models come out, unless Apple suddenly doesn't support the model I just bought with software upgrades! :)

Macs are upgradeable, the lag may be a little greater but they can be updated. The various Mac magazines are continually publishing articles on how to upgrade your older Mac.

Now, I doubt you can go to G5 anytime soon (if at all) but the same may very well end up being true for the Opteron line of PCs.

G5's are expected to get a speed increase at MacWorld SF in early January. The expected models are 2.2 and 2.4 GHz single processor and a 2.6 GHz (maybe 2.8) dual processor. While Apple won't confirm updates (kind of kills the sales of current computers, during a key sales period) IBM reports production of these chip speeds.

<<<-- Originally posted by Jeff Donald : G5's are expected to get a speed increase at MacWorld SF in early January. The expected models are 2.2 and 2.4 GHz single processor and a 2.6 GHz (maybe 2.8) dual processor. While Apple won't confirm updates (kind of kills the sales of current sales during a key sales period) IBM reports production of these chip speeds. -->>>

That's a HUGE one.

heath

I wouldn't expect the dual processor to ship right away, probably spring. The two single chip models will probably ship within 30 days of their announcement.