Apple Ships 1.6 GHz, 1.8 GHz Power Mac G5s, Confirms 100,000 Orders

by , 1:15 PM EDT, August 18th, 2003

Apple made it official this morning with a press release and its home page, confirming that the company has begun shipping Power Mac G5s as of today. Both single processor configurations are shipping (1.6 GHz, 1.8 GHz), and Apple says that the dual processor 2 GHz units will ship later this month. In the press release, Apple also confirmed the fact that it has sold more than 100,000 units, which the New York Times first reported this morning (see our full coverage for more information). From Apple's press release:

Apple today announced that it has begun shipping the two single processor models of its Power Mac G5, the world's fastest personal computer featuring the first 64-bit desktop processor and the industry's first 1 GHz front-side bus. The dual 2.0 GHz Power Mac G5 will ship late this month, as planned. Apple also announced that it has received orders for over 100,000 Power Mac G5s since its introduction on June 23.

"The Power Mac G5 is a big hit with customers and developers," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. "The two single processor Power Mac G5 models are available now, so we wanted to get those into customers hands as soon as possible, and we're right on track to deliver the dual 2.0 GHz Power Mac G5 later this month."

Apple's home page says the same thing, though perhaps a bit more succinctly. For posterity's sake, we offer a screen shot:

You can see Apple's home page for your self, or click the thumbnail above for a larger image. You can find more information on the Power Mac G5 at Apple's site, and you can order one from the Apple Store.

The Mac Observer Spin:

This is indeed good news. Oftentimes, when Apple says it will ship a product during a certain month, or even a certain season, the company squeezes it in at the end of that time frame, and has even been known to stretch a definition or two. This time, however, Apple shipped the G5 in the middle of August, which was the month Steve Jobs announced the G5 would ship during June's WWDC event. The more popular 2 GHz models may be squeezed in at the end of the month, but even that is better than Apple's traditional issues with shipping the high end unit weeks, or even months, after the low end ships.

Perhaps that's what you get when you work with a processor vendor who cares. We're looking at you, Motorola.

In any event, the important thing in our opinion is that Apple delivered on its own time frame. Credibility is important, especially as Apple is targeting largely professional markets with this machine.

So, has your G5 shipped?

Apple Store