New iBooks out now

[ibookin']

Originally posted by macdong
I already have a dual 867 PM as my home computer. All I need is a faster mobile computer. the new iBook 14" looks sweet, and it even leaves some space in my pocket to get a new PM with 970

I don't really like the 14". Get the 12" and save even more money. The 12" is a great size, and is plenty fast (I have the 800). Also, the screens on the iBooks are the same resolution (1024x768), and the 14" seems less sharp and defined than the 12".

I am kind of disappointed that the new iBooks have nothing but a 100MHz speed boost and a 60GB hard drive option. I was expecting at least Airport Extreme.

 

[eric_n_dfw]

128MB sucks

I really am surprised that the built in, non-upgradable, memory is 128MB - even on the 12" PowerBooks! I would have thought they would have at least bumped that to 256MB. Adding a 512MB SODimm puts me at 640MB as a maximum which just barely above the minimum of 512MB that I would want to have.

 

[macdong]

Originally posted by ibookin'@mwny
I don't really like the 14". Get the 12" and save even more money. The 12" is a great size, and is plenty fast (I have the 800). Also, the screens on the iBooks are the same resolution (1024x768), and the 14" seems less sharp and defined than the 12".

I am kind of disappointed that the new iBooks have nothing but a 100MHz speed boost and a 60GB hard drive option. I was expecting at least Airport Extreme.

Good idea.
12" it is

 

[timbloom]

Originally posted by macrumors12345

So from 800 to 900 you will only see a 10-15% jump for CPU intensive tasks. Even less if the tasks are memory bound (which they might be, since that 100 mhz bus is starting to look pretty anemic there...they really need to switch stuff to the 970 so that they don't have to artificially hold back the bus speeds on the consumer Macs).

I would really like to see a 133 bus on these things before I care about airport extreme or bluetooth. 802.11b is more than maxing out my broadband internet connection, and when I back up, I use firewire disk mode because it is MUCH faster than 802.11g. (btw, I have an ibook 500 right now and an ibook 800/possibly 900 on order, apple gets to decide that since it is a replacement.) I find the only thing truly lacking in the 500 is quartz extreme, because of the major jump in performance it brings along with it.


OTOH:
iBooks are meant for the internet and basic tasks, and people really need to grind this into their head. If apple still sold a 500-600 ibook, with all the same specs as when they were new, that would be even better, since using the older chips would possibly make the ibook even more affordable.

Bottom line is, you get what you pay for! As much as I love the iBook, it is NOT a machine for encoding video, or running complex programs, it does NOT pretend to be or need to be fast, it needs to be affordable! If Apple went against better judgement and added all these bells and whistles, you would have a machine that has the same specs and the same price as the powerbook, giving us something to REALLY be angry about, since we no longer have an affordable laptop for students and entry-level consumers to buy.

Just a couple pennies from my dusty drawer.

 

[Pedro Estarque]

Re: At last!

Originally posted by Latino
Since I wanted to use the display hack to use my external 19" CRT, the extra 16Mb will be handy.
Latino

Latino,
Dual display is very important for me, but I was afraid that this hack could harm the ibook in some way. I'm even considering buying 12" powerbook mostly because of that ( Altivec and Aluminum case are also nice of course).
Have you tested it? I keep thinking that if it could be done with no problem at all, then why wouldn't apple allow us to?

 

[iJon]

Re: Re: At last!

Originally posted by Pedro Estarque
Latino,
I keep thinking that if it could be done with no problem at all, then why wouldn't apple allow us to?

because if you cant do it, then you may buy the 12 inch powerbook

 

[zimv20]

Originally posted by macdong
Good idea.
12" it is

great choice. it's the largest laptop i would use. my old lombard now seems like a monster.

 

[Pedro Estarque]

Re: Re: Re: At last!

Originally posted by iJon
because if you cant do it, then you may buy the 12 inch powerbook

Do you really think that's just it?

 

[iJon]

Re: Re: Re: Re: At last!

Originally posted by Pedro Estarque
Do you really think that's just it?

yeah, thats a big selling point for the powerbook, it can span monitors, ibook cant, what else would you think it would be.

iJon

 

[KingArthur]

Yeah, Apple is all about marketing. They want you to buy as much as you can for the most profit to them. Lol. G3/4 cards are "supported" by OS X are they? Well then, why do they work? B/c people find workarounds. The only reason Apple doesn't want those cards to work is b/c if they don't work, you will be more inclined to fork up the money for a new computer. They are a small company and want to pull as big of a profit as possible to keep afloat.

 

[zimv20]

Originally posted by KingArthur
want to pull as big of a profit as possible to keep afloat.

unlike every other for-profit company, eh?

 

[yzedf]

ah yes... but we pay more knowing apple could cut prices 10% across the board and still make decent money...

as jesse james says "pay up sucker"

 

[zimv20]

Originally posted by yzedf
ah yes... but we pay more knowing apple could cut prices 10% across the board and still make decent money...

according to yahoo, apple's profit margin is -0.1%

 

[Pedro Estarque]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: At last!

Originally posted by iJon
yeah, thats a big selling point for the powerbook, it can span monitors, ibook cant, what else would you think it would be.

iJon

I don't know what it could be but some users had issues. Check this from xlr8yourmac :

Also note that I have gotten 2 reports from 2002 iBook owners on failures after the mod - so even that model is not a sure thing.)

 

[MrMistyFreeze]

Re: confused

Originally posted by kallur
Has somebody got more accurate information, but it seems to me, that even 12" Combo model is now made of opaque white plastic insteed of crystal white plastic. At least apple online store lists extra battery as opaque white.
???

I just purchased a 12" 900MHz iBook this evening at the Apple Store. I asked the sales girl if they were the grey painted finish or the white plastic. She said it would be painted.

Much to my surprise, the 12" 900MHz is unpainted and the outer casing is not translucent.

I'm kind of disapointed. The fit and finish of this new iBook looks like crap. I called the Apple Store up and they said I could return it for a 800MHz Combo with a $100 discount. I'd be losing 100MHz and 10GB of HD space. I don't know if I should but this iBook really looks cheese with the unpainted finish. Even the hinge is crappy plastic instead of metallic silver.

I always found the iBook the be the most stylish of all the Macs. A shame to degrade the casing across the entire 12" line.

I believe however that the 14" hasn't changed.

 

[zimv20]

Re: Re: confused

Originally posted by MrMistyFreeze

Much to my surprise, the 12" 900MHz is unpainted and the outer casing is not translucent. The fit and finish of this new iBook looks like crap. Even the hinge is crappy plastic instead of metallic silver.

can you post some pics?

 

[Pedro Estarque]

extended desktop

Originally posted by iJon
yeah, thats a big selling point for the powerbook, it can span monitors, ibook cant, what else would you think it would be.

iJon

A scary quote from the same site:
" Hi,
I've got a 2002 iBook 700 MHz, 384 MB RAM (purchased Aug 2002) with 4.3.6f3 boot ROM. Apple Profiler reports ATY, RageM6, ID 4c59, ROM# 113-xxxxx-125, 16 MB VRAM.

After applying the mod (pretty sure without any typos) the iBook didn't start any more (chime, HD spins up, power off). Getting into OF or zapping NVRAM was impossible.

Apple diagnosed a defective motherboard (!) and exchanged it.
Don't try the mod if you like your iBook - the risk is not worth it!
CU - Chris "

 

[zimv20]

Re: extended desktop

Originally posted by Pedro Estarque

Apple diagnosed a defective motherboard (!) and exchanged it.

i'd say he should count himself lucky. and then stupid for putting all the info on the internet for apple to find and, possibly, try to get money from him for the repair they did.

 

[reedm007]

Funny Whining

So what I think is funny is that whenever Apple releases speedbumps (other companies do this as well, mind you), people bitch and moan about how horrible it is, and invariably someone will start posting about getting a win laptop because of it.

Now, what if Appld DIDN'T update the line? Then we'd still have the old models.. The prices didn't go up, we just get more bang for our buck than if we bought iBooks yesterday, right? So how could anyone possibly think this is a bad thing?

Sure it's not a major revamp of a line, but how can we possibly complain every time there's an update without a huge change? Isn't it better to release speedbumps at the same prices more regularly than to wait longer for bigger updates?

Anyway, those are my thoughts. Kudos to improved iBooks.

 

[Snowy_River]

Re: chill out guys

Originally posted by yzedf
There will be no 970 in a PowerBook this year. We have no firm proof that there will be a 970 in anything Apple at all, much less this year.

I ask again, do you know something that the rest of us don't?

I'm not going to speculate on the likelihood or unlikelihood (is that a word?) of the release of a PB970 in a month, or a year, but I do draw exception to people saying things like this with such certainty. Many of us here are speculating, but that's all we're doing. If you know that there won't be 970PB, care to share the source of your knowledge? Or are you just speculating?

Not to mention the lag time from a new CPU being announced in a desktop to being shipped in a notebook.

There are examples of both delays and side-by-side releases of new chips in PMs and PBs, so I don't think it's as clear cut as this.

My guess is 1.2 or 1.25GHz G4 is the fastest we will see in a PowerBook this year.

There is some reason to believe that there would be significant problems with trying to put G4s of that speed in a portable venue, for reasons relating to heat, if nothing else. (And please don't say '7457' to me. You're saying that we don't have cause to believe that we'll see 970s in anything this year; I'll say the same even more vehemently about the 7457. For now, I wouldn't be surprised if the 7457 never gets produced.)

My guess is the Al body and the additiion of "new technology" such as Firewire 800 and BlueTooth are the big news for the "year of the..."

I don't know. I'd still say that if Apple can produce a 15" 970 PB (to be followed reasonably quickly by the 17" and possibly the 12") it would be in their best interest, even if it is a somewhat crippled 970 based machine, as the first G3 PowerBook (Kanga) was.

 

[Snowy_River]

Originally posted by KingArthur

Also, does anyone else find it interesting that the low-end laptop is actually cheaper than the low end desktop?! I think this is about the first time I have seen this in a company. Well, I guess since Apple's sales are more in the laptops, they have to really push them hard. lol.

How do you figure this?

$999 eMac (low end)
700MHz PowerPC G4
256K L2 cache @700MHz
128MB SDRAM
40GB Ultra ATA drive
NVidia GeForce2 MX
32MB DDR video memory
Combo drive
56K internal modem
Airport ready

vs.

$999 iBook (low end)
800MHz PowerPC G3
512K L2 cache @800MHz
128MB SDRAM memory
30GB Ultra ATA drive
ATI Mobility Radeon 7500
32MB DDR video memory
CD-ROM
Built-in 56K v.92 modem
AirPort ready
Up to 5 hr. battery life


Same price, but you get a lot more computer in the low-end desktop.

 

[AllenPSU]

CD-RW

It would be nice if Apple would drop the CDROM and replace it with a burner.

Without another way to easily export files, it almost requires you to go to the COMBO drive even if you don't need/want the DVD capability.

 

[pcuserx]

Originally posted by Snowy_River
Same price

Actually in Canada (and I assume some other countries) the price of the iBook has been dropped down by $100.

 

[xDANx]

Originally posted by pcuserx
Actually in Canada (and I assume some other countries) the price of the iBook has been dropped down by $100.

the low-end ibook is $50 cheaper than the low-end emac on the canadian website...$1499 vs $1549 CDN. the canadian apple store website hasn't been revamped yet, although the front page now has a little section about the ibook. i imagine they'll get around to changing it eventually...it's usually a bit behind the US website. i kind of like the new layout...

 

[ewinemiller]

Re: CD-RW

Originally posted by AllenPSU
It would be nice if Apple would drop the CDROM and replace it with a burner.

Without another way to easily export files, it almost requires you to go to the COMBO drive even if you don't need/want the DVD capability.

I'd actually like to see the opposite. I want a DVD to entertain me on the road, but don't really need to burn on the road. It'd be great if I could a DVD without paying the combo premium. It's a shame Apple doesn't allow just a little more customization. Though with a 60gb drive and I think I read someone saying DVD Player will play off the hard drive, I can probably stuff a few movies there.