New iPods and Pro Machines?

[MacRumors]

Appleinsider claims that Apple will be introducing new iPods and Pro Macs in October.

The 5th generation iPods will revise the hard drive based iPods and are rumored to provide improvements in size/form factor. The new iPods are believed to utilize a higher density 1.8" Hard Drive from Toshiba which are available in 40 and 80GB sizes.

Also expected soon are upgrades to the PowerMacs and PowerBooks, but little definitive information is available on these upgrades. Appleinsider previously expected hardware announcements at Apple Expo Paris. Other sites also predicted PowerBook updates for Paris... but no hardware announcements came at the expo.

Dual-core PowerMac updates have been rumored since the announcement of Dual Core PowerPC chips from IBM.

 

[derajfast]

so its just aesthetic changes?

 

[ColoJohnBoy]

Sweet... Maybe I can talk someone into getting me a belated birthday present... like an 80 GB Video-enabled iPod.

And maybe, just maybe, I'll finally call Apple about the warping around the power jack on my PowerBook so they can replace it with a similar (newer) model

 

[kirk26]

What constitutes as 5th Generation? Apple has released 2-4 different new iPods this year. It should be the 7 Generation or so.

 

[zap2]

CRAXY

perhaps i'll pny up for a powerbook!!

 

[powerbook911]

Maybe the new iPods will switch to an aluminium enclosure, as rumored early in the year.

 

[ColoJohnBoy]

Wait... "Apple designed click wheel..."

Were the click wheels on the mini and 4G iPods not designed by Apple? I'm confused...

 

[obeygiant]

not buying until mactel

 

[G5Unit]

Drop the price on the 2.3!

 

[EricNau]

Looking forward to the new iPods...hope they do video. And I hope the prices don't go up!

 

[powerbook911]

Wait... "Apple designed click wheel..."

Were the click wheels on the mini and 4G iPods not designed by Apple? I'm confused...

It was synaptics. Apple designed clickwheel, but synaptics made it. It was the same with the trackpads on Powerbooks and iBooks. They used to be made by synaptics, but Apple is now making them.

 

[darwen]

Yay!

the iPod G5!

 

[Lacero]

5G iPods and dual-core G5s in time for Christmas.

The 5G iPods are definitely going video. I can feel it under my toes!

 

[derajfast]

synaptics stock took a hit ever since apple said theyd stop using them

 

[iMeowbot]

so its just aesthetic changes?

Who knows? If they update it to the processor that turned up in the second generation mini, there are some semi-interesting image and video capture things in there they might use. Power consumption should be much better, at least.

 

[Spock]

How much Money do You really think Apple is going to invest in new Powermacs? Not to long we will be on Intels.

 

[darwen]

What constitutes as 5th Generation? Apple has released 2-4 different new iPods this year. It should be the 7 Generation or so.

No. The iPod Shuffle, iPod Nano, and iPod mini's are all counted as separate products. They are not included in the generations of iPod. We are still on the 4th generation, it started when the click wheel was introduced.

 

[illegalprelude]

What constitutes as 5th Generation? Apple has released 2-4 different new iPods this year. It should be the 7 Generation or so.

different lines up

 

[ColoJohnBoy]

It was synaptics. Apple designed clickwheel, but synaptics made it. It was the same with the trackpads on Powerbooks and iBooks. They used to be made by synaptics, but Apple is now making them.

OHHHH, okay. Lordy, I thought I'd gone mad for a moment. Any particular benefits from Apple making them over Synaptics? Lower cost perhaps?

 

[powerbook911]

How much Money do You really think Apple is going to invest in new Powermacs? Not to long we will be on Intels.

The Powermacs should be the last to get Intel, so updates with the dual-core G5s makes it a lot of sense.

 

[tech4all]

What constitutes as 5th Generation? Apple has released 2-4 different new iPods this year. It should be the 7 Generation or so.

The only significant change in the iPod "regular" was with the iPod photo and merging the iPod "regular" with the iPod photo line. So while in a way the current iPods are iPod photos, they are now considered iPod "regulars". Samething as the other one's but with color screen and photo capabilities. The 5G iPod will probably have significant changes. Like from 3G to the 4G iPod we got the click wheel. And there was a change in the internal components, I think, but I'm no expert on that stuff. Oh yeah, improvement on battery life too!

 

[powerbook911]

OHHHH, okay. Lordy, I thought I'd gone mad for a moment. Any particular benefits from Apple making them over Synaptics? Lower cost perhaps?

Yes, I would suspect lower costs is the reason they did this. Plus, perhaps it is easier not to rely on so many suppliers.

 

[quadrakid]

new pro-machines? PB's and PM's? I dont really give a crap about i-pods there good music players and look real nice but jesus a computer hardware update would be useful.

 

[darwen]

The 5G iPod will probably have significant changes. Like from 3G to the 4G iPod we got the click wheel. And there was a change in the internal components, I think, but I'm no expert on that stuff. Oh yeah, improvement on battery life too!

Yeah, I don't think this iPod will have video. The iPod photo did not change a generation number, I think it is only going to be a change in the shape/form of the device.

 

[iMeowbot]

OHHHH, okay. Lordy, I thought I'd gone mad for a moment. Any particular benefits from Apple making them over Synaptics? Lower cost perhaps?

Yes, they are cutting out the middleman. Hon Hai (Foxconn) are making them directly for Apple, so they don't have to pay for Synaptics' outsourced engineering.