Mac Musings

Why the G4 Uproar?

Dan Knight - 5 September 1999

Low End Mac Reader Specials

Memory To Go Special: New 2008 iMac 2GB $42 / iMac Intel Core2 DUO & MacBook Pro 2GB $36 - 1GB $20. MacPro 8 Core Memory 4GB kit $154 / 2GB kit $94 -- Free shipping available.

Download Typestyler, still the Ultimate Styling Tool for Internet, Print and Video Graphics. Works great in Classic with a Native OS X Version on the way. Free Tryout: www.typestyler.com

LA Computer Company: Specials on AppleCare, iMac's, Apple Batteries and Apple A/C Adapters. Also Great prices on Used Apple Computers. Call 1-800-941-7654 Click Here.

OWC: Juice up your iPod w/NewerTech High Capacity Battery from $19.99 Free Installation Videos for most models. Pro Installation Service w/FedEx Shipping From $57.95 (Battery Included). - www.MacSales.com

Mac users can finally play Party Poker for Mac. Not only that, they can also learn how to play PokerStars for Mac.

Laptop Hardware Provided by TechRestore - Overnight Mac & iPod Repairs.

Compare products like desktop computers, laptops, and LCD TVs side by side! All the information and reviews to make the best purchasing decision for a new cell phone GPS products or MP3 players. The Ciao network makes searching products easy for you.

MacPro Memory 667Mhz With Apple Spec Heat Sink 2GB $ 82 / 4GB $128 / 8GB $256 - Click to Maximize your Macs...

The Power Mac G4/400 is built on a modified Yosemite (Blue G4) motherboard. Yet owners of Blue G3 systems with mid-May ROM version 1.1 or later cannot replace their old G3 processors with G4s.

Apple deliberately disabled this by having the system check which CPU is installed at startup. If it's a G4, the computer won't boot.

Yosemite designWhy the big fuss?

I've received several emails asking why anyone is making such a big deal about this. After all, Apple never promised any of their computers would take G4 upgrades.

If Apple didn't promise it and explicitly prevents it on the Blue G3, what's the problem?

First, a little history. Apple once promised PowerPC upgrades to specific computer models. When they failed to offer that upgrade for a reasonable length of time, they were taken to court in a class action suit. They lost.

Since then, Apple has refused to promise that any computer can accept a processor upgrade. It's a wise move on their part.

Still, this never stopped the upgrade industry from creating processor upgrades. At this point, almost every older Power Mac can be upgraded to a G3, and G4 upgrades have been announced for the standard Apple daughter card used in the Power Mac 7300-7600, 8500-8600, and 9500-9600, as well as the ZIF socket used in the Beige G3 and the Blue G3.

It used to work!

Therein lies the rub: Before ROM version 1.1 in the Blue G3, it was possible to upgrade the processor to a G4 and use the computer. Blue G3 systems with earlier ROMs have been tested and found G4 compatible.

Although Apple never promised an upgrade path for the Blue G3, there was nothing in the initial design to prevent that upgrade. In fact, the use of a ZIF socket for the CPU makes such an upgrade very simple.

What happened?

What Apple did that has people upset is remove a capability the Blue G3 had.

Whether Apple promised that capability or not, it was there when the Blue G3 was first sold. Many Mac users bought Blue G3s that supported a G4 upgrade when purchased, only to have that capability deliberately removed by Apple when they updated their ROMs.

And Apple never told anyone the ROM update would do that. Nor did they confirm or deny rumors of the change.

Reread that. Let it sink in.

Apple deliberately removed a feature of the G4, refused to acknowledge it until the Power Mac G4 was available, and now says such an upgrade is "impossible" (MacWeek).

Whether anyone ever bought a Blue G3 because they believed it could be upgraded with a G4 processor is beside the point.

And the fact that G4 upgrades work in systems with the older ROMs clearly demonstrates that there is no technical reason for disabling G4 upgrades.

This was a deliberate move driven by marketing, not by technical concerns. Apple would much rather have Blue G3 owners buy new computers than allow them to upgrade the ones they bought less than a year ago.

Not only is that frustrating, but the fact that someone with a 1995 Power Mac 7500, 1996 SuperMac S900, or 1997 Beige G3 finds no such obstacle to installing and using a G4 upgrade.

Nor do owners of the Blue G3 who never updated their ROMs to version 1.1.

The solution

Apple can easily solve this problem and please the hundreds of thousands of Blue G3 owners who might want a G4 upgrade by simply releasing a new ROM update which eliminates to G4 block - and apologizing.

The only reason for Apple not to do this, since there is no technical reason for the block, is that they are more interested in selling new hardware than keeping current Mac users happy.

It's a stupid marketing move, since unhappy Mac owners tend to be pretty vocal.

And power users, which includes a lot of people with the Blue G3, are the ones newbies come to when they want buying advice.

Does Apple want them to hear, "Stuff Apple. They're more interested in the bottom line than keeping users happy. Buy a Windows clone - at least they're not designed to prevent upgrades."

Or, "Apple makes incredible computers. Why, I can even take this G3 I bought in January and put in a G4 chip. Yeah, the supercomputer chip you saw on the TV ad. You can't go wrong with a Macintosh."

What's it going to be, Apple? Leave your customers bitter or eliminate the block? LEM

Further Reading

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.

Recent Mac Musings

Links for the Day

Recent Content on Low End Mac

About LEM | Support | Usage | Privacy | Contacts

Entire Low End Mac website copyright ©1997-2008 by Cobweb Publishing, Inc., unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Advice presented in good faith, but what works for one may not work for all. Please report errors to .
  LINKS: We allow and encourage links to any public page as long as the linked page does not appear within a frame that prevents bookmarking it.
  Access our RSS news feed at http://lowendmac.com/feed.xml.
  Email may be published at our discretion; email addresses will not be published without permission, and we will encrypt them in hopes of avoiding spammers. If you prefer your message not be published, mark it "not for publication." Letters may be edited for length, context, and to match house style.
  PRIVACY: We don't collect personal information unless you explicitly provide it. For more details, see our Terms of Use.
  Low End Mac is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, iBook, iMac, eMac, iPod, PowerBook, MacBook, Mac Pro, Apple TV, and AirPort are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are hereby acknowledged.


Have a question?
Ask an expert!

Navigation

Used Mac Dealers
Apple History
Best Used Macs
Video Cards
Email Lists
InfoMac's Low
End Mac Forum

Favorite Sites

MacSurfer
MacMinute
MacInTouch
MyAppleMenu
InfoMac
Macs Only!
The Mac Observer
Accelerate Your Mac
RetroMacCast
PB Central
MacWindows
The Vintage Mac
   Museum
DealMac
DealsOnTheWeb
Mac2Sell
ramseeker
Mac Driver Museum
JAG's House
System 6 Heaven
System 7 Today
the pickle's Low-End
   Mac FAQ
Abandonware
   Petition
Mac vs. PC Info

Affiliates

The Apple Store
Mac Connection
MacMall
TechRestore
MacResQ
ExperCom
Crucial Memory
batteries.com

Advertise

All of our advertising is handled by BackBeat Media. For price quotes and advertising information, please contact at BackBeat Media (646-546-5194). This number is for advertising only.

Open Link

Problems viewing this page with Internet Explorer 5.5 or 6? It works fine in other browsers, including IE 7. We recommend Firefox for those using Windows, as it is standards based and more secure than IE 6 (and earlier). More LEM visitors use Firefox than any other browser.