Superdrive PowerBooks !

[terramax]

Oh yeah, if the The Inquirer is anything to go by we will see the new line of PBs with the ability to write DVDs out in less than 2 months... it makes you glad you've lived this long

What do you guys think about such a - no doubt - high expectation ? I mean it would be classic Apple though, never been done before innovation, but is it really possible to put a DVD-R into a 1inch thick laptop ?

 

[Mr Jobs]

Re: Superdrive PowerBooks !

cheek this out, maybe some truth to this rumor

http://news.com.com/2100-1040-947250.html

 

[billiam0878]

I hope you guys are on to something, just imagine burning a DVD on your laptop... that would be yet another first for Apple!

Bill

 

[billiam0878]

Also, I'm not sure if we'll see this in the next rev of the PowerBooks, because Macworld had an article mentioning that the portable version of the SuperDrive will not be available till the fourth quarter. Either way, we can hope for a GHz PowerBook in September.

Bill

 

[Jgriff]

I just hope they return to the Pismo format with tough carbonized shell, media bays and slightly thicker profile. If they do, there will be no problem stuffing a SuperDrive with tray loading into the Powerbook along with other modules.

There is no reason not to think that the Titanium format is approaching the end of its service life and something more practical will take its place.

 

[mcrain]

Originally posted by Jgriff
I just hope they return to the Pismo format with tough carbonized shell, media bays and slightly thicker profile. If they do, there will be no problem stuffing a SuperDrive with tray loading into the Powerbook along with other modules.

There is no reason not to think that the Titanium format is approaching the end of its service life and something more practical will take its place.

Yeah, sure, that will be the day. That advice is akin to me suggesting that my friend dump his super-hot model cheerleader girlfriend who loves hanging around the house topless with nothing on but a thong for a frumpy girl who can cook... because she's more "practicle."

 

[terramax]

Hell yeah !

mcrain you the man

 

[MacCoaster]

Superdrive a first in a laptop by Apple... WRONG

Actually... Sony has a VAIO laptop with the SuperDrive.

I'll dig up the URL, it's all in Japanese and therefore difficult for me to find with a simple search; but definitely DVD-R/RW in the laptop.

Sony has beat Apple this time.

 

[OKComputer]

i try not to take ship times with a grain of salt....but ship times on the ibook 14.1 combo is 15 days

 

[D*I*S_Frontman]

If we're going to use women's bodies as metaphors for laptop cases, I would contend that the Titanium is like a pasty-white 6' 2" 105 lb supermodel--beautiful, but fragile and not terribly versatile.

The Pismo is more like Pamela Anderson. Smaller, curvier, sexier, but a bit studier. Hey, she was married to Tommy Lee for years so we KNOW she can take a punch, right? Just like a Pismo.

As I have already stated ad nauseum here on these threads, I would love to see them return to black polycarbonate. Maybe titanium reinforced on the corners with supprts cast right into the poly. Then put in a true 16:9 display for killer presentations. I wouldn't care if it was two feet wide. And I wouldn't WANT it an inch thick, unless it were milled out of solid aluminum, because I want to use it in the bump-scratch-and-drop real world, not the land of "esoteric design utopia" where laptops are never dropped, bumped, twisted, scratched, handed from one person to another, or even touched.

I hear the Japanese don't like TiBooks because they are too wide to comforably use on their subway trains. I say give them 12" iBooks w/processing abilities at near TiBook levels. For the travelling film/graphic arts/web design professional, however, give us a big platform, durable, versatile machine again. EXPANSION BAYS! Yes, you can hook up peripherals via FW all you want, but I don't want to bring an octopus to a presentation. I would rather hot-swap whatever I'll need (CDR-DVDR, extra battery, extra HD, etc) ten minutes before the meeting and have an elegant platform to work from.

Take a Pismo and just add four inches of width to the case and the screen. Make room for 2 G4 processors and DDR RAM. Keeps the bays just as they are. SuperDrive in one, battery in the other. Keep the excellent output options, plus an additional DV out for Apple external displays (not that you'd need one). Reinforce the chassis w/Titanium supports and gel-suspend a g-force resistant HD for hard portable usage.

Now THAT would be worth $3500-4000 in a portable...

(..slowly waking from the dream...)

Huh? What? Did I post something?

 

[ibookin']

Originally posted by D*I*S_Frontman

I hear the Japanese don't like TiBooks because they are too wide to comforably use on their subway trains. I say give them 12" iBooks w/processing abilities at near TiBook levels.

Why only the Japanese? I want one! A G4 iBook with a 32MB or even 64MB Radeon would kick ass. Also, all the people who want rugged laptops should look at the iBook. I dropped mine onto a concrete floor about 9 months ago, and it still works to this day.

However, I have seen a TiBook that is so beat up that it can be twisted. Still works even with a crack in the motherboard.

 

[Macmaniac]

Originally posted by mcrain


Yeah, sure, that will be the day. That advice is akin to me suggesting that my friend dump his super-hot model cheerleader girlfriend who loves hanging around the house topless with nothing on but a thong for a frumpy girl who can cook... because she's more "practicle."

DROOL! If that is true get some pics man!!!! I wish I had that

On the topic of superdrive TiBooks I think it would be a great leep forward for Apple.
MMMMMMM GIRLS ooops did I say that out loud

 

[iBrotha]

Originally posted by mcrain


Yeah, sure, that will be the day. That advice is akin to me suggesting that my friend dump his super-hot model cheerleader girlfriend who loves hanging around the house topless with nothing on but a thong for a frumpy girl who can cook... because she's more "practicle."

Hmmmm.... the current Powerbook form factor is a little long-in-the-tooth, methinks. The super-hot model of yesteryear should be kicked out of bed in favour of the young - if untried - filly of tomorrow. The Powerbook is beginning to look a tad tired. Time for Botox!

 

[Sherman]

What apple really needs to do is choose a standard screen ratio like 16:9 or 4:3 these "widescreen" models are getting kind of old. I would like a TiBook with a 4:3 screen 15.1 in. That would kick ass, 1600x1200 resoloution (I've seen it done before, easily on an LCD).

And expansion bays. OS X still has support for them, I have an old 400 Pismo running X and it has a double battery icon up at the top and it has all the functionality of hot swapping that it had before. Oh yea, and support for the original expansion bay devices like ZIP drives and stuff.

 

[bensisko]

I keep hearing the echo of that web guy from the iBook intro video saying how 'groundbreaking' it was to burn a CD on his laptop....
Anyway, this would be really cool. Superdrive Powerbook would defintaly be something sweet to own. Oh, you need all the raw DV files for that video? Just give me a second to burn that DVD.... it just sounds cool. =)

As for Powerbook design, when the G4 first came out, I didn't like the new look because I was so used to the old look and feel with my 3400, it just didn't seem like it was a Powerbook. Now, I've come to my sense and absolutly LOVE the design. The only reason I bought an iBook instead of a Powerbook was because I knew Apple would make (several) releases to the TiBook before they came out with a model I liked. Until recently, I thought that model was the 800 mhz beauty. I'm not going to hold my breath for a Superdrive Powerbook, but if one of the next three releases includes a superdrive, it's just one more reason to save up those pennies (or hundred dollar bills more likely...).

 

[TMac4Life]

Are you guys kidding me? You are comparing laptops with really hot models. Sure I love them both, but are you guys that pathetic to compare them to eachother?

 

[whfsdude]

MYNY 2003

 

[macwannabe]

What apple really needs to do is choose a standard screen ratio like 16:9 or 4:3 these "widescreen" models are getting kind of old. I would like a TiBook with a 4:3 screen 15.1 in. That would kick ass, 1600x1200 resoloution (I've seen it done before, easily on an LCD).

You must have super vision or something! 1600x1200 is hard to read on my 19" CRT!

 

[topicolo]

Originally posted by TMac4Life
Are you guys kidding me? You are comparing laptops with really hot models. Sure I love them both, but are you guys that pathetic to compare them to eachother?

Man, you sound prettty pathetic trying to be all high and mighty

 

[sandsl]

Pismo Lovers R Sick!

If you think the pismo powerbook looks nicer than the Powerbook G4 you are either 1) twisted or 2) ill.

(Thats in my opinion of course.)

Apple would NEVER NEVER NEVER go back to that design so your out of luck hahahahahahah

 

[audiopollution]

Originally posted by macwannabe


You must have super vision or something! 1600x1200 is hard to read on my 19" CRT!

Hmm. Perhaps you just have really poor vision. I have no problem reading anything at 1600x1200 on a 19" CRT. Maybe you're just used to looking at a cheap 19" monitor.

In regard to notebook screens, you should check out the new Sony Vaio GRX series. (Here) It's 16.1" screen is native at 1600x1200, and is bright, crisp, and clean. All of which make a very easy to read display at that resolution.

But I digress ... the Sony doesn't run OSX.

 

[BongHits]

Pioneer has a slim DVD-R

i was on Cnet the other day and they were talking about how Pioneer already has a slim dvd-r for use in laptop models, and is ready to bring it to market in the fourth quarter. All I know is i'm ready for mine.

 

[Over Achiever]

Originally posted by audiopollution

It's 16.1" screen is native at 1600x1200, and is bright, crisp, and clean. All of which make a very easy to read display at that resolution.

I agree. I suggest if they keep the 15.2" screen in the same ratio, to go to a 1536 x 1024 resolution. Its not as small as UXGA on a 15" screen...more like 1400 x 1050 on a 15" screen (which I think is really crisp without being tiny). But I highly doubt apple will do such a thing, unless its a built to order screen. Too many whine that its too small. Too bad.

C'mon new ti-books...i need to buy in the next month or so


Oh yeah, unless I'm surprised, no superdrives in pb until MWSF ... please let me be surprised!

 

[jfclemay]

My advice

A - Apple will probably not go back to any portable with drive bays. Apple is the type of company that forces you to have things differently, and Apple has decided that you should carry that extra battery or drive around with you, externally to your Powerbook. Drive bays ruin a design and make it even more hazardous to have a 1 inch thick Powerbook.

B - Apple will probably not make big changes to the the sleek appearance of the Powerbook. Chances are that the Powerbook will never get thicker, though it may get more shock-resistant and overall more robust.

C - Apple will probably not allow the screen size for the Powerbook to change (especially not in a built-to-order option), though it may change the display resolution, contrast, and color capabilities. The screen size and ratio have been studied carefully in order to have just the right palmrest lenght. 15.7 inch and 16.1 inch notebooks have palmrests that are usually very painful on the wrists. Apple will focus on including a numerical DVI or ADC port (it already has) if its users need an external bigger display. Users who need a resolution higher than that of the Powerbook LCD usually need quite more than 1600 x 1200.

D - Apple will probably not include a default DVD-R or RW drive with its next release of Powerbook. Perhaps a DVD-R drive will be standard on the higher-priced Powerbook. Though one needs to consider the real need of burning DVDs on the go, especially when one can easily connect the Powerbook to a television with the video port, since a portable can be carried everywhere, just as a burned DVD. And, by the way, a DVD does not hold enough data for transferring a decent amount of DV content to another computer. Besides transferring over 1000 Mb/s ethernet is much more practical, and faster. And sending the files to DV tape is also a better option, since DV tape holds more DV data than a DVD.

E - Apple will probably not include dual processors on the next release of the Powerbook. Dual processors would be quite warm, tough on a compact motherboard, and not power-wise. Apple would prefer a 1 GHz G4 processor, or eventually a G5 processor, to any dual processor configuration.

F - Apple probably plans to include 800 Mb/s Firewire in a next release of the Powerbook, as soon as it's been integrated in its Powermac line. One needs to consider the need of transferring DV at such a high speed on a portable, though. The need for 800 Mb/s is essentially for external hard drives. Perhaps Apple would fine-tune Firewire in order to get rid of capture problems (frame offsets) on many DV cameras (even high-end ones).

G - Apple probably plans to include a high-end 3D graphics accelerator on its next release of the Powerbook, surely with 64 MB of VRAM and perhaps with 128 MB (for Maya and games).

H - Apple might include built-in Bluetooth technology in its next Powerbook release.

I - Apple would release a new Powerbook :
Probably not August 24...
Perhaps in September (Mac Expo)...
Surely before / at Macworld San Francisco.

My two cents!

Jean-François

 

[Sherman]

Bluetooth, there's one thing I didn't think about but YES IT SHOULD BE IN THE NEXT RELEASE OF THE POWERBOOK LINE! What would be cool if everyday stuff started to use Bluetooth like speakers and mice so you set your TiBook down at it's resting place at your house and it automatically recognizes the speakers and plays through them and sees your mouse and uses it. Saves time.

Cell Phones: Upload ringtones/games/pr0n!

Maybe not porn but, uhh definitely ringtones and games.