Motorola Inc admits that demand for the PowerPC 604 processor had exceeded its expectations, adding we are doing everything we can and are confident that we will meet all of our customer commitments. A quick poll among manufacturers carried out by our sister paper PowerPC News suggested that most of the mid-range system manufacturers seemed satisfied by the chip supply, with problems more evident among desktop-system manufacturers. The always forthright Glen Miranker, vice-president and technical director at Firepower Systems Inc, complained that 604 processors, from either Motorola or IBM Corp were as scarce as hen’s teeth. Meanwhile a spokesman for German parallel computer manufacturer Parsytec GmbH said that while general quantities were OK, supply was patchy: Last month was lousy, but this month has been fine, he said. Parsytec is currently buying 100 to 200 PowerPC 604 processors a month. Miranker, however, said FirePower had been forced into supplying some customers that would have opted for 604-based boxes with PowerPC 603-based machines instead. Normally chatting sources at Motorola dried up when asked about the causes of any possible problem in 604 manufacture, while the mighty IBM public relations machine chewed on the question for a few days before producing the enlightening statement that: IBM is currently shipping Power 604 MPUs to customers. It is meeting its commitments to its customers and working closely with them to identify their requirements in the future. Meanwhile Apple Computer Inc has denied that a shortage of 603 chips has hit production of its new Performa-class machines. Last week the International Herald Tribune quoted Apple’s chief financial office Joseph Graziano as saying that the new low-end machines wouldn’t be in the shops before Christmas. Apple said his comments were mis-reported and pointed out that the machines were already available.
