PowerBooks in the Pipeline?

[MacRumors]

ThinkSecret chimes in with a report that PowerBook revision development wrapped up earlier this month.

According to the rumor site, the upcoming upgrades are for the 15-inch and 17-inch PowerBook line. The new machines should be running a minor revision to Mac OS X (Blackrider). The fate of the 12" PowerBook is uncertain.

While no definitive date is provided, "later this week" is floated as an expectation.

Last week internet whispers predicted PowerBook updates in the pipeline, with expectations of a thinner 12", 1.33GHz top speeds and FW800 -- while a recent Page 2 note revealed near zero stock of 12" and 15" PowerBooks at Ingram Micro (a major distributor).

[Grimace]

Bring em on!

[michaelrjohnson]

Wahoooooooooo!!!!!


Let's just pray!

I seriously hope so! One of those babies is MINE! Line forms below.

[mainstreetmark]

Please for the love of all that is good and holy, please let this be true.

[shecky]

oh pllllllllllllleeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaseeeeeeeeeeeeee let this happen already...my precious.......

[evolu]

why the hardware specific OS? What's new that justifies special software optimization?

Smeagol is Jaguar optimized for the G5.
Blackrider is Jaguar optimized for ?

[MacsRgr8]

Originally posted by evolu
why the hardware specific OS? What's new that justifies special software optimization?

Smeagol is Jaguar optimized for the G5.
Blackrider is Jaguar optimized for ?

7457 G4....?

[BrandonRP0123]

Originally posted by Macrumors
The fate of the 12" PowerBook is uncertain.

I don't know if that's completely true or not. It's been my impression (and the apple financial report should tell the truth?) that the 12" was a seller.

Otherwise, we might have another collectors item on our hands.

[arn]

Originally posted by evolu
why the hardware specific OS? What's new that justifies special software optimization?

Smeagol is Jaguar optimized for the G5.
Blackrider is Jaguar optimized for ?

nothing.

Every new macintosh requires a (minor) new version of the operating system to support it.

arn

[AndrewMT]

The 12" powerbook should be revised to have the same widescreen ratio that all the pro laptops have. Several of the new high performace centrino laptops are widescreen.

[arn]

Originally posted by BrandonRP0123
I don't know if that's completely true or not. It's been my impression (and the apple financial report should tell the truth?) that the 12" was a seller.

Otherwise, we might have another collectors item on our hands.

I meant w/ regard to these updates.

arn

[GrizzlyHippo]

Could it finally be??

Well I had my credit card ready for Tuesday 19th anyway, so here's hoping Think Secret are right again.

Grizzly

[Powerbook G5]

What would be really cool is if these are 15/17" PowerBook G5s, the 12" becomes the new G4 iBook, and Blackrider is some newer hybrid 10.2/10.3 64 bit optimized OS X for the new PowerBook G5s...but, this is not fantasy land and this could just be another weekly PowerBook rumor...damn, I could almost be so excited for a G5 PowerBook that I'd wet myself.

[Gus]

It's starting to get ridiculous actually, how long it has been for updates on these machines, and part of me can't help feeling like this delay has been purposeful. Getting everyone who has been waiting for the revisions, plus the added ones everyday, on top of the release of the G5 this week would really make a Q4 balance sheet look really nice, wouldn't it?

Regards,
Gus

[ELYXR]

If they wrapped up the PowerBook revision development earlier this month, how much time until a final shipping product? Unless the development they're talking about is all software based it could take some time. Maybe they already have the hardware stacked on palettes in cupertino and ready to roll. Please let this be the case!!! If Apple sells me the pieces, I'd put it together in my garage and save them the trouble, seriously!

[xtekdiver]

Let's have a vote: will it be a piddly G4 update or an all out assault with a G5? If we get something Tuesday it will be G4, if we don't I think they will announce a G5 Powerbook in Paris. Frankly, I think this Moto thing has really hurt Apple's cred, a 1.2 or 1.3 just isn't going to cut it.

[PVD 45RPM]

I hope the 12 gets updated 'cause thats the one I've been wating for...

[GrizzlyHippo]

Think Secret formally posted the following info about Blackrider:

"There is one additional mystery product in the short-term pipeline, a hardware project known as Q6. Little is known about Q6 other than that it will ship with a build train of Mac OS X code-named "Blackrider," and that Apple previously intended to wrap up development this month or the next. Whether or not Q6 is now slated to be one of the hardware announcements at WWDC is unclear."

However, their latest post refers to the new PowerBooks as Q16 and Q41.

So what is Q6?

and

Why would the new PB machine-centric parts of OSX not be built into 10.2.7 (Smeagol) which must surely be ready as G5's are starting (ish) to ship. Why build another OS at the same time as Smeagol?

Blackrider doen't make sense to me.

Grizzly

[neutrino23]

Originally posted by xtekdiver
Let's have a vote: will it be a piddly G4 update or an all out assault with a G5? If we get something Tuesday it will be G4, if we don't I think they will announce a G5 Powerbook in Paris. Frankly, I think this Moto thing has really hurt Apple's cred, a 1.2 or 1.3 just isn't going to cut it.

I think the G5 PB will come next summer. The G4 for will have to do for the time being. Personally, this will be a wonderful update. A brighter, sharper display, better GPU, Airport Extreme, FW800, backlit keyboard (I hope), faster CPU, etc. This will be a really sweet PB.

I've been waiting for this upgrade since April. I think it is finally going to happen this week.

[MasterMac]

Originally posted by neutrino23
I think the G5 PB will come next summer. The G4 for will have to do for the time being. Personally, this will be a wonderful update. A brighter, sharper display, better GPU, Airport Extreme, FW800, backlit keyboard (I hope), faster CPU, etc. This will be a really sweet PB.

I've been waiting for this upgrade since April. I think it is finally going to happen this week.

I'm with ya on that! This updated PB was supposed to be my graduation present (from high school), and as of now it's way overdue

[mim]

Originally posted by GrizzlyHippo
Think Secret formally posted the following info about Blackrider:

"There is one additional mystery product in the short-term pipeline, a hardware project known as Q6. Little is known about Q6 other than that it will ship with a build train of Mac OS X code-named "Blackrider," and that Apple previously intended to wrap up development this month or the next. Whether or not Q6 is now slated to be one of the hardware announcements at WWDC is unclear."

However, their latest post refers to the new PowerBooks as Q16 and Q41.

So what is Q6?

and

Why would the new PB machine-centric parts of OSX not be built into 10.2.7 (Smeagol) which must surely be ready as G5's are starting (ish) to ship. Why build another OS at the same time as Smeagol?

Blackrider doen't make sense to me.

Grizzly

If Blackrider is the tweaked OS, then Q6 is either a typo for Q16 (or vice-versa) or the updated 12".

Just a guess, but if TS's source is involved with Powerbook development it may be one reason why the 12" wasn't mentioned - I mean the 12" is really an iBook...I wouldn't be suprised if it's actually engineered by the iBook team (if they are indeed separate teams and I'm not totally speaking out my arse. Please correct me if you know!)

[cycle]

iam going to sacrifice my ***** if there is a chance to hold a 15"albook in my hands next month!!!

[sacrilicious]

Indeed. The 12" is a G4 iBook.

Let's see those 15"s, though, real soon.

[cb911]

it's good to finally hear some good, actual facts, that is that the developement for the PowerBook revisions (at least the 15" & 17") is all wrapped up... but i'm not liking the hints of 'expected in stores later this week'. unless they're still going to announce it, then get it in stores later... Apple might be trying to stop staff from letting the cat out of the bag.

i guess it's pretty much set in stone now that the PowerBooks won't get the G5 this time around, seeing as the development is all wrapped up.

i'm way too excited about this now. i'm going to have to try hard to sleep tonight. lets see.... about 28 hours now until it's 9:00 Tuesday morning in the States. w00t!!!

[fpnc]

A new OS X build for the PowerBooks could include support for USB 2.0. However, I have to agree that it would be strange for Apple to develop and ship two different versions of 10.2.X (one for new PowerBook, the other for the G5). But maybe they expected the PowerBooks to ship well before the G5 (like last month or at WWDC).

Early last week I felt fairly certain that we'd see new PowerBooks on Aug. 19 (this Tuesday). However, by Friday I had changed my mind completely and this new information from Think Secret hasn't restored my optimism. I now believe that there is very little possibility of new PowerBooks this week. The reason I say this is that there have been no announcements about an Apple special event for next week and I can't imagine that Apple would provide significant upgrades to the PowerBooks without some form of pre-announced Apple event or news conference. This would be particularly true if the 15" came in a new enclosure. Now I'm guessing that new PowerBooks will be introduced at the Apple Expo in Paris (but still based on the G4, a speed bump to 1.2 or 1.3GHz, USB 2.0, FW800, Bluetooth, and Airport Extreme in all models, and a new 15" enclosure).

In any case, we should see the release of DVD Studio Pro 2.0 and probably demo G5's this week, so there will be some cause for celebration even without new PowerBooks (which, IMO, are becoming long overdue).