PowerBook to gain iSight, iBook to go widescreen in 2006

[iEdd]

I think we will probably get a sheet of white apple stickers and a sheet of intel stickers. Possibly a new joint logo on a sticker. Just an apple logo on the machines though.

 

[themacman]

Hi,

I've read through alot (not all) of the posts. One question I have for the experts here.

Would this PB be considered a G5? What does a G5 constitute? I thought about buying the latest PB update, but decided to wait for the next generation.

The week or two before the last PB came out (Oct 19), I read one post by a guy who claimed to have an inside source at apple. He said his friend said that the Oct. 19 release would be a bore, but after the first of the year "WOW!"... He was right about the first half of his specualtion... Here's hoping he'll be right about the second half.

I look forward to seeing whatever it is that comes out...

no this would not be considered a g5. The G5 is the powerpc 970 family which is not anything intel. So i dont know what they are going to do about naming, G6, I6 idk, but its apple theyll think of something good.

 

[dernhelm]

20 to 25% thinner form factor on the PBs? wow! Can you say flash memory?

If this is true, something's got to give here. 25% thinner than my powerbook would put it at 3/4". There are subnotebooks that aren't that thin, much less professional notebooks with dvd burners and 100GB hard drives!

I sincerely doubt that they'd put flash drives in them, but they might put the ultra-small iPod 5G drives in there (or the next gen drives of that type that hit 80 GB).

 

[dernhelm]

That's a really good question. I would guess Apple will adopt the HDMI standard, when it starts shipping machines with either Blu-Ray or HD-DVD drives. I would also guess they'll also ensure their HDMI interfaces are HDCP compliant.

I'd like to see this. HDMI carries digital audio signal as well, so it would be a double win.

 

[Detlev_73]

I wonder if Apple will be putting the Blu-Ray into these?

 

[dansgil]

What sort of cameras do they fit in mobile phones? Some of them are pretty thin. Also the new Sony T7 (?? i think) digital camera is very thin.

And, it has a 3X optical zoom. The camera is only 14.7 mm at it's thickest point (where the lens is).

I, for one would love to see a camera in the Powerbook.

 

[stefan15]

YEAH Widescreen iBook..no complaints there unless it kills the price point!

 

[runninmac]

I can't believe this thread is this long and it's based on AppleInsider.com, a notoriously bad "rumor" site. If ThinkSecret ran a piece I could understand, but AppleInsider? C'mon people, move along, nothing to see here.

Um... AppleInsider probobly is tied with think secret for their track record. In august they mentioned Macs with iSights and iPod minis w/ colored screens and said could be updated in the fall (which turned out to be the nano... but close enough). Also how they said there would be high res. powerbooks and new powermacs at the Photo expo... Really Thinksecret and Appleinsider are the 2 best rumor sites.

 

[Lanbrown]

That's a really good question. I would guess Apple will adopt the HDMI standard, when it starts shipping machines with either Blu-Ray or HD-DVD drives. I would also guess they'll also ensure their HDMI interfaces are HDCP compliant.

They will use Blu-Ray, they are a member. They're not a member of the HD-DVD group.

 

[illegalprelude]

I wonder if Apple will be putting the Blu-Ray into these?

thats what ive been wondering about. I know they support Blue-Ray and Blue-Ray is coming out via PS3 during springish so when are the players gonna come out too? hhmmm

 

[ZorPrime]

They will use Blu-Ray, they are a member. They're not a member of the HD-DVD group.

I hope they use Blu-Ray too and it does look likely they might ship Blu-Ray. (operative word, might) As to what platform they will “definitely” use… I think it can go either way. The DVD Forum along with Intel (Apple’s new CPU master) support HD-DVD. Apple happens to be a member of the DVD-Forum as well.

http://www.dvdforum.org/about-memberlist.htm

Both Blu-Ray and HD-DVD use the H.264 codec. One can author HD-DVD content via Apple’s DVD Studio Pro, today.
http://www.apple.com/finalcutstudio/dvdstudiopro/
http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2004/jun/23quicktime.html

It might be possible that Apple will let customers select between the two new standards, in the form of selecting either a BD drive or an HD-DVD drive. Either way, no matter what format Apple goes with, the HDMI/HDCP format will very likely be adopted in the process.

 

[LaMerVipere]

Am I the only one not a fan of the built-in iSight?

Ya can't move it. Where's the convenience in that? And how many people with iSights actually have them always attached to the top of their display? I sure didn't, when I had one. So if you want to move it, you have to buy one anyway.

I'd rather they lose the built-in iSight and lower the price by $100 or so.

 

[ZorPrime]

thats what ive been wondering about. I know they support Blue-Ray and Blue-Ray is coming out via PS3 during springish so when are the players gonna come out too? hhmmm

Blu-Ray's already here. If you have a PSP, you're using Blu-Ray. BD-recorders have been around for a while (at least in Japan). The only problem is that they're still pretty expensive but it looks like the price will be low enough by next year to be viable in the consumer PC market.

I have a feeling the BD players will hit the market sometime Q1 2006. Panasonic's planning on releasing BD laptops spring 2006. No solid price tag quotes though...

http://laptops.engadget.com/entry/1234000710062178
http://www.computerworld.com/printthis/2004/0,4814,97559,00.html
(sorry i wasn't able to find a newer link)

 

[ZorPrime]

Am I the only one not a fan of the built-in iSight?

Ya can't move it. Where's the convenience in that? And how many people with iSights actually have them always attached to the top of their display? I sure didn't, when I had one. So if you want to move it, you have to buy one anyway.

I'd rather they lose the built-in iSight and lower the price by $100 or so.

I feel the same way. Also, I don't like the idea of some stationary camera that's one step/hack away from being controlled remotely staring at me... would if iTunes 8 or something detects pirated songs or software... is it going to snap a picture and then send it to the authorities? it's a little too Orwellian for me. (sips his eighth cup of coffee)

 

[Val-kyrie]

Why not just buy a tablet then?

How about making a practical and beautiful laptop out of the 12" or 13" models. I would like one with 6+ hours of real life use, and I think it is totally possible w/ today's technology. We can eliminate the CD/DVD drive which will free up lots of space for a larger battery.

I am SURE it is more portable to carry around an external drive, right?

Lets also eliminate the modem port, I mean who uses this anymore. While we are at it, eliminate the ethernet port. There are so many hotspots now, I can't imagine needing one.

I am so tired of the condescending attitude toward users who do not have high-speed access. A modem port is essential, and last stat I saw, there were at least 40% of the US population who have NO ABILITY to access high-speed.

Eliminate the ethernet port? Do you care about security? Wired LANs are much more secure than wireless. Moreover, there are places where there are so many wireless frequencies in use that it is difficult to maintain a connection.

We can also elimnate firewire ports and just have two or three USB2 ports. That is it; just three USB2 and a video out port. That is all we need.

My camcorder is firewire only, not USB. Also, firewire is faster on some external HDDs for those who use them for backup or for video editing. I would prefer to keep firewire, thanks.

I like to use a laptop like a cell phone i.e. I don't want to plug it in during the day. I guess I just hate see Dell's laptop at meetings where the owner says, "oops, I have to plug my laptop in before it runs out of juice." Yeah 10 minute into the meeting . This happens all the time. It is very comical!

So would I. Wait for Merom.

I don't need the speed to do number crunching simulation. All I need is a snappy OSX that will run Office and Safari well.

Good for you.

Then why don't you just buy a tablet?

Back to you, mate.

 

[thejadedmonkey]

iSight

I would not want an isight. Perhaps an attatchable one that can sit on the top of the screen and is smaller than the current isight, but to have one that's always there, always accessable...besides beign a security risk, it would drain battery power!

I would kill for a battery that lasted all day long (6+ hours). My current laptop only had a 1 hour battery (but it's a 14" that's under 5 lbs) and it drives me crazy.

P.S. a 1.4 ghz Pentium M boots up OS X86 faster than a Mac mini.

 

[Val-kyrie]

By the way there has been much talk aobut Yonah in the iBook. Is it to crazy to think that maybe Apple will go with Dothan here. Yeah the chip is a bit old, but it is a proven piece of hardware. It is probably a matter of time frames and availability.

Dave

I must have missed a lot of discussion recently. Anyway, I will be looking to buy an Intel iBook and I really do not want to buy a Dothan processor. I'd rather not buy until Merom is released but that may be too far off. Thinking about this has raised a question for me though--will the new Merom chips offer good 64 bit performance in portables without 4GBs of RAM??? Anyone know or have an opinion? Aiden Shaw? The new Intel chipsets for Yonah will support 4GB of RAM, but I can't imagine the price for it!

 

[iEdd]

The iSight might not be so bad if they added a physical on/off switch onto the top of it. Like a little tiny switch. Just a thought...

 

[bommai]

PS3 uses Bluray not PSP.

Blu-Ray's already here. If you have a PSP, you're using Blu-Ray. BD-recorders have been around for a while (at least in Japan). The only problem is that they're still pretty expensive but it looks like the price will be low enough by next year to be viable in the consumer PC market.

I have a feeling the BD players will hit the market sometime Q1 2006. Panasonic's planning on releasing BD laptops spring 2006. No solid price tag quotes though...

http://laptops.engadget.com/entry/1234000710062178
http://www.computerworld.com/printthis/2004/0,4814,97559,00.html
(sorry i wasn't able to find a newer link)

PSP uses UMD (universal media disk) not Bluray. Bluray devices are not yet out at least in large scale.

 

[AndrewMT]

No it doesn't they didn't cut any corners making the nano small!

I agree with you on the iPod Nano, but then again we won't see that kind of fundamental technology shift (from hard drives to NAND flash memory for storage) in Apple's laptops. Decreasing the size of the powerbook could result in a smaller battery and/or less powerful, but energy effieient components.

I just don't want Apple to skimp on the new Intel Powerbook's graphics card. The 15" and 17" powerbooks should be able to support something similar to the PC laptop's Nvidia Gefore 7800 GTX Go with 256mb of memory.

If you could dual boot into Windows on an powerful, full featured Apple Powerbook, just think how many hardcore gamers (who prefer Apple for non-gaming apps, but are forced to use Windows to play most of their games) would finally be able to ditch their PC forever?

 

[aristobrat]

Many companies won't let a device with a camera into sensitive areas (even if it can be turned off), so I'd guess that Apple would make the iSight an option.

 

[1984]

I can't believe this thread is this long and it's based on AppleInsider.com, a notoriously bad "rumor" site. If ThinkSecret ran a piece I could understand, but AppleInsider? C'mon people, move along, nothing to see here.

You must have just returned from a deep space mission or something. Appleinsider is king of the hill now and has been for quite some time. ThinkSecret has fallen from grace. They rarely post anything anymore and when they do they get it almost completely wrong. They then revise their reports over and over until the night before an announcement at which point they have done a 180 on their original position. Welcome back to planet Earth space cowboy.

 

[1984]

And, it has a 3X optical zoom. The camera is only 14.7 mm at it's thickest point (where the lens is).

Actually that is just the first lens element and prisim which reflects the image down to the rest of the lens assembly. The lens assembly is actually an inch or two in length. Think periscope.

 

[1984]

I hope they use Blu-Ray too and it does look likely they might ship Blu-Ray.

HD-DVD is a dead end. Virtually every manufacturer in existence is producing Blu-Ray drives. Panasonic (Apple's favorite OEM supplier for their drives) has a slot-loading Blu-Ray model that handles all other recordable CD and DVD media including DL support.

 

[Val-kyrie]

Yeah but that's because Apple are trying to encourage people to use USB 2.0. I haven't got USb 2.0 but I guess it's time to upgrade soon anyway.

Isn't USB 2.0 faster than firewire now?

Not really, though I have read specs of a USB 2.0 external HDD outperforming one with Firewire; I have read the reverse, as well. Firewire, in general, is faster.

Apple were quick to get rid off floppy/zip drives because they realised alot of people were on the internet nowadays.

Apple got rid of floppies because there were CD burners available. There is still a use for floppies in the PC world, sometimes a necessity for floppies; though USB sticks are starting to replace them in terms of purpose.

Now they will get rid of modems in the entire mac range because most people are using broadband, and if they aren't they should be.
I'm not bothered with that it'll give people a reason to leave dial up behind.

Ok, this comment is just ignorant. "Should be"? What if people don't have access to broadband because there is no service in their area? I live in the countryside and I don't have any possible access; my brother lives in the city and he doesn't have any possible access either. The companies refuse to pay to run high-speed infrastructure to where he lives--and no, he doesn't live in the slums.

In 3 years maybe they everything will be wireless thus creating more space.

Doubtful.

The optical media drive is here to stay, because blue ray is round the corner and digital distribution isn't everywhere yet.

Nor will it be for quite some time. BTW, this is also very contradictory. If you acknowledge that "digital distribution isn't everywhere yet" how can you also say that if people aren't using broadband, "they should be" ???