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Apple has responded to the uproar over the inability of the
B&W G3s with certain ROM upgrades to accept G4 processors. The
following is from their
Tech Exchange. (Because Apple considers this an off topic
discussion, it is possible this page will be removed from their
site.)
We believe that many of the new and improved features of the
Power Mac G4 are an effect of major design changes in the computer.
These could not be duplicated by simply upgrading the processor
alone. Apple does not endorse third party after-market processor
upgrades in any Apple Macintosh computer.
Allegations or rumors that Apple may have intentionally taken
measures to disable Power Mac G4 processor upgrades from
functioning in a Power Macintosh G3 computer may have come from
third party publications and third party web sites. Apple does not
own industry publications or third party web sites and therefore
cannot be responsible for their content or allegations such as
these. Since such content did not originate from Apple Computer, we
cannot comment on it. If we have further information on this topic,
from an Apple source, we will post it and be able to comment on it.
At this time, we have no further information.
Please note that Apple never marketed Power Macintosh G3 computers
as being "Power Mac G4 processor upgradable." Apple does not offer
such an upgrade path now, nor have we announced plans for one in
the future.
What Does It Mean
There's a lot of doublespeak here. The first paragraph means
Apple believes that all the advantages of the Power Mac G4
derive from major changes in the motherboard, not just the use of a
G4 processor.
If this is the case, why is the G4/400 based on the same
motherboard (very slightly modified) as the B&W G3? Conversely,
what benefits does the G4/400 have over a B&W G3 that cannot be
duplicated with a processor upgrade?
In the second paragraph, Apple doesn't deny that they may have
deliberately disable G4 upgrades, only that these stories came from
sources outside of Apple. Of course Apple cannot be responsible for
the content of "industry publications or third party web sites,"
but they are only trying to obfuscate the issue.
The simple fact, verified by multiple sources including the
manufacturers of the G4 upgrades, is that B&W G3s without the
version 1.1 or later ROM upgrade work with G4 upgrades, while those
with version 1.1 and later ROM upgrades do not.
Yet Apple declines to comment on this fact, whether posted on
the web, published on paper, or submitted to their Tech Exchange.
Instead, they dance around the issue, like the politician saying
"no comment" to a question she'd rather not deal with.
In the third paragraph, Apple rightly notes that they never said
the B&W G3 would accept any kind of processor upgrade, G4 or
otherwise. Having been sued over such promises in the past (and
losing the suits), we would not expect Apple to promise any type of
upgrade that they have not verified before releasing product.
Whether Apple promised such an upgrade or ever plans to make
such an upgrade is beside the point, but a claim you can expect to
hear over and over again from Apple Computer.
The simple fact is that the B&W G3 as initially shipped
could accept a G4 upgrade, whether Apple explicitly designed it
with that capability or not. And many B&W G3s were purchased in
a state that would allow use of a G4 upgrade.
Then Apple introduced ROM version 1.1, which somehow prevented
these computers from working with any G4 upgrade. Whether this was
a deliberate move, as most suspect, or a programming error, this
so-called upgrade improved certain capabilities of the B&W G3
while removing the ability to boot with a G4 upgrade.
One would think, had this been a programming error, that Apple
would have corrected it in a subsequent ROM upgrade. Word of the
"G4 block" has been spreading since May 1999. Yet all Apple says
is, "We never said it would work with a G4 upgrade."
Conclusion
Whether deliberate or not, Apple did remove the ability of early
B&W G3 computers to work with G4 upgrades. That is an
indisputable fact.
Further, Apple never informed users that installing this ROM
upgrade might disable certain abilities of their computers, only
that it would improve some things.
Again, Apple has known since May, when this was first discussed
on the web, that the ROM upgrade was suspected of blocking use of
G4 upgrades, yet they neither fixed the problem nor acknowledged
it.
Apple Computer can continue to stonewall, trying to talk around
the issue, wishing the Steve Jobs reality distortion field would
kick and the issue would fade into obscurity. But as long as anyone
has a B&W that once had the ability to accept a G4 upgrade,
then lost that capability via ROM upgrade, I don't expect the issue
to fade away.
Of course, Apple could admit to the problem and release a new
ROM upgrade that eliminates it, saving their PR hacks a lot of
work, their lawyers a lot of time, and B&W G3 owners something
to complain about on an otherwise excellent computer.
Dan Knight has been using Macs since 1986,
sold Macs for several years, supported them for many more years, and
has been publishing Low End Mac since April 1997. If you find Dan's articles helpful, please consider making a donation to his tip jar.
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What Does It Mean
