No More iBooks?
From Mac Scooby-Doo
"We have promised you some additional info concerning the notebook, we finally got them.
The new PowerBook models will indeed include a 15'' version. But Apple has a dilemma concerning the iBooks. They are currently hesitating between 2 options :
- Continue to produce those entry-level portable computers by increasing the processor clock speed.
- Stop iBook production, and decrease the price of the 12'' PowerBook which will become the entry-level model for Apple portable computers (the G3 Gobi processor at 1.25 GHz was planned for this fall). It is quite important to point out that iBook sales have suffered from the sales of the Alu 12'' mode which is currently the best-seller of the Apple portable computers. Moreover, if Apple stops the iBook, that will be the official end for the G3 processor. It is actually a question, why to keep 3 different processor generations among the different Apple computer models??"
OK, as drastic as this sounds it makes a lot of sense. The G3 is a joke, and what's the difference between the still vaporous Gobi and a 7457 G4? Positioning the iBook and PowerBook lines via clock speed and price is already difficult and artificial and it's only going to get worse. If Apple dumps the iBook they will get massive savings from not maintaining a separate line with all its production and advertising costs. Just make the new 12" 1GHz 7457 G4 Powerbook $1,299 and call it a day.
All the big institutional EDU purchases were made in the last six weeks anyway, and they can sell off the remainder of the current iBooks to Back To School shoppers between now and Paris. Then Steve can dump the iBook line and come out with a whole new lineup of AlBooks with aggresive pricing and sell them to everyone. By the time the next big round of EDU purchases roll around, it'll be almost a year from now and the 12" PB will even cheaper and even better suited as Apple's official Education portable. It could even stay G4 while the 15" and 17" go G5.
Sound good?
"We have promised you some additional info concerning the notebook, we finally got them.
The new PowerBook models will indeed include a 15'' version. But Apple has a dilemma concerning the iBooks. They are currently hesitating between 2 options :
- Continue to produce those entry-level portable computers by increasing the processor clock speed.
- Stop iBook production, and decrease the price of the 12'' PowerBook which will become the entry-level model for Apple portable computers (the G3 Gobi processor at 1.25 GHz was planned for this fall). It is quite important to point out that iBook sales have suffered from the sales of the Alu 12'' mode which is currently the best-seller of the Apple portable computers. Moreover, if Apple stops the iBook, that will be the official end for the G3 processor. It is actually a question, why to keep 3 different processor generations among the different Apple computer models??"
OK, as drastic as this sounds it makes a lot of sense. The G3 is a joke, and what's the difference between the still vaporous Gobi and a 7457 G4? Positioning the iBook and PowerBook lines via clock speed and price is already difficult and artificial and it's only going to get worse. If Apple dumps the iBook they will get massive savings from not maintaining a separate line with all its production and advertising costs. Just make the new 12" 1GHz 7457 G4 Powerbook $1,299 and call it a day.
All the big institutional EDU purchases were made in the last six weeks anyway, and they can sell off the remainder of the current iBooks to Back To School shoppers between now and Paris. Then Steve can dump the iBook line and come out with a whole new lineup of AlBooks with aggresive pricing and sell them to everyone. By the time the next big round of EDU purchases roll around, it'll be almost a year from now and the 12" PB will even cheaper and even better suited as Apple's official Education portable. It could even stay G4 while the 15" and 17" go G5.
Sound good?
Comments
It makes perfect sense to me that they would do this, but it seems like poor planning if they just came up with it now.
Does Gobi have other applications as an embedded processor?
Originally posted by MacsRGood4U
Totally untrue. A design change will be in the offing next year.
And you know this how?
What I heard was that they're planning to drop the iBook for the very reasons above. Also for the same reasons, they're planning to drop the 12" PowerBook, which eats into sales of the 15", the 17" PowerBook, which eats into sales of the 12" and 15", and the PowerMacs. The PowerMac G4 is being dropped because it's priced roughly equal to low end PowerBooks, and is thus eating into their sales.
Since the release of the G5, on the other hand, PowerBook sales have slumped, so Apple are abandoning the new product as clearly it damages their other products. They're also dropping the iMac, which, as a G4 based LCD Mac, is clearly going to eat into PowerBook sales.
Likewise the eMac, which is not only better spec'd than the PowerBooks, but considerably cheaper as well - the profit margins compared to the PowerBook might just as well not exist.
And the Xserve's being dropped too. Because nobody likes them.
With this revised product line, Apple hopes to have a more focussed market, without the difficult one-product-undermining-the-other issue.
Originally posted by Kecksy
I might agree with dumping the iBook line if they brought the price of the 12" PowerBook down to the $999. Not likely to happen. Besides, iBooks are popular with students and schools and they're more durable.
The $999 iBook is a recent item. For years there was no iBook below $1299. Besides the $999 iBook is only that cheap because of the CD-ROM drive, which no consumer in his right mind would buy anyway.
I think Apple can get away with their cheapest portable being $1299 if it's a G4 AlBook. They'll have to hit $999 again for the big EDU purchases 11 months from now, but that should be doable by then.
BTW, who says the iBook is more durable than the 12" AlBook?
i pity the foo who suggests killin the iBook!
Originally posted by applenut
education doesn't just by at one time a year foo!
i pity the foo who suggests killin the iBook!
The great bulk of most school district's hardware budgets are allocated and orders placed in the May-July timeframe for the following school year. That's why the dual USB iBook was orginally introduced in May of 2001 and updates have traditionally been in the late spring.
The current iBooks were obviously used for those purchases this year and will be stretched out to September for Back to School buyers. My point is that there's a nine month window after that to get the AlBooks down to the iBook price points. I think that can be done easily.
Hell, they could have a $999 CD-ROM only version of the 12" AlBook right now if they wanted to, especially if it was EDU only.
Why support two lines, two production runs, two advertising budgets and two processors when the G4 12" PowerBook can do it all?
Originally posted by Ensign Pulver BTW, who says the iBook is more durable than the 12" AlBook?
Everyone. Check the reviews. I'd drop an iBook on the floor before I would a PowerBook!
Originally posted by Jonathan
they're not killing the ****ing iBook.
..says the guy that discounted the leaked Panther screens that turned out to be true.
truly he has become a god of love and compassion instead of hatred, anger and smiting
If not, it'll go.
Originally posted by Jonathan
they're not killing the ****ing iBook.
Darn straight. There is no way that Apple is going to kill the iBook. If the iBook market clashes with the AlBook market, then the iBook neews new specs or a change in price. If its sales have plumeted, then Apple needs to redesign the laptop, not cancel it. Frankly, I think that keeping the current configurations and dropping the prices would be a good way to go. Imagine an $899 iBook?
Yes, the CD is junk for most consumers, but the iBook is sold to lots of students and the state isn't going to shell out money for superdrives. Sometimes there are advantages to having a cheap low end machine.
The G3 is a great low end laptop chip so long as you don't need Altivec. Lots of people don't need Altivec and so it works well in a product.
As for all the R&D money that IBM has put into Gobi, I don't think that it is going to waste (Apple doesn't want to anger IBM). Further, I think that when the 750VX comes out, that Apple will be ditching Moto's G4's.
And the iBook outsells the 12" Powerbook by more than 2:1 here, demand for the 12" Powerbook has fallen off in recent months. The lack of bootable Mac OS 9 is a serious deal killer for most pro customers.
And there is alot more to it than just Quark and other straggler applications,
Originally posted by peharri
It's more drastic than that. My sources tell me they're considering sweeping changes across the product line to deal with the problems generated when two products have slightly overlapping markets.
What I heard was that they're planning to drop the iBook for the very reasons above. Also for the same reasons, they're planning to drop the 12" PowerBook, which eats into sales of the 15", the 17" PowerBook, which eats into sales of the 12" and 15", and the PowerMacs. The PowerMac G4 is being dropped because it's priced roughly equal to low end PowerBooks, and is thus eating into their sales.
Since the release of the G5, on the other hand, PowerBook sales have slumped, so Apple are abandoning the new product as clearly it damages their other products. They're also dropping the iMac, which, as a G4 based LCD Mac, is clearly going to eat into PowerBook sales.
Likewise the eMac, which is not only better spec'd than the PowerBooks, but considerably cheaper as well - the profit margins compared to the PowerBook might just as well not exist.
And the Xserve's being dropped too. Because nobody likes them.
With this revised product line, Apple hopes to have a more focussed market, without the difficult one-product-undermining-the-other issue.