13.3-inch iBook?

[efoto]

How about 13" and 15" iBooks? Then a 13", 15", and 17" Powerbook line could complement it well. Powerbooks would have Dual-core chips, 128Meg Graphics, and iSights to differentiatie them.

While I don't disagree with the size lineups, I also don't see (at least in current setup) getting a 128MB video card into a 12"PB. Perhaps the added width will actually alleviate some issues with this somehow, but I don't see that in such a small system. I wouldn't be surprised if we see 13iB w/ 32MB, 15ib w/ 64, 13PB w/ 64, 15/17PBs w/ 128.

All I want is a full 2GB RAM support in the 12/13PB, and an updated gpu that allows Aperture support (although no editing is ideal on a small screen, it would be nice to use a 'pro' portable alongside the 'pro' apps). I also hope this nvidia stuff is a step for Apple again, I'd love to see continued growth w/ ATI, both in the mobile offerings and get the PMs back to ATI, then I'd buy for sure

 

[Stella]

Firewall - free - with windows XP
Photo software - free - Adobe - Photoshop album
( or you can just use the file explorer capabilities for photos in XP - not everyone needs photo management software )

Anti virus - free - http://www.avast.com/eng/avast_4_home.html
(I'm sure there are more free ones - this took me 1 minute to
find in google )

CD burn management - windows has better CD copying than Mac - multisession support for example - except it can't copy CDs ( To get multisession support I'd have to buy Toast or something for Mac - so its even ).

- CD burn management - free - for example : http://www.cdburnerxp.se/features.php, there are more.

Office - free - Open Office. If you buy your PC from the right place - they give you an OEM ms Office free or for very little cost.

Windows has a lot more free software than Mac does, I think you'd be quite surprised by just how much - please don't say its all sucks, because it doesn't.

.. So, there isn't so much hidden costs as you may think...

iBook costs 2x as much as the #300 laptop... so I hope it does come with some bundled software.

Not every one needs wifi or bluetooth, so the #300 laptop would be good value.

Yeah, but by the time you've factored in the cost of an Office product, photo software, CD burn management, anti-virus and firewall purchase and annual subscription, plus your time and effort installing and configuring it, you're looking at the same price more or less anyway. There are many 'hidden' costs to PC ownership, and the current PC World promotion of a Advent laptop for £349 is a case in point. A paltry amount of RAM, no wi-fi or bluetooth, cheap components all through and no bundled software. If you're not picky, the iBook is a self-contained package straight out the box, with AppleWorks and iLife bundled in. Windows is better than it's ever been but it's still pretty ropey compared to OS X, for usability, integration and management overheads.

I concede there are hardware upsides - some of which are reasonably compelling - larger screen, 64mb video RAM, four USB and a PCMCIA slot. I guess it's what you're after at the end of the day. Personally, I think the bundled software, lack of spyware and viruses, OS X's lack of maintenance overhead and the superior hardware integration far outweigh any other considerations by a country mile, in fact, deserve the premium, but that's just my opinion.

 

[mambodancer]

Multisession CD burning in OSX

CD burn management - windows has better CD copying than Mac - multisession support for example - except it can't copy CDs ( To get multisession support I'd have to buy Toast or something for Mac - so its even ).

Multisession CD burn has been a part of Disk Utilities since Panther.

See page 411 of "The Missing Manual, Tiger Edition" for more information.

 

[Stella]

CD burn management - windows has better CD copying than Mac - multisession support for example - except it can't copy CDs ( To get multisession support I'd have to buy Toast or something for Mac - so its even ).

Multisession CD burn has been a part of Disk Utilities since Panther.

See page 411 of "The Missing Manual, Tiger Edition" for more information.

I know - but its far too long winded. I should be able to create a new session on the fly - just like in windows - when I go to record more data to a cd , a session is automatically opened. This is not the case in osx.

 

[shen]

Firewall - free - with windows XP
Photo software - free - Adobe - Photoshop album
( or you can just use the file explorer capabilities for photos in XP - not everyone needs photo management software )

Anti virus - free - http://www.avast.com/eng/avast_4_home.html
(I'm sure there are more free ones - this took me 1 minute to
find in google )

CD burn management - windows has better CD copying than Mac - multisession support for example - except it can't copy CDs ( To get multisession support I'd have to buy Toast or something for Mac - so its even ).

- CD burn management - free - for example : http://www.cdburnerxp.se/features.php, there are more.

Office - free - Open Office. If you buy your PC from the right place - they give you an OEM ms Office free or for very little cost.

Windows has a lot more free software than Mac does, I think you'd be quite surprised by just how much - please don't say its all sucks, because it doesn't.

some of the free software doesn't suck, true, but Windows sucks. hard. through a straw. and generally what it sucks is sewage.

all that stuff, free. and a virus and bug ridden piece of shi... err microsoft OS to run it on, priceless!

wait........

 

[DHagan4755]

OS X has a built-in firewall. OS X has iPhoto. OS X doesn't have viruses. OS X has a CD burner, but not everyone copies CDs, and now, especially with the iPod, there's less of a need to. iBooks come with AppleWorks which is more than a sufficient word processor. Windows may have more software than the Mac, but is all of it necessary? Not all of it sucks, but there's a lot of it that does.

 

[Stella]

OS X has a built-in firewall. OS X has iPhoto. OS X doesn't have viruses. OS X has a CD burner, but not everyone copies CDs, and now, especially with the iPod, there's less of a need to. iBooks come with AppleWorks which is more than a sufficient word processor. Windows may have more software than the Mac, but is all of it necessary? Not all of it sucks, but there's a lot of it that does.

XP has a built in fire wall!!! ( very much better in SP 2 than original XP ).

OSX doesn't have very good file copying to CD capabilities ( no proper multi session support ( on the fly ) )

Like Windows, the Mac also has a lot of crap software too - Alpha Omega Software for example :-D

Are you so all blind sided by Apple you can't be rational?

Windows does have viruses - YES, Windows is insecure - YES.

However, its not a total train wreck, there are actually Good features of windows that are better than osx.

Too see this, all you need to do is take off your Apple goggles.

As for the comment regarding 'there's no need to because there is the iPod'.. guess what...
... Not everyone has an iPod.... you know, there still is a need for copying files to CDs...

 

[MacSA]

I use Avast on my PC... and i've still found viruses when i've scanned the computer. If you want proper virus protection you need to pay for it.

 

[Stella]

I use Avast on my PC... and i've still found viruses when i've scanned the computer. If you want proper virus protection you need to pay for it.

Please remember, Avast is not an exhaustive list...

Whilst comparing what extra software you have to buy, lets take Text Editors

I've had to buy BBEdit for a decent text editor - TextWrangler, uEdit, SubEthaEdit , Taco , to name of a few ( I've tried most of them ), just don't cut it... BBEdit just about does, its pretty good.

However, windows you can get a edit editor of the same quality ( AND BETTER), for free. So... that virus checker would cost LESS money that BBEdit did. ( Oh, subscription - BB will charge for BBEdit 9 - which I would probably upgrade to, as will the virus checker renewal next year - so both are even ).

So, whats my point? You may have to buy extra software for windows, but you also have to do the same for the Mac, so, really, its no different.

 

[MacSA]

Please remember, Avast is not an exhaustive list...

Whilst comparing what extra software you have to buy, lets take Text Editors

I've had to buy BBEdit for a decent text editor - TextWrangler, uEdit, SubEthaEdit , Taco , to name of a few ( I've tried most of them ), just don't cut it... BBEdit just about does, its pretty good.

However, windows you can get a edit editor of the same quality ( AND BETTER), for free. So... that virus checker would cost LESS money that BBEdit did. ( Oh, subscription - BB will charge for BBEdit 9 - which I would probably upgrade to, as will the virus checker renewal next year - so both are even ).

So, whats my point? You may have to buy extra software for windows, but you also have to do the same for the Mac, so, really, its no different.

If Windows is so much better, why are you using a Mac then? And I think antivirus software is abit more important than a text editor lol

 

[Stella]

Windows may have more software than the Mac, but is all of it necessary? Not all of it sucks, but there's a lot of it that does.

I really wanted to answer this ( I don't like posting so frequently as just recently ):

Yes, absolutely, there more alternatives there are for a piece of software - the more chance one of those will fit my needs...

 

[Staffroomer]

But will it have Firewire????

 

[Stella]

If Windows is so much better, why are you using a Mac then? And I think antivirus software is abit more important than a text editor lol

It depends what you are doing - virus checker v text editor
( I wouldn't need to buy a text editor if using windows - i do for mac, but would need a virus checker likewise:
i wouldn't need a virus checker for mac, but would under windows )

I really like the Mac, I don't particularly like windows ( in fact, I really don't like windows at all ).

However, I have an open mind ( unlike some people on here ) and can see the benefits / weaknesses of both windows and Mac.

Isn't it better to be open minded rather than being closed? To be able to see both sides of the argument inside of living in denial ( a bit harsh term for this discussion ).

 

[runninmac]

I heard that the new iBook would tie in even more with the iPod to boost the "Halo" effect. How about something like this?

The metallic base could either be chromed out or be very similar to the aluminum used in the Powerbook.

YAY! That was along the lines of what I thought it would look like. The only change i would make is make it anidoized aluminum and have the same top for the bottom.

(PS i relize that thats general mock up)

 

[kcmac]

I heard that the new iBook would tie in even more with the iPod to boost the "Halo" effect. How about something like this?

The metallic base could either be chromed out or be very similar to the aluminum used in the Powerbook.

If it is going have white on it, I hope it is more like the finish of the iMac or the original icebook. Clear plastic layer over the white. The current iBook white is just plain nasty.

From my experience, the aluminum cover has aged much better than the icebook that I had before it. The icebook scratched something awful.

I have to believe there will be a small powerbook. I love the 12 inch form factor. (13 inch widescreen would also be nice.) Anything bigger I think will be a huge disappointment for the 12 inch PB crowd.

January will be fun...again!

 

[excalibur313]

How long before they come out with a tablet mac? Do you think it will be a powerbook or ibook type? Could it be possible that the reason why they are doing away with a 12" powerbook is in anticipation for a more expensive one of that size with more features (like being a tablet)

 

[MacQuest]

yep but many many years ago people thought that a 20mb HDD was big enough for em

Invalid argument. We're talking about tangible, physical size. I guarantee you that people would concern themselves with the size of their hard drives if the physical size of the drive increased with the size of the amount of storage, thereby increasing the overall physical size of the unit.

Tell me, does a 20mb HDD from years ago still have the same physical size or has the storage amount increased significantly while the physical size has decreased exponentially?

 

[FocusAndEarnIt]

This iBook looks awesome. Wish I waited. I'll probably sell mine and get a Rev. B or something - these are really nice if that's what it really ends up looking like...

 

[mongoos150]

On windows you can just change the DPI settings from 96DPI to 120DPI which makes all the text bigger and easier to read so you get the benefit of a high res screen with the easy to read text size of a lower res screen. Don't think you can do this with apple though. My work Dell 15" has a resolution of 1680*1050 which is the same as the 20" Dell 2005FPW (or apple cinema display...) which makes the text really small. One small change to the DPI settings and everything is easy to read and smoother thanks to the big font size, font smoothing and high res.



I hate to point it out to you but most 12" laptops come with a premium over larger versions. I think only apple make a cheaper 12" than 14". Sure you can get a Dell for dirt cheap, but it's built like crap and will be bigger and heavier than the 12" iBook. Personally i prefer portability in my laptops, which is also why people pay a premium for small ones.

Refering to the first quote the new Sony 11.1" laptop is gorgeous. We had one in work to try out, the screen is fabulous but the keyboard a bit smaller than my liking. The battery life is as good or better than my iBook (around 5 hours normal use) and it is as light as a feather including the DVD writer. However it is more expensive to buy than a 15" powerbook and it is only 1.2GHz with Intel GMA900 graphics.

1.2GHz? NO THANKS! Wow, that's pretty darn atrocious, especially for a PC, integrated graphics, 400mhz FSB...you can definitely find better out there in that form factor if that's what you're looking for. I hope Apple can manage to change the guts of the PB/iB without modifying the case too much, the PowerBook (as well as iBook) have become almost iconic, although if it meant a faster FSB and a faster Intel processor, I would be willing to take the sacrafice...It's also funny how a few people here are posting about how they "don't care about the guts, just keep the light up Apple on the back!"

 

[mongoos150]

How long before they come out with a tablet mac? Do you think it will be a powerbook or ibook type? Could it be possible that the reason why they are doing away with a 12" powerbook is in anticipation for a more expensive one of that size with more features (like being a tablet)

Good lord I hope never...Cannot STAND Tablet PCs, I wouldn't like a tablet Mac either.

 

[shen]

It depends what you are doing - virus checker v text editor
( I wouldn't need to buy a text editor if using windows - i do for mac, but would need a virus checker likewise:
i wouldn't need a virus checker for mac, but would under windows )

I really like the Mac, I don't particularly like windows ( in fact, I really don't like windows at all ).

However, I have an open mind ( unlike some people on here ) and can see the benefits / weaknesses of both windows and Mac.

Isn't it better to be open minded rather than being closed? To be able to see both sides of the argument inside of living in denial ( a bit harsh term for this discussion ).

i can get any number of good FREE text editors for both platforms. moot point.

what you seem to be missing is that some of us have windows experience, (i have a lot) and have looked with an open mind, but what it boils down to is that a windows machine has one very good use. you can install linux over the steam pile of dog doo that is windows....

...and yes, every time MS releases a new system i re-open my mind and try it again. and so far, same result, every time. get back to me after i try vista.

 

[strange days]

13" widescreen iBook - £699
15" Powerbook £1099
17" Powerbook £1399
20" Powerbook £1699

oh well, if they REALLY come out with a 20" powerbook, i'd sell my monitor and computer and go for it ! ( well, if i have enough money, that is... ). Otherwise, 13'3" is just the sweetest choice and about time apple designers bow to the sexy lines of widescreen laptops ( ibook or powerbook, whatever ). On a side note, i'd love a 7,8,9" widescreen laptop as well...

 

[Stella]

i can get any number of good FREE text editors for both platforms. moot point.

I very much disagree for OSX editors. I've tried the vast majority of free editors, for my needs, none of them are good enough.

what you seem to be missing is that some of us have windows experience, (i have a lot) and have looked with an open mind, but what it boils down to is that a windows machine has one very good use. you can install linux over the steam pile of dog doo that is windows....

...and yes, every time MS releases a new system i re-open my mind and try it again. and so far, same result, every time. get back to me after i try vista.

I too have windows experience ( many years in software development and owning a windows machine), how ever, I'm not about to slag it off for the sake of it ( or just plain BS or 'forgetting' osx's weaknesses ). As I said previously, windows has some features that are better than OSX ( and vice versa of course ) and I am WILLING to recognise these.

For me, windows is a games machine - and don't tell me 'get a console' - I don't like game consoles, the games are too shallow compared to those on windows ( for example, deep strategy games such as The Patrician ) and I hate the game controllers - mouse + keyboard please.

 

[AidenShaw]

1.2GHz? NO THANKS! Wow, that's pretty darn atrocious, especially for a PC, integrated graphics, 400mhz FSB...

For small, light, with long battery life - one of the LV or ULV Pentium M chips in the close to 1 GHz range are tops.... Integrated graphics and slower bus also save power.

Would you give up 20% performance to shave 20% off the weight and add 50% to the battery life?

People don't buy subnotebooks for the power - "small and light" is king, and "runs all day" is queen.

 

[stefan15]

Alright 13" WXGA!! This will be an instant add-to-cart.

Really, we should be waiting for Merom... but it will be tough to wait if they do release this.