I think that iBook G5s are very unlikely at the moment. One of the best features of the iBook is the brilliant battery life. Surely putting a G5 in it would ruin this. Anyway, most users, (eg. students) will not need the G5 performance and would prefer a cheaper and more durable iBook. If not, they can but the PowerBook, that is why there are two lines.
I think that iBook G5s are very unlikely at the moment. One of the best features of the iBook is the brilliant battery life. Surely putting a G5 in it would ruin this. Anyway, most users, (eg. students) will not need the G5 performance and would prefer a cheaper and more durable iBook. If not, they can but the PowerBook, that is why there are two lines.
I agree. It makes far more sense to have a low price, functionality first notebook line, and then a higher priced, more performance minded model. Having a g5 in both negates that.
I would take a g4 1.5ghz+ iBook over one with a g5 any day, because I like having a laptop that can actually be mobile for more then 2 hours.
Forget the G5s for just a moment. The fact of the matter is that Apple has to do something with the iBooks to keep them competative with the competition. For example, one can buy a Windows notebook with a 15.4" widescreen and its x-bright type screen, a fast Centrino, better graphics card than the iBook, larger hard drive than the iBook, DVD burner, at a price equal or less than a 14" iBook. The heat is on, and Apple has to deliver soon.
well, i couldnt wait, i am an impatient fool. i came across some extra cash, and used the education discount and picked up a 15" powerbook.
i was going to just get the 12" powerbook, but after looking at the screen for 30 minutes, i decided to myself its too small. the non-wide screen also wasnt the greatest for movies (all my dvd's are widescreen). it was hard to pass up though, the 12" is really small, but considering the 15" is well, 15", its still not that big. very slim and light for a 15". the lighted keyboard is neat, but the ambient light sensor is the really nice, having the display dim according to the light.
its pretty fast, feels a lot faster than my mac mini.
all in all, very happy with the purchase, would be a little upset if a G5 laptop was introduced, but not very. if anything, i would rather have a faster desktop than a laptop.
Forget the G5s for just a moment. The fact of the matter is that Apple has to do something with the iBooks to keep them competative with the competition. For example, one can buy a Windows notebook with a 15.4" widescreen and its x-bright type screen, a fast Centrino, better graphics card than the iBook, larger hard drive than the iBook, DVD burner, at a price equal or less than a 14" iBook. The heat is on, and Apple has to deliver soon.
Unfortunately, a lot of people think that's a plus.
It's true, until recently, Mac portables were pretty competitive. Now, with available rebates you can buy a nice 15" Sony Vaio for the same as a 12" iBook. Apple's portable market share has been much higher than their desktop market share but that might not last long at this pace.
Unfortunately, a lot of people think that's a plus.
It's true, until recently, Mac portables were pretty competitive. Now, with available rebates you can buy a nice 15" Sony Vaio for the same as a 12" iBook. Apple's portable market share has been much higher than their desktop market share but that might not last long at this pace.
If Apple can't compete on specs, perhaps they do need to lower their prices across both laptop lines.
I was just window shopping with my girlfriend this weekend playing with the 15" PB and 14" iBook.
When she points at this Compaq laptop for $500 less than the iBook and says "can't this one do?"
I looked at the specs and thought for a second...it's actually isn't too bad a deal. Now I wouldn't actually buy a PC laptop, but many millions do, based on price and specs alone. The fact that it's not a Mac means didley squat to 98% of the world.
No, it might be impractical with the current 74** series CPUs, but it is not impossible. The 8641 series will have PCI-e integated on the CPU, which I trust will be fully possible to use.
The difference is that to date, the 74xx series uses MaxBus to communicate with RAM. There's not much to be gained by shipping an AGP bus with more bandwidth than the CPU bus.
The 86xx series uses an on-die memory controller and a much faster bus to RAM. With that bottleneck gone, it makes more sense to build in a faster bus to the GPU as well.
If the rumors are correct, and Freescale will be shipping a 74xx series CPU with the memory controller on die, that will break the patter, and (obviously) clear the path to AGP 8x, or PCIe for that matter. I expect PCIe in the laptops before the towers, simply because laptop GPUs are fixed, so the market penetration of PCIe cards isn't an issue. All that matters is supporting the one GPU that will ever run on that board (and any of its successors over the course of the next couple of years, but that's not an issue).
Anyone got any reason to think they'll be something announced this week? My girlfriend is getting a bit impatient about whether to wait for her 12" iBook!
The difference is that to date, the 74xx series uses MaxBus to communicate with RAM. There's not much to be gained by shipping an AGP bus with more bandwidth than the CPU bus.
The 8641 series allso use an MPX bus, allthough on die and much faster. And as I was saying, it is "impractical" with PCIe and AGP x8 atm.
Quote:
If the rumors are correct, and Freescale will be shipping a 74xx series CPU with the memory controller on die, that will break the patter, and (obviously) clear the path to AGP 8x, or PCIe for that matter.
I take it that you are not talking about the 8641 series, since that is on their website? An interesting rumor indeed... got any more "dirt"?
The 8641 series allso use an MPX bus, allthough on die and much faster. And as I was saying, it is "impractical" with PCIe and AGP x8 atm.
I know. That's why I said, the 74xx series uses MaxBus to communicate with RAM. The issue is not MaxBus, it's the bottleneck imposed by the relatively low bandwidth of MaxBus when it's implemented as traces on a motherboard.
Quote:
I take it that you are not talking about the 8641 series, since that is on their website? An interesting rumor indeed... got any more "dirt"?
I don't have sources, but if you type "e600" into our search engine, all kinds of interesting things will come up.
I know. That's why I said, the 74xx series uses MaxBus to communicate with RAM. The issue is not MaxBus, it's the bottleneck imposed by the relatively low bandwidth of MaxBus when it's implemented as traces on a motherboard.
You know, sometimes I have this horrible feeling that we are just talking past eachother. I don't see what you want to say and vice verca.
The 8641/d does use the MPX bus to talk to RAM, as it uses the MPX to communicate between the rest of the chip and the CPU(s).Or pergaps my terminology is flawed? I'm not going to (and iirc haven't) argued against the bandwidth limitation of an extrenal MPX bus.
Quote:
I don't have sources, but if you type "e600" into our search engine, all kinds of interesting things will come up.
I thought that was all about the 8641D more or less, with the odd speculation about a custom Apple chip?
And isn't the 7*** designation intended for discrete chips, or did I get that bit wrong?
Anyone got any reason to think they'll be something announced this week? My girlfriend is getting a bit impatient about whether to wait for her 12" iBook!
TT.
WWDC if ever. Wait, young grasshopper. I'm waiting for the same thing!
You know, sometimes I have this horrible feeling that we are just talking past eachother. I don't see what you want to say and vice verca.
No, I'm just taking five at work and so posting with about 10% of my brain.
What I want to say is what I finally said: That what matters is not MaxBus, but the particular implementation that requires it to be traced on a motherboard. It's whether the memory controller is on die or off die that is significant. The other stuff I said wasn't clear because it didn't make sense.
Quote:
I thought that was all about the 8641D more or less, with the odd speculation about a custom Apple chip?
And isn't the 7*** designation intended for discrete chips, or did I get that bit wrong?
The 8641D is a potential candidate, but since the 8xxx series, like Cell, is designed to be easily tailored for customers, it doesn't have to be that precise chip.
Alas, this is Apple...no surprises when it comes to updates.
It's a safe bet the iBooks will be updated before the June WWDC so Jobs can say that the entire line is now Tiger-ready.
Probably new features like:
-speed bump to 1.42GHz
-larger and faster HD's
-built in BT
-drop protection
-track pad
-better GPU to support core image
-maybe $100 price drop in top end 14"
Minor stuff that seems like a lot on features list...but enough to refresh it until the PB's get a major overhaul perhaps in late fall.
Still, probably worth waiting if you're in line to buy a cheap laptop.
if they even only get that i will buy it in a heart beat.. I am wanting a ibook but am afraid of the 32mb Video especally with Tiger core imaging and some games i play if it wa upgraded to 64mb i would be VERY happy... Speed would be nice to... But major thing for me is GPU...
P.S. i am waiting until Latest June 17 (My Bday) because 100 dollers EDU rebate expires June 25...
Comments
Originally posted by timmyb
I think that iBook G5s are very unlikely at the moment. One of the best features of the iBook is the brilliant battery life. Surely putting a G5 in it would ruin this. Anyway, most users, (eg. students) will not need the G5 performance and would prefer a cheaper and more durable iBook. If not, they can but the PowerBook, that is why there are two lines.
I agree. It makes far more sense to have a low price, functionality first notebook line, and then a higher priced, more performance minded model. Having a g5 in both negates that.
I would take a g4 1.5ghz+ iBook over one with a g5 any day, because I like having a laptop that can actually be mobile for more then 2 hours.
i was going to just get the 12" powerbook, but after looking at the screen for 30 minutes, i decided to myself its too small. the non-wide screen also wasnt the greatest for movies (all my dvd's are widescreen). it was hard to pass up though, the 12" is really small, but considering the 15" is well, 15", its still not that big. very slim and light for a 15". the lighted keyboard is neat, but the ambient light sensor is the really nice, having the display dim according to the light.
its pretty fast, feels a lot faster than my mac mini.
all in all, very happy with the purchase, would be a little upset if a G5 laptop was introduced, but not very. if anything, i would rather have a faster desktop than a laptop.
Originally posted by DHagan4755
Forget the G5s for just a moment. The fact of the matter is that Apple has to do something with the iBooks to keep them competative with the competition. For example, one can buy a Windows notebook with a 15.4" widescreen and its x-bright type screen, a fast Centrino, better graphics card than the iBook, larger hard drive than the iBook, DVD burner, at a price equal or less than a 14" iBook. The heat is on, and Apple has to deliver soon.
Yeah, but it's still not a mac
Originally posted by Dr. J
Yeah, but it's still not a mac
Unfortunately, a lot of people think that's a plus.
It's true, until recently, Mac portables were pretty competitive. Now, with available rebates you can buy a nice 15" Sony Vaio for the same as a 12" iBook. Apple's portable market share has been much higher than their desktop market share but that might not last long at this pace.
Originally posted by iDave
Unfortunately, a lot of people think that's a plus.
It's true, until recently, Mac portables were pretty competitive. Now, with available rebates you can buy a nice 15" Sony Vaio for the same as a 12" iBook. Apple's portable market share has been much higher than their desktop market share but that might not last long at this pace.
If Apple can't compete on specs, perhaps they do need to lower their prices across both laptop lines.
I was just window shopping with my girlfriend this weekend playing with the 15" PB and 14" iBook.
When she points at this Compaq laptop for $500 less than the iBook and says "can't this one do?"
I looked at the specs and thought for a second...it's actually isn't too bad a deal. Now I wouldn't actually buy a PC laptop, but many millions do, based on price and specs alone. The fact that it's not a Mac means didley squat to 98% of the world.
Unfortunately, a lot of people think that's a plus.
Is it supposed to be?
Correct me if I'm wrong, but Apple's laptop hardware is made by second tier Taiwanese contractors, it it not? Quanta, BenQ, Winstron, Compal?
Originally posted by Eric_Z
No, it might be impractical with the current 74** series CPUs, but it is not impossible. The 8641 series will have PCI-e integated on the CPU, which I trust will be fully possible to use.
The difference is that to date, the 74xx series uses MaxBus to communicate with RAM. There's not much to be gained by shipping an AGP bus with more bandwidth than the CPU bus.
The 86xx series uses an on-die memory controller and a much faster bus to RAM. With that bottleneck gone, it makes more sense to build in a faster bus to the GPU as well.
If the rumors are correct, and Freescale will be shipping a 74xx series CPU with the memory controller on die, that will break the patter, and (obviously) clear the path to AGP 8x, or PCIe for that matter. I expect PCIe in the laptops before the towers, simply because laptop GPUs are fixed, so the market penetration of PCIe cards isn't an issue. All that matters is supporting the one GPU that will ever run on that board (and any of its successors over the course of the next couple of years, but that's not an issue).
Anyone got any reason to think they'll be something announced this week? My girlfriend is getting a bit impatient about whether to wait for her 12" iBook!
TT.
Originally posted by Amorph
The difference is that to date, the 74xx series uses MaxBus to communicate with RAM. There's not much to be gained by shipping an AGP bus with more bandwidth than the CPU bus.
The 8641 series allso use an MPX bus, allthough on die and much faster. And as I was saying, it is "impractical" with PCIe and AGP x8 atm.
Quote:
If the rumors are correct, and Freescale will be shipping a 74xx series CPU with the memory controller on die, that will break the patter, and (obviously) clear the path to AGP 8x, or PCIe for that matter.
I take it that you are not talking about the 8641 series, since that is on their website? An interesting rumor indeed... got any more "dirt"?
Originally posted by Eric_Z
The 8641 series allso use an MPX bus, allthough on die and much faster. And as I was saying, it is "impractical" with PCIe and AGP x8 atm.
I know. That's why I said, the 74xx series uses MaxBus to communicate with RAM. The issue is not MaxBus, it's the bottleneck imposed by the relatively low bandwidth of MaxBus when it's implemented as traces on a motherboard.
I take it that you are not talking about the 8641 series, since that is on their website? An interesting rumor indeed... got any more "dirt"?
I don't have sources, but if you type "e600" into our search engine, all kinds of interesting things will come up.
Originally posted by Amorph
I know. That's why I said, the 74xx series uses MaxBus to communicate with RAM. The issue is not MaxBus, it's the bottleneck imposed by the relatively low bandwidth of MaxBus when it's implemented as traces on a motherboard.
You know, sometimes I have this horrible feeling that we are just talking past eachother. I don't see what you want to say and vice verca.
The 8641/d does use the MPX bus to talk to RAM, as it uses the MPX to communicate between the rest of the chip and the CPU(s).Or pergaps my terminology is flawed? I'm not going to (and iirc haven't) argued against the bandwidth limitation of an extrenal MPX bus.
Quote:
I don't have sources, but if you type "e600" into our search engine, all kinds of interesting things will come up.
I thought that was all about the 8641D more or less, with the odd speculation about a custom Apple chip?
And isn't the 7*** designation intended for discrete chips, or did I get that bit wrong?
Originally posted by tintin
So, no new iBooks today. =(
Anyone got any reason to think they'll be something announced this week? My girlfriend is getting a bit impatient about whether to wait for her 12" iBook!
TT.
WWDC if ever. Wait, young grasshopper. I'm waiting for the same thing!
Originally posted by Eric_Z
You know, sometimes I have this horrible feeling that we are just talking past eachother. I don't see what you want to say and vice verca.
No, I'm just taking five at work and so posting with about 10% of my brain.
What I want to say is what I finally said: That what matters is not MaxBus, but the particular implementation that requires it to be traced on a motherboard. It's whether the memory controller is on die or off die that is significant. The other stuff I said wasn't clear because it didn't make sense.
I thought that was all about the 8641D more or less, with the odd speculation about a custom Apple chip?
And isn't the 7*** designation intended for discrete chips, or did I get that bit wrong?
The 8641D is a potential candidate, but since the 8xxx series, like Cell, is designed to be easily tailored for customers, it doesn't have to be that precise chip.
The 74xx series are discrete chips, so far.
Originally posted by satchmo
Alas, this is Apple...no surprises when it comes to updates.
It's a safe bet the iBooks will be updated before the June WWDC so Jobs can say that the entire line is now Tiger-ready.
Probably new features like:
-speed bump to 1.42GHz
-larger and faster HD's
-built in BT
-drop protection
-track pad
-better GPU to support core image
-maybe $100 price drop in top end 14"
Minor stuff that seems like a lot on features list...but enough to refresh it until the PB's get a major overhaul perhaps in late fall.
Still, probably worth waiting if you're in line to buy a cheap laptop.
if they even only get that i will buy it in a heart beat.. I am wanting a ibook but am afraid of the 32mb Video especally with Tiger core imaging and some games i play if it wa upgraded to 64mb i would be VERY happy... Speed would be nice to... But major thing for me is GPU...
P.S. i am waiting until Latest June 17 (My Bday)