G4 History 101 - Power Macintosh
G4/400 & G4/500 Information Page
G4 - Round One: The history of Apple's G4 line is a convoluted
one. Announced last August at the Seybold Publishers' Conference
in San Francisco, the original lineup consisted of 400MHz,
450MHz and 500MHz models. The low end G4/400 was based on
a slightly modified Yosemite (blue and white) logic board
code names "Yikes." The 450 and 500MHz models used
a new design code named "Sawtooth." The Sawtooth
Power Macs sported a number of features not found on the Yikes
machine including an internal FireWire port, AGP graphics
and an internal AirPort slot for wireless networking. For
a list of other differences, see our
table below. The promised release date for the 500MHz
Power Mac came and went with no sign of the coveted high end
machine.
For
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G4 - Round Two: Citing a short supply of G4 processors from
Motorola, Apple lopped 50MHz off the G4 line. The new lineup:
a G4/350 with the Yikes board, and two Sawtooth based machines,
the G4/400 and G4/450. In spite of the reduced processor speeds,
the price point remained the same. This, coupled with the
fact that Apple canceled existing orders, generated a wave
of bad press for Apple around the web. Apple quickly reversed
their position and issued a statement that all orders placed
before the speed reduction would be honored at their existing
price. Customers that had placed orders for 500MHz machines
would have the option of buying a G4/450 at the original price.
G4 - Round Three: Apple finally ditches the "Yikes"
board on the low end 350MHz machine in favor of the "Sawtooth"
board.
G4 - Round Four: At MacWorld Tokyo this month (February,
2000) Apple announced the immediate availability of the 500MHz
G4 Power Mac. Once again, the lineup returns to 400MHz, 450MHz
and 500MHz priced at $1,599, $2,499, and $3,499 respectively.
Unlike the "round one" G4/400, the current G4/400
uses the Sawtooth board. It also sports a DVD-ROM drive instead
of the 32x CD-ROM found in the original G4/400. Unlike the
initial G4 launch, early reports indicate that availability
is good. MacFixIt readers
have also reported that their pending orders have been upgraded
at no additional cost.
That
is the quick and dirty history of the G4 line. Apple's naming
scheme for their products continues to confound and confuse.
For example, thanks to the G4 shuffle outlined above, the
G4/350 and G4/400 Power Macs can have either the Sawtooth
or Yikes logicboard. While references to "Yikes"
and "Sawtooth" boards are commonplace on the web
you won't find any mention of these terms on Apple's web site
or press releases. Instead, the two boards are distinguished
by the presence or lack of an AGP graphics slot. With this
latest round of G4's the dust appears to be settling. All
machines are based on the same logicboard and all sport some
form of DVD drive. To check out the differences between the
various models check out our specs
chart below. A list of highlights common to all machines
follows:
ATI Rage 128 Pro
- on 2x AGP graphics slot with 16MB RAM and support for
Apple's 22" Cinema Display.
3 FireWire
Ports, 2 external and 1 internal - for connecting high speed
peripherals (digital video cameras, scanners, hard drives,
CD burners etc.) at speeds up top 400Mbps.
2 independent USB
ports, 12Mbps each - for connecting peripherals like keyboards,
printers, scanners, digital cameras etc.
Three 64 bit, 33MHz PCI slots and one 2x AGP - the AGP
slot currently hosts the ATI card but you are free to swap
it out for another down the road.
DVD drive - either DVD-ROM or DVD-RAM for playing and/or
recording DVD software and movie titles.
Ultra ATA/66 hard drive - At either 10, 20 or 27GB.
Support for up to 1.5 GB PC100 SDRAM - you'll only be
able to apply 999MB to any application though! ;-)
Slot for AirPort card - antennas are built into the handles.
For wireless networking and Internet access.
Logic Boards Compared
"Sawtooth"
"Yikes"
3 - 400 Mbps FireWire ports (one internal)
2 - USB ports, 12 Mbps each
1 - 2x AGP graphics slot (filled)
Optional AirPort card (antenna in handle) for wireless
networking.
Ultra ATA/66 hard drive
1.5GB RAM limit
Supports 22" Apple Cinema (flat panel) Display
EPA EnergyStar compliant
2 - 400 Mbps FireWire ports
2 - USB ports, 12 Mbps total
1 - 66MHz PCI slot, filled
No wireless networking option.
Ultra ATA/33 hard drive
1GB RAM limit
Doesn't support 22" Apple Cinema (flat panel)
Display
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For
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That
is the quick and dirty history of the G4 line. Apple's naming
scheme for their products continues to confound and confuse.
For example, thanks to the G4 shuffle outlined above, the
G4/350 and G4/400 Power Macs can have either the Sawtooth
or Yikes logicboard. While references to "Yikes"
and "Sawtooth" boards are commonplace on the web
you won't find any mention of these terms on Apple's web site
or press releases. Instead, the two boards are distinguished
by the presence or lack of an AGP graphics slot. With this
latest round of G4's the dust appears to be settling. All
machines are based on the same logicboard and all sport some
form of DVD drive. To check out the differences between the
various models check out our 
