When will new PowerBooks/iBooks be released?
It looks as if new PowerBooks are due to come out in the next couple of months, and iBooks seem to be shortly following. When do you think the new PowerBook and iBook will come out? I'm not that concerned about what they'll be like (most likely just a speed bump + improved graphics), I'm just wondering when they may be coming out. Maybe the PowerBook at Seybold?
Comments
11/97 - PB G3
6 months
05/98 - PB G3 Series
3 months
08/98 - PB G3 Series upgrade
9 months
05/99 - Lombard
9 months
02/00 - Pismo
11 months
01/01 - PB G4
9 months
10/01 - PB G4 upgrade
6 months
04/02 - PB G4 DVI
mean: 8.1 months
median: 9 months
mode: 9 months
Conclusion: Dec 2002
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iBook's upgrade history:
07/99 - iBook
7 months
02/00 - iBook SE
7 months
09/00 - iBook upgrade (Firewire)
8 months
05/01 - iBook Dual USB
5 months
10/01 - iBook Fall 2001
7 months
05/02 - iBook Summer 2002
mean: 7.2 months
median: 7 months
mode: 7 months
Conclusion: Dec 2002
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Just a bit of (pointless) math. Take it with a Great Salt Lake pinch of salt.
ting5
The longest time between iBook updates was 8 months, between the 366/466 line and the dual USB line. The shortest update was three months if you count the introduction of the 14" iBook and the price drop on the 500/CD model, but if you don't count that then there were two cases of it being updated in 5 months, the 300 to 366 SE from 9/99 to 2/00, and the all-500 MHz line to 500 and 600 from 5/01 to 10/01.
So it looks like we'll get an update in October. I don't think there's much chance of a graphics update unless they updated the card without increasing the VRAM. Currently, the PowerBook, iMac, eMac and low end PowerMac all use 32 MB chips, while the two better PowerMacs and the iBooks cover the ends with 64 and 16 MB respectively. I don't think we'll see a VRAM increase to 32 MB unless the rest of the computers get 64 MB and the PowerMac gets 128 MB. And given that the iMac just got a graphics increase on the top end, it doesn't look like that'll happen for a few months.