Duh! No one cool uses the 3rd letter from the last in a tech term anymore. It's so "Jaguar"
I'm gonna flip on my compuer, fire up my brower, downlad my emil, check out the iTues Muic Stre, then open my CD drve and pop in Dialo 2
Man I need sleep
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15inch PowerBook update at MWCP (Macworld Creative Pro)
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Duh! No one cool uses the 3rd letter from the last in a tech term anymore. It's so "Jaguar"
I'm gonna flip on my compuer, fire up my brower, downlad my emil, check out the iTues Muic Stre, then open my CD drve and pop in Dialo 2
Man I need sleep
Might Apple Kill the 15-inch?
Since we have had plenty of time to ponder when they will update the PowerBooks, I have come up with some scenarios into what may happen with the Apple portables. There are many possibilities.
One such possibility is that Apple will kill the 15-inch PB all together. In so doing, they move the 17-inch model into the price space once occupied by the 15-inch; one model 17-inch $1,999, and the other 17-inch model $2,599. I could see Jos announcing this - "Dramatic price cuts for the 17-inch" - with cheers from the crowd. It could be when Apple devised the 17-inch PB it was extremely costly to do a portable 17-inch panel, which may explain why Apple stayed with the Titanium for this time (aside from the Ti's ability to still boot OS 9). As more and more computer manufacturers have adopted the 17-inch screen for their notebooks, it has driven down the cost to manufacture. If you follow the trend with Apple's PowerBooks over the years, when a larger top-end panel was available, the smaller screen would disappear from the product line all together. First, we had the PowerBook G3 series with a 12-inch screen. Soon after, you'll recall they came out with the 14-inch screen (optional, top of the line). When the 14-inch was mainstream, it took over in the PowerBook G3 line for a couple of revs (Lombard, Pismo). The 12-inch model - gone. Then the 15-inch TiBook came out when the PB went to G4. 14-inch model - gone. Now that we have an iBook series, these lower-end panels have found a home because they are cheap. Perhaps the 15.4-inch panel is actually slated for an iBook rev later this year.
Since we have had plenty of time to ponder when they will update the PowerBooks, I have come up with some scenarios into what may happen with the Apple portables. There are many possibilities.
One such possibility is that Apple will kill the 15-inch PB all together. In so doing, they move the 17-inch model into the price space once occupied by the 15-inch; one model 17-inch $1,999, and the other 17-inch model $2,599. I could see Jos announcing this - "Dramatic price cuts for the 17-inch" - with cheers from the crowd. It could be when Apple devised the 17-inch PB it was extremely costly to do a portable 17-inch panel, which may explain why Apple stayed with the Titanium for this time (aside from the Ti's ability to still boot OS 9). As more and more computer manufacturers have adopted the 17-inch screen for their notebooks, it has driven down the cost to manufacture. If you follow the trend with Apple's PowerBooks over the years, when a larger top-end panel was available, the smaller screen would disappear from the product line all together. First, we had the PowerBook G3 series with a 12-inch screen. Soon after, you'll recall they came out with the 14-inch screen (optional, top of the line). When the 14-inch was mainstream, it took over in the PowerBook G3 line for a couple of revs (Lombard, Pismo). The 12-inch model - gone. Then the 15-inch TiBook came out when the PB went to G4. 14-inch model - gone. Now that we have an iBook series, these lower-end panels have found a home because they are cheap. Perhaps the 15.4-inch panel is actually slated for an iBook rev later this year.
Why can't they update the 15" and not the 12" and 17"? The 15" went without updating for 8+ months... the 12" and 17" can lag behind too.
Re: Might Apple Kill the 15-inch?
Might Apple kill the 15-inch? Only if they want to take the rest of the line with it and get out of the laptop game altogether.
The 15 is the bread and butter. the 12 and the 17 are practically specialty items. I, for one, could never do design work on a 12, and i REALLY don't want to lug around a giant 17" machine. why not just put an iMac on roller skates?
The market is full of people looking for that 'just right' sized machine. it's far more likely that they'd deep-six the 12 or tack it onto the ibook lineup. the 15 is here to stay.
Might Apple kill the 15-inch? Only if they want to take the rest of the line with it and get out of the laptop game altogether.
The 15 is the bread and butter. the 12 and the 17 are practically specialty items. I, for one, could never do design work on a 12, and i REALLY don't want to lug around a giant 17" machine. why not just put an iMac on roller skates?
The market is full of people looking for that 'just right' sized machine. it's far more likely that they'd deep-six the 12 or tack it onto the ibook lineup. the 15 is here to stay.
You never know with Apple, their marketing and RDF...the 15-inch could be relegated to the iBook line and possibly a tablet. The rumors of a 15-inch Apple tablet have been circulating on the Asian tech newsites.
Ready for another scenario?
Apple retains the TiBook and upgrades the processor, upgrades Airport to Airport Extreme, and adds internal bluetooth support, keyboard used in the 12-inch. Recall months ago, pictures of Apple patents for internal Bluetooth on MacRumors (sorry I don't have the links off hand). Those pictures showed TiBooks. Also recall Steve Jobs said at MacWorld S.F. that the "titanium isn't going away anytime soon." What is the definition of soon?
Ready for another scenario?
Apple retains the TiBook and upgrades the processor, upgrades Airport to Airport Extreme, and adds internal bluetooth support, keyboard used in the 12-inch. Recall months ago, pictures of Apple patents for internal Bluetooth on MacRumors (sorry I don't have the links off hand). Those pictures showed TiBooks. Also recall Steve Jobs said at MacWorld S.F. that the "titanium isn't going away anytime soon." What is the definition of soon?
weren't the speed bumped iMac, iBook and the whole xserve line (RAID as well) introduced with not so much as a press release?
Re: Might Apple Kill the 15-inch?
This is EXACTLY what I'm waiting for: a 15" iBook with Superdrive! I think there are a lot of people out there with a limited budget and no need for FW800, G4 processing power, L3 cache and so on. A white plastic 15" iBook with Superdrive would look very nice and enable me to burn DVDs whenever I want!
This is EXACTLY what I'm waiting for: a 15" iBook with Superdrive! I think there are a lot of people out there with a limited budget and no need for FW800, G4 processing power, L3 cache and so on. A white plastic 15" iBook with Superdrive would look very nice and enable me to burn DVDs whenever I want!
no way in hell apple will kill the 15" - its a bread&butter product. it is also long overdue and will surely be announced next week. i do not look at a 15" AlBook as a "major release," more of a revision, so i see no reason why we will not see a release next week. i think all the PB line will get a speedbump to make it more consistent across the line. this seems to me to be not so much rumor as near-fact. the 15 WILL get updated, its just a matter of how soon - seems to me next week makes sense.
Getting rid of the 15" is by far the least likely scenario. If you've used a 17", you know that it is entirely inadequate for mainstream portable computing. The 15" form factor is really the optimal size for the vast majority of usage.
I would expect the 15" AlBook sooner than later. I would expect it to be > 1ghz so that it seems an upgrade. If the 15" goes > 1 ghz, the 17" would have to do so as well.
I don't see any reason why Jos cannot announce this. Steve doesn't announce every single product enhancement. It might actually be good precedent to have another executive make a decent product announcement.
I would expect the 15" AlBook sooner than later. I would expect it to be > 1ghz so that it seems an upgrade. If the 15" goes > 1 ghz, the 17" would have to do so as well.
I don't see any reason why Jos cannot announce this. Steve doesn't announce every single product enhancement. It might actually be good precedent to have another executive make a decent product announcement.
I've been waiting for new PowerBooks. I want a 1 GHz 12 inch PowerBook for school, the AlBooks are already way outdated and even worse, the 15".
Sorry to put holes in these ones too, but a tablet is no where near ready for the general public. tablets are awkward, and i can't imagine more than a few dozen people wanting or needing one.
The powerbook pics from months ago showed Titaniums because there's no way apple would release pics of a machine that hadn't even been released yet. Remember the recent rash of fake G5 postings? Apple likes playing it close to the vest.
Titanium, is nice, but the flavor of the month is Aluminum. If for no other reason than consistency, Apple would bring the 15" in line with the other 2. The titanium has served apple well, but it's time to retire it.
I'm pretty darn happy with my 1 GHz Ti with SuperDrive. A speed bump wouldn'y make me jump so...
The big question is: backit keyboard or no?
The big question is: backit keyboard or no?
Actually, when you speak of consistency, they not only need to bring the Titanium up the other two notebooks - aluminum is now the choice for ALL of the Pro series, including the desktop series.
Hadn't thought of it before, but now the only Pro non-aluminum computer that Apple has is the 15 inch titanium!
Hadn't thought of it before, but now the only Pro non-aluminum computer that Apple has is the 15 inch titanium!
Maybe Steve meant that he has no plans of updating the 15" Powerbook anytime soon.
Okay, I'll shut up now.
Originally posted by Abstract
Maybe Steve meant that he has no plans of updating the 15" Powerbook anytime soon.
Okay, I'll shut up now.
I think 7 months covers the statue of limitations on 'anytime soon' in this context.
I came for a 15" Aluminum Powerbook and I'm not leaving til i get one.
Hardware Announcements
It would make much more sense to announce a G4 iBook -- just in time for school. In fact, do you remember when Berklee School of Music told students to NOT buy their required Macs until summer?
It would make much more sense to announce a G4 iBook -- just in time for school. In fact, do you remember when Berklee School of Music told students to NOT buy their required Macs until summer?
Okay first of all when did Steve ever say that the titanium wasn't going away soon. I thought it was some other apple guy saying that "obviously the g4s won't be going away any time soon." It doesn't seem to make sense that Steve would say anything about that since he didn't talk about the laptops at all and I feel like it's only a matter of time before the 15 gets converted to al. Additionally as to the people putting down the 15.4 i definitely think its feasible b/c if i remember correctly the guy said that he knew a guy who worked for a company who manufactured the screens and he said they were 15.4. Currently they are 15.2 so its not that big of a jump i think its being done to be on par with all of those wintel machines which are 15.4 inches across. I guess my point is that maybe that rumor site found out about the screens being made and falsely speculated about how fast apple would get them into their computers. Additionally I'm sure plans change so just b/c a rumor site is wrong doesn't mean they were completely wrong...since apple didn't announce anything official they can change plans on a whim whenever they want.
-Steve
-Steve
Plans can't change at a whim... they change through product design...
whim=fast
product design = longer than a whim...
Really, all I'm saying is the 15.4 inch number is uncertain due to uncertain sources... I could be 15.4... or 15.2... or some other 15 number...
whim=fast
product design = longer than a whim...
Really, all I'm saying is the 15.4 inch number is uncertain due to uncertain sources... I could be 15.4... or 15.2... or some other 15 number...
I'm just suggesting that originally they could have aimed for Feb but due to deals with ibm and other setbacks they haven't released it yet.
Is there a chance that the G5's came earlier than expected and are lower priced than the G4 so they just decided to wait? And that the G4 doesn't work so well in a laptop at > 1ghz? From a purely product marketing standpoint, they should definitely have refreshed the 15" to match the 12/17 by now. The 12/17's have had a chance to sell in with limited competition from the 15, which is somewhat outdated now.
I was shocked by your observation but then I looked in the Apple store and doing the math with an exchange rate of 1.53 swissies to euro I noticed buying in Switzerland was the cheaper alternative of the three.
Phew, you got me worried
Just a quick 'wondering'...
It seems most people are in agreement that the new 15" PowerBook will up the screen size slightly...and people have also mentioned a possible change in GPU..
I'm really hoping that these put together mean a change in resolution, the current 15.4" Dell model does 1920 x 1200, a little excessive maybe, but an increase of some sort would be very welcome for the designers, video editors, etc out here..
Comments?
It seems most people are in agreement that the new 15" PowerBook will up the screen size slightly...and people have also mentioned a possible change in GPU..
I'm really hoping that these put together mean a change in resolution, the current 15.4" Dell model does 1920 x 1200, a little excessive maybe, but an increase of some sort would be very welcome for the designers, video editors, etc out here..
Comments?
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