Apple Recruiting Sony VAIO Engineers?

[redAPPLE]

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

i'd like to know how that guy install OS X on that machine.

 

[LethalWolfe]

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

"Secretly testing" an OS on a box and having a computer ready for full blown production are two very different things.

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

Who's asking you too?

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

So when Jobs announced a 3ghz G5 2yrs ago he was completely full of crap 'cause he had already decided to ditch IBM for Intel?


Lethal

 

[Balin64]

i'd like to know how that guy install OS X on that machine.

If I am not mistaken, and I could very well be, that is the precursor of the PB G3. Just like you can install OS X on Beige G3 towers, it might be possible to install it on "legacy" powerbooks.

As for the discussion: If there is ANY truth to this rumor, Apple might be consulting on building the guts of the machine: the end result is still months away...

 

[50548]

They will if they have been keeping up with Sony's financial forecasts

Exactly...apart from the movie and playstation businesses, Sony is in deep, deep trouble right now, getting increasingly irrelevant in the consumer electronics scenario...obviously Sony engineers are gonna be jumping ship fast...

 

[manu chao]

The question, if this is true, is why would Apple's engineers be behind the curve?

[...]

they can't get the Intel MB's working as well as they hoped in a small enclosure

[...]

I really fear that is the reason.

 

[IndyGopher]

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

After re-reading this like 3 times, I think you are trying to say that Powerbooks don't have fans in them... if you are indeed saying that, you're wrong. Better pick a better thing to argue with your girlfriend about.

 

[Stella]

Sorry, I disagree, the benchmarks I've seen show centrinos outperforming G4s.

( ONE example benchmark comparison:
http://barefeats.com/al15b.html
)

yes, I know benchmarks are hit and miss, but a guide. Also this benchmark does not show 1.67Mhz G4s ( the fastest G4s that Apple use ) but really, these aren't going to out perform those Centrinos in the benchmarks)

The 7448 PPC is a mute fact... Apple don't use them, they may well be faster, however, they aren't being used.. they may well never be used.

Todays G4s that are inside Apples are crippled due to the limited bus speed where as the centrinos don't have this problem. They can use DR266 memory to their full potential. Bus speed alone makes a difference.

Apple battery life hasn't increased significantly in recent times. The battery life in Centrinos are better, and getting better, whilst G4 battery life are quite static. My powerbook battery won't last more than 2 hours in PRACTICE ( not specification ), which is pretty poor these days - and its less than 6 months old.

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.

 

[1macker1]

Something strange is happening at Apple. First they tell us Intel chips are slow and the PPC platform is the best, then they switch to Intel chips. Then they tell us that no one can compete with Apple's design, then they hire Sony's design engineers. SMFH!

 

[Rainfreak]

Maybe my post was understated.

After re-reading this like 3 times, I think you are trying to say that Powerbooks don't have fans in them... if you are indeed saying that, you're wrong. Better pick a better thing to argue with your girlfriend about.

My question about the fan was that my work notebook (which is unfortunatley a Dell-dow ) sounds like a freakin lawn mower when powered up. My concern is that if indeed Apple is hiring outside talent to design the thing then will this account for a different cooling system as opposed to the one used in the current line of PB. I will say however that I am unsure as to how my PB cools itself, but i do enjoy the silence.. (the sleep light however i must say is something to get used to).

 

[SPUY767]

i'd like to know how that guy install OS X on that machine.

He Installed it Using Photoshop. CS2 in particular makes this a snap with the vanishing point tool. Let me get home, and I'll install on my windows machine.

 

[SPUY767]

Sorry, I disagree, the benchmarks I've seen show centrinos outperforming G4s.

( ONE example benchmark comparison:
http://barefeats.com/al15b.html
)

yes, I know benchmarks are hit and miss, but a guide. Also this benchmark does not show 1.67Mhz G4s ( the fastest G4s that Apple use ) but really, these aren't going to out perform those Centrinos in the benchmarks)

The 7448 PPC is a mute fact... Apple don't use them, they may well be faster, however, they aren't being used.. they may well never be used.

Todays G4s that are inside Apples are crippled due to the limited bus speed where as the centrinos don't have this problem. They can use DR266 memory to their full potential. Bus speed alone makes a difference.

Apple battery life hasn't increased significantly in recent times. The battery life in Centrinos are better, and getting better, whilst G4 battery life are quite static. My powerbook battery won't last more than 2 hours in PRACTICE ( not specification ), which is pretty poor these days - and its less than 6 months old.

The micro laptops are the only ones that beat the PBs on battery life. YOu know, the ones that have only 2 ports, no video out, and have to be plugged into a docking station. Full featured PC notebooks have comparable or worse battery life than powerbooks/iBooks. A brand new HP for instance may last an hour and 15 minutes on a full charge.

 

[AidenShaw]

Full featured PC notebooks have comparable or worse battery life than powerbooks/iBooks. A brand new HP for instance may last an hour and 15 minutes on a full charge.

Probably true for "full featured" systems with Pentium 4 HT processors.

Not true for Pentium M (Centrino) laptops - unless you turn the LCD brightness to full, and hammer both the CPU and the disk with heavy loads.

My Dell Latitude D600 Centrino gets 3-4 hours on a single battery with normal use (email, taking notes, surfing) with power management set for normal battery life.

 

[Stella]

Probably true for "full featured" systems with Pentium 4 HT processors.

Not true for Pentium M (Centrino) laptops - unless you turn the LCD brightness to full, and hammer both the CPU and the disk with heavy loads.

My Dell Latitude D600 Centrino gets 3-4 hours on a single battery with normal use (email, taking notes, surfing) with power management set for normal battery life.

I would never get that from my iBook or Powerbook, i'd be turning down the brightness to achieve 3 -4 hours on just the iBook... forget the PowerBook!

 

[artifex]

The outside design of the laptops wont change dramtically. I think they are recruiting Sony's goons for just internal components. The form and appearance will be all Apple.

That would be sad. The externals are the best thing about Sony laptops.
My parents and I bought PCG-F590s when they were new. We're not buying any more Sony gear of any kind if we can help it, thank you.

It's too bad TI won't get back into the game, they built some award-winning tanks disguised as laptops.
(edit: If you can't figure it out, That's Texas Instruments, not titanium )

 

[artifex]

I think it's actually Sopple.

vaiBook.

 

[Hunts121]

He Installed it Using Photoshop. CS2 in particular makes this a snap with the vanishing point tool. Let me get home, and I'll install on my windows machine.

haha you took the words out of my mouth

 

[achmafooma]

i'd like to know how that guy install OS X on that machine.

The PowerBook 2400 can run up to Mac OS X 10.2 using XPostFacto--

http://eshop.macsales.com/OSXCenter/XPostFacto/Framework.cfm?page=XPostFacto.html

I'm sure that's how they did it.

 

[vollspacken]

there are G3-upgrades for the 2400c out there... with the G3 and XpostFacto, you can actually USE OsX on that machine... it will be slow (msinly to the video card...), but not too bad...

vSpacken

 

[CubaTBird]

ex-sony vaio engineer's? hrm....... i don't think so... sounds way to hasty on apple's part...

 

[weg]

Engadget claims that according to "a reliable source" that Apple has had trouble catching up in terms of intel-based designs for their upcoming PowerBook.

Yippie! New Powerbooks on Tuesday (2007)!

 

[DaveClarkOne]

Vaio Sexy??

I think the Vaio's are rather lame, and a distant second pick to current Powerbooks. What could Apple possibly take from Sony that it hasn't mastered internally already? Perhaps its advertising line: "...oh, it's a MACintosh!"

This rumor is ridiculous.

Great

Vaio's are the sexiest looking PC laptops by far, and i'd love for a Powerbook to have as much features as some of those Vaio's Sony has - X-brite screens, All the usual I/O, Thin, and hopefully still made of metal.

 

[VIREBEL661]

I really hope that these Intel PowerBooks will be faster than the last PPC update of the PowerBooks. I'm going to buy a 15" when Apple puts the Freescale 7448 in (hopefully) in September. I'm wary of these Intel processors. I want faster bus speeds and Altivec!

I gotta agree with you- I like PC hardware (just don't like Windoze), but I'm still partial to the PowerPC hardware - I think that it's where the real fireworks are going to happen in terms of next generation computers. Wouldn't it be funny, say, in 10 years time if Windoze runs on PowerPC's and Mac's use x86 designs? Just a thought - but I can see it happening...

 

[Val-kyrie]

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 ****.

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.

I disagree with all of you--I still think we will witness a simultaneous debut of both laptop lines.

 

[daveL]

Apple, which curently produce the best looking hardware need help form Sony engineers this Bull**** I mean come on, how challenging can Intel chips be after having experience with PPCs

I think this is false rumors. Don't beat me up for my opinion, Ok.

I agree. If anything, working with Intel chipsets if going to be a lot easier than the custom PPC designs Apple has had to produce in the past. I don't buy this at all.

 

[mpw]

I don't believe this story. I mean c'mon, as someone else stated already, Apple has mastered the tricky and hot PPC, these Intel chips should be relatively easy.

Isn't it just good practice to employ the best in any field? I'm the adverts these guys at Sony are replying to aren't in the Sony Company Newsletter, they'll be open to all and if Sonys guys are getting hired it'll be because they're the best at making laptops (that don't already work for Apple). If the top guy at DELL happens to apply and his CV wows Steve I bet they don't knock him back 'cause he's not working for Sony.