The one thing i want before i go too uni is a revamped iBook. my brother has the top edition out of the the first line of the white ones, and now the screen's died on him! guess that's just a bug from the first edition.
I'm not actually going to be buying one fro at least a year, but I would really like to see G4 processors, even at speeds slightly slower than the current G3s. The size could be kept the same, but wouldnt it be cool if apple changed the outer surface somehow to a brushed metal (exactly as in the iTunes interface)? I know that would annoy some people, and most likely add somethng to the overall weight, but i would indeed like something that mimicks the titanium powerbook in some way!
give it an 800 mHz G4 just like the iMac and i will buy one right away....a year ago the rumor came out that there would be a 1800 dollar iMac and everyone say no way would it sell....i said at the time, i would buy it if it was G4 with superdrive and a flat screen....and it freakin was with a cool new shape too...ordered about 7 minutes into the unveiling (helped that TimeCanada had the photos and story up the night before so i could be prepared)....i have my credit card ready.....if i have to wait a few more months that would be ok...but if the iBook gets a G4 in january then apple gets my money sooner....g
<strong>The one thing i want before i go too uni is a revamped iBook. my brother has the top edition out of the the first line of the white ones, and now the screen's died on him! guess that's just a bug from the first edition.
I'm not actually going to be buying one fro at least a year, but I would really like to see G4 processors, even at speeds slightly slower than the current G3s. The size could be kept the same, but wouldnt it be cool if apple changed the outer surface somehow to a brushed metal (exactly as in the iTunes interface)? I know that would annoy some people, and most likely add somethng to the overall weight, but i would indeed like something that mimicks the titanium powerbook in some way!</strong><hr></blockquote>
It anything I'd want the TiBook to mimick the iBook, not the other way around.
NO, they're NOT! Considering that Powerbooks once cost 2199, and that components in this day are much cheaper than they were when 2199 described the entry price, 2299 is still the wrong price for a sub Ghz powerbook. They should be inching towards 1999 on the entry level powerbook. People shouldn't need an edu discount to buy macs at only slightly (as opposed to grossly) inflated prices.</strong><hr></blockquote>
I take it the recent $900 price drop on the 800Mhz model wasn't enough for you.
I take it the recent $900 price drop on the 800Mhz model wasn't enough for you.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Nope, they should sell everything at a loss so that they will go out of business faster, that would make many of the whiners here happy. They wouldn't have anything to b!tch about though (but they probably haven't thought about that, like most of their posts)
"I still think it's funny that Apple's best low-end value is a laptop."
I have to agree. Though a while back I wasn't sure about this. You saw that one coming. I guess you were right. Laptops, Apple's best chance of growth?
"I can only hope this means an aggressive low-end desktop strategy. I know, I was against this before, but for better or for worse, the edu market has spoken."
Glad you agree, at last.
Whither the 'aggressive' low-end desktop strategy, eh?
If they can make an iBook for £850 inc Vat with a 700mhz G3 processor, I'm sure they can make an attractive...monitorless Mac for £499 inc Vat.
As for iBook San Fran', I wouldn't rule out a G4/Superdrive iBook, at the 'Powerbook' price Matsu would like. Special edition territory?
The iBook is currently Apple's computer hit, relatively speaking. Aint it even outselling 'power'Macs now? (Tee-hee...)
Play to that strength for the time being.
That enamel app' is quite seductive. My wife wanted one! Got one! And she's computer phobic!
I'm still left Mac-less! Have to pinch goes...
Though I still think similar actions need to be taken with the desktop range. Only Apple could make a cheaper laptop than they can a desktop. Are they nuts? Get rid of the classic iMac jelly bean and get...
A sub-eMac monitorless box. Cubed shape of course (quick, somebody get the Appleinsider medic in here...Lemon's going over the edge with his edu' Cube fetish again...)
Nope, they should sell everything at a loss so that they will go out of business faster, that would make many of the whiners here happy. They wouldn't have anything to b!tch about though (but they probably haven't thought about that, like most of their posts)"
Guess it aint when PC World are offering a Dell for £150 more. With much faster cpu and a 'Superdrive'. £999 inc Vat. Not bad, eh?
Still, the recent iBook price cuts show Apple at least have some fight in it. The sooner a G4 or rather, my pref', the 'Thinksecret' enhanced IBM G3 hits the iBook, the better. And adding Superdrive to the top model is what iBookers are waiting for?
Don't compare models to their discontinued forbears. There is not price drop when only a limited quantity is available. Compare price points, computers are expected to get faster, the price of a now discontinued model means nothing, you compare the entry level to the entry level and the high end to the high end, specs are expected to improve, Apple doesn't get a special by because they've made an update (overdue) the rest of the industry updates as well.
This holds whether it is in Apple's favor or not. I had to make the same argument for some of the mac dimwits upon the release of the MDD macs. People were crying 'cause the MDD dual Ghz wasn't really faster than the QS dual Ghz model. But that is an entirely warped line of thinking. The MDD dual Ghz is a whole lot faster than the SP933 QS which it replaced, just as the DP867 is a whole lot faster than the cacheless sp800 which it replaced. When you compare old to new models, you compare new price points to past price points, NOT other similarities.
The 800 gets compared to the new 1Ghz, inventory clearing end of line sell off DOES NOT count as a price reduction, as it will not last more than a few weeks at best. We're talking about regular prices here, you know, what most people have to pay when they buy something Apple.
Ok, Matsu, point well-taken. Let's compare the old 800Mhz to the new 1Ghz (not the Superdrive model). US$700 price drop. And, the old 667Mhz to the new 867Mhz. $200 price drop. Better features, lower prices on both.
My point is that I think you expect too much in the way of better features and price drops. We got some of both with the recently introduced PowerBooks and iBooks. I think Apple has done well at boosting features while lowering prices.
Okay, I'm trying to get into the whole MWNY spirit, so here's my predictions, when it's only nine days away...
iPod pricedrop/storage bump. Simply because my friends at the Apple Stores say they are no longer being shipped the 5GB model, and the others are in short supply. It was eventual. Why do I say this? If you had a pricedrop/storage bump in the pipeline, wouldn't you wait for MWNY?
iMac screen/speed bumps. 15" model may be eradicated, or just go edu-only. Same as above, retail stores aren't getting the 15" model shipped in at nearly the same rate. The rumor mill has been on this one for months, as well. It's also as simple as looking at the iMac vs. the eMac.. who'd pay so much more for a smaller screen? Sure, those of us who know about the G4 and the value of an LCD, but most consumers just care about the size of the screen they get to look at. 15" is dead, these days.
Updated PowerBooks. It's about time for the two-year cycle that has been proven for updates/revamps/redesigns to take effect. Apple has barely touched the titanium enclosure of the PowerBook G4 since it came out. Where's the chrome, and the speedholes? (Just kidding.) We all know they need a pricedrop, as well.
Hopefully iSync will either be released, 1.0 final, or at least the date of the release and some future details/features/device support will be announced.
The mobile communications device may come out at MWNY, but I think it would be better suited at its own event, as not to overshadow the other improvements or be overlooked, such as the iPod introduction ensured for the little music player that has been so successful. I wouldn't mind waiting if it ensured product quality and launch success.
[quote]I'm hewing to my original speculation that the iBook line with bifurcate into a lower-line, education-friendly model with the white plastic case and aggressive pricing, and an "iBook DV" (although they probably won't use that name) line with a snazzier case, more power, and more options. Maybe a larger screen as well? <hr></blockquote>
Well, how about re-branding the new low-end all-white iBook the eBook and introducing an all-new iBook? (G4, new case, etc., etc.) This would restore a certain symmetry to the product line that disappeared when the iMac moved upmarket.
The iBook used to be the "iMac to go", back in the swoopy blueberry and tangerine days. Wouldn't it make sense for the iBook to become the "iMacG4 to go"?
[quote]The invention pertains to electronic devices capable of dynamically changing their ornamental or decorative appearance, i.e., the outer appearance as seen by a user. The electronic devices generally include an illuminable housing. The illuminable housing, which includes at least one wall configured for the passage of light, is configured to enclose, cover and protect a light arrangement as well as functional components of the electronic device. The light arrangement, which generally includes one or more light sources, is configured to produce light for transmission through the light passing wall(s) of the illuminable housing. The transmitted light illuminates the wall(s) thus giving the wall a new appearance. That is, the transmitted light effectively alters the ornamental or decorative appearance of the electronic device. In most cases, the light is controlled so as to produce a light effect having specific characteristics or attributes. As such, the electronic device may be configured to provide additional feedback to the user of the electronic device and to give users the ability to personalize or change the look of their electronic device on an on-going basis. That is, a housing of the electronic device is active rather than passive, i.e., the housing has the ability to adapt and change. For example, the light may be used to exhibit a housing behavior that reflects the desires or moods of the user, that reflects inputs or outputs for the electronic device, or that reacts to tasks or events associated with operation of the electronic device. <hr></blockquote>
I don't know WTF it is. Never mind. There are certain ideas stirring in Apple's mind anyway. And I believe iBooks get Gobi G3 much sooner than G4. And I think Steve wants product updates to come more often so that they don't have time to get too old. They can do that by producing each model in smaller quantities and mixing old ones with new ones (e.g. two higher-end 14" iBooks get Gobi at 1GHz while 12" ones retain current G3s at 800MHz).
Seanyepez is full of sh*t. He's just trolling for attention. He doesn't know anyone who works for Apple, he really has no idea what is going on. He is probably just using his reputation (nearly 7000 posts) to buy himself credibility.
Apple will NOT update the iBook any time soon, and here's why:
1. They never update a product twice in two months. They may add to the line, but they never do an actual update.
2. They never decrease clock speed with an update. The only exception I know of is when they went from the 40 MHz IIfx to the 25 MHz Quadra 900. The only possibility is keeping them at the same clock speed, and a 700 and 800 MHz G4 isn't unreasonable (when the time is right, that is, and the time isn't right yet, it's too early).
3. They never have a whole slew of updates at a Macworld. They will update one or two of their products, that's it. The iBook is last on the priority list for updates. First is the iMac/eMac, then the PowerMac, then the iPod, then the iBook/PowerBook. That means that they'd probably have to unveil three or four major product updates for the iBook to be updated.
4. The iBook represents the best price/performance ratio of any Mac right now. The desktops are the worst. We know that. Apple knows that. They will not be dumb and keep updating the laptops without updating desktops.
5. The iBook's enclosure is fine. The TiBook's is also wonderful but it has a few design flaws like Airport range, durability, and paint chipping. Also, it's older. The iBook has as close to a perfect form factor as you can get. The only wish of mine would be to make it thinner and lighter, by a half inch or so and a pound or two. I would expect a PowerBook enclosure update first.
6. According to his predictions, in addition to a G4 and a new form factor, the bus speed will be raised to 133 MHz. That won't happen yet. It'll happen on the iMac first, then it'll happen on the iBook. For now, though, it's staying at 100 MHz. The iMac went to a 100 MHz bus in 1999, while the iBook didn't get there until 2001. Once the machines hit a GHz, they'll HAVE to bump up the bus to keep the machines gaining speed. Anything above a GHz on a 100 MHz bus is wasted speed.
I find it interesting that few people at MacNN have stood up to Sean's BS. Not that he's a bad guy, but these "predictions" are junk, no more credible than predictions of a 17"/19"/21" iMac LCD lineup or a dual 1.8 GHz PowerMac Athlon system.
Also, this is harmful to the Mac community because people are going to return their iBooks or hold off buying iBooks until MWSF. Once nothing happens, they'll say "aw shucks" and get one anyway, and then less time would have passed until they become obsolete.
Comments
<strong>Preach on, brother! I'm with you in wrongness.
Stick with me, brother man, and come next week, we'll be the "two who nailed it".
Or, perhaps, the two biggest knuckleheads at AI.
Either way, it's a unique honor that I would cherish.
<strong>
<a href="http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,20017,00.html"; target="_blank">Flying Cars</a> are old news.
I'm still waiting for sexbots.</strong><hr></blockquote>
I'm still waiting for my hoverboard. Damn that would be soo cool...!!!
I'm not actually going to be buying one fro at least a year, but I would really like to see G4 processors, even at speeds slightly slower than the current G3s. The size could be kept the same, but wouldnt it be cool if apple changed the outer surface somehow to a brushed metal (exactly as in the iTunes interface)? I know that would annoy some people, and most likely add somethng to the overall weight, but i would indeed like something that mimicks the titanium powerbook in some way!
<strong>The one thing i want before i go too uni is a revamped iBook. my brother has the top edition out of the the first line of the white ones, and now the screen's died on him! guess that's just a bug from the first edition.
I'm not actually going to be buying one fro at least a year, but I would really like to see G4 processors, even at speeds slightly slower than the current G3s. The size could be kept the same, but wouldnt it be cool if apple changed the outer surface somehow to a brushed metal (exactly as in the iTunes interface)? I know that would annoy some people, and most likely add somethng to the overall weight, but i would indeed like something that mimicks the titanium powerbook in some way!</strong><hr></blockquote>
It anything I'd want the TiBook to mimick the iBook, not the other way around.
<strong>
NO, they're NOT!
I take it the recent $900 price drop on the 800Mhz model wasn't enough for you.
<strong>
I take it the recent $900 price drop on the 800Mhz model wasn't enough for you.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Nope, they should sell everything at a loss so that they will go out of business faster, that would make many of the whiners here happy. They wouldn't have anything to b!tch about though (but they probably haven't thought about that, like most of their posts)
I have to agree. Though a while back I wasn't sure about this. You saw that one coming. I guess you were right.
"I can only hope this means an aggressive low-end desktop strategy. I know, I was against this before, but for better or for worse, the edu market has spoken."
Glad you agree, at last.
Whither the 'aggressive' low-end desktop strategy, eh?
If they can make an iBook for £850 inc Vat with a 700mhz G3 processor, I'm sure they can make an attractive...monitorless Mac for £499 inc Vat.
As for iBook San Fran', I wouldn't rule out a G4/Superdrive iBook, at the 'Powerbook' price Matsu would like. Special edition territory?
The iBook is currently Apple's computer hit, relatively speaking. Aint it even outselling 'power'Macs now? (Tee-hee...)
Play to that strength for the time being.
That enamel app' is quite seductive. My wife wanted one! Got one! And she's computer phobic!
I'm still left Mac-less! Have to pinch goes...
Though I still think similar actions need to be taken with the desktop range. Only Apple could make a cheaper laptop than they can a desktop. Are they nuts? Get rid of the classic iMac jelly bean and get...
A sub-eMac monitorless box. Cubed shape of course (quick, somebody get the Appleinsider medic in here...Lemon's going over the edge with his edu' Cube fetish again...)
Lemon Bon Bon
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nope, they should sell everything at a loss so that they will go out of business faster, that would make many of the whiners here happy. They wouldn't have anything to b!tch about though (but they probably haven't thought about that, like most of their posts)"
Guess it aint when PC World are offering a Dell for £150 more. With much faster cpu and a 'Superdrive'. £999 inc Vat. Not bad, eh?
Still, the recent iBook price cuts show Apple at least have some fight in it. The sooner a G4 or rather, my pref', the 'Thinksecret' enhanced IBM G3 hits the iBook, the better. And adding Superdrive to the top model is what iBookers are waiting for?
Lemon Bon Bon
This holds whether it is in Apple's favor or not. I had to make the same argument for some of the mac dimwits upon the release of the MDD macs. People were crying 'cause the MDD dual Ghz wasn't really faster than the QS dual Ghz model. But that is an entirely warped line of thinking. The MDD dual Ghz is a whole lot faster than the SP933 QS which it replaced, just as the DP867 is a whole lot faster than the cacheless sp800 which it replaced. When you compare old to new models, you compare new price points to past price points, NOT other similarities.
The 800 gets compared to the new 1Ghz, inventory clearing end of line sell off DOES NOT count as a price reduction, as it will not last more than a few weeks at best. We're talking about regular prices here, you know, what most people have to pay when they buy something Apple.
My point is that I think you expect too much in the way of better features and price drops. We got some of both with the recently introduced PowerBooks and iBooks. I think Apple has done well at boosting features while lowering prices.
iPod pricedrop/storage bump. Simply because my friends at the Apple Stores say they are no longer being shipped the 5GB model, and the others are in short supply. It was eventual. Why do I say this? If you had a pricedrop/storage bump in the pipeline, wouldn't you wait for MWNY?
iMac screen/speed bumps. 15" model may be eradicated, or just go edu-only. Same as above, retail stores aren't getting the 15" model shipped in at nearly the same rate. The rumor mill has been on this one for months, as well. It's also as simple as looking at the iMac vs. the eMac.. who'd pay so much more for a smaller screen? Sure, those of us who know about the G4 and the value of an LCD, but most consumers just care about the size of the screen they get to look at. 15" is dead, these days.
Updated PowerBooks. It's about time for the two-year cycle that has been proven for updates/revamps/redesigns to take effect. Apple has barely touched the titanium enclosure of the PowerBook G4 since it came out. Where's the chrome, and the speedholes? (Just kidding.) We all know they need a pricedrop, as well.
Hopefully iSync will either be released, 1.0 final, or at least the date of the release and some future details/features/device support will be announced.
The mobile communications device may come out at MWNY, but I think it would be better suited at its own event, as not to overshadow the other improvements or be overlooked, such as the iPod introduction ensured for the little music player that has been so successful. I wouldn't mind waiting if it ensured product quality and launch success.
Well, how about re-branding the new low-end all-white iBook the eBook and introducing an all-new iBook? (G4, new case, etc., etc.) This would restore a certain symmetry to the product line that disappeared when the iMac moved upmarket.
The iBook used to be the "iMac to go", back in the swoopy blueberry and tangerine days. Wouldn't it make sense for the iBook to become the "iMacG4 to go"?
<a href="http://www.macrumors.com/"; target="_blank">http://www.macrumors.com/</a>;
Quote:
[quote]The invention pertains to electronic devices capable of dynamically changing their ornamental or decorative appearance, i.e., the outer appearance as seen by a user. The electronic devices generally include an illuminable housing. The illuminable housing, which includes at least one wall configured for the passage of light, is configured to enclose, cover and protect a light arrangement as well as functional components of the electronic device. The light arrangement, which generally includes one or more light sources, is configured to produce light for transmission through the light passing wall(s) of the illuminable housing. The transmitted light illuminates the wall(s) thus giving the wall a new appearance. That is, the transmitted light effectively alters the ornamental or decorative appearance of the electronic device. In most cases, the light is controlled so as to produce a light effect having specific characteristics or attributes. As such, the electronic device may be configured to provide additional feedback to the user of the electronic device and to give users the ability to personalize or change the look of their electronic device on an on-going basis. That is, a housing of the electronic device is active rather than passive, i.e., the housing has the ability to adapt and change. For example, the light may be used to exhibit a housing behavior that reflects the desires or moods of the user, that reflects inputs or outputs for the electronic device, or that reacts to tasks or events associated with operation of the electronic device. <hr></blockquote>
I don't know WTF it is. Never mind. There are certain ideas stirring in Apple's mind anyway. And I believe iBooks get Gobi G3 much sooner than G4. And I think Steve wants product updates to come more often so that they don't have time to get too old. They can do that by producing each model in smaller quantities and mixing old ones with new ones (e.g. two higher-end 14" iBooks get Gobi at 1GHz while 12" ones retain current G3s at 800MHz).
Why not?
Apple will NOT update the iBook any time soon, and here's why:
1. They never update a product twice in two months. They may add to the line, but they never do an actual update.
2. They never decrease clock speed with an update. The only exception I know of is when they went from the 40 MHz IIfx to the 25 MHz Quadra 900. The only possibility is keeping them at the same clock speed, and a 700 and 800 MHz G4 isn't unreasonable (when the time is right, that is, and the time isn't right yet, it's too early).
3. They never have a whole slew of updates at a Macworld. They will update one or two of their products, that's it. The iBook is last on the priority list for updates. First is the iMac/eMac, then the PowerMac, then the iPod, then the iBook/PowerBook. That means that they'd probably have to unveil three or four major product updates for the iBook to be updated.
4. The iBook represents the best price/performance ratio of any Mac right now. The desktops are the worst. We know that. Apple knows that. They will not be dumb and keep updating the laptops without updating desktops.
5. The iBook's enclosure is fine. The TiBook's is also wonderful but it has a few design flaws like Airport range, durability, and paint chipping. Also, it's older. The iBook has as close to a perfect form factor as you can get. The only wish of mine would be to make it thinner and lighter, by a half inch or so and a pound or two. I would expect a PowerBook enclosure update first.
6. According to his predictions, in addition to a G4 and a new form factor, the bus speed will be raised to 133 MHz. That won't happen yet. It'll happen on the iMac first, then it'll happen on the iBook. For now, though, it's staying at 100 MHz. The iMac went to a 100 MHz bus in 1999, while the iBook didn't get there until 2001. Once the machines hit a GHz, they'll HAVE to bump up the bus to keep the machines gaining speed. Anything above a GHz on a 100 MHz bus is wasted speed.
I find it interesting that few people at MacNN have stood up to Sean's BS. Not that he's a bad guy, but these "predictions" are junk, no more credible than predictions of a 17"/19"/21" iMac LCD lineup or a dual 1.8 GHz PowerMac Athlon system.
Also, this is harmful to the Mac community because people are going to return their iBooks or hold off buying iBooks until MWSF. Once nothing happens, they'll say "aw shucks" and get one anyway, and then less time would have passed until they become obsolete.
I wish it were so...
Lemon Bon Bon
I hope Apple go back to translucent, I think they've only made the new Macs opaque to hide the "new, improved" components inside.
Andrew
Heh. That's funny.
Lemon Bon Bon