IMHO, that was a mistake bigger than the preforma, the things were ugly nasty and tacky, noy to mention, the flimsy cheesy feel of the thing because it was a weird shape, and the handle, what were they thinking?
Um, no.
The surface of the clamshell iBook was one of the most wrist-friendly I've ever seen, and the texturing was just a bonus. Those things felt as solid as they were, and they were extroverted in a very appealing way. And it recalled its spiritual forefather, the wildly popular eMate.
The handle was a great idea on a notebook that weighed that much. If some people were dogged by insecurities that prevented them from appreciating the design, it was their loss.
The real disadvantage of the clamshell was the 800x600 screen, right before the advent of OS X. (It was also a bit large and a bit heavy, which didn't help.) But I loved the shape, from a practical as well as an aesthetic point of view.
If anything, I'd like to see the iBook trend back that way, at least somewhat. There's a lot to be said for a textured, organic design.
If anything, I'd like to see the iBook trend back that way, at least somewhat. There's a lot to be said for a textured, organic design.
Count me in. I miss the days of bootylicious curvy iBooks and PowerBooks. Sure the square slabs are space efficient for standard square components. But the curves that arrived with the Wallstreet PowerBooks and graced Apple portables through the Pismo and iBook/466 were simply unrivalled.
Hélas, I fear that curvy organic shapes no longer fit with Jonathan Ives' minimalist brushed aluminum style.
Nonetheless, there's no doubt in my mind that curvy and small/light are not mutually exclusive. The fusion of curves with a small and light portable could produce a wonder of design.
I always kinda liked the look of the toilet seat iBook. Hated the blue and green, though the creamsicle orange was neat, and the graphite looked very nice.
Organic shapes are nice but they will always make the machine bigger than it has to be. So long as the emphisis is on maximum portability, all 'books will be as slab like as possible.
I don't think the umpteenth degree of portability should be a part of the iBook design brief neccessarily. Full features, ruggedness, and long battery life at a reasonable weight are the real objectives. To that end, it wouldn't hurt apple to revisit some of the ideas and curves of the first iBook and Pismo in a new edition of the iBook.
Also, how to bring texture to the powerbooks?
They should stay thin and light. That means slabs. But what about surface texture.
I think any of the PB's would look awsome wrapped in leather! Black, brown, rust, tan, crocidile print, suede. They all look great with silver metal. Imagine a book made of Al that looked sort of like an ultra thin modern Italian brief case, only it opens up and it's a notebook!
...The surface of the clamshell iBook was one of the most wrist-friendly I've ever seen, and the texturing was just a bonus. Those things felt as solid as they were, and they were extroverted in a very appealing way. And it recalled its spiritual forefather, the wildly popular eMate....
Personally I prefer the Pismo to the clamshell iBook, but I can't stand the slab design for the reason you point out Amorph. Sleek industrial design is nice, but you still need to work with the thing, and the ergonomics of the clamshell and pismo beat the slab hands down. To go back to the all popular car analogies (OH NO!!!!!! ) I'll take a Porsche over a Delorian any day of the week, and twice on Sundays....
I always kinda liked the look of the toilet seat iBook. Hated the blue and green, though the creamsicle orange was neat, and the graphite looked very nice.
Organic shapes are nice but they will always make the machine bigger than it has to be. So long as the emphisis is on maximum portability, all 'books will be as slab like as possible.
On the other hand, if you want durability, slabs suck. The big, round shell of the iBook made for great armor.
One of the iBook's stated design goals is ruggedness.
I like the simplicity of all ibooks as 13.3" - but I think there is too much demand for a smaller footprints for the all important education business. The 12" allows apple to continue to maintain this price point and be competitive for this particular market.
If there was a big market for small foot prints in the education market, you woyuld see a ton of orders for Sony 505s.
When Apple loses and education contract, they lose it to HP and Dell, and they are not providing 5lb/12" notebooks.
Size is pretty irrelevant for education customer, pretty much it is about
1. Platform
2. Price
3. Networking
size isn't even on the list. When Apple loses it is because the new IT guys say apple's suck. when Apple wins it is because they figured out networking is a snap and there is all kinds of nifty software that makes their jobs easy. They don't care if it comes in a 12" or a 15" package.
I'll take a Porsche over a Delorian any day of the week, and twice on Sundays....
Delorean's weren't exactly performance cars. bad analogy. Furthermore, early eighties porsches were ugly. . . hell, Porsches are still kind of ugly. There are better ways to get girls in the sack AND better ways to race.
Count me in. I miss the days of bootylicious curvy iBooks and PowerBooks. Sure the square slabs are space efficient for standard square components. But the curves that arrived with the Wallstreet PowerBooks and graced Apple portables through the Pismo and iBook/466 were simply unrivalled.
Hélas, I fear that curvy organic shapes no longer fit with Jonathan Ives' minimalist brushed aluminum style.
Nonetheless, there's no doubt in my mind that curvy and small/light are not mutually exclusive. The fusion of curves with a small and light portable could produce a wonder of design.
Escher
Hear hear! While I love my Tibook, there's never been a finger-looking laptop than the Pismo. I'm sick of Apple's minimalist "slab" designs. I've found the new iBooks boring since they were first introduced in comparison to the older and more fun ones. I don't see why people drool over the white iBooks.
(No offense to those who love the look of Apple's current Powerbooks and iBooks.)
Organic shapes are nice but they will always make the machine bigger than it has to be. So long as the emphisis is on maximum portability, all 'books will be as slab like as possible.
Bigger yes. But not necessarily heavier! In my opinion, light weight is more important than the absolutely smallest size possible (at leat for a notebook). Curves may also make an object look smaller than it actually is. The visual impression of a notbook is at least as important as its absolute dimensions.
Personally I prefer the Pismo to the clamshell iBook, but I can't stand the slab design for the reason you point out Amorph. Sleek industrial design is nice, but you still need to work with the thing, and the ergonomics of the clamshell and pismo beat the slab hands down.
I ordered a BTO Wallstreet PowerBook when they came out. My Wallstreet was fairly large and weighed a whopping 7.5 lbs (a solid pound more than my 6.4 lbs PB 520c). Yet the gently rounded edges and fantastic grippy rubber strip made it visually attractive. The Wallstreet PowerBook received many envious compliments. My point: You could have a new iBook that weighed as much as the current one, was physically a bit larger, but looked smaller and was significantly more ergonomic because of a curvier design.
Final point on the current Aluminum PowerBooks: Sure, their slab design is space-efficient. But can anybody claim (in good faith) that they prefer that sharp gray plastic front edge of the wrist area over the smooth curvy edge of a Wallstreet, Pismo or Clamshell iBook? I don't think so!
I don't see why people drool over the white iBooks.
(No offense to those who love the look of Apple's current Powerbooks and iBooks.)
In that case, I'll have to tell why I drool over the white iBooks.
IMHO they have the most "hacker" looks available. They're just the right form factor to whip out of a messenger bag, hack with for a minute and slip it back to the bag. They look like lab equipment, and quite unlike any other laptop. The Powerbooks, though stylish in their own way, are closer to PC's (and regular computers overall) with the metallic look.
When I look at an iBook, I think of Ayn Rand's "The Fountainhead". The iBook is plastic and not the least bit ashamed of it. The average PC laptop is plastic, but tries to hide it behind a metal paint facade.
Comments
Originally posted by a_greer
IMHO, that was a mistake bigger than the preforma, the things were ugly nasty and tacky, noy to mention, the flimsy cheesy feel of the thing because it was a weird shape, and the handle, what were they thinking?
Um, no.
The surface of the clamshell iBook was one of the most wrist-friendly I've ever seen, and the texturing was just a bonus. Those things felt as solid as they were, and they were extroverted in a very appealing way. And it recalled its spiritual forefather, the wildly popular eMate.
The handle was a great idea on a notebook that weighed that much. If some people were dogged by insecurities that prevented them from appreciating the design, it was their loss.
The real disadvantage of the clamshell was the 800x600 screen, right before the advent of OS X. (It was also a bit large and a bit heavy, which didn't help.) But I loved the shape, from a practical as well as an aesthetic point of view.
If anything, I'd like to see the iBook trend back that way, at least somewhat. There's a lot to be said for a textured, organic design.
Originally posted by Amorph
If anything, I'd like to see the iBook trend back that way, at least somewhat. There's a lot to be said for a textured, organic design.
Count me in. I miss the days of bootylicious curvy iBooks and PowerBooks. Sure the square slabs are space efficient for standard square components. But the curves that arrived with the Wallstreet PowerBooks and graced Apple portables through the Pismo and iBook/466 were simply unrivalled.
Hélas, I fear that curvy organic shapes no longer fit with Jonathan Ives' minimalist brushed aluminum style.
Nonetheless, there's no doubt in my mind that curvy and small/light are not mutually exclusive. The fusion of curves with a small and light portable could produce a wonder of design.
Escher
Organic shapes are nice but they will always make the machine bigger than it has to be. So long as the emphisis is on maximum portability, all 'books will be as slab like as possible.
I don't think the umpteenth degree of portability should be a part of the iBook design brief neccessarily. Full features, ruggedness, and long battery life at a reasonable weight are the real objectives. To that end, it wouldn't hurt apple to revisit some of the ideas and curves of the first iBook and Pismo in a new edition of the iBook.
Also, how to bring texture to the powerbooks?
They should stay thin and light. That means slabs. But what about surface texture.
I think any of the PB's would look awsome wrapped in leather! Black, brown, rust, tan, crocidile print, suede. They all look great with silver metal. Imagine a book made of Al that looked sort of like an ultra thin modern Italian brief case, only it opens up and it's a notebook!
Originally posted by Amorph
...The surface of the clamshell iBook was one of the most wrist-friendly I've ever seen, and the texturing was just a bonus. Those things felt as solid as they were, and they were extroverted in a very appealing way. And it recalled its spiritual forefather, the wildly popular eMate....
Personally I prefer the Pismo to the clamshell iBook, but I can't stand the slab design for the reason you point out Amorph. Sleek industrial design is nice, but you still need to work with the thing, and the ergonomics of the clamshell and pismo beat the slab hands down. To go back to the all popular car analogies (OH NO!!!!!!
Originally posted by Matsu
I always kinda liked the look of the toilet seat iBook. Hated the blue and green, though the creamsicle orange was neat, and the graphite looked very nice.
Organic shapes are nice but they will always make the machine bigger than it has to be. So long as the emphisis is on maximum portability, all 'books will be as slab like as possible.
On the other hand, if you want durability, slabs suck. The big, round shell of the iBook made for great armor.
One of the iBook's stated design goals is ruggedness.
Originally posted by hasapi
Id take the PB G51.6G 15" NOW!.
I like the simplicity of all ibooks as 13.3" - but I think there is too much demand for a smaller footprints for the all important education business. The 12" allows apple to continue to maintain this price point and be competitive for this particular market.
If there was a big market for small foot prints in the education market, you woyuld see a ton of orders for Sony 505s.
When Apple loses and education contract, they lose it to HP and Dell, and they are not providing 5lb/12" notebooks.
Size is pretty irrelevant for education customer, pretty much it is about
1. Platform
2. Price
3. Networking
size isn't even on the list. When Apple loses it is because the new IT guys say apple's suck. when Apple wins it is because they figured out networking is a snap and there is all kinds of nifty software that makes their jobs easy. They don't care if it comes in a 12" or a 15" package.
Laptop program reviews
Originally posted by @homenow
I'll take a Porsche over a Delorian any day of the week, and twice on Sundays....
Delorean's weren't exactly performance cars. bad analogy. Furthermore, early eighties porsches were ugly. . . hell, Porsches are still kind of ugly. There are better ways to get girls in the sack AND better ways to race.
Anyway, end of tangent.
Originally posted by Escher
Count me in. I miss the days of bootylicious curvy iBooks and PowerBooks. Sure the square slabs are space efficient for standard square components. But the curves that arrived with the Wallstreet PowerBooks and graced Apple portables through the Pismo and iBook/466 were simply unrivalled.
Hélas, I fear that curvy organic shapes no longer fit with Jonathan Ives' minimalist brushed aluminum style.
Nonetheless, there's no doubt in my mind that curvy and small/light are not mutually exclusive. The fusion of curves with a small and light portable could produce a wonder of design.
Escher
Hear hear! While I love my Tibook, there's never been a finger-looking laptop than the Pismo. I'm sick of Apple's minimalist "slab" designs. I've found the new iBooks boring since they were first introduced in comparison to the older and more fun ones. I don't see why people drool over the white iBooks.
(No offense to those who love the look of Apple's current Powerbooks and iBooks.)
3)Still left with only 650MB RAM max limit
That limit (640MB, btw) is already broken today.
Just get one of those rare 1GB modules and you can stock it up to 1152MB.
Originally posted by Matsu
Organic shapes are nice but they will always make the machine bigger than it has to be. So long as the emphisis is on maximum portability, all 'books will be as slab like as possible.
Bigger yes. But not necessarily heavier! In my opinion, light weight is more important than the absolutely smallest size possible (at leat for a notebook). Curves may also make an object look smaller than it actually is. The visual impression of a notbook is at least as important as its absolute dimensions.
Originally posted by @homenow
Personally I prefer the Pismo to the clamshell iBook, but I can't stand the slab design for the reason you point out Amorph. Sleek industrial design is nice, but you still need to work with the thing, and the ergonomics of the clamshell and pismo beat the slab hands down.
I ordered a BTO Wallstreet PowerBook when they came out. My Wallstreet was fairly large and weighed a whopping 7.5 lbs (a solid pound more than my 6.4 lbs PB 520c). Yet the gently rounded edges and fantastic grippy rubber strip made it visually attractive. The Wallstreet PowerBook received many envious compliments. My point: You could have a new iBook that weighed as much as the current one, was physically a bit larger, but looked smaller and was significantly more ergonomic because of a curvier design.
Final point on the current Aluminum PowerBooks: Sure, their slab design is space-efficient. But can anybody claim (in good faith) that they prefer that sharp gray plastic front edge of the wrist area over the smooth curvy edge of a Wallstreet, Pismo or Clamshell iBook? I don't think so!
Escher
Originally posted by Jim Paradise
I don't see why people drool over the white iBooks.
(No offense to those who love the look of Apple's current Powerbooks and iBooks.)
In that case, I'll have to tell why I drool over the white iBooks.
IMHO they have the most "hacker" looks available. They're just the right form factor to whip out of a messenger bag, hack with for a minute and slip it back to the bag. They look like lab equipment, and quite unlike any other laptop. The Powerbooks, though stylish in their own way, are closer to PC's (and regular computers overall) with the metallic look.
When I look at an iBook, I think of Ayn Rand's "The Fountainhead". The iBook is plastic and not the least bit ashamed of it. The average PC laptop is plastic, but tries to hide it behind a metal paint facade.
Call me when they go kitsch.