New iBooks, Mac minis and iPod shuffles at MWSF 2006?

[digitalbiker]

But OSX86 did get all those updates along side the PPC..Jobs said they kept pace with each other.
I just can't see the engineers playing in the lab with OSX for both platforms and not saying to themselves " say..since we're doing this maybe we should be ready with our flagship apps too"

It just makes sense ( to me at least ) that Apple would keep up to date on the apps side too.

Yeah it makes sense but I think Jobs was using his reality distortion field again during that presentation. Because if they really had been keeping pace with each other then why 6 six months later are they still working on getting OS x for x86 out (They have been sending beta versions to developers).

Also if pro apps had been experimentally ported to x86, Why didn't Jobs demo FCP on the x86 OSX demo at WWDC. The version of OSX that Jobs was demoing seemed to be lacking many apps for him to wow the audience with.

 

[lind0834]

Dual Core vs G4

They could easily introduce the iBook with a Dual Core and not cannibalize sales. Making a f

First, they drop the screen to 13.3 and anybody who want to do serious video will rule that out, it would be ridiculous.

Second, they announce that they aren't releasing x86 native pro apps yet because "They aren't ready". I could hear Steve saying "We are still working on optimizing Final Cut and Aperture for the new architecture, and the speed boost is astounding". If they keep the Pro Apps under their hat until the Pro Hardware is released they won't cannibalize any sales at all. People who need the hardware will get the G4 and the G5 because it will run the apps they need faster than the x86 will emulate them.

Once they are ready to release the new Pro Hardware, they will release the Pro Software. Until then, the speed won't be an issue. I tip my hat to them for controlling their hardware and software.

 

[Peace]

Yeah it makes sense but I think Jobs was using his reality distortion field again during that presentation. Because if they really had been keeping pace with each other then why 6 six months later are they still working on getting OS x for x86 out (They have been sending beta versions to developers).

Also if pro apps had been experimentally ported to x86, Why didn't Jobs demo FCP on the x86 OSX demo at WWDC. The version of OSX that Jobs was demoing seemed to be lacking many apps for him to wow the audience with.

Well ya have me there..I'm using a dev kit so I can't go any further into this specific thread..
<disclaimer>Thats not to imply I know something other's don't tho..</disclaimer> Because I don't..Mere speculation!

 

[amateurmacfreak]

ThinkSecret cites "reliable sources" in reporting that Apple plans on introducing new iBooks, Mac minis and iPod shuffles at Macworld San Francisco in January 2006.

Intel is expected to launch the dual-core version of Yonah -- its new notebook processor -- in January. Low-votage versions are expected to come in at 1.5GHz, 1.66GHz and 1.83GHz speeds, while the "performance" version will ship at 1.66GHz, 1.83GHz, 2.0GHz and 2.16GHz speeds.

ThinkSecret speculates that low-voltage 1.5GHz Yonah iBooks may see be announced in January, while "performance" Yonah procesors may come later in PowerBooks.

No further details about the Mac mini or iPod shuffle are available from the rumor site, although the 1GB iPod shuffle is presently out of stock at the Apple store.

Ah!! I hope the iBooks (or really, preferably iBooks, any laptop would be fine) in January happen.... I'm expecting it so much, and I've told a person to wait until January to buy an iBook. It seems like everyone around me is buying an iBook, and I want to say, "NO!! WAIT!! MWSF IN JANUARY!!" But I have someone who is waiting.... hope I can count on new, awesome, not too expensive (low thousand-range) laptops in January!! It's going to be such a fun month!!

 

[digitalbiker]

Well ya have me there..I'm using a dev kit so I can't go any further into this specific thread..

Having said all that, I do believe that Apple will release their Pro Apps very soon. I also suspect that there are quite a few developers who have plans to release x86 native versions of their software soon.
For anyone interested, I received an email from the Starry Night Support Group saying that their pro plus package would be released native for OSX x86 very soon after Apple announces the release of OSX on x86 and new hardware.

 

[~Shard~]

Alright, alright, to satisfy all you Yonah nay-sayers, how about this - the iBooks will be updated with 7448 and the PowerBooks will get a 970GX.

 

[Randall]

Yeah it makes sense but I think Jobs was using his reality distortion field again during that presentation. Because if they really had been keeping pace with each other then why 6 six months later are they still working on getting OS x for x86 out (They have been sending beta versions to developers).

Also if pro apps had been experimentally ported to x86, Why didn't Jobs demo FCP on the x86 OSX demo at WWDC. The version of OSX that Jobs was demoing seemed to be lacking many apps for him to wow the audience with.

Yeah maybe it wasn't ready for him to be showing everything, but the stuff that he did cover was plenty fast IMO, and that's with a single core P4 remember. AFAIK, the developers using the DTK have been doing great (those that have Xcode projects anyway) And I think a lot of developers are sitting on fat binaries as we speak, some have already released them, and others are probably waiting for the big news/still finalizing the testing. I think this transition will go quite well. (Even better then the switch from OS 9 to OS X, which sometimes could be a bitch, with all of the "Classic" emulation. Yuck, I'm glad we made it past that. We'll get through this too.

 

[Randall]

Having said all that, I do believe that Apple will release their Pro Apps very soon. I also suspect that there are quite a few developers who have plans to release x86 native versions of their software soon.
For anyone interested, I received an email from the Starry Night Support Group saying that their pro plus package would be released native for OSX x86 very soon after Apple announces the release of OSX on x86 and new hardware.

BINGO, there are a ton of developers sitting on the release of OS X86 to the masses.

here is just a small list of apps that are already ported, and there are countless more that are awaiting official word from Apple that OS X86 has been released, before making their Universal Binaries available.
http://www.osx86.theplaceforitall.com/software/

 

[GregA]

But OSX86 did get all those updates along side the PPC..Jobs said they kept pace with each other.
I just can't see the engineers playing in the lab with OSX for both platforms and not saying to themselves " say..since we're doing this maybe we should be ready with our flagship apps too"

It just makes sense ( to me at least ) that Apple would keep up to date on the apps side too.

I tend to agree - and if Apple couldn't easily get their software ported to x86 then it doesn't say much for their promise of easy porting for other developers does it.

However, I was surprised that iTunes wasn't native until recently.

Given that you are an Apple developer, you've got some insider knowledge of course (whether its a tiny bit, or a lot, who knows!)

 

[~Shard~]

Yeah maybe it wasn't ready for him to be showing everything, but the stuff that he did cover was plenty fast IMO, and that's with a single core P4 remember.

Agreed. And the beautiful thing is that Apple didn't switch to Intel for existing architectures like the P4, Xeon, etc. - they switched much better, faster architectures like Yonah, Merom, Conroe and Woodcrest. If you think stuff screams on that P4 dev box, just wait until Apple puts the "real" Intel chips in those machines.

BINGO, there are a ton of developers sitting on the release of OS X86 to the masses. [?QUOTE]

I agree. I think since Jobs's initial announcement almost 6 months ago, a large number of developers have been hard at work and are waiting in the wings with their x86 releases. Exciting times!

 

[edenwaith]

*shrug*

Sure, why not? I guess these predictions aren't completely wild. But I'm not fully expecting anything until mid-2006. But Apple has been famously difficult to second guess, especially when they do manage to bring out a surprise that no one ever expected.

But if anything, they'll probably preview new versions of iLife and iWork. C'mon spreadsheet! I was hoping that iWork would be a suitable replacement for MS Word, but it just doesn't flow quite right as a word processor, so I've spent more time using programs like Word and Nisus Writer Express, and even occasionally slipping back to AppleWorks! What I'd really like to see would be an app that is a cross between AppleWorks Paint and Draw...sort of a mix between Photoshop Elements and a Illustrator Elements (if it existed)...not quite pro-level app for graphic design and manipulation, but very useful for the more casual user.

 

[nataku]

ugh. not another one! ibooks out of the door first before powerbooks?! i seriously think that it should be the other way around. it would most probably outperform the current rev. of the powerbook g4, considering that altivec is now implemented in the x86 OS X. it might hurt sales. then again... this is only a rumor and if the previous report of "fashionable" laptops is true, the ibook would probably be the victi...err... lucky one!

January has to come soonER so that we can breathe easily again.

* oh please oh please! let the stylish laptops save us from the fashion disaster we are in!!

 

[progx]

while i am optimistic about the transition, i've still had this lingering feeling.

now that apple is at their pinnacle of engineering, the Quad G5, all that development will now shift to intel.

i think apple wants to divert more money into its hottest product: the iPod.

a lot of my computer friends have been saying that to me frequently, "it seems apple wants to make ipods for their rest of their lives." it seems rather relevant and is starting to make sense.

on the transition, yeah intel will be high on us for a while, walking like vince mcmahon after he bought wcw and parading to the whole business world. just like the wwe did to the wcw fans, they moved on. intel has higher paying customers, so who's to say that intel will soon view apple as just another customer.

anyhow, it was just a lingering feeling.

 

[EricNau]

...on the transition, yeah intel will be high on us for a while, walking like vince mcmahon after he bought wcw and parading to the whole business world. just like the wwe did to the wcw fans, they moved on. intel has higher paying customers, so who's to say that intel will soon view apple as just another customer.

anyhow, it was just a lingering feeling.

But Apple is special!

 

[balamw]

Apple doesn't drop prices, they increase features.

While generally true this does not exclude the release of new lower priced products with reduced functionality. The Mac Mini, iPod Shuffle and the iPod nano are all examples of this contrarian trend.

I think a sub $1K portable is quite likely, the iBook equivalent to the Mac mini, but Apple is bound to have a clever twist on defining a new product in that category. e.g. it's a 10" tablet/super PDA with no optical drive, just an SD slot.

B

 

[EricNau]

While generally true this does not exclude the release of new lower priced products with reduced functionality. The Mac Mini, iPod Shuffle and the iPod nano are all examples of this contrarian trend.

I think a sub $1K portable is quite likely, the iBook equivalent to the Mac mini, but Apple is bound to have a clever twist on defining a new product in that category. e.g. it's a 10" tablet/super PDA with no optical drive, just an SD slot.

B

The Nano wasn't cheaper than anything equivalent before it. Actually, this is one case with Apple where you spent more and got less. ($200 for a 2 GB Nano, compared to $200 of a 4 GB Mini).

 

[ph0rce]

no idea if this has already been posted but...

surley the name "PowerBook" would be a bit stupid for a laptop using an Intel CPU as the "PowerBook" at the moment runs a PowerPC Chip doesn't it....


This in my view means that they are going to have to think of a new name instead of "power" for there high end computers.

It would make sence to kill off the Power Book and Power Mac lines when the Intel CPUs come in.

The iBook wouolld be ideal for them as the i could double as "Intel"...

Did steve jobs not say that they would be roling them out bit by bit and that the cheaper "budget" lines would be out first.

I think a new iPod will come out here. possibly because there are not enough 2GB chips to go round and they need to be making some money insdead of none at all.

MacMini would be cool. hopefuly be same size and still silent. hope it has FrontRow 2 on it and possibly come in two configurations.... one slower, and one faster

at the end of the day we are just wasting our time on here atm. It's all just rumors and we won't know anything untill we are refreshing safari on the apple store waiting for it to come back online or we're on some techno site thats giving us "Live Updates" from the Mac World....

enjoy xmas!

 

[Platform]

Yeah....Yonah in a mini.....

But please include a core image compatible GPU...DDR2

 

[mhar4]

But if anything, they'll probably preview new versions of iLife and iWork. C'mon spreadsheet! I was hoping that iWork would be a suitable replacement for MS Word, but it just doesn't flow quite right as a word processor

"Pages" is a disaster, a big step back from Appleworks in terms of functionality, and with some serious bugs. If Apple are serious about "switchers" they need to address this huge gap of an effective, professional Apple-branded word processor, not the buggy toy program they sell at the moment.

 

[Nicken]

Don´t know if anybody has made this point but i think that Apple wants to get a good, cheap intel laptop out as fast as they can to benefit from their ipodsales. CNBC reported yesterday that christmassales in applestores where going great. They also said that ipodbuyers are three times more likely to buy apple computers.

21 days 7 hours and 58 minutes left to Macworld Expo....

 

[Stridder44]

Why wait on Powerbooks? If Apple updates the iBooks any more then they already are without touching the Powerbooks, then the iBooks will be better. Especially considering that the dual core Yonah's will be available in January, and they will surely blow the G4 away. I think that would make the Powerbook owners livid, and this better not be true. I didn't pay for a top-end laptop only to have it be blown out by the lower end line. *bullsh1t*

Im guessing since you visit MacRumors often, you didn't see this coming?

 

[Rockin' Az]

Random thoughts...

Previous posters have suggested that Apple might replace both iBook and Powerbooks with a single notebook line. That would just be silly, c'mon.. iBook and PowerBook are established brands with distinctive and different customer bases.. why change a winning combination?

Of course estblished brand didn't save the iPod Mini. Why change a winning combination? Because the shift to x86 is a watershed moment for Apple - just as the shift to PPC was. If you were going to change the branding of your products - a change like this would seem to be as good an opportunity as you are ever likely to get. That doesn't mean it will happen - but if it was going to, the x86 shift is a better time than most.

I suspect the Intel based machine lineup will look like a logical evolution of the current machines, rather than revolutions. The main reason being that Apple can not afford to confuse its customer base any further...

Maybe..maybe not - only Apple knows! There are numerous ways Apple could market their laptops. They could, for example, brand them based on size - 12"(or 13" widescreen), 15" and 17" - with a high-end and low-end machine in each range. Whether they do or not is another matter, but their are ways of differentiating their products without having to use a consumer/professional distinction.

If they do dump the iBook/Powerbook lines, I don't think that Apple run too much risk of confusing their customer base. In recent years, Apple have used sensible, easy to recall, names for their machines. Provided they stick to that principle (e.g. no T31 ST5768Yb type names) their customers will not get too confused.

One thing I do think will happen though, is that regardless of whether Apple's Intel laptops get rebranded or not; the existing G4 Powerbooks will remain available in some form (perhaps just 15", or 15 and 17) until the major 3rd party pro-apps (Adobe etc) are ported to x86. I think this would be done in a way similar to when Apple kept OS 9 machines available after they released the first OS X-only G4 Powermacs.

 

[ASP272]

I hope we will see a Mac Mini that not only has Front Row 2.0, but the video recording software we've heard rumors about. This way, you can plug your Mac Mini into the TV and record your favorite TV shows and Voila! Death to the Tivo! With this software technology included, they can keep the Mac Mini at the same price point despite the cheaper processor inside. Question is, is the Intel processor going to be cheaper than the PowerPC?

 

[~Shard~]

Question is, is the Intel processor going to be cheaper than the PowerPC?

I think Apple will find a way to make that happen...

 

[Randall]

"Pages" is a disaster, a big step back from Appleworks in terms of functionality, and with some serious bugs. If Apple are serious about "switchers" they need to address this huge gap of an effective, professional Apple-branded word processor, not the buggy toy program they sell at the moment.

Ever heard of Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel? I know a bunch of people hate M$ on this board, but no matter how much you hate them you have to admit, Word and Excel are some of the best word processor and spreadsheets around. Office 2004 for Mac is awsome, and I expect 2006 to be great as well. Office is one application suite that Microsoft did right.