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Wildcat

macrumors regular
Original poster
Apr 23, 2002
139
0
Eugene, OR
I know there is talk of new powerbooks but I would love to see a revision of the ibook. ( within my price range ) Will there be a G4 or perhaps a 1Ghz G3 750FX? I also think the ibooks ATI RAGE Mobility card is looking a little slow. I just want to know what you all think.
 

Rower_CPU

Moderator emeritus
Oct 5, 2001
11,219
2
San Diego, CA
First off, welcome to the forums!

The current iBooks have been in place since January, so an update seems unlikely until after MacWorld in July.

You might want to search through some older threads on this very topic, too.
 

Beej

macrumors 68020
Jan 6, 2002
2,139
0
When: MWSF 03
Specs:
12.1" @ 1152x870
800 MHz (hi) & 700 MHz (lo) G3
CD-RW standard, superdrive optional
30 GB HD (hi) & 20 GB HD (lo)
256 MB RAM
Updated graphics
Same enclosure
And all the other standard Mac stuff

$100 cheaper than current models.
 

Wildcat

macrumors regular
Original poster
Apr 23, 2002
139
0
Eugene, OR
Thanks for the warm welcome. :)

I dont know if I would consider a 14 inch screen a full fledged update. The ibook hasn't really had a big update since they introduced the 500 G3 in the curent enclosure, which was about a year ago. Although the 600 G3 with a 100 Mhz system bus is a fairly substantial update. But I would like to see the cpu and the graphics card updated at the same time.
 

Falleron

macrumors 68000
Nov 22, 2001
1,609
0
UK
Originally posted by Beej
When: MWSF 03
Specs:
12.1" @ 1152x870
800 MHz (hi) & 700 MHz (lo) G3
CD-RW standard, superdrive optional
30 GB HD (hi) & 20 GB HD (lo)
256 MB RAM
Updated graphics
Same enclosure
And all the other standard Mac stuff

$100 cheaper than current models.

No offense Beej but WHEN will people get it into their head that the G3 processor is not capable of doing DVD encoding!!!The only way you will get a superdrive in a laptop is you have a G4. Also, I think the portable superdrives are about 1 year + off yet!
 

mcrain

macrumors 68000
Feb 8, 2002
1,773
12
Illinois
Originally posted by Falleron
Also, I think the portable superdrives are about 1 year + off yet!

Maybe, maybe not. There have been rumors and more likely wishful thinking on this topic for some time. In addition, there was a rumor about a slim slot loading dvd-r drive demod at some point. All of it was of course unsubstantiated, but the main problems should be size and power consumption. Two problems that could be overcome.

So, it may be a pipe dream, but a dvd-r in a laptop may not be so far off.

In addition, a g4 in a ibook may be the next logical step, especially if they release g5s.
 

mmmdreg

macrumors 65816
Apr 14, 2002
1,393
0
Sydney, Australia
Originally posted by Beej
When: MWSF 03
Specs:
12.1" @ 1152x870
800 MHz (hi) & 700 MHz (lo) G3
CD-RW standard, superdrive optional
30 GB HD (hi) & 20 GB HD (lo)
256 MB RAM
Updated graphics
Same enclosure
And all the other standard Mac stuff

$100 cheaper than current models.

Sounds pretty much alright except for the superdrive as Falleron pointed out...we'll see the G4 ibook when the G5 is released me thinks...MWSF or just mayber MWNY...if there is 256mb RAM, does that mean the maximum ram will be raised because the 256 replaces the 128 which is soldered on? or will there be the soldered-on 128 with another 128 ram stuck in the spare slot?
 

D0ct0rteeth

macrumors 65816
Mar 11, 2002
1,239
7
Franklin, TN
actually i heard they are killing off the iBook line and are just going to be rebadging old compaq armadas! spray painting them white and slapping a sticker on the lid...

:eek:

anyway.. im in a wierd mood this morning...

seriously; I would be damn surprised if the next iBook didnt have a g4 chip.... combo drive standard.... the superdrive will probably be about a year away

but thats just me :)

i need some coffee

C-
 

jefhatfield

Retired
Jul 9, 2000
8,803
0
Originally posted by Falleron


No offense Beej but WHEN will people get it into their head that the G3 processor is not capable of doing DVD encoding!!!The only way you will get a superdrive in a laptop is you have a G4. Also, I think the portable superdrives are about 1 year + off yet!

maybe so, but i believe his 700 and 800mhz predictions will come true and we won't see a 1 ghz ibook for awhile (but apple stuns us every now and then like the g4 imac and the ipod)

now that time has put a distance between ipod and a lot of people's initial bad reaction here, i really believe ipod was one of the highlights of a post-96 apple inc.
 

Beej

macrumors 68020
Jan 6, 2002
2,139
0
Originally posted by Falleron


No offense Beej but WHEN will people get it into their head that the G3 processor is not capable of doing DVD encoding!!!The only way you will get a superdrive in a laptop is you have a G4. Also, I think the portable superdrives are about 1 year + off yet!
Heh heh... oops. :)

You know, to be honest, I didn't know that...
 

cb911

macrumors 601
Mar 12, 2002
4,128
4
BrisVegas, Australia
i think that the next iBook update will be after the G5's are released. hopefully the next iBook release will be a G4. i don't think that this will be for quite awhile though.
 

MacAztec

macrumors 68040
Oct 28, 2001
3,026
1
San Luis Obispo, CA
Hmmmm....

I really like the iBook. I think they need to have two models...600 and 700.

They should both have 100MHz buses, with 15GB hard drives.

Combo drives should be standard....

Maybe MWSF we will see the G4 in the ibook....
 

Rower_CPU

Moderator emeritus
Oct 5, 2001
11,219
2
San Diego, CA
I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm going through serious "hardware update" withdrawals here. I think that's why I've been so grumpy around here lately. It feels like we're just going in circles talking about the same old "what ifs"...

BTW - MacAztec, congrats on 700! Hey, when did I get ahead of you? You got your 'tar before I did.
 

MacAztec

macrumors 68040
Oct 28, 2001
3,026
1
San Luis Obispo, CA
Originally posted by Rower_CPU
BTW - MacAztec, congrats on 700! Hey, when did I get ahead of you? You got your 'tar before I did.

Thanks :D

Im not sure when you surpassed me, but Ive seen that you have had a big posting boost in the last couple of weeks!
 

rainman::|:|

macrumors 603
Feb 2, 2002
5,438
2
iowa
i have to think the next iBook revision will include a G4 processor... even a slower one... it's the last G3 (besides the CRT iMacs) selling, and i think it will take the cue from the new iMacs... Jobs likes to have his 4-square product model even, and a G3 ibook won't do that. Unfortunately, in the beginning the G4 ibook might be pricier... but that's the cost of advancement. It was fine to have g3's in consumer lines when it differentiated from pro lines, but again the LCD iMac has brought the g4 to the masses. hasn't the iBook been a portable iMac since it was introduced? or at least close to it...

now i don't know about feasibility of doing this right now... but if they have to wait a while, i think they will. The 14" display is meant to tide us over for a while, i think...

:)
pnw
 

jefhatfield

Retired
Jul 9, 2000
8,803
0
the 4 square product model was broken when the cube came out

now we have ipod and old version imac to wreck that perfect 4 square matrix

but a g4 ibook, while possible for sure, might cost a little too much...but maybe not if it debuted at 1399 or something
 

mc68k

macrumors 68000
Apr 16, 2002
1,996
0
Originally posted by jefhatfield
the 4 square product model was broken when the cube came out

now we have ipod and old version imac to wreck that perfect 4 square matrix

but a g4 ibook, while possible for sure, might cost a little too much...but maybe not if it debuted at 1399 or something

It's still a 4-square model. The iPod isn't a computer, and the cube is "suspended indefintely".

G4 iBook makes sense. It's their only G3 left to cut out of the lines (if you don't include CRT iMac). If they made the price work for the new iMac, they can make it work for a new iBook. It'll have to wait till MWSF though, as I don't see them going G4 across the board just yet.
 

jefhatfield

Retired
Jul 9, 2000
8,803
0
Originally posted by mc68k


It's still a 4-square model. The iPod isn't a computer, and the cube is "suspended indefintely".

G4 iBook makes sense. It's their only G3 left to cut out of the lines (if you don't include CRT iMac). If they made the price work for the new iMac, they can make it work for a new iBook. It'll have to wait till MWSF though, as I don't see them going G4 across the board just yet.

actually, the ipod is a computer, as is my rice cooker and my digital watch...mb, firmware, software, jumpers, transisters, diodes, and john nash style logic to boot;)

omg - the secret police are after my storage space and working their way thru the internal bus
 

mc68k

macrumors 68000
Apr 16, 2002
1,996
0
Originally posted by jefhatfield


actually, the ipod is a computer, as is my rice cooker and my digital watch...mb, firmware, software, jumpers, transisters, diodes, and john nash style logic to boot;)

omg - the secret police are after my storage space and working their way thru the internal bus

true that— but the 4-square model is just for their desktop/portable machines, but i see your point (all their hardware is a computer)

that would be cool if we has secret police— like in 1984 :)
 

rainman::|:|

macrumors 603
Feb 2, 2002
5,438
2
iowa
yeah, the cube is actually the best reason that the 4-square works so well... it didn't fit in the grid, and it didn't fly with consumers. like mc68k said, the iPod isn't by nature in there (more of a peripheral) and the CRT iMac is kind of apple's inbred retarted little daughter, hidden in the basement. they're not exactly advertising the fact that it's there, but they can't exactly do away with it...

you get my point, even through a tasteless analogy :)

as for jobs hallucinating... well i think he does a little more hash than is healthy for a guy his age... plus you got all those acid flashbacks... i know it's an old joke, but on some level i don't know if it is a joke... ;)

hehe
pnw
 

SPG

macrumors 65816
Jul 24, 2001
1,083
0
In the shadow of the Space Needle.
The G4 iBook is a must. If not soon, then eventually. You see the whole digital hub thing here depends a lot on altivec for video rendering and MPEG transcoding for DVD. Even though I don't have a real need for a mobile unit, I would plunk down the cash for a G4 iBook since it would be able to render video transitions faster than a snail, unlike the current the iBook which is a very nice internet, eamil and WP machine.
The iBook has a very nice form factor with its compact size, good battery, and outside of video it's snappy enough to be considered a good machine. Drop a G4 in there and it's a serious contender against the tiBook, which hopefully will be replaced soon by a G5 powerbook (I'm guessing MWSF optimisticly).
 

SPG

macrumors 65816
Jul 24, 2001
1,083
0
In the shadow of the Space Needle.
oh yeah, not to be a stick in the mud, but it is "specs" not "specks" as an abbreviation for specifications, as opposed to little pieces of dust or other debris. Unless of course you know something about the finish of the new iBook case design?
 
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