The new enclosure for the G5 looks so right. It carries on with Apple’s current simplicity of form and aluminum structure. The front and back of the machine are nothing more than grills to promote air flow, with nine internal fans to blow away the competition!
The new enclosure for the G5 looks so right. It carries on with Apple’s current simplicity of form and aluminum structure. The front and back of the machine are nothing more than grills to promote air flow, with nine internal fans to blow away the competition!
First and foremost Apple has addressed the performance gap. So it’s no surprise when you open the machine, that the G5 processor covers just dominate the view with inline fans dedicated to two big cooling zones. There is a serious look to this enclosure, without the bloat of the previous bulging plastic case and hoop handles. If it is really less than half as loud as the current G4, that is a welcome benefit from the more sophisticated airflow management. Or as Apple prefers, twice as quiet. Not only does form follow function, but the character of the enclosure is absolutely in line with the machine’s robust capabilities.
PCI card capacity is no longer as critical thanks to the speed and functionality of FireWire. The only step backward is the lack of space for second optical drive. The X-serve should make the critical transition to G5 chips with relative ease and the resulting servers should provide awesome performance at a very affordable price.
It’s the iMac and PowerBooks that will take the most work. Seeing all the air management in the new machine, it is likely going to take some time to develop the low power processors and enhanced ventilation to accommodate them. In fact, one look at the interior of the new enclosure makes the rumors of dual G5 PowerBooks standing in the wings seem implausible.
With the G5 pro machines due in August, I wonder how many G4 desktops Apple has left to clear out. While rumors of the new machines may have hurt sales, the reality of the new machines is even more compelling.
