Apple's G5 release "rhythm"?

[Silver Sonya]

I run a small, indie-minded mastering/mixing suite within a larger studio. My studio partner and I are taking out a small loan for some renovations/upgrading and included in this package will be a new G5 tower.

THe question in our mind is this: isn't it about time for an announcement of a new model series?

More pointedly: does anyone have Apple's model release "rhythm" figured out? Is there a pattern... like "every March, the new series comes out..." Have any of you fellow Apple fans figured this kind of thing out?

I've never paid too much attention to this, but we are thinking we will wait to buy the G5 until the new G5s are announced. (Or possibly G6?). We've gotten a lot of juice out of our 3-year-old G4 --- and I'm proud of what we've been able to do with it, we really got our money's worth! --- but it's clear that the time to upgrade is drawing near.

Just want to buy smart and timing seems to be everything.

--- Chad

[drew]

http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/

[XHipHop]

I'm pretty sure the release of a new G5 depends on two things; IBM's availability of a new chip (which i haven't heard any rumors about) and Apple about to launch a new 64bit version of osx...which most likely would ship with a new G5, i'm thinking.

[littledoodler]

yes G5's are overdue, i'd probably wait a bit before buying a new one

[JB3]

Hey Drew,

Thanks for that URL...very informative.

...J

[drew]

i hate it but i'm hooked on watching that stuff!!! you will be too now!!

[Macaroni]

I'm going to wait for a few months as well. I wouldn't be surprised if they released Tiger with a new series of G5s for a bigger bang.

And don't forget the new "Cell" chip technology that IBM/Sony/Toshiba just announced. There are also rumors that Apple may release a special high end workstation.

Here's another good link...

http://www.macosrumors.com/20050204C.php

[MJGreene Audio]

You are basically in the same situation I am. I "need" to upgrade my Dual 1 gig G-4 to a G-5 but I am right in the middle of a "cycle" I am waiting until something new is announced which I would bet will be around summer at the summer show in I think July? My G-4 works great with my HD system but I would like to have a bit more juice for Altiverb and after using some 2.5 gig g-5's with HD the sessions open faster and the fades are quicker. All the things that depend on computer speed and not the HD cards...... So a G-5 it is but not until the new ones come out and Digi approves them. I guess it wil give me most of the summer to save up the cash for that and a bunch of memory.

Wait if you can but if not them buy fast and big! You will be out of date a little less soon.

Michael Greene

[Silver Sonya]

Thank you to Drew and everyone else.

It feels pathetic waiting, but I want to avoid that new-model-envy sting.

I am proud of what we have been able to do with a dual 533 G4. Working within the limitations of this computer has been a... uh... character-building experience.

I am salivating at what a dual 2.5+ G5 will be able to do! I will rule the world! HA HA HA!!!!!

cackling madly into the night,
Chad

[2A Batterie]

I'd wait. Forget about the new IBM cell processors, as they are only being made for PS3 (as of now), and those aren't even supposed to be released for another year or so. The G5's are due for an upgrade and I would say that would be June at the latest. We're supposed to see Tiger released in the first hal of this year, and I would expect an updated G5 along with that. You may have to wait as long as the Apple WWDC, which I believe happens in June, but no later.

[Silver Sonya]

I really hope it's before Summer, 'cause I need it for a project this Spring!

--- c

[XHipHop]

I am in DIRE need of an upgrade and have been hoping that they would come in january or feb but that doesn't look like it's going to happen. I use Logic so i'm considering possibly getting a dual 2.5 now, and then whatever they come out with next when it comes out (dual 3.0 i'm guessing). Then I will use the 3.0 as my main comp and the dual 2.5 ghz comp will serve as one of those nodes to give me a lot more processing power.

I'm still on the fence about this but having a G4 (867mhz) is honestly costing me about an hour a day of wasted time trying to freeze all these tracks and changing plugins to try to get more power. I don't know how i mixed songs the first two years honestly! Oh yeah, i used OS9! OSX has caused me to need to upgrade, i forgot.

[enharmonic]

Originally posted by drew
http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/

Thanks Drew...as if I needed yet another site to check daily!

[littledoodler]

i'm in the same boat here. i bought a new powerbook thinking i could use it with Altiverb! nope, i can squeeze 2 out of it and nothing else can go into it. so G5 it is.

[Unbound]

Actually "the Cell" could be seen as early as the end of this year in IBM computers, according to IBM.
Don't forget it's about the sound of the audio, not the speed of the processor...well at least that's true for some people...my old G3 Pismo has paid for itself and is still kickin'...with a powerlogix upgrade of course.

Aaron

[Wolfgang]

Playing the wait game is pointless --- think of all the great work and added efficiency you are missing.

Just buy it!! Screw it. So if they announce Dual 2.67 ghz next week, would you feel the envy ??? Naw ......

Seriously - you need an upgrade.

[Silver Sonya]

If the upgrade is incremental, I would agree with you. But if the upgrade is exponential (3.5G or... a G6 engine!) then I think waiting is worth it.

Plus, there is the perverse pride I take in "making it on broken bits." I am proud what we have done with our puny little, sputtering dual533 G4.

I'm sure as soon as I enter the world of G5s, I'm going to feel like I'm zooming through hyperspace or something...

--- c

[evolver]

Originally posted by Silver Sonya
[B]If the upgrade is incremental, I would agree with you. But if the upgrade is exponential (3.5G or... a G6 engine!) then I think waiting is worth it.

i havent heard a hint of anything about a next generation chip (ie a "G6") and i tend to follow their developments pretty obsessively

however, if you can wait do it. since its over a year since the last release there will prolly be enough minor revisions to add up to a lot of irritation if you get burned by a week or a month.

however, pt 2, if you actually cannot get work done then it doesn't matter what computer you could get if you just waiting till whenever. . just get what will get the work done and be prepared to ignore as thouroughly as possible any new product announcements from apple.

[T_R_S]

Originally posted by Wolfgang
[Just buy it!! Screw it. So if they announce Dual 2.67 ghz next week. [/B]

What's really not funny is that the Powerbooks went from a 1.5 to a 1.67 (top end). Apple speed increases are a joke. They dropped Prices for the iPod and Powerbooks. So you know new ipods and powerbooks are coming out in less than 6 months. Apple is sometimes too predictable.

[Macaroni]

What's really not funny is that the Powerbooks went from a 1.5 to a 1.67 (top end). Apple speed increases are a joke.

Fellow Canuk here. I think you are being too harsh on Apple, since they cannot directly control the evolution of the chips they use for CPUs, so they can only use/offer what's available. Like everyone else, they'd love to offer major leaps in processing power, but it's easier said than done. And if the only thing that's available is an incremental increase, then why not pass it on to end users so they're at least on the crest of the wave at any given point in time? What would you do under the same circumstances?

[oudplayer]

Originally posted by Silver Sonya
If the upgrade is incremental, I would agree with you. But if the upgrade is exponential (3.5G or... a G6 engine!) then I think waiting is worth it.

There really haven't been any "exponential" product releases since the titanium powerbooks first came out. Even the first G5 offerings weren't that much greater than the best G4 offerings they supplanted...

I can assure you it won't be happening soon.

[BrianT]

Originally posted by Silver Sonya
But if the upgrade is exponential (3.5G or... a G6 engine!) then I think waiting is worth it.
--- c

This would pretty much define the word "Dreaming".

A 3.5GHz IBM desktop CPU is years away. In the last 20 months, they've moved from 2GHz to 2.5GHz, and that only happened with the addition of some fairly exotic liquid cooling.

I would imagine that IBM, just like AMD and Intel, has come to the conclusion that multi-core CPUs make more sense than simply trying to crank the MHz higher and higher. Heat and power consumption issues are getting out of control at screaming high speeds.

I would look for dual and quad CPU Macs using multi-core CPUs to replace the current single and dual CPU models as the "next big thing".

When? Who knows.

[mizzle]

Given the three year gap between the release of G4 and G5 desktop models, I would say we've got another two years before G6 machines hit the shelves. I picked up a dual 2.5, 4GB RAM G5 a few months ago and I am quite happy with it. There is little reason to be dissatisfied with this amount of proccessing power unless you pick up a bum unit.
-Craig

[Johns]

I bought my G5 2.0, last year at the end of Feburary. I had waited about 2 months and all the talk was that an upgrade was due any day. The 2.5 model didn't come out for another 5 months. My G5 has been perfect and I'm happy I gave up on the waiting game.

[max cooper]

I bought a dual 2.0 (second generation) without any real thought as to "cycles". I look at things a little differently, though. I figure that if you don't have the maximum amount of RAM installed, you're not using your processor fully. I've got this thing up to 6G of RAM and it's a totally different machine than when I had 1.5 or 2G of RAM in it. Those amounts seem like a lot, but in reality, 2G is only a lot to a G4 processor. I'd much rather have a dual 2.0 with 8G RAM than a dual 3.0 with 2G RAM. It's taken me a while to pony up to buy six gigs, too, since a two gig pair is still around $375. Also, in order to put in two more two-gig pairs, I have to take out two one-gig pairs. Performance has been HUGELY increased every time I added a gig of RAM, tho.

[DrDeltaM]

Let's heat this thread up

http://everythingapple.blogspot.com/...70mp-quad.html

[Unbound]

Quad?!?

Hmm sounds like a big (physically) computer.

Added noise too maybe.

The end of of DSP on PCI Cards?

Aaron

[Silver Sonya]

QU-A-A-A-A-A-AAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

that's all i wanted to say.

-- c

[mersisblue]

" And don't forget the new "Cell" chip technology that IBM/Sony/Toshiba just announced. There are also rumors that Apple may release a special high end workstation. "

I havent heard of a workstation

do you have link ?

[kudzu]

Got ma G5 dual just over a year ago...thru out the year I've managed to get it to over 5 Gb of ram....its workin' very good now with logic pro 6.4.2...never maxes or crashes...runnin' @ 96K most of the time...
I'll wait for G6....2007 (ish)

Note about Final Cut Pro...ma G5 is fantastic on this software...very quick!!!!!!!