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Widescreen iBooks?

No Intel Macs soon

The Intel transition will have some rough edges for the first buyers--it's a question of how many.

Apple COULD release Intel Macs very soon. There would be some software issues for a while, and some frustrated people who need certain apps.

Or they COULD release them really late, after every one of the top 2000 apps is running well on Intel or Rosetta, and the big name ones are all native.

But realistically, they have to find a balance in the middle, so I think they'll stick with the schedule they said. Not to mention, telling your developers one schedule, giving them early warning, and then yanking the rug out from under that warning would be very bad developer relations, at a time when developers have a key role to play.

The stated schedule has some wiggle room. Steve said Intel Macs would already be "in the market" (not just "released" but "in the market," addressed TO an audience of people selling software to users)... BY June 2006.

So starting to sell them in May seems like the latest date (not "summer" as many have reported). It's not as if Intel might not deliver the goods: the CURRENT Pentium M line, at next year's lower prices, should be fine for the Mac Mini and iBook, if nothing else. (PowerBooks depend on Yonah I think, but Yonah's due at the very end of this year.)

And if May is the latest date, and the current Pentium M is all that's needed to get the ball rolling, then much earlier is possible. I'm betting on MWSF in January. (Holiday season 2005? That would be great, but I think it's a long shot unless Apple gives developers a new warning.)
 
Question

Hey, I just ordered a 12" iBook last Sunday. The order status page says that the estimated ship date is the first of August. If Apple does upgrade the iBook, will I get an upgrade to the new version or not. I know that there is no way to know for sure, but I'm a newbie and would appreciate the advice.
 
weg said:
Yeah.. I'm sure they will bring out a great update... like "hardware completely unchanged, iBook now black (with a red apple logo), signed by Steve Jobs". :eek:
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I couldn't see a U2 iBook, but I could see a Coldplay iBook/iPod.
1. Apple was giving away four tickets to Coldplay's concery in the iTunes Promotion
2. iTunes has Coldplay in an iTunes ad, look in the music videos section
3. Before Apple released the U2 iPod, Vertigo was the top selling song for quite some time, and 'How to Dismantle and Atomic Bomb' was the most popular album for about the same time period. Now look at Coldplay, their single 'Speed of Sound' was one of the top downloads few weeks ago, and their album 'X&Y' is the top selling album right now.
 
I don't think they'll be Mactels

I don't see the new iBooks being Mactel machines. I mean, c'mon, don't you think that Apple would put the Intel chips into the prosumer machines long before the consumer machines? Desktops and Powerbooks usually get all the cutting edge stuff first, with iMacs & iBooks following suit significantly later.

We might see a change in form factor, but I think the Intel chips will go into the high-end machines first.
 
MacHamman said:
If Apple does upgrade the iBook, will I get an upgrade to the new version or not. I know that there is no way to know for sure, but I'm a newbie and would appreciate the advice.
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If new iBooks come out before then, call Apple.

Typically, you'd get the new one--along with an email giving you the chance to cancel your order if you'd rather (or at least the choice to get the old machine at a lower price).

If nothing else, you could cancel and then re-order.

Now, how much do you trust ThinkSecret's good--but not great--rumor record? :D You could cancel earlier than the 1st, in fear that the ship date might move sooner and miss the new models (unlikely). It's a game of chicken! :D

If you do get the old machine in your hands, and then new ones come out, you should at least make sure you get a lower price on the old model. Apple's price protection policy allows for that situation.
 
thejp2000 said:
I don't see the new iBooks being Mactel machines. I mean, c'mon, don't you think that Apple would put the Intel chips into the prosumer machines long before the consumer machines? Desktops and Powerbooks usually get all the cutting edge stuff first, with iMacs & iBooks following suit significantly later.
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I don't see Intel iBooks happening now, but I think Apple DID say consumer machines would be the first to go Intel--and laptops being among the first too seems very likely.

Your logic is good, but some factors may turn the "pro line first" logic around:

* G5s will keep getting faster, maybe enough to keep the pro desktops going strong for a while. But the G4 is another story--Intel's Pentium M is great for laptops (and the Mini is built like a laptop in many ways). So the G4 Macs may have the "greatest need." (PowerBooks especially of course--I don't expect Intel PBs to be delayed at ALL behind Intel iBooks.)

* Pro users may be pickier about having their high-end apps run native. So maybe they're not the best early adopters of a new chip architecture.

* The Pentium M is suitable for iBooks and Mac Minis, and already exists. The dual-core Yonah Pentium M sounds good for PowerBooks, and is coming in the next 6 months. But DESKTOP Pentium "M"s (whatever the name) will take longer into next year to come out. Apple doesn't HAVE to wait for desktop Pentium "M"s, but the Pentium M architecture is the future--with good reason--and Intel is phasing out everything else. Pentium 4/Xeon chips run hot and waste power. That impacts Apple's case designs and everything. If I was Apple, I'd much rather skip the Pentium 4 line altogether--and that means waiting into mid/late next year.

* The first new M-based Intel desktop chips (dual-core Sossaman) will be 32-bit I believe. That's OK for iMacs possibly (it matters to few users), but PowerMacs should not step back away from 64-bit (they may wait for the Conroe chip). PowerBooks will go 64 bit in a year and a half maybe, with the Merom chip (dual core, 64-bit laptop chip). All M-based.

So Intel's roadmap may affect Apple's rollout. See:
http://freespace.virgin.net/m.warner/Roadmap2006.htm

Apple may use some Pentium 4/Xeon chips if they have to, but I'm thinking it would affect their hardware design in terms of cooling, and therefore even in terms of physical size.

I'm new to Intel stuff, so corrections are welcomed.
 
AidenShaw said:
Rosetta will run most applications at modest speed (unless they depend on AltiVec, in which case they'll run slowly or not at all).

Sounds like an easy decision for consumers make...
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sunny as always.
 
_bnkr612 said:
Staples already carries a 13" iBook doppelgänger.

Yuck.
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Yuck?! That's the *exact* model I'll be getting if Apple doesn't get their act together! :mad:

(Seriously. I saw it in my local Staples and, other than not being a Mac, it rapes current iBooks: it's cheap, small, fast, and would run Slackware *very* nicely. I think I can BTO it without Windows.) :eek:
 
JonMaker said:
(Seriously. I saw it in my local Staples and, other than not being a Mac, it rapes current iBooks: it's cheap, small, fast, and would run Slackware *very* nicely. I think I can BTO it without Windows.) :eek:
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that little avratec is a real bargain.
 
as much as exciting and thrill the new iBook sounds, i think i should stick to Powerbook :eek: i'm getting new laptop, as of now i probably will stick with my original plan of getting a PB 15" 1.67
 
Rangerhall6 said:
every other apple store around the world has iBooks with very delayed shipping accept for the US store, how could someone say its not coming?
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how com ethe US ibooks wouldn't have delayed shipping compared to the rest of the world?
 
Shovel said:
Thus I bought my 12" iBook 2 weeks ago.

I've had the machine for almost a week.
Click to expand...

We got our first mac earlier this year with the Mac mini. Now that my wife needed a notebook for some college classes, we bought her a 12" iBook at CompUSA during their "employee pricing" sale this last weekend. We got her machine for $920. While it was a good deal, I think we will personally take advantage of their 21 day no restocking fee return policy if these new iBooks come out as rumored.

Has anyone commented on what the new pricing structure might be if these new iBooks do come out??
 
kahleeb said:
We got our first mac earlier this year with the Mac mini. Now that my wife needed a notebook for some college classes, we bought her a 12" iBook at CompUSA during their "employee pricing" sale this last weekend. We got her machine for $920. While it was a good deal, I think we will personally take advantage of their 21 day no restocking fee return policy if these new iBooks come out as rumored.

Has anyone commented on what the new pricing structure might be if these new iBooks do come out??
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Are you sure is no restocking fee? you open it already... :rolleyes:
 
JonMaker said:
Yuck?! That's the *exact* model I'll be getting if Apple doesn't get their act together!
Click to expand...
That's the exact model you'll be getting if apple DOES get it's act together. What a rip-off!! :rolleyes:
 
10" widescreen

JonMaker said:
Yuck?! That's the *exact* model I'll be getting if Apple doesn't get their act together! :mad:

(Seriously. I saw it in my local Staples and, other than not being a Mac, it rapes current iBooks: it's cheap, small, fast, and would run Slackware *very* nicely. I think I can BTO it without Windows.) :eek:
Click to expand...


Even better look at the ibook mini made by that company:

http://www.averatec.com/notebooks/1000series.htm
 
I can hear it now, in that Apple guy voice:

"The new widescreen iBook. HD... for the rest of us."
 
kahleeb said:
We got our first mac earlier this year with the Mac mini. Now that my wife needed a notebook for some college classes, we bought her a 12" iBook at CompUSA during their "employee pricing" sale this last weekend. We got her machine for $920. While it was a good deal, I think we will personally take advantage of their 21 day no restocking fee return policy if these new iBooks come out as rumored.

Has anyone commented on what the new pricing structure might be if these new iBooks do come out??
Click to expand...

If she's in college, you might want to check out the educational pricing at the online Apple store. I haven't tried it yet, but they might also give it to her at a walk-in Apple store if she's got her ID. Her college may also be selling Apple stuff directly at a discount. Don't forget, they're offering a free iPod mini if you buy a qualifying system... oh, and they've been sending me $30 off coupons every few months in e-mail, too.
 
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