Are the megahertz wars entering a new phase? ZDNet News reports that IBM is planning a late-summer introduction of revamped PowerPC chips that will run in "the next wave of Apple PowerBooks."

Codenamed "SideWinder," these are the 750CX (350MHz to 550MHz) and the 750CXe (500MHz to 700MHz). Oh -- and these are G3 chips, not G4s. They draw only 4 watts of power and are designed for portables. According to the article, production will be in full swing by August or September.

Apparently not too many people are upset that there will be no AltiVec-enhanced G4 chips available for PowerBooks, at least not anytime soon. The G4 consumes too much power and runs too hot for this purpose, and its graphics powerhouse abilities are usually most appreciated by desktop system users anyway.

[Feel free to speculate as to whether the introduction of these revamped PowerPC G3 chips will coincide with the introduction of new PowerBook models. You may be sure that any number of observers will do just that. -- JHF]

July 05, 2009