Prince McleanAn overseas publication offers its insight into who is manufacturing Apple's latest products, and throws in some wild rumors pertaining to G5-based iBooks and PowerBooks.
According to the report, which cites sources close to the Taiwanese contract manufacturer, Foxconn is expected to ship at least 100,000 Mac mini computers per month to Apple, or roughly 300,000 per quarter.
The report also confirms that Asustek has been enlisted by Apple to produce its new flash-based iPod shuffle player. Asustek will reportedly supply Apple with 400,000 to 500,000 of these puppies a month, or nearly 1.5 million per quarter.
Strikingly, the same DigiTimes report also claims that in the second quarter of the year, Asustek will begin supplying Apple G5-based iBooks at a rate of approximately 125,000 per month. During the same timeframe, Quanta, another Taiwanese contract manufacturer, will produce PowerBook G5 models at a rate of 30,000 to 50,000 per month, the report states.
While AppleInsider is fully confident in DigiTimes' ability to accurately assess and report on Apple's existing overseas manufacturing contracts, the publication has in the past provided inaccurate information in regards to unannounced products.
AppleInsider ceases to believe that Apple in the second quarter of 2005 could simultaneously launch both iBooks and PowerBooks based on a G5 processor, and do so successfully and proficiently. In the meantime, we're chalking this rumor up for forum discussion.
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Thomas Sibilly
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55 Comments
Well ... WOW!
First off the supply of Mac minis will outstrip that supply rather quickly and we will see a scramble to up that production.
The Shuffle will be a home run when, besides all of Asia, and countless teenagers disappointed by not getting an iPod for xMas join most current iPod owners who will add Shuffle to their iPod collection for activities that a smaller simpler iPod is better.
G5s in iBooks and Powerbooks? Barring a total breakthrough by IBM in a next generation 970 with fantastic power savings, as well as astounding yields and breakthrough pricing I just don't see it.
Not
going to happen. Powerbook G5 would come first by a long way in any case, even if they do manage those this year (which I would consider to be possible, but unlikely). We're more likely to see dual-core G4-based ones I think.
It would be great... but I agree its extremely unlikely. We'll see at least one new generation of G4 PowerBooks before we get to a G5 version.
Not going to happen. Powerbook G5 would come first by a long way in any case, even if they do manage those this year (which I would consider to be possible, but unlikely). We're more likely to see dual-core G4-based ones I think.
Maybe we are getting a bit too hung up on the G5 thing. Maybe there is a contract to build new iBooks and PowerBooks, albeit with non G5 chips in them? Somebody want to explain all these new chips to me - it was simple when it was G3, G4, G5, but now there is 7440 et al, and since I've not been in for a bit, I'm a bit confuzzled! \
I believe the iBook G5s listed on the digitimes article are the 12" Powerbooks G5, and the Powerbook G5s listed are the 15 and 17 inch Powerbook G5s.
I'm now confident we will see the Powerbook G5 in Q2. However, I have no idea what the specs will be. What could be in the G5, which would still deserve the label G5?