Rumor Update: PPC Motherboard Tender to be Finalized April 20?


Following up on yesterday's story on Apple's outsourcing of its PowerPC 970-based motherboards, MacBidouille has come up with a few more details.

Apple is giving Taiwanese manufacturers until April 15 to put in their tender bid for production of the motherboards, of which there are reportedly two - one pro, one consumer. However, details are scarce, and the second board may well be for PowerBook.

Apple will select two of the tender bids on or around April 20, according to the article. As IGM reported yesterday, Apple's blueprints for this 'G5' board are supposedly finalized. MacBidouille stress that these are still merely rumors.

Analysis: If these reports are in any way accurate, Apple will be well on the way to getting product ready mid-year: in rime for the all-important school buying season. MWNY is too late, and it's been widely reported that Jobs will not give a MacWorld keynote in July. Thus, a June intro might be possible. Of course, with the 970 only in prototype, it really depends on how long it will take for IBM's new facility to pump out these processors. In 1997, 'G3' was the buzzword and it sold up a storm; '970' is going to be a lot bigger.