Apple Recruiting Sony VAIO Engineers?

[Rainfreak]

My GF is going to have a field day with this one

Shes always had a debate with me over which is better my G4 PB (PPC of course) or her VAIO!

Will this mean that Apple will start to adpot a fan in their notebooks to cool it? or will it still use its current method of cooling their notebook line.. What can i say i like the silence

 

[digitalbiker]

Apple hasn't been doing too well with quality lately either

Well there might be problems with Sony Vaios but Apple hasn't done much better lately.

The last 3 Ti PowerBooks I have bought from Apple have been plagued with problems. I have had hinge problems, airport problems, paint problems, display problems, logic board problems, battery problems, power supply problems and heat problems.

At least I have been smart enough to ALWAYS buy AppleCare with a laptop and believe me I have used it. I have shipped my PBs to Apple many times for repair.

I have always bought PowerBooks from Apple Online and I usually pay around $3000 for the laptop + AppleCare. My partner at work always buys Dell Inspirons and in the same time frame he has never had a problem.

Funny thing is, I would never own a Dell Inspiron and I have loved my PowerBooks! Go Figure

 

[ahuman7341]

theres my favourite Vaio.
looks like apple did some desicn for sony and they are just repaying the favor by this.



for people who didnt already notice it. thats a Ti Powerbook in that Vaio add.

 

[eliamx]

Apple needs Sony's design team, hahahaha! roight!

This is total poopoo. Sony , while true that they make the best of the uglies in form factors, is still horrible at design. Their 17" or 15" laptops look like thick toilet bowls for sitting. It is shameful for them that they can't get anyone to make something pretty for them. Sad. Now, for Apple to be fishing for their ex employees to help them design something.... laughable. Apple has had no problems designing all things portable. They don't have the most popular mp3 player for nothing, it's beautiful. Their iBooks are lovely too, although long overdue for a form-factor change. And their poewrbooks, oh so sweet. Their design team needs no sony help, thank you very much.

 

[Chip NoVaMac]

EEK, yeah sure, if you like horrible battery life and outdated overpriced hardware.

Everyone I know with a Sony portable has these problems + others.

My concern is with reliability going with Sony engineers on notebooks. Never had an issue with Sony desktops, but every notebook I or my offices have had from Sony were crap. The best excuse for an extended warranty.

 

[zelmo]

I can't believe that Apple would've announced a switch to Intel without having already completed the design on the new portables, at least to the extent that they were confident of bringing them to market. If this is true at all, maybe they're just bringing in some Sony engineers to do some final tweaking, because this seems awfully late in the game to start designing InteliMac laptops.

 

[Platform]

Sony+Apple+Intel =

This is too big a soup

 

[kalisphoenix]

I could be wrong, but I thought Job's said the consumer line would go first. It would make sense to get the bugs outta the switch on the consumer line as opposed to the pro line where people's business and jobs could be on the line.

Indeed -- this would make a lot of sense. But in the end, I think Apple's going to send their Pro lines into the Intel world first. That's the best thing financially, I think, although it might incur some nasty, nasty ****.

 

[Chip NoVaMac]

Indeed -- this would make a lot of sense. But in the end, I think Apple's going to send their Pro lines into the Intel world first. That's the best thing financially, I think, although it might incur some nasty, nasty ****.

I disagree. I think that the consumer line first makes the most sense. Witnessed here is that the general consumer may make it easier to get the bugs out, as opposed to the more demand buyer.

 

[Stella]

IF this is true, then its not a bad thing.

For those people say Sony Suck.. remember Sony have helped Apple design Powerbooks in the past.. and they didn't suck.

Sony engineers may have constraints placed upon them to come up with consumer laptops - IF indeed Sony laptops do suck - perhaps such constraints don't exist in Apple.

If hiring Sony engineers get Intel based PowerBooks out sooner then I'm all for it. Apple *NEED* competitive laptops soonish. Apple aren't going to settle for some heap of junk, Jobs will want a quality and stylish product. I don't believe for one minute that Sony helping Apple means dodgy Intel PowerBooks / iBooks.

 

[iris_failsafe]

If indeed is true, they are recruiting engineers not designers. They probably need help designing the motherboard, not the outer shell. After all they never had worked with Intel before.

 

[Stella]

I disagree. I think that the consumer line first makes the most sense. Witnessed here is that the general consumer may make it easier to get the bugs out, as opposed to the more demand buyer.

Or think of it another way - Intel Centrino processors of next year will be more powerful than G4s - yes they are - face reality ( if you disagree ).

So.. Apple create more powerful PowerBook Intel laptops.. then Apple base iBooks around the latest 2005 PowerBooks - which offer more than enough power for consumer iBooks.

You could argue that why base future iBooks on PPC when Apple are using Intel chips and they should be going from PPC -> Intel... which is a very valid point!!

 

[Sogo]

I just want to throw this out there.

If the consumer line is upgraded to intel chips first, then wouldnt that mean that the consumer line is better than the pro line? Is'nt the point of switching to intel; to have better proccessors?

Just wanted to throw that out.

 

[Chip NoVaMac]

Or think of it another way - Intel Centrino processors of next year will be more powerful than G4s - yes they are - face reality ( if you disagree ).

So.. Apple create more powerful PowerBook Intel laptops.. then Apple base iBooks around the latest 2005 PowerBooks - which offer more than enough power for consumer iBooks.

You could argue that why base future iBooks on PPC when Apple are using Intel chips and they should be going from PPC -> Intel... which is a very valid point!!

I see your point from the hardware side. But we also face the software side. And that is where I think Apple is doing well by doing the low end first.

 

[digitalbiker]

Centrinos aren't that great

Or think of it another way - Intel Centrino processors of next year will be more powerful than G4s - yes they are - face reality ( if you disagree ).

Centrinos don't yet out perform a high end G4. If the PB gets a new 2 ghz 7448 Freescale PPC, it will easily be the highend machine, even if the iBook gets a low power centrino in 2006.

Besides Pro users use pro software. Most pro software won't be native to intel within the year. On the other hand, general consumers primarily use, iLife, Safari, OS X mail, ical, etc. all of which are probably already native to intel and/or will be within 6 months.

Apple-Intel machines will be released in this order mac mini, ibook, imac, powerbook, power mac between early 2006 and ending in late 2007.

 

[Chip NoVaMac]

I just want to throw this out there.

If the consumer line is upgraded to intel chips first, then wouldnt that mean that the consumer line is better than the pro line? Is'nt the point of switching to intel; to have better proccessors?

Just wanted to throw that out.

Strong issued raised there. In my recent dealing in the desktop publishing area, I had better hardware/software than many a shop that I inquired or worked with.

Businesses can not or will not risk productivity and other costs in going with newer technology. A major publishing house for my industry (photo retail) had only one G% unit in-house. With Quark, they were a version or two behind what could be bought in the stores (IIRC). The Washington Post was still dealing with Acrobat 5.0, even though 6.0 was out, and 7.0 was just months away.

I know the examples I have given are mostly software, but that business feeling goes to hardware also. In business, bugs in hardware or software cost major money. Either is support costs, or productivity costs.

 

[digitalbiker]

Not yet better

I just want to throw this out there.

If the consumer line is upgraded to intel chips first, then wouldnt that mean that the consumer line is better than the pro line? Is'nt the point of switching to intel; to have better proccessors?

Just wanted to throw that out.

Jobs pointed to future processors and power consumption. Currently only intel's Pentium-M chip is competitive with the best G4 PPC, in fact only the FSB on the G4 keeps it from being the top portable chip. The complaint was that the G5 was too hot for portables and the future roadmap did not compare well to intel's roadmap.

Therefore a centrino in a mac mini and an ibook will not outperform a G5 Powermac, imac, or a 2 ghz g4 pb. When intel dual core high speed pentium-m chips become readily available you'll see the PB switch to intel. Power Macs and imacs really wouldn't improve with Pentium 4 or Xenon.

Apple won't use fastest Centrinos in Mac mini or ibook as they will be too expensive.

 

[sw1tcher]

EEK, yeah sure, if you like... outdated overpriced hardware.

Unlike Apple PowerBooks, huh?

 

[Flowbee]

This is total poopoo. Sony, while true that they make the best of the uglies in form factors, is still horrible at design. Their 17" or 15" laptops look like thick toilet bowls for sitting. It is shameful for them that they can't get anyone to make something pretty for them...

If this rumor is true, I think the Sony folks will probably be more involved with designing the new notebooks' internals, rather than the external shell.

It's amazing how many people here think that computers are only designed on the outside.

 

[Mtn Tamale]

It has to do with Finance

I can't believe that Apple would've announced a switch to Intel without having already completed the design on the new portables, at least to the extent that they were confident of bringing them to market. If this is true at all, maybe they're just bringing in some Sony engineers to do some final tweaking, because this seems awfully late in the game to start designing InteliMac laptops.

By Apple announcing the new Mactels as early as they did, they can now capitalize all the R&D in producing the products. If they did not do that, then they would have had to expense the R&D and take a huge unexpected hit on their Income Statement and Earnings Per Share, likely crushing their stock price. It was financially very much in Apple's interest to announce the Mactels before doing too much R&D.

Now, I'm sure they have done a bunch of work already, but nothing near complete enough where it could have been leaked and not to any substantial cost.

Just a business perspective for you.

 

[Pierre Films]

Well I believe that Sony and Apple designed the Powerbook 2400c in 1997. That was a great laptop. Its my main laptop infact .

Here is a cool pic of a 2400c that someone got OS X onto

Pierre Films

 

[LaMerVipere]

Unlike Apple PowerBooks, huh?

Hey! How dare you "..." my full statement and roll your eyes at me!

I call foul.

 

[beatle888]

We've virtually de-listed VAIO laptops from our list of laptops - way too many quality problems with them.

But then, considering the number of bugs in Tiger (and the rapid 10.4.1, 10.4.2, 10.4.3) maybe Apple's decided to "think different" about quality.

Our Dell's might not look as exciting as the VAIOs, but they spend more time with their owners....

you should take a hammer to your computer and get a girlfriend. treat her like a goddess and dont be afraid to laugh like a child.....never look back.

 

[~Shard~]

This should come as no surprise - Apple and Sony already have a working relationship and have partnered on many things in the past. I always liked the look of the Vaio laptops, so it would be great to see some of its influence on the next generation of PowerBooks.

 

[redAPPLE]

Much easier to hire experienced talent than spend the time and money learning how to do it yourself.

as we all know NOW, Apple has been secretly testing OS X on intel-based machines.

i cannot believe Apple just found out "yesterday" that they are going to use intel-based chips in the future.

i am sure a normal forward-thinking company (especially Apple) has planned for this surely 2 years ago.