Gemini PowerBook Will Be Hot

- 2000.10.04

One piece of big news last week was the Motorola PowerPC 7410, a low power version of the G4 processor. Most sites got pretty excited about the initially announced 550 MHz speed, then dumped all over Motorola for removing all mention of it from their press release the next day.

But as far as Apple and groundless rumors are concerned, the key concept is lower power consumption. It's exactly what Apple needs to catapult the current G3-based PowerBook to the next level, at least as far as CPU hype is concerned.

The code name for the next PowerBook, according to the major rumor sites, is Mercury, coincidentally the name of the U.S. space program that launched one astronaut at a time into orbit. Maybe Apple expects a G4-based PowerBook to put them in orbit.

After Mercury came Gemini, which propelled two astronauts into space with each launch. Surprise - Gemini is Apple's code name for a multiple processor PowerBook set to debut early next spring.

According to our sources, John Doe 6 and John Doe 42, while Mercury will be a very sleek design borrowing from PowerBook and iBooks, Gemini will be an entirely new design that provides excellent heat dissipation and incredible battery life.

One reason Apple has avoided launching a G4 PowerBook is heat. It's not just bad from a marketing standpoint, but from a legal one as well. "Your Honor, how was my client to know the PowerBook G4 would blister his legs?"

The Gemini PowerBook addresses this in two ways. First, it moves the CPU and the entire logic board from the bottom of the computer to the lid. That's right, the motherboard will be behind the display, keeping the processors off the user's lap.

The other innovation is surface maximization. The Gemini's top looks a lot like corrugated cardboard, although it is made of black metal to act as a heat sink for the laptop's CPUs. (We're just waiting for the jokes comparing Gemini to George Foreman's grilling machine!)

The lid will contain almost the entire computer: 1280 x 1024 pixel screen, motherboard, memory (two sockets!), AirPort, and up to four processors.

Sounds top-heavy, doesn't it? Rest assured, Apple has addressed that as well.

The base will hold the keyboard, trackpad, hard drive, and DVD-ROM drive, plus an absolutely huge battery that not only counterbalances all the equipment in the lid, but will provide up ten to twelve hours of field operation.

Weight? Don't ask. This will not be the thin-and-light portable many have longed for!

Not only will Apple have a stunning laptop with an equally stunning price tag, but users will also be able to make grilled cheese sandwiches in the field.

- Anne Onymus

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