Xserve G5 2.3 GHz may point to low power G5 for PowerBook

Apple released the Xserve G5 2.3 GHz two weeks ago to the general public. What many have overlooked about this machine however, is the mention of its power specifications, namely a maximum power utilization of 55 Watts per CPU. That is significant because it suggests that the G5 used in this new Xserve may be a lower power version of the 970FX. When the first G5 Xserve was released last year, its 2.0 GHz G5 had the same 55 Watt spec listed in Apple's marketing materials.

It seems that IBM is now finally getting the G5's power utilization under control, and if true it's possible that a G5 PowerBook may be released sooner rather than later. IBM has hinted in the past that a 30 Watt 1.9 GHz laptop G5 part was doable, but that newer versions of the 970FX (like in the new Xserve G5 2.3 GHz) were required to achieve this goal.

The DigiTimes has said that the PowerBook G5 is due in 2005 Q2, and the existence of the 55 Watt 2.3 GHz Xserve lends at least some credence to that prediction. Unfortunately, the DigiTimes does not have a history of accurate predictions about Apple releases.