Yah, most of the descriptions (just a little extra decode, aka PowerPC AS), and sharing the hardware actually apply to the iSeries, which _IS_ POWER based. But of course that is a minicomputer not a maninframe...
It seems the vast majority of people who consider themselves knowledgeable about computers are just massively ignorant/confused by IBM's product lines and capabilities (and don't even get me started about the nonstop and openvms). Which is a bit of a shame, particularly in the case of IBM i, which is probably one of the most interesting OS's still in support/production.