Rumor: Apple Keeping Developers in the Dark on 64-Bit Panther?


An interesting missive from a MacBidouille reader suggests that Apple is pulling code from its developer releases - notably its Darwin open-source software - in order to disguise the fact that it is incorporating support for the PowerPC 970 into its code base.

For the record, the correspondent argues that July is looking like the 970 release date, and that 1.7 and 2.5GHz models are likely, with 2004 derivatives of IBM's Power 5 family achieving 3GHz and, PPC 970/980 versions possibly 4.5Ghz.

It has been widely reported that Apple will preview 970-based machines to select, important developers at the WWDC - presumably developers such as Adobe, Quark and MS.

It is fairly typical of firms to remove traces of future products from developer releases, particularly as industrial secrets are so frequently leaked. However, developers did have early access to Jaguar code long before its release.

MacBidouille's correspondent argues that Apple has strictly limited official versions of Panther (OS X 10.3) to select developers since February, as it would have become increasingly difficult to 'hide' or remove portions of the code which relate to PPC 970 support. Developer tools have also been subject to the same treatment, the article says.

Analysis: If the 970 is this close, all power to Apple and OS X - and Power Mac sales. But there have been so many conflicting - as well as concurring - reports and rumors that it's starting to be difficult to separate reality from fantasy. For example, while some reports claim that in the 'year of the notebook', Apple will intro a 970/980-based PowerBook, other, less optimistic heads are predicting we won't see a 64-bit chipped PowerBook until 2004.

On the latter point, this has happened before: the high-end 603e PowerBooks, like the 3400 and 2400, were strong performers as PowerBooks went, but lagged well behind their 604e desktop counterparts in raw power. A 980-based PowerBook is one thing; but iBooks are Apple's bread and butter, and the sooner they can get a G4 the better.