Powerbooks before MWNY?

[LawnWrangler]

Do you think they will save up the new powerbooks for NY or maybe do them before...I dont remember the last upgrade being that big of a deal. Unless they do some really good stuff with the G4, do you think they could release it before hand? Everyone seems to be pretty fed up with the current line.

-LW

[Mac DV]

"Hey man just because its a front doesn't mean no one has to do the actual lawn work."

my best approximation of:

Dignon(Owen Wilson), BR

lol

Nice name Lawnwrangler.

As far as the powerbook...who knows. I'd love to see it happen though, as I'm planning on buying one in a few months.

Mac DV

[King Cobra]

I think Apple will absolutely release the Powerbooks before Macworld New York 2002. I came to this conclusion from a few ideas. The Apple Powermac G4 2002 came out just after an Expo, and a Combo Drive update to the Powerbooks came halfway between Expos.

Originally posted by Yours Truly (Who Else?)
(1) Apple will use the low-powered Apollo G4 chip in their new Powerbooks. The slower of the two models will have up to a 733MHz G4, and the top model will have up to 867MHz. Apple does not want to push the envelope so far on processor speeds, because Apple does not want to kill PowerMac sales.

(2) According to some very reasonable rumors, the new Powerbook will have a higher resolution screen, of 1536 by 1024 pixels. The screen size will not change.

(3) Apple will keep the 133MHz system bus and plain old Firewire 1. I find this logical because Apple usually focuses on PowerMac sales, where they can get big bucks. So Apple usually puts any new and impressive features (Firewire 2, USB 2, 10/100/1000 Base-T Ethernet) in the PowerMac first, before Apple descends these features into the iMac and the Powerbook.

(4) Apple may add some sort of darker, more metallic color-coating on the Titanium skin of the Powerbook, according to popular rumors.

(5) Apple usually updates their line of products every so often, and the current 667MHz version is starting to "age".
-LW

In response to citations that Arn requested for (2) and (4), this was from the January and February sections (2002) of www.macosrumors.com
__________________

It does not take a genius to figure it out . . . just someone who uses a Mac.

What a long post!

[Ensign Paris]

I think Apple might not bother with new ones till NY then release a tornado of new products and updates.

A Big one even by San Franciscos standards

Ensign

[DP500G4]

Im sure they will wait for NY

-Ted

[msykes]

I sure hope they release a new one sooner... how about WWDC in May? That's when they released the Lombards in 1999... it's already been plenty long since they updated the Ti, and I'm dieing to buy one! (promised I would wait for the next update).

Besides, who here actually thinks Apple can deal with more than one major product introduction at a time? I mean they have a hard enough time shipping things on time normally. Imagine if they introduce new iBooks, powerbooks, iMacs and powermacs all at the same time like some people here think will happen....

Introduced: July 2002
Shipping: 1st quarter 2003

msykes

[crassusad44]

I'm with you msykes. Apple will probably not introduce new models to all four line-ups at MWNY. It would be too much at the same time. I'm guessing PowerBooks some time before the expo. New towers and iBooks at MWNY, and updated iMacs after MWNY, maybe Seybold....

My 2 ¢

[Grokgod]

I think that put in it in perfect perceptive!
Can you imagine Apple bringing out multiple new products at the same time.
Yea the powerbook and the powermac upgrades would make Jobs trip off the stage.

This perfectly explains what will come out and when!

Just line everything up in the order that Apple can handle without totally
flubbing it. Just ruin any opportunities that it creates. Two steps forward and three steps back is the method of operations at Apple.

[Mr. Anderson]

There is the Apple World Wide Developers Conference in May (6 - 10), which would be a great time, a couple of months before MWNY. If Jobs does a keynote then, I'd place my bets on it happening.

[mcrain]

If apple is planning on two new powerbook models, they could release the 733 with new hardware first before the mwny and let the initial buying frenzy and manufacture start-up problems get sorted out, and then release the 867 at mwny. That way, Apple gets twice the media exposure and two buying frenzies out of what is really one upgrade.

With the imac, they released the top of the line first, announced the other models. This lead to lots of people with long long waits on lower end models, and the machine that was supposed to be the flag bearer had all sorts of manufacture start-up problems. They would have been better off having the low end machines associated with the problems rather than the "best" one.

[msykes]

Originally posted by mcrain
If apple is planning on two new powerbook models, they could release the 733 with new hardware first before the mwny and let the initial buying frenzy and manufacture start-up problems get sorted out, and then release the 867 at mwny. That way, Apple gets twice the media exposure and two buying frenzies out of what is really one upgrade.

With the imac, they released the top of the line first, announced the other models. This lead to lots of people with long long waits on lower end models, and the machine that was supposed to be the flag bearer had all sorts of manufacture start-up problems. They would have been better off having the low end machines associated with the problems rather than the "best" one.

They could, but I hope that the next Powerbook causes less production problems that the iMac. I think the iMac was so tricky because of the vastly new enclosure. If the form factor of the Ti remains the same, there shouldn't be any major shortages, so no need to restrain supply of one of the models. I don't see Apple doing this to artifically generate publicity, since this is liable to piss people off more than anything.

[Hemingray]

Originally posted by Grokgod
Yea the powerbook and the powermac upgrades would make Jobs trip off the stage.

Ol' Stevie is trippin' ON the stage. :D

[jthrasher]

Originally posted by mcrain
If apple is planning on two new powerbook models, they could release the 733 with new hardware first before the mwny and let the initial buying frenzy and manufacture start-up problems get sorted out, and then release the 867 at mwny. That way, Apple gets twice the media exposure and two buying frenzies out of what is really one upgrade.

With the imac, they released the top of the line first, announced the other models. This lead to lots of people with long long waits on lower end models, and the machine that was supposed to be the flag bearer had all sorts of manufacture start-up problems. They would have been better off having the low end machines associated with the problems rather than the "best" one.

I don't think that is very likely. The reason they did that with the iMac is because it was a brand spankin new model. They won't be changing the powerbook I don't think until the G5's are announced and even then it might take a while. The powerbooks design still as a lot of life left in it.

My prediction is that they will definately announce before MWNY. They have to. We already know they they said they are going to be announcing products outside of Expos. Obviously they can't announce upgrades accross the line at MWNY and powerbooks are definately first in line for an upgrade. As for specs I have no clue what they will be but I will definatetly be buying one. I'm long over due for an upgrade.

That's my 2¢

[cb911]

there has to be an update of the TiBooks before NY. the 667MHz Powerbook is a long way behind the PowerMac line. it also seems reasonable that Apple will release it in April so it is constantly releasing products and keeping its name out there. alot of PC users paid attention when the G4 iMac was released. And alot more PC users will be interested in Apple when they see that they are constantly releasing products.

[jefhatfield]

Originally posted by msykes
I sure hope they release a new one sooner... how about WWDC in May? That's when they released the Lombards in 1999... it's already been plenty long since they updated the Ti, and I'm dieing to buy one! (promised I would wait for the next update).

Besides, who here actually thinks Apple can deal with more than one major product introduction at a time? I mean they have a hard enough time shipping things on time normally. Imagine if they introduce new iBooks, powerbooks, iMacs and powermacs all at the same time like some people here think will happen....

Introduced: July 2002
Shipping: 1st quarter 2003

msykes

msykes has a valid point...apple seems to be slow meeting demand right now and until it can do that, they may even have to hold things off, except for a g5 tower, until next year

and i do hope that apple does introduce a new tower/desktop by the end of this year

[Delenn]

Maybe the reason the PowerBooks have been so late on release is because of the heat problems. After all, can't forget that the only thing that is limiting releases isn't only because of marketing issues, but technological... The 667MHz had enough overheating problems, if you bump it up to 867MHz, it has the opportunity to get MIGHTY hot.

[bonehead]

I just checked the Apple Online Store and the ship time for a 667 Tibook has gone from 1-2 days to 5 days. Could this mean they getting ready to release an updated Tibook in the next few weeks? Discuss.

bonehead

[bonehead]

Should have typed "they are getting ready". It's late.

[krossfyter]

Originally posted by bonehead
I just checked the Apple Online Store and the ship time for a 667 Tibook has gone from 1-2 days to 5 days. Could this mean they getting ready to release an updated Tibook in the next few weeks? Discuss.

bonehead


ummm.... why would that signify that?

[bonehead]

I have read in another thread that the ship time for a product increases before an update is released. Allegedly this is because they are tooling up for the update and have fewer "old" units in the pipeline. I have no idea if any of this is true and was wondering if someone could shed some light on the subject.

[iGav]

We may see updated Ti Books before MWNY only if they are small upgrades, such as a slight speed boost or bigger harddrive!! Not really Keynote material is it?? "Now for something really amazing...... I bring you the 733Mhz Powerbook G4 for with a 80Gb Hardrive" Well that would kill 15 seconds.....:p

I think if they have plans such as big speed increase, radical graphics, built-in blue tooth, faster bus, superdrive, dual processor option, different colour, or better still chrome finish!! (not all of the above but some!!) Then we may see that on the Keynote, or just released at MWNY......

More silent fans would be nice though!!! My Rev a 500Mhz Ti book's fan is on almost continously when I'm doing heavy DV or Post work!!! Maybe a Dual Fan option!!:p

Or bulit in Nano-Refrigeration-Unit......:D

[cb911]

i reckon that they will only be small updates. hopefully they will release something before MWNY, even if it only is small changes. is there any chance of Apple releasing a update now and then a bigger update at New York? what do you think?

[rainman::|:|]

Originally posted by bonehead
I have read in another thread that the ship time for a product increases before an update is released. Allegedly this is because they are tooling up for the update and have fewer "old" units in the pipeline. I have no idea if any of this is true and was wondering if someone could shed some light on the subject.

its true i think-- part of Job's attempt to ship things on time. I'm pretty sure i read that the wait for iMacs was 3 weeks in some places, right before they announced the new one... 5 days tho? who knows, could simply be a problem at one of the plants--wouldn't get my hopes up...

pnw

[mcrain]

Well, shoot, my hopes are up. I've been jonesing for a powerbook ever since I got fed up with my PC and windoze. I'm ready to give bill gates the boot, but don't want to buy an older product, I want something new. So, Apple, if'n y'all can hear me, you've got a customer just waiting for a revision.

I'd really like to make sure that the bluetooth is built in though, and I'd like to see firewire 2 (if Apple intends on pushing that as the "next" standard for connectivity). The usb bluetooth thing looks like a hemorroid on an otherwise pretty, well, you know what I mean.

[PaulRod]

A friend of mine know an Apple employee that has the opportunity to purchase TiBooks, in any config, for $2399 for the 667 Mhz model... ship time is quoted as 1-2 days...

A guy at work ordered one and got it in 2 days...

From what I understand, Apple offers it's employees machines, just before a new revision is due, to help clear out inventory...

anyone verify this???

[Rower_CPU]

Originally posted by PaulRod
A friend of mine know an Apple employee that has the opportunity to purchase TiBooks, in any config, for $2399 for the 667 Mhz model... ship time is quoted as 1-2 days...

A guy at work ordered one and got it in 2 days...

From what I understand, Apple offers it's employees machines, just before a new revision is due, to help clear out inventory...

anyone verify this???

The other thing I've heard (and quite frankly believe) is that if Apple employees _stop_ buying stuff you know something new is on the way.

[Gelfin]

When components are more expensive, a company is going to want to reduce the number of units in inventory. The last thing you want is to build a whole bunch of units at a higher price and still be stuck with some of them if and when the component prices drop. By throttling down production, at the cost of slightly longer ship times, they're being more efficient.

[Yukon]

Dear Steve,

How can I be expected to lavish the praises of Apple in general, and Powerbooks more specifically, over my PC friends when they are currently so lacking? Not in looks Steve, I love the case/footprint/design, I can't imagine how it could "look" any better than it does. It is a timeless design that we will look at 50 years form now and still admire. I'm talking about the guts Steve. Please include Firewire 2, USB 2, a Super Drive, a cooler (faster) processor chip with a near silent fan and higher resolution (Come on Steve, keep in mind, Michael has a 1600 x 1200 that's been out for a year now — I love my Macs and I'm not supporting Dell, their products or their PC minions, never have and never will. But lets acknowledge the Ultimate-XGA (UXGA) technology/manufacturing capability that exists out there). If you are able to include these items in the next release, than I will go to my local Apple store and purchase it immediately. If I have to wait for it, I, and many others too, I suspect, will. I won't purchase the current Ti technology, even with a simple speed bump or two, since it is at the low end of "internal" innovation. You shocked the world Steve when you released the cutting edge Ti Powerbook - and changed the course of laptops I suspect. Now it's time to give it some leading edge "muscle" to keep it in the limelight.

P.S. I would even be interested in seeing the 1600 x 1200 res. in the 16" LCD screen that has entered the laptop market recently. If you want to make it an OLED screen, well, that's even better and I'd be willing to drop another G for it.

[ftaok]

Originally posted by Yukon
P.S. I would even be interested in seeing the 1600 x 1200 res. in the 16" LCD screen that has entered the laptop market recently. If you want to make it an OLED screen, well, that's even better and I'd be willing to drop another G for it. I just did a quick calc on that. The pixel density on one of those screens is 125 ppi. People complain about the iBook's 106 ppi screen. With 125 ppi, your eyes would literally explode, thereby reducing the advantages of the screen.

Personally, the highest that I would go to would be about 110 ppi.

[cb911]

i was just thinking about how good it would be to have a higher resolution on the TiBook. most people probably wouldn't use the higher res but it would be nice to have it.
and whats this about a 16" screen in the laptop market? this is the first i've heard about it, is it being built into laptops or do you have to plug it in when you need to use it?:confused:

[msykes]

Originally posted by cb911
i was just thinking about how good it would be to have a higher resolution on the TiBook. most people probably wouldn't use the higher res but it would be nice to have it.
and whats this about a 16" screen in the laptop market? this is the first i've heard about it, is it being built into laptops or do you have to plug it in when you need to use it?:confused:

I use 1600x1200 on a 19" CRT, (about a 17" LCD equivalent), and the only way it's usable is if I increase all the default font sizes (I'm able to do this using Linux). Under OSX I don't think this resolution would be very nice, it's already a pain to browse the web since many pages don't render properly when you change their default font sizes.

The laptop in question is a new Sony Vaio, which in addition to having a 16" screen, weights 8.5 pounds, and is also an inch wider, two inches deeper and almost an inch thicker than the Ti - in otherwards it's HUGE.

msykes

[Jookbox]

the sonys aren't much bigger than a typical 15" laptop:

http://www.sonystyle.com/vaio/grx/index.shtml

[buffsldr]

Yukon... that "letter to steve" thing was kind of a cute way to express your wants.... really.
But common, apple is trying to make more money, not produce the best laptops. Apple is all about maximizing its return on investment. If it makes good business sense to steve, he'll do it. Gratifying our vain desires is not on his agenda.

[oldMac]

I suspect that Apple will hold off on major PowerBook updates (denser screen, superdrive, 1Ghz Processor, etc) until MWNY.

Remember... Steve has to make up for last year when he showed up there basically empty handed.

As for WWDC, I would suspect that we'll see more about Firewire 2, Bluetooth and potentially the release of OS 10.2 (but I suspect that 10.2 will actually be part of MWNY).

[iGav]

oldMac,

I think if Apple has done a seriously mental revision on the TiBook, better screen res, serious horsepower increase, better bus, better graphics, bigger, faster hardrive, and maybe a superdrive..... then it'll be announced at MWNY.... Mr jobs is the showman of showmen, and he loves showing off Apples latest and greatest....... he just ain't gonna go on stage and say..... "the TiBook, now at 733Mhz!!" if it's announced at WWDC or before, it'll be an icky bity increase.......

I hope they don't release them until MWNY, and that they release the mother of all laptops.... and really p*ss on the peoples fire, the people that keep saying how far it's fallen behind the new P4 Mobile........ :p :p :p

Actually I'm beginning to believe we might just get a full and complete revision of Apples Pro-sumer range..... look at MWSF new iMac and New iBook.... the 2 consumer machines......

I'm getting quite excited now for MWNY!!!:D :D :D :D

[jefhatfield]

Originally posted by buffsldr
Yukon... that "letter to steve" thing was kind of a cute way to express your wants.... really.
But common, apple is trying to make more money, not produce the best laptops. Apple is all about maximizing its return on investment. If it makes good business sense to steve, he'll do it. Gratifying our vain desires is not on his agenda.

that's too funny...i know what you mean

i have been stating this same fact for almost two years now on this board until i turned blue in the face

sure apple is about thinking different and about innovation, but apple is first and foremost a business

i always get into arguments with my fellow techies and engineers since my perspective came from business school and being in that sector for 10 years and the IT world is a rather recent detour in my life...some techies would want the craziest thing even if the thing didn't sell...so long as they could get their hands on one

i remember super techies talking about the heat issue and micron process in the g4 chip and wanting a dual processor tibook...i would like one too, but it would have to sell and be something enough people would want

personally, if i had the money, i would want one:D

[buffsldr]

Originally posted by iGAV
oldMac,

Mr jobs is the showman of showmen, and he loves showing off Apples latest and greatest....... he just ain't gonna go on stage and say..... "the TiBook, now at 733Mhz!!"

Of course not! Steve would never do something like that. he's a showman. It would be like saying, "iMacs are back ordered, and by the way....they cost more."

[jefhatfield]

hello,

my name is steve jobs

and i would like to introduce the g5

have a nice day

goodbye:D


now could you imagine if steve jobs did that? and walked off stage? personally, i think it would be kind of cool:p

steve is such a great showman...certainly better than bill gates...i saw him on a major network push xp and he almost put me to sleep:D :o :rolleyes: