10.1.5 and iBooks...

[G4scott]

Ok, let me recall some of what I had said before...

I understand that some people prefer a 14" screen over a 12" for various reasons, but the iBook was made for a 12" screen. Apple needed to make a new enclosure for a 14" laptop that would look nice with the larger screen.

About the processors: I do agree that it is hard to tell what Apple is going to do. The only problem that I see with the G4 now, is heat, unless Apple can get the same type of processor in the PowerMacs, or the iMacs, and make them slower (like 600 mhz), so they are effecient enough in the iBook. The big problem here, though, is that there's only a 67mhz gap between the high end iBook and low end PowerBook. In order not to canabalize PowerBook sales, Apple would probably go with a slightly faster G3, but then, it would probably be up to par with the PowerBook G4's mhz speed. This would cause a problem, because people would just see Mhz, and not the processor types. Besides, at over $3000 bucks a pop, why get a 800mhz PowerBook, when I could get a $1700, 700 mhz iBook? It's hard to tell what Apple is going to do, because they can't just discontinue the slower PowerBook, and introduce a 700mhz model. But then, they can't give the iBook a speed bump more than 100 mhz, and even then, it would have a higher mhz speed than the low end powerbook. it would also be about $500 cheaper. Which either means, small G3 speed-bump, or G4's at 500 and 600 mhz. If it's going to be a big update, which I think it may be time for, I think that the G4's may happen.

It's just so hard to tell right now, unless Apple is going to keep the current 12" iBooks with G3's, and give them a speed bump and introduce new 14" laptops with 500-600 mhz G4's, but then this puts in a middle category, which I really don't think Apple wants (remember the Cube? such a cool computer...)

So, what am I going to say? I have no clue. With screen size factors, and a demand for both sizes, a demand to keep the iBook small, and the demand for G4's, while the iBook is close behind the PowerBook, I really can't say...

But you can...

 

[BobVB]

Re: are we really expecting this week?

Originally posted by GeorgeC97
Seems like there is a lot of talk about "THIS WEEK" -- meaning WWDC... or definitely BEFORE MWNY -

do you really think this is true?

Well, they push iBooks to the education crowd, and school districts order the first weeks in June at the latest. That's why the iBook was released in May last year - to catch the education market.

So, if there is going to be an iBook upgrade, it will be soon.

 

[billiam0878]

iBook

I think we might see an eBook, where the 12.1-inch iBook drops for education (perhaps with a discounted price of say $1099) and the iBook keeps the 14.1-inch screen. While I do not see a G4 in either laptop as that would cut into PowerBook sales, the new iBook could easily pick up a better screen (higher-resolution) and a couple hundred megahertz.

Otherwise, a teaser of 10.2 and 10.1.5 to hold us off.

Bill

 

[GeorgeC97]

new versions of OS X and ibook?!

Ok, suppose apple keeps the ibook at G3 ... maybe 700 + or so....

would the advent of newer versions of OS X work better on a G3.... meaning are they still working OS X out that with subsequent versions, a G3 may have satisfactory performance? (ok ok, be more....efficient? )

also, cmon - after 7 months, how much better could a G3 700 be over a 600! IF apple is sticking with G3, I want at least 800, hopefully 1 GHz.

thoughts?

 

[mstur]

My Dream ...

I understand that Apple does not see a place for then 12" iBook any more. It is to heavy for a subnotebook, but has a too small screen for a notebook.

I dream that Apple would finally create a new Duo: A subnotebook, less than 1,3 kg, a 10 to 12" screen with a adjustable resolution with the same quality in all settings, and built-in Firewire, Airport and Bluetooth as well as a fast 2,5" IDE drive (or a 1,8" drive like in the iPod ??).

CD-ROM, CD-RW/DVD, all could be used over firewire. This cvould be a killer machine for all people on the road

 

[mcrain]

What would make sense in the short term, and with MWNY coming up would be a minor speed bump to the low end (i.e. make the slowest offered ibook faster), and also introduce a mid-speed G4 to the line.

Then, with MWNY coming up, they could introduce any planned redesign.

That gives them something to add to make MWNY huge, and, it gives them another news item right now.

"Apple unveils new iBook" --->sounds good.

"Apple also unveils new eBook" ---> also sounds good

"Apple overhauls entire portable lineup at its annual MWNY" --> sounds great

"Apple introduces new ______ at MWNY" -->??

"Apple's new, faster version of its operating system, OSX." ---> also sounds great

 

[StealthRider]

Video Card

We need a better GFX card on the iBook, too.....an 8 MB Rage just doesn't cut it in comparison to a potential 64 or 128 MB GF 4 Go.

 

[ftaok]

My comments

About the processors: I do agree that it is hard to tell what Apple is going to do. The only problem that I see with the G4 now, is heat, unless Apple can get the same type of processor in the PowerMacs, or the iMacs, and make them slower (like 600 mhz), so they are effecient enough in the iBook.

Why is it that Apple is having a hard time dealing with heat issues with the G4? Especially when other PC manufacturers are putting out P4 laptops that generate MUCH MUCH more heat than the G4. My opinion is that there is NO heat issue with the G4 being put into an iBook.

The big problem here, though, is that there's only a 67mhz gap between the high end iBook and low end PowerBook. In order not to canabalize PowerBook sales, Apple would probably go with a slightly faster G3, but then, it would probably be up to par with the PowerBook G4's mhz speed. This would cause a problem, because people would just see Mhz, and not the processor types. Besides, at over $3000 bucks a pop, why get a 800mhz PowerBook, when I could get a $1700, 700 mhz iBook? It's hard to tell what Apple is going to do, because they can't just discontinue the slower PowerBook, and introduce a 700mhz model. But then, they can't give the iBook a speed bump more than 100 mhz, and even then, it would have a higher mhz speed than the low end powerbook. it would also be about $500 cheaper. Which either means, small G3 speed-bump, or G4's at 500 and 600 mhz. If it's going to be a big update, which I think it may be time for, I think that the G4's may happen.

The G3 is dead. Get over it. Motorola has been putting out tons of G4s for Apple recently. The price must have dropped to a point where Apple can drop them into ALL of their products. I don't buy the notion that the G4s are significantly more expensive than the G3s. Besides, it doens't make sense to continue with the G3 in the iBook when OS X is optimized for the G4.

I understand that Apple does not see a place for then 12" iBook any more. It is to heavy for a subnotebook, but has a too small screen for a notebook.

And where did this "understanding" come from? I've never heard BOO from Apple that the 12" iBook is no longer viable.

I dream that Apple would finally create a new Duo: A subnotebook, less than 1,3 kg, a 10 to 12" screen with a adjustable resolution with the same quality in all settings, and built-in Firewire, Airport and Bluetooth as well as a fast 2,5" IDE drive (or a 1,8" drive like in the iPod ??).

A new Duo would be quite nice, but would it sell? And as for the LCD screen with multiple resolutions (all at high quality), well, that's not possible. You can only get the best quality at the optimal resolution. That's the one that is set when the screen is built. I guess that if you change the resolution down to a whole number factor, then the quality would be sufficient, but then you'd be going from 1280x960 down to 640x480. Everything in between would still look crappy.

 

[Moxiemike]

Here's my guess

I am in no way qualified to make a guess here, but I am gonna, just for fun.

eBook I think is a VERY plausible system. I think it will be a 600 Mhz setup similar to the old iBook, with the 12.1 screen and a thin anti-glare piece of film or plexiglas to protect the screen (the eMac DOES have speaker grilles....) 256 mb of ram, CD-RW, etc etc etc.

Then There will be two iBook offerings:

600 Mhz G4, 256 mb of ram, 20gb drive, Combo, 12.1, 32 mb graphics to be inline with X.2. That machine will be $1499, same as current.

700 Mhz G4 256 mb of ram, 30 gb drive, 14.1 screen, same graphics as above.

Now, couldn't apple offer a BTO where you could config the 600 with the 14" or vice versa? Maybe Make it a 200$ or so price diff? iBook 600, 12.1 = $1499, iBook 14.1 = $1699. iBook 700 14.1 $1799, iBook 700 12.1 $1599???

I think those would fly off the shelfs. But what do i know???

Then I think we'll have the PowerMac line revised, small speed bump:

entry= 933, same config as 800, maybe a 60 gb drive
mid level= 1ghz, same config as the old 933, but with 512 ram and 80 gb hard drive
high end= dual 1.2 ghz, 120 gb hard drives, 1 gb of ram.

And maybe a BTO option for the 1ghz dual???

That would seem to make sense to me... Any takers??? It's modest but more than enough to make people wanna buy.

 

[blakespot]

Re: updated ibooks

Originally posted by lucs
Oh man!! those are gonna be awesome! Apple will probably discontinue the 12in ibook and stick to the 14in model, which kicks ass. Also, they should definetely update the processor to a g4, because they are starting to lag behind big time, even for a consumer laptop.

Just my 2 cents, but I know I'm right

The 12" iBook is _far_ more appealing, I would imagine, than the 14". You get nothing, really, with that extra space. Larger screen, with the _same_ resolution, larger case, longer battery life (slight). The diminutive size of the iBook 12" has me wanting one more than a TiBook. I would never take a 14" iBook over a TiBook.

I am considering grabbing a 12" iBook this summer. (And I'm sure it will have gone nowhere.)


blakespot

 

[Wry Cooter]

How about the next ibook having something better than ATI RAGE Mobility 128 inside, that could take better advantage of Quartz Extreme? I think that is in the realm of possibility.

 

[damies]

Re: My comments

Originally posted by ftaok

A new Duo would be quite nice, but would it sell? And as for the LCD screen with multiple resolutions (all at high quality), well, that's not possible. You can only get the best quality at the optimal resolution. That's the one that is set when the screen is built. I guess that if you change the resolution down to a whole number factor, then the quality would be sufficient, but then you'd be going from 1280x960 down to 640x480. Everything in between would still look crappy.

Who? me for a start.....

nearly went to buy a intel machine in that formfactor, only it doesn't support unix in any variation, not even linux. so an iBook in that form factor would be ideal.

D.

 

[ftaok]

next gen Duo

Originally posted by damies
Who? me for a start.....

nearly went to buy a intel machine in that formfactor, only it doesn't support unix in any variation, not even linux. so an iBook in that form factor would be ideal.

D.

I agree that a new Duo would be great, but right now, Apple doesn't have the market share to justify bringing something like this out. It would take away more buyers of iBooks and TiBooks than it would bring in from the Wintel side (my opinion).

Plus, the price would be in the range of $2200 for the same exact specs as an $1800 iBook. Here's an example based on today's line-up.

$1800 iBook ----> 600mhz G3, 20GB HD, Combo, 14"
$2200 Duo ----> 600mhz G3, 20GB HD, Ext. Combo, 10"

At that price, most people would probably go for the low-end TiBook @ $2400.

The only way I see this happening is if Apple discontinues the 14". That way, the pricing structure could be like this.

$1500 (iBook) ---> $1900 (Duo) ----> $2400 (TiBook)

I'd say that it's not out of the Realm of Possibility, but I'd also say that it's extremely unlikely.

 

[gopher]

Going all 14" would only make sense

If they made the keyboard bigger. They use the same keyboard from the 12" iBook as the 14" iBook leaving a lot of open space to expand the keyboard itself. Oh wouldn't it be something if there was a sidebar next to the keyboard that acted as a scrollwheel! There is no reason to keep the same keyboard on a larger version of the same notebook. And they should thin the 14" iBook so it is the same weight as the 12". It doesn't need all that extra weight as it doesn't have a PCMCIA slot. And add a second Firewire port already. If you aren't going to have a PCMCIA slot at least have two Firewire ports. Oh and make a DVI connector.

 

[ftaok]

Re: Going all 14" would only make sense

Originally posted by gopher
If they made the keyboard bigger. They use the same keyboard from the 12" iBook as the 14" iBook leaving a lot of open space to expand the keyboard itself. Oh wouldn't it be something if there was a sidebar next to the keyboard that acted as a scrollwheel! There is no reason to keep the same keyboard on a larger version of the same notebook. And they should thin the 14" iBook so it is the same weight as the 12". It doesn't need all that extra weight as it doesn't have a PCMCIA slot. And add a second Firewire port already. If you aren't going to have a PCMCIA slot at least have two Firewire ports. Oh and make a DVI connector.

Oh, and make it cost $2500. Sheesh.