Apple's 17-inch PowerBook Production

[MacRumors]

DigiTimes claims (http://www.digitimes.com/NewsShow/Article1.asp?datePublish=2003/12/17&pages=A1&seq=1) that Apple may move 17" PowerBook production to Quanta from Compal Electronics in the first quarter of next year at the earliest.

DigiTimes maintains that Compal also landed orders for a 15.4" PowerBook... which previously spawned numerous rumors about the PowerBook... but no such PowerBook exists.

[TomSmithMacEd]

I don't see why this would be a big deal. Unless they put a G5 in it. MMMM 17" g5 powerbook (drool)

First Post (he he)

[chazmox]

I wonder where Digitimes gets their info - they're still reporting about a 15.4 inch PB!!!

[ITR 81]

Well a 15.4 could be a revised 15.2 inch PB with all new screen. As they were having issues with them.

[~Shard~]

Does this indicate a redesign of the PB? Possibly to accommodate a G5? :cool:

[mrsebastian]

i doubt it's a redesign, but i guess there's always a possibility of the g5 showing up in powerbooks, though i highly doubt it! i'd guess apple got a deal for better and/or cheaper production.

[SiliconAddict]

Hmm I thought ...................

Apple, which is facing increasing price challenges from Wintel notebooks launched by Dell, Hewlett-Packard (HP) and Toshiba, is unlikely to accept Compal’s demands given the production was based on contract orders, the sources said.

..........was quite telling. Maybe we'll be seeing even further price drops in the 17" PowerBook in the future? :)
Then again current PB price distributions are pretty spaced out. The 15" SD PB is $2,600. You can't drop the 17" PB much without getting pretty close to that 15" SD PB price. Hmmm. :confused:

[arn]

Originally posted by ITR 81
Well a 15.4 could be a revised 15.2 inch PB with all new screen. As they were having issues with them.

no...

They've been talking about a 15.4 inch screen since January or so.

arn

[1macker1]

Is there a 20" laptop in the future.

[visor]

Originally posted by 1macker1
Is there a 20" laptop in the future.
as soon as they create foldable displays, there will. ;)
However, tehy wont call it noebook, but blackboard...

[whooleytoo]

Originally posted by visor
as soon as they create foldable displays, there will. ;)
However, tehy wont call it noebook, but blackboard...

Nah, forget about bigscreens, just put a projector in; find a blank patch of wall to point at, and hey presto! A 72 inch Powerbook! :)

[Grimace]

Do people expect speed bumps at MacWorld? It seems likely that we would see some improvement then. Will the 17" go over 1.33? Maybe:

1.50 Ghz 17"
1.33 Ghz 15"
1.25 Ghz 12"

Seems like a likely armorment for the final installation of the G4s - maybe before G5s hit Powerbooks in July - as Steve Jobs has been hinting.

[iJack]

Originally posted by visor
as soon as they create foldable displays, there will. ;)
However, tehy wont call it noebook, but blackboard...

The new IBM G5 chips are supposed to run cooler, so G5 PB not out of the question.

How about "PowerPortfolio" for a 20"?

[Mac User Canada]

Originally posted by whooleytoo
Nah, forget about bigscreens, just put a projector in; find a blank patch of wall to point at, and hey presto! A 72 inch Powerbook! :)

In many ways, that's a lot more practical than you might think.

Doesn't work well on a train but it would be great for presentations.

Definatley need both a screen, for privacy and locations without walls. With an additonal built-in projector - wow - that would solve a lot of back aches lugging projectors around. Of course this only works if it can be done without increasing the size, weight or battery life of an existing 17" PB. Has anyone seen where I left my TARDIS? ;-)

MUC

[~Shard~]

Originally posted by Mac User Canada
Of course this only works if it can be done without increasing the size, weight or battery life of an existing 17" PB. Has anyone seen where I left my TARDIS? ;-)
MUC

TARDIS, nice one - haven't heard that word for a LONG time! Ah, they should bring Dr. Who back - one of my old favorites... :cool:

[toughboy]

Originally posted by visor
as soon as they create foldable displays, there will. ;)
However, tehy wont call it noebook, but blackboard...

as the inches get bigger, products get heavier.. Apple did a really amazing job in decreasing the mass but you know, physics..

I, personally dont like the projection stuff.. unless they find a projector working in the direct sun light without being have to close the curtains..

foldable displays is another stuff, but seems so far for these days...

[Toe]

I love my TiBook and think the latest generation of AlBooks have some awesome engineering. But...

Aluminum is a stupid material for a laptop. A titanium case is awesome. Were I to drop my TiBook on the ground, I'd first check the ground for dents... then the TiBook. The AlBooks however, bend and mangle if you click too quickly. Of the five AlBooks I've seen, two experienced a minor drop and had $600-900 worth of damage. The corners fold on themselves at the merest hint of impact, then the case doesn't close, the optical drive doesn't work, etc..

Even if they can't get a G5 in there yet, they should at least design out the aluminum.

[Grimace]

The aluminum used isn't the same stuff you put around a sandwich in your lunch. It is incredibly strong for its weight. Titanium is a LOT more expensive to produce than aluminum. That's why apple dropped it. (although it was really cool to say you had a Titanium laptop...)

[TMJ1974]

Originally posted by ITR 81
Well a 15.4 could be a revised 15.2 inch PB with all new screen. As they were having issues with them.

Or ........ it could be that Compal makes the 15.4" screen for the Compaq x1000 series notebooks.

Tim

[Toe]

Originally posted by carletonmusic
The aluminum used isn't the same stuff you put around a sandwich in your lunch. It is incredibly strong for its weight. Titanium is a LOT more expensive to produce than aluminum. That's why apple dropped it. (although it was really cool to say you had a Titanium laptop...) Yeah, Steve says it's aircraft-grade aluminum... but if you look at the body of a jet when you're boarding, you'll see a lot of dents and dings. AlBooks crumple under the slightest impact. Real-world experience shows that it is a crappy material from which to build a laptop. The plastic in iBooks is MUCH more durable.

[spencecb]

Well, of course the material used in the iBook is going to be stronger than the PowerBook. The iBook is made to withstand life in a students bookbag, whereas the PowerBook is not meant for this demographic. The PowerBook does not need to be as durable as the iBooks. And, I don't know why everyone has problems with their Titanium PB's chipping or bending, because I have had mine for over a year now, and I am a college student, and take my PB with me everywhere, and there is not a chip or bend/dent in it anywhere.