Order of the Butterfly
Posts: 301 from 2003/2/24
From: Genesi
We buy in >1000s, direct from Motorola.
Motorola sells in <100s to anyone who pays for them. The prices are a guide, not a rule.
The actual price Motorola state is more like "$245 to everyone, in any reasonable quantity, for every batch of 100,000 that we make". Therefore while they are producing 100,000 processors at once, they will be around $245 each.
Note, the same way that a Pentium 3.2GHz processor used to be $800, but you could get a 2.4GHz one for $200, we are talking about the extreme top end of the range. PowerPC processors are really not as expensive as Apple's prices would make out.
The reason why Genesi won't go with the 1.42GHz model in the main isn't price, but because we are eager to go passively cooled! It's a balancing act between performance and silence. I have no idea what speed grade the bPlan guys have actually chosen to go with, but it's a more complex process than pointing to a catalogue page while blindfolded :)
Oh, and according to the management, the 7447A will be available as an upgrade. If you have a G3 processor for the silence, you can get extra performance. If you have a G4 you will get extra silence and perhaps some other treats too ;)
Neko
Matt Sealey, Genesi USA, Inc.
Developer Relations
Product Development Analyst