What Bodhi says is very interesting, but I don't know if I should so readily trust somebody who is in league with Irenicus...
(Baldur's Gate II joke, don't be offended)
However, I had been thinking this for a while and this powerbook thing makes it all make more sense.
First of all, PowerBooks and PowerMacs need more "Power" in everyone's minds. There have been plenty of rumors about some new 1.2, 1.4 and 1.6 Ghz G4s that Apple will be using soon in their upcoming PowerMacs as well as a host of motherboard improvements.
What if all these G4 rumors are true... but these updates are coming for the PowerBook, not the PowerMac? What if the PowerMac is instead going to be using a G5, a Power4, or some new processor secretly developed by Apple in hidden underground laboratories?
That would give the PowerMac and PowerBook the "power" they need.
It would also pave the way for an October-ish update to the iComputers - just in time for christmas shopping.
The iMac could get that 133Mhz bus and faster G4. Essentially, it could use most of the guts from the current PowerMacs.
The iBook could start using those 1Ghz Sahara chips and the 200Mhz DDR capabilities that are currently turned off. Remember, even though the G4 does not support DDR, the new Sahara G3s do, but Apple's not going to use that ability now or it would make the rest of their product line look like a joke in people's eyes.
Steve Jobs has alluded to the fact that they will "close the Mhz gap" in the near future. There must be something besides "speed-bumped G4s" in the works, right.
In fact, the May PowerBook update was probably only done so they could release the updated iBooks a couple weeks later and so the they'd be QE compliant before WWDC. Giving the sales an extra boost doesn't hurt either. I wouldn't say the re-design was a major cost though, since I'm sure they have a group of people constantly toying with the powerbook design and specs anyway.
Apple has done an excellent job with the current rebates. But why is the Superfly with the Power Macs and Powerbooks only? CTO machines regardless of which model is where Apple makes its largest margins.
That revision was a 50MHz bump on the top end. The PowerBook revision was a new chip with L3 cache, a revised motherboard, new heat ducting, new GPU, new screen resolution, DVI-out, audio-in, removal of IRDA. That's too significant an upgrade to be a three-month holdover until something else is released.</strong><hr></blockquote>
What if the current mobo has most of the reworking done ready for features which weren't ready? eg Bluetooth is waiting for 802.11g. Has anybody had the mobo out to look for unused 'extras'?
It may also be true that the current design is old inside Apple. None of the new features are new in the IT industry, only the CPU is modern by G4 standards. The rest might be 8 months old internally and a 100% new board is just waiting for DDR G4s or somesuch.
[quote]The iBook could start using those 1Ghz Sahara chips and the 200Mhz DDR capabilities that are currently turned off. Remember, even though the G4 does not support DDR, the new Sahara G3s do, but Apple's not going to use that ability now or it would make the rest of their product line look like a joke in people's eyes.<hr></blockquote>
The Sahara does not have a DDR bus, it is capable of running the 60x bus at a 200MHz base frequency, not effective frequency.
Unfortunately, the MPX bus is a bit more complex than the 60x bus, and we won't likely see it revved that high any time soon.
one. i agree this could possibly just be the patent for an older computer like the Pismo. patent applications can sometimes take a long time to get through to the point they are a finished pulic document like this one....
two. if this is a future product offering i think this would more likely be a iBook than a PowerBook. reasonsing is simple. one of the main points this patent makes is about heat disapation for using computers on soft surfaces... well most professionals use their notebooks on hard surfaces. desks, lap trays in planes, etc. "kids" on the other hand love ot use the coputer anywhere. lying down in bed, on a pillow, etc. this design would be perfect for an education based notebook....
[quote]one of the main points this patent makes is about heat disapation for using computers on soft surfaces... well most professionals use their notebooks on hard surfaces. desks, lap trays in planes, etc. "kids" on the other hand love ot use the coputer anywhere. lying down in bed, on a pillow, etc. this design would be perfect for an education based notebook.... <hr></blockquote>
My 6 cents:
I don't think anyone at Apple is as narrow-minded as this... I'm 26 and fully plan on being a "kid" for quite some time -- that is, if by definition "kids" use their notebook computers on surfaces other than desks.
My $.02 w/re: the Superdrive issue: a PB update that includes a DVD-burner would be a perfect "One more thing..." in a keynote speech, an addendum that would be powerful enough to draw laughs and cheers from a live audience (always a good thing, don't you think?)
A media bay added to the Powerbook would allow otherwise wary potential buyers to jump in without hesitation. Speaking for myself, I would buy a Powerbook sans a Superdrive knowing that the slot could later be used for that purpose when one is released. The last few Powerbook updates (beginning with the original Ti) have scared many people out of buying them -- the industry is changing so fast all the time that people feel like they need to keep their options open and a non-upgradeable/expandable Powerbook doesn't allow this. Sure, the ports allow some expandability (Apple's justification for the internal "don't touch this" quality of their machines) but people do want an all-in-one computer. Again, I'm speaking for myself and generalizing to all of you.
Sigh. It's not a Pismo. Wrong shape..... <a href="http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&u=/netahtml/search-adv.htm&r=1&p=1&f=G&l=50&d=ft00&S1=D424,032.WKU.&O S=PN/D424,032&RS=PN/D424,032" target="_blank">herepage</a> is the link for the Wallstreet/Pismo form factor. The website in question has 2 distinct search pages....1 for granted patents, and 1 for pending applications. I found this on the pending applications page. Application was first filed in Feb 2002, and has now been reviewed, so now it's been posted to the site. Somehow I can't imagine Apple taking so long to just apply for a patent.
If anything it looks more like a 3400/Kanga (shudder) or an iBook wit removable bay. I just hope it doesn't mean a return to the bad old days of large/really bloody heavy powerbooks. My Wallstreet was a major pain to carry...destroyed a bag a year.
I always thought of the removable bays as a good selling point, and suspect that Apple only ditched them because the new machines are too thin to accomodate.
That's the patent on the pismo form factor, but not the details of its media bay, fans, etc.
The fact that the picture of the laptop in the new patent application doesn't look anything like the pismo means nothing. The shape isn't important here, it's the mechanisms.
Who could convince me that the lid catch mechanism shown in this patent is ever going to be used again by Apple?
From what I remember about the pismo (mine's dead) it had the catch shown in this patent, the media bay eject mechanism, and the fan.
This doesn't reveal anything about Apple's future hardware, it's a reminder of the past.
Reading that patent and looking at the crude drawing, I came across this:
[quote]The track pad 108 is an input device for the portable computer 100 and generally represents an input pointer device. The associated buttons 110 and 112 allow a user to make a selection with respect to a graphical user interface.<hr></blockquote>
You people insisting that this is a Pismo patent need to stop pissing on my parade!! I suspect the reason you are disbelievers is because you probably just purchased a TiBook, heh, heh! Man, I am glad that I waited.
Now, I don't know about anyone else, but this doesn't look or sound like any Pismo.
[quote]
Another advantage of the invention is that the latching mechanism is provided in the base housing of a portable computer which tends to be a thicker housing than a corresponding display housing. Still another advantage of the invention is that the front surface of the display housing of a portable computer need not include a hook or other aesthetically damaging protrusion associated with a latch mechanism provided in the display housing.<hr></blockquote>
But better yet is this part of the patent:
[quote]Additionally, the portable computer 400 can provide elastomer bumpers 434 between the front surface of the display housing 404 and the top surface of the base housing 402. When in the closed position, the elastomer bumpers 434 protect the top surface of the base housing 402 as well as the front surface of the display housing 404 from being marred or tarnished due to wearing against one another as opposing surfaces. Hence, the elastomer bumpers 434 provide a small stand off height to prevent direct contact of these opposing surfaces.<hr></blockquote>Sounds like they're onto solving the problem with oil rubbing off the keys and onto the displays?
<strong>You people insisting that this is a Pismo patent need to stop pissing on my parade!!</strong><hr></blockquote>Well they technically can't rain on your parade because this patent talks about only one removable bay, which is located on the left side. I seem to recall the Pismo having two; one on each side of the laptop....
While we are on the subject of removable bays, I have a few questions.
Is there that much legacy hardware out there that people are still using, that they need the option of floppy or zip drives?
I don't see it, let alone if a future TiBook comes with a superdrive, what besides that would you need? An extra battery in the other slot maybe, but then you sacrfice portability because you will have to carry your removable drives in your bag, and all these options only increase the weight of your bag!! Which I am constantly trying to reduce. Or, maybe people believe that by having a media slot, they are future proofing their machines. I personally haven't seen a floppy in over two years, but that may be due to the industry that I am in, which is on the leading edge of the curve.
So, all of you "Gimme a removable bay!" crooners, speak up! Let me hear your justifications, oh wait, one stipulation, I don't want to hear "To swap files on a floppy." You should be using email, telnet, ethernet, or even serial interface, none of which require a removable bay.
[quote] So, all of you "Gimme a removable bay!" crooners, speak up! Let me hear your justifications, oh wait, one stipulation, I don't want to hear "To swap files on a floppy." You should be using email, telnet, ethernet, or even serial interface, none of which require a removable bay. <hr></blockquote>
Here's one use- not really in the spirit of what you were asking, though.
I recently took my Lombard to a LAN party. A fella there with a Pismo needed to install a Warcraft spawn on his machine, but hadn't brought his CD drive- just two batteries (he got late notice for the party and had to "come as he was"). He had me pop out my CD drive, and he plugged it right into his Pismo and installed the software.
I thought it was uber-cool, especially considering that it was two different generations of machine!
<strong>Now, I don't know about anyone else, but this doesn't look or sound like any Pismo.
</strong><hr></blockquote>
I think it looks identical to the pismo latch.
I don't understand the quote about not including a hook on the display housing, as item 432 is clearly a hook on the top of the display housing.
[quote]<strong>Sounds like they're onto solving the problem with oil rubbing off the keys and onto the displays?</strong><hr></blockquote>
Guess what? The pismo had these "elastomer bumpers" too.
[quote]Originally posted by Dave Hagan:
<strong>Well they technically can't rain on your parade because this patent talks about only one removable bay, which is located on the left side. I seem to recall the Pismo having two; one on each side of the laptop....
</strong><hr></blockquote>
The patent doesn't need to talk about both, does it?
Also, the two buttons next to the track pad are part of the drawings, but are not part of the claims. Again, meaningless.
For what it's worth, I haven't just bought any kind of laptop and don't intend to any time soon.
Comments
What Bodhi says is very interesting, but I don't know if I should so readily trust somebody who is in league with Irenicus...
(Baldur's Gate II joke, don't be offended)
However, I had been thinking this for a while and this powerbook thing makes it all make more sense.
First of all, PowerBooks and PowerMacs need more "Power" in everyone's minds. There have been plenty of rumors about some new 1.2, 1.4 and 1.6 Ghz G4s that Apple will be using soon in their upcoming PowerMacs as well as a host of motherboard improvements.
What if all these G4 rumors are true... but these updates are coming for the PowerBook, not the PowerMac? What if the PowerMac is instead going to be using a G5, a Power4, or some new processor secretly developed by Apple in hidden underground laboratories?
That would give the PowerMac and PowerBook the "power" they need.
It would also pave the way for an October-ish update to the iComputers - just in time for christmas shopping.
The iMac could get that 133Mhz bus and faster G4. Essentially, it could use most of the guts from the current PowerMacs.
The iBook could start using those 1Ghz Sahara chips and the 200Mhz DDR capabilities that are currently turned off. Remember, even though the G4 does not support DDR, the new Sahara G3s do, but Apple's not going to use that ability now or it would make the rest of their product line look like a joke in people's eyes.
Steve Jobs has alluded to the fact that they will "close the Mhz gap" in the near future. There must be something besides "speed-bumped G4s" in the works, right.
In fact, the May PowerBook update was probably only done so they could release the updated iBooks a couple weeks later and so the they'd be QE compliant before WWDC. Giving the sales an extra boost doesn't hurt either. I wouldn't say the re-design was a major cost though, since I'm sure they have a group of people constantly toying with the powerbook design and specs anyway.
<strong>
That revision was a 50MHz bump on the top end. The PowerBook revision was a new chip with L3 cache, a revised motherboard, new heat ducting, new GPU, new screen resolution, DVI-out, audio-in, removal of IRDA. That's too significant an upgrade to be a three-month holdover until something else is released.</strong><hr></blockquote>
What if the current mobo has most of the reworking done ready for features which weren't ready? eg Bluetooth is waiting for 802.11g. Has anybody had the mobo out to look for unused 'extras'?
It may also be true that the current design is old inside Apple. None of the new features are new in the IT industry, only the CPU is modern by G4 standards. The rest might be 8 months old internally and a 100% new board is just waiting for DDR G4s or somesuch.
We'll know soon.
<strong><a href="http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PG01&p=1&u=/netahtml/PTO/srchnum.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1='20020075647'.PGNR.&O S=DN/20020075647&RS=DN/20020075647" target="_blank">patent number</a></strong><hr></blockquote>
Looks like the Pismo. It had the media bay, latch and fan described in this patent.
Why the patent application has appeared this year, well, who konws?
The iBook and TiBook have better latches and no media bay. I don't see a new media bay in the PowerBook's future.
[ 06-22-2002: Message edited by: ducasi ]</p>
The Sahara does not have a DDR bus, it is capable of running the 60x bus at a 200MHz base frequency, not effective frequency.
Unfortunately, the MPX bus is a bit more complex than the 60x bus, and we won't likely see it revved that high any time soon.
one. i agree this could possibly just be the patent for an older computer like the Pismo. patent applications can sometimes take a long time to get through to the point they are a finished pulic document like this one....
two. if this is a future product offering i think this would more likely be a iBook than a PowerBook. reasonsing is simple. one of the main points this patent makes is about heat disapation for using computers on soft surfaces... well most professionals use their notebooks on hard surfaces. desks, lap trays in planes, etc. "kids" on the other hand love ot use the coputer anywhere. lying down in bed, on a pillow, etc. this design would be perfect for an education based notebook....
My 6 cents:
I don't think anyone at Apple is as narrow-minded as this... I'm 26 and fully plan on being a "kid" for quite some time -- that is, if by definition "kids" use their notebook computers on surfaces other than desks.
My $.02 w/re: the Superdrive issue: a PB update that includes a DVD-burner would be a perfect "One more thing..." in a keynote speech, an addendum that would be powerful enough to draw laughs and cheers from a live audience (always a good thing, don't you think?)
A media bay added to the Powerbook would allow otherwise wary potential buyers to jump in without hesitation. Speaking for myself, I would buy a Powerbook sans a Superdrive knowing that the slot could later be used for that purpose when one is released. The last few Powerbook updates (beginning with the original Ti) have scared many people out of buying them -- the industry is changing so fast all the time that people feel like they need to keep their options open and a non-upgradeable/expandable Powerbook doesn't allow this. Sure, the ports allow some expandability (Apple's justification for the internal "don't touch this" quality of their machines) but people do want an all-in-one computer. Again, I'm speaking for myself and generalizing to all of you.
-- PEte
"Look timmy, my peanut butter and jelly sandwich fits in here real good"
If anything it looks more like a 3400/Kanga (shudder) or an iBook wit removable bay. I just hope it doesn't mean a return to the bad old days of large/really bloody heavy powerbooks. My Wallstreet was a major pain to carry...destroyed a bag a year.
I always thought of the removable bays as a good selling point, and suspect that Apple only ditched them because the new machines are too thin to accomodate.
<strong>Sigh. It's not a Pismo. Wrong shape..... <a href="http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&u=/netahtml/search-adv.htm&r=1&p=1&f=G&l=50&d=ft00&S1=D424,032.WKU.&O S=PN/D424,032&RS=PN/D424,032" target="_blank">herepage</a> is the link for the Wallstreet/Pismo form factor. </strong><hr></blockquote>
That's the patent on the pismo form factor, but not the details of its media bay, fans, etc.
The fact that the picture of the laptop in the new patent application doesn't look anything like the pismo means nothing. The shape isn't important here, it's the mechanisms.
Who could convince me that the lid catch mechanism shown in this patent is ever going to be used again by Apple?
From what I remember about the pismo (mine's dead) it had the catch shown in this patent, the media bay eject mechanism, and the fan.
This doesn't reveal anything about Apple's future hardware, it's a reminder of the past.
[quote]The track pad 108 is an input device for the portable computer 100 and generally represents an input pointer device. The associated buttons 110 and 112 allow a user to make a selection with respect to a graphical user interface.<hr></blockquote>
So, a Two-button PowerBook is on the horizon?
[quote]
Another advantage of the invention is that the latching mechanism is provided in the base housing of a portable computer which tends to be a thicker housing than a corresponding display housing. Still another advantage of the invention is that the front surface of the display housing of a portable computer need not include a hook or other aesthetically damaging protrusion associated with a latch mechanism provided in the display housing.<hr></blockquote>
But better yet is this part of the patent:
[quote]Additionally, the portable computer 400 can provide elastomer bumpers 434 between the front surface of the display housing 404 and the top surface of the base housing 402. When in the closed position, the elastomer bumpers 434 protect the top surface of the base housing 402 as well as the front surface of the display housing 404 from being marred or tarnished due to wearing against one another as opposing surfaces. Hence, the elastomer bumpers 434 provide a small stand off height to prevent direct contact of these opposing surfaces.<hr></blockquote>Sounds like they're onto solving the problem with oil rubbing off the keys and onto the displays?
[ 06-22-2002: Message edited by: Dave Hagan ]</p>
<strong>You people insisting that this is a Pismo patent need to stop pissing on my parade!!</strong><hr></blockquote>Well they technically can't rain on your parade because this patent talks about only one removable bay, which is located on the left side. I seem to recall the Pismo having two; one on each side of the laptop....
[ 06-22-2002: Message edited by: Dave Hagan ]</p>
Is there that much legacy hardware out there that people are still using, that they need the option of floppy or zip drives?
I don't see it, let alone if a future TiBook comes with a superdrive, what besides that would you need? An extra battery in the other slot maybe, but then you sacrfice portability because you will have to carry your removable drives in your bag, and all these options only increase the weight of your bag!! Which I am constantly trying to reduce. Or, maybe people believe that by having a media slot, they are future proofing their machines. I personally haven't seen a floppy in over two years, but that may be due to the industry that I am in, which is on the leading edge of the curve.
So, all of you "Gimme a removable bay!" crooners, speak up! Let me hear your justifications, oh wait, one stipulation, I don't want to hear "To swap files on a floppy." You should be using email, telnet, ethernet, or even serial interface, none of which require a removable bay.
Anyway, come on new PowerBook!!!
Here's one use- not really in the spirit of what you were asking, though.
I recently took my Lombard to a LAN party. A fella there with a Pismo needed to install a Warcraft spawn on his machine, but hadn't brought his CD drive- just two batteries (he got late notice for the party and had to "come as he was"). He had me pop out my CD drive, and he plugged it right into his Pismo and installed the software.
I thought it was uber-cool, especially considering that it was two different generations of machine!
<strong>Now, I don't know about anyone else, but this doesn't look or sound like any Pismo.
</strong><hr></blockquote>
I think it looks identical to the pismo latch.
I don't understand the quote about not including a hook on the display housing, as item 432 is clearly a hook on the top of the display housing.
[quote]<strong>Sounds like they're onto solving the problem with oil rubbing off the keys and onto the displays?</strong><hr></blockquote>
Guess what? The pismo had these "elastomer bumpers" too.
[quote]Originally posted by Dave Hagan:
<strong>Well they technically can't rain on your parade because this patent talks about only one removable bay, which is located on the left side. I seem to recall the Pismo having two; one on each side of the laptop....
</strong><hr></blockquote>
The patent doesn't need to talk about both, does it?
Also, the two buttons next to the track pad are part of the drawings, but are not part of the claims. Again, meaningless.
For what it's worth, I haven't just bought any kind of laptop and don't intend to any time soon.
Cheers!