Close Competition
Unfortunately, there will likely be little difference between the iBook and Powerbook for a while. Apple has to update the iBooks with the 9600 for full Tiger compliance, and like the other models, Apple will update the RAM to 512 MB along with a processor speed increase to either 1.33 or 1.42 for the low-end and 1.5 for the high end (nod to EJBasile), but the PBs will stay where they are at. Anyone expecting changes to the PBs in the next few months is unrealistic.
Sorry aswitcher, I really doubt that Apple will updating the form factor for this release. In fact, the next PB update will be marked by the release of the iBook update. The sooner the iBook is updated, the more likely both will receive a new form factor and be updated together. The iBook is consistently updated every 6-7 months, but I could see a lengthy waiting time before the next PB revision (the PB often has lengthy upgrade cycles). The problem for Apple is processor availability. I highly doubt any PPC970 variant will make it into a PB. Rather, it is more likely that Apple will wait for Freescale and either drop in the 7448 without a form factor change or more likely the 8641(D) with a form factor change. I doubt the former will happen now partly because I don't think the 7447B was on the original roadmap and thus acted as a stopgap in lieu of the 7448, and partly because another poster connected to Freescale thought the project had been canceled (sorry don't have time to find the post). Besides, the x86 world is going dual core in early 2006, if not sooner and the 8641(D) is supposed to be ready for mass production by Jan, 2006. My guess is that the closer the iBook is released to June, the more likely neither the iBook nor the PB will receive a major upgrade until January, 2006. By then, the iBook should hopefully receive the 8641 with the PB receiving the dual core version. Only when the 8641(D) is used will there be warrant for a form factor change.
