Now that all but the iBook in the product line has been rebuffed, when will Apple upgrade them? I want a new iBook to replace my 333 iMac, but I am waiting for them to get a little more oomph. Has anyone heard anything?
I would supposition that Apple may have something up its sleeve with regard to iBooks. I smell an Apple Special Event sometime during October to announce:
a) iTunes version for Windows 2000 / XP
b) Panther release
c) new iBooks possibly morphing to also be a tablet too
----note: they have to do something with the 15.4-inch panel and their own inkwell technology
I don't see that, but I do see the iBook getting a G4 (and superdrive!) sometime in early H2 '04. The processor overlap between PB and and iBook has typically existed for a little while before the Pb moves on to the next big thing. We can pretty much trust Jobs' statement that G5 PB's are coming for the end of '04. I think we'll see a G4 iBook a few months before the advent of G5 PB's.
The next iBook update will almost certainly be to a 1GHz G3, as Apple drops in the IBM 750GX. No tablet yet - I think Apple is laying groundwork in anticipation of moving that way, but it's not coming this soon.
The iBook has overlapped the PowerBook before, but only for a few months. Not for most of a year. Given that, and assuming that "we'd like to ship G5 PowerBooks next year" implies that they'll appear late in the year, I don't expect G4 iBooks until an event in May or thereabouts. I'll bet that Steve would just love to debut the G5 PowerBook at WWDC, given that developers and IT guys are notebook fiends and WWDC is PowerBook heaven, but it's a matter of when the engineering's done and QC is happy.
The next iBook update will almost certainly be to a 1GHz G3, as Apple drops in the IBM 750GX. No tablet yet - I think Apple is laying groundwork in anticipation of moving that way, but it's not coming this soon.
The iBook has overlapped the PowerBook before, but only for a few months. Not for most of a year. Given that, and assuming that "we'd like to ship G5 PowerBooks next year" implies that they'll appear late in the year, I don't expect G4 iBooks until an event in May or thereabouts. I'll bet that Steve would just love to debut the G5 PowerBook at WWDC, given that developers and IT guys are notebook fiends and WWDC is PowerBook heaven, but it's a matter of when the engineering's done and QC is happy.
I'm not sure we'll see an iBook refresh this year, but if it happens, the following "minor" changes would be nice:
- 256MB RAM as base memory, which I understand is necessary for Mac OS X to ship as the sole OS choice on a system
- change to DDR RAM, 133 FSB, 900MHz or 1GHz "G3" as base.
- we'll probably still see CD-ROM drive for base model, combo for top 12" iBook, not sure if 14" model will still make sense, but it will likely still be available
- adoption of Radeon 9000 32MB video, or perhaps even the GeForce FX 5200 Go. I'm not sure which of the two options costs less to source. 64 MB VRAM would be nice, but I really doubt it will happen.
I would supposition that Apple may have something up its sleeve with regard to iBooks. I smell an Apple Special Event sometime during October to announce:
a) iTunes version for Windows 2000 / XP
b) Panther release
c) new iBooks possibly morphing to also be a tablet too
----note: they have to do something with the 15.4-inch panel and their own inkwell technology
SuperDrive? I'm happy with my G3 iBook (and 1 or 1.1Ghz would boost it,) but come on, the Combo Drive has been on the iBooks (at least optional) for 2 years now. Also the low end model needs to move up to at least a CD-RW, and a 14" screean at a higher res would be nice but not required.
SuperDrive? I'm happy with my G3 iBook (and 1 or 1.1Ghz would boost it,) but come on, the Combo Drive has been on the iBooks (at least optional) for 2 years now. Also the low end model needs to move up to at least a CD-RW, and a 14" screean at a higher res would be nice but not required.
Believe me, I would have zero problems with Apple making CD-RW/DVD drive base on iBook, just not sure if they can do so while simultaneously maintaining such a low price point.
I'm not sure we'll see an iBook refresh this year, but if it happens, the following "minor" changes would be nice:
The iBook has been refreshed on a 6 month cycle before. With a new G3 coming out this fall, it's not unlikely. It'll give the model a little boost just in time for the biggest shopping season of the year.
Quote:
- 256MB RAM as base memory, which I understand is necessary for Mac OS X to ship as the sole OS choice on a system
Depends on how aggressive they are on price at the low end. If they're really trying to push it down, it'll stay at 128MB. Which is crazy IMO, but not without precedent.
Quote:
- change to DDR RAM, 133 FSB, 900MHz or 1GHz "G3" as base.
I doubt Apple will do that. It'll get DDR RAM when it gets a G4, or G4-alike. The current motherboard works for what it has to do, which is run basic apps well enough and be cheap. They might bump the bus up to 133MHz or so, now that the PowerBooks are (mostly) at 167, just to keep the CPU/bus clock ratio from getting completely out of hand.
Quote:
- we'll probably still see CD-ROM drive for base model, combo for top 12" iBook, not sure if 14" model will still make sense, but it will likely still be available
The 14" will make sense as long as older people are buying iBooks, and they are. If the 14" isn't the best selling model it's right up there, because those big fat pixels make what's on the screen easy to read.
Quote:
- adoption of Radeon 9000 32MB video, or perhaps even the GeForce FX 5200 Go. I'm not sure which of the two options costs less to source. 64 MB VRAM would be nice, but I really doubt it will happen.
Those are pretty safe bets. Video RAM will remain low (relative to the PowerBook) simply because the iBook doesn't have to support spanning: It has to drive a 1024x768 screen, and run QE well enough, and that's about it.
I'm also waiting for new iBooks. Was hoping to buy one this December for a trip I am making, but we'll see what comes. I'm not willing to buy until they are refreshed.
When was the last iBook refresh? The most recent one I found on Apple's Press Release page was from January 2002! I'm sure I missed something...
The January 2002 update was the release of the 14" iBook at MWSF. The flat panel iMac was released at the same time. To give some perspective, iBooks were at 500 MHz and 600 MHz back then, and they cost $200 more than they currently do, while the iMacs had 700 and 800 MHz G4s. Yeah, iMacs were good deals back then.
iBooks were upgraded in May 2002, to 600 and 700 MHz with Mobility Radeon (QE-supporting) graphics in time for Jaguar. Then they were upgraded in November 2002 to 700 and 800 MHz with Mobility Radeon 7500 graphics, and finally last April to 800 and 900 MHz with the same graphics as before but 32 MB on the low end instead of 16 MB. Throughout all these updates, hard drive sizes have increased steadily, from 10-20 GB to 30-40 GB. But the RAM has remained the same the entire time - 128 MB on the 12", 256 MB on the 14".
I wonder how long into 2004 Apple will be selling OS 9-booting Macs? Maybe there will be updates to the eMac and iBook by the end of the year that put 256 MB in each model, while also bumping the processor, graphics, etc.
A major UK reseller may have inadvertently pre-announced Apple's intention to migrate the iBook consumer notebook line to the G4 processor.
Dabs' latest computer magazine off-the-page sales advert refers to a "iBook G4". The machine is equipped with a 500MHz processor, 60GB hard drive, 256MB of memory and a DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive. It also sports a 15in display, the ad says.
The price for the machine is £859 ($1408) excluding sales tax.
The iBook currently ships with a G3-class processor, the IBM PowerPC 750FX, in 800MHz and 900MHz versions. It is the only member of Apple computing product line not based on a G4-class CPU or above. Dropping back to 500MHz may seem as a retrograde step. While the G4 is faster than a G3, clock for clock, it's unlikely that a 500MHz G4 will match a 900MHz G3.
In any case, with the PowerBook line now at 1GHz or more, would Apple want to risk shipping a machine with a lower clock speed than previous iBooks? For all it likes to talk about the megahertz myth, enough consumers still use it as a rule of thumb to measure performance and may balk at an apparent reduction from 900MHz to 500MHz.
This assumes, of course, that the ad is correct in this regard and that even if it is, higher clocked models will not also be made available.
That said, while the ad makes no reference to motherboards, a G4-based iBook is likely to ship with upgraded internals, presumably boosting its memory support to faster DDR memory.
Also interesting is the reference to a 15in screen. The iBook currently comes fitted with either a 12.1in display or a 14.1in version. Aligning the latter with the recently updated 15in PowerBook G4 would make sense, primarily by reducing the number of different screens Apple has to buy. It would also more clearly stress the iBook's role as a consumer version of the pro-oriented PowerBook line.
The 60GB hard drive and 256MB of memory are logical enhancements to the capacities already offered.
The price, however, pitches the new model right where the current 12.1in combo drive-equipped iBook sits, suggesting only one, bottom-of-the-range 12.1in model will be offered with bigger screen versions in the mid-range and top end of the line. Or Apple is planning to push prices down to the £500 ($819) market. ®
Tony Smith has a MOSRian track record, and I can state with some confidence that this won't improve it.
There is absolutely no way that Apple will take a product down from 900MHz to 500MHz. For one thing, it would cause a significant slowdown in a number of applications, because the G3 and the G4 are not so dissimilar.
A 500Mhz G4 and a 15" screen... he didn't perchance say that the next iBook would come sheathed in titanium, did he? That would explain much.
I'm not sure we'll see an iBook refresh this year, but if it happens, the following "minor" changes would be nice:
- 256MB RAM as base memory, which I understand is necessary for Mac OS X to ship as the sole OS choice on a system
- change to DDR RAM, 133 FSB, 900MHz or 1GHz "G3" .......
Everything above is fine with me except that 256 MB as 'base' memory is not possible [if what you mean by base memory is the one that comes 'soldered' to the mother board].
The max memory supported by a G3 is 640 MB. And if you have 256 MB soldered, all you can do to get to the max is a 384 MB card in the additional slot and you know mem only comes in 128, 256 and 512 etc configurations...
That's one reason whenever you order 256 MB, you get 128 MB soldered and 128 MB in the additional slot.
Anyways, I just can't wait to see the new iBooks!!
Tony Smith has a MOSRian track record, and I can state with some confidence that this won't improve it.
There is absolutely no way that Apple will take a product down from 900MHz to 500MHz. For one thing, it would cause a significant slowdown in a number of applications, because the G3 and the G4 are not so dissimilar.
A 500Mhz G4 and a 15" screen... he didn't perchance say that the next iBook would come sheathed in titanium, did he? That would explain much.
How about this guys?
Probably it's an 800 MHz G4 iBook...
And you know 5 and 8 can look quite similar in some fonts...
Where do you get this from? The 750FX supports 32-bit physical addressing (4GB) according to IBM's documents, and the 60x bus also supports 32-bit addressing.
Certainly, any number of G3 desktops have supported more than 640MB.
Where do you get this from? The 750FX supports 32-bit physical addressing (4GB) according to IBM's documents, and the 60x bus also supports 32-bit addressing.
Certainly, any number of G3 desktops have supported more than 640MB.
Yes, my Pismo has a 500MHz G3 and It's maxed out with 1 Gig of RAM. The limit has more to do with the physical limits of the notebook than the limits of the processor. If Apple made the iBook big enough, it could support 4GB ... but that's not realistic.
The only reason the iBook is limited to 640MB is because Apple wants hardcore Mac users to buy the more expensive PowerBooks.
Back to the original topic: It's pretty much a done deal that the next iBook will feature IBM's new 750GX chip (1.1 GHz with 1MB of L2 cache running at chip speed). Although it will still be a "G3," the 750GX will likely outperform 1GHz and slower G4 chips in non-Altivec applications ... and it will still be very fast in Altivec-enhanced apps like Photoshop.
Unlike Motorola, IBM has generally been pretty on-schedule with the PowerPCs. Apple was already shipping iBooks with the 750FX by the date that IBM said the chip would "begin" production. Since IBM said the 750GX will begin production in December, I suspect that we'll see new iBooks in November or December. If IBM was honest about the December production date, then we won't see new iBooks until January or February.
Yes, my Pismo has a 500MHz G3 and It's maxed out with 1 Gig of RAM. The limit has more to do with the physical limits of the notebook than the limits of the processor. If Apple made the iBook big enough, it could support 4GB ... but that's not realistic.
But that doesn't address the assertion I was questioning, which was that it was impossible to increase the RAM even within the current confines of the machine. In fact, if Apple soldered a 512MB DIMM underneath, the iBook could go to 1GB. Nothing inherent to the architecture prevents that.
The essentially political reason you give is more accurate.
Quote:
Unlike Motorola, IBM has generally been pretty on-schedule with the PowerPCs. Apple was already shipping iBooks with the 750FX by the date that IBM said the chip would "begin" production. Since IBM said the 750GX will begin production in December, I suspect that we'll see new iBooks in November or December. If IBM was honest about the December production date, then we won't see new iBooks until January or February.
Be aware, though, that the 750FX didn't reach the speed IBM said it would reach (1GHz). That said, the 750GX should be a very good performer with that big, fat cache. Just don't expect battery life to get any better - the GX is hotter than the FX.
The January 2002 update was the release of the 14" iBook at MWSF. The flat panel iMac was released at the same time. To give some perspective, iBooks were at 500 MHz and 600 MHz back then, and they cost $200 more than they currently do, while the iMacs had 700 and 800 MHz G4s. Yeah, iMacs were good deals back then.
iBooks were upgraded in May 2002, to 600 and 700 MHz with Mobility Radeon (QE-supporting) graphics in time for Jaguar. Then they were upgraded in November 2002 to 700 and 800 MHz with Mobility Radeon 7500 graphics, and finally last April to 800 and 900 MHz with the same graphics as before but 32 MB on the low end instead of 16 MB. Throughout all these updates, hard drive sizes have increased steadily, from 10-20 GB to 30-40 GB. But the RAM has remained the same the entire time - 128 MB on the 12", 256 MB on the 14".
I wonder how long into 2004 Apple will be selling OS 9-booting Macs? Maybe there will be updates to the eMac and iBook by the end of the year that put 256 MB in each model, while also bumping the processor, graphics, etc.
Judging by the historical dates in your post, I think it's a reasonable guess that we will see an iBook update around November or so of this year.
I've been thinking further about the combo drive models, and I think that we'll be seeing at least one more generation of models with CD-ROMs. I'm speculating that the price of the combo drive model will come down a bit though.
Would be cool if the lowest model iBook sported a DVD-ROM, a compromise in price between a CD-ROM and a DVD/CD-RW combo drive. A couple of PC laptop manufacturers have recently been shipping DVD-ROM drives in base models, one example being Acer.
Comments
It might not be until January.
a) iTunes version for Windows 2000 / XP
b) Panther release
c) new iBooks possibly morphing to also be a tablet too
----note: they have to do something with the 15.4-inch panel and their own inkwell technology
The iBook has overlapped the PowerBook before, but only for a few months. Not for most of a year. Given that, and assuming that "we'd like to ship G5 PowerBooks next year" implies that they'll appear late in the year, I don't expect G4 iBooks until an event in May or thereabouts. I'll bet that Steve would just love to debut the G5 PowerBook at WWDC, given that developers and IT guys are notebook fiends and WWDC is PowerBook heaven, but it's a matter of when the engineering's done and QC is happy.
Originally posted by Amorph
The next iBook update will almost certainly be to a 1GHz G3, as Apple drops in the IBM 750GX. No tablet yet - I think Apple is laying groundwork in anticipation of moving that way, but it's not coming this soon.
The iBook has overlapped the PowerBook before, but only for a few months. Not for most of a year. Given that, and assuming that "we'd like to ship G5 PowerBooks next year" implies that they'll appear late in the year, I don't expect G4 iBooks until an event in May or thereabouts. I'll bet that Steve would just love to debut the G5 PowerBook at WWDC, given that developers and IT guys are notebook fiends and WWDC is PowerBook heaven, but it's a matter of when the engineering's done and QC is happy.
I'm not sure we'll see an iBook refresh this year, but if it happens, the following "minor" changes would be nice:
- 256MB RAM as base memory, which I understand is necessary for Mac OS X to ship as the sole OS choice on a system
- change to DDR RAM, 133 FSB, 900MHz or 1GHz "G3" as base.
- we'll probably still see CD-ROM drive for base model, combo for top 12" iBook, not sure if 14" model will still make sense, but it will likely still be available
- adoption of Radeon 9000 32MB video, or perhaps even the GeForce FX 5200 Go. I'm not sure which of the two options costs less to source. 64 MB VRAM would be nice, but I really doubt it will happen.
Originally posted by DHagan4755
I would supposition that Apple may have something up its sleeve with regard to iBooks. I smell an Apple Special Event sometime during October to announce:
a) iTunes version for Windows 2000 / XP
b) Panther release
c) new iBooks possibly morphing to also be a tablet too
----note: they have to do something with the 15.4-inch panel and their own inkwell technology
SuperDrive? I'm happy with my G3 iBook (and 1 or 1.1Ghz would boost it,) but come on, the Combo Drive has been on the iBooks (at least optional) for 2 years now. Also the low end model needs to move up to at least a CD-RW, and a 14" screean at a higher res would be nice but not required.
Originally posted by ryaxnb
SuperDrive? I'm happy with my G3 iBook (and 1 or 1.1Ghz would boost it,) but come on, the Combo Drive has been on the iBooks (at least optional) for 2 years now. Also the low end model needs to move up to at least a CD-RW, and a 14" screean at a higher res would be nice but not required.
Believe me, I would have zero problems with Apple making CD-RW/DVD drive base on iBook, just not sure if they can do so while simultaneously maintaining such a low price point.
Originally posted by Chagi
I'm not sure we'll see an iBook refresh this year, but if it happens, the following "minor" changes would be nice:
The iBook has been refreshed on a 6 month cycle before. With a new G3 coming out this fall, it's not unlikely. It'll give the model a little boost just in time for the biggest shopping season of the year.
- 256MB RAM as base memory, which I understand is necessary for Mac OS X to ship as the sole OS choice on a system
Depends on how aggressive they are on price at the low end. If they're really trying to push it down, it'll stay at 128MB. Which is crazy IMO, but not without precedent.
- change to DDR RAM, 133 FSB, 900MHz or 1GHz "G3" as base.
I doubt Apple will do that. It'll get DDR RAM when it gets a G4, or G4-alike. The current motherboard works for what it has to do, which is run basic apps well enough and be cheap. They might bump the bus up to 133MHz or so, now that the PowerBooks are (mostly) at 167, just to keep the CPU/bus clock ratio from getting completely out of hand.
- we'll probably still see CD-ROM drive for base model, combo for top 12" iBook, not sure if 14" model will still make sense, but it will likely still be available
The 14" will make sense as long as older people are buying iBooks, and they are. If the 14" isn't the best selling model it's right up there, because those big fat pixels make what's on the screen easy to read.
- adoption of Radeon 9000 32MB video, or perhaps even the GeForce FX 5200 Go. I'm not sure which of the two options costs less to source. 64 MB VRAM would be nice, but I really doubt it will happen.
Those are pretty safe bets. Video RAM will remain low (relative to the PowerBook) simply because the iBook doesn't have to support spanning: It has to drive a 1024x768 screen, and run QE well enough, and that's about it.
When was the last iBook refresh? The most recent one I found on Apple's Press Release page was from January 2002! I'm sure I missed something...
iBooks were upgraded in May 2002, to 600 and 700 MHz with Mobility Radeon (QE-supporting) graphics in time for Jaguar. Then they were upgraded in November 2002 to 700 and 800 MHz with Mobility Radeon 7500 graphics, and finally last April to 800 and 900 MHz with the same graphics as before but 32 MB on the low end instead of 16 MB. Throughout all these updates, hard drive sizes have increased steadily, from 10-20 GB to 30-40 GB. But the RAM has remained the same the entire time - 128 MB on the 12", 256 MB on the 14".
I wonder how long into 2004 Apple will be selling OS 9-booting Macs? Maybe there will be updates to the eMac and iBook by the end of the year that put 256 MB in each model, while also bumping the processor, graphics, etc.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/39/32945.html
Reseller 'leaks' iBook G4 specs
By Tony Smith
Posted: 22/09/2003 at 09:39 GMT
A major UK reseller may have inadvertently pre-announced Apple's intention to migrate the iBook consumer notebook line to the G4 processor.
Dabs' latest computer magazine off-the-page sales advert refers to a "iBook G4". The machine is equipped with a 500MHz processor, 60GB hard drive, 256MB of memory and a DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive. It also sports a 15in display, the ad says.
The price for the machine is £859 ($1408) excluding sales tax.
The iBook currently ships with a G3-class processor, the IBM PowerPC 750FX, in 800MHz and 900MHz versions. It is the only member of Apple computing product line not based on a G4-class CPU or above. Dropping back to 500MHz may seem as a retrograde step. While the G4 is faster than a G3, clock for clock, it's unlikely that a 500MHz G4 will match a 900MHz G3.
In any case, with the PowerBook line now at 1GHz or more, would Apple want to risk shipping a machine with a lower clock speed than previous iBooks? For all it likes to talk about the megahertz myth, enough consumers still use it as a rule of thumb to measure performance and may balk at an apparent reduction from 900MHz to 500MHz.
This assumes, of course, that the ad is correct in this regard and that even if it is, higher clocked models will not also be made available.
That said, while the ad makes no reference to motherboards, a G4-based iBook is likely to ship with upgraded internals, presumably boosting its memory support to faster DDR memory.
Also interesting is the reference to a 15in screen. The iBook currently comes fitted with either a 12.1in display or a 14.1in version. Aligning the latter with the recently updated 15in PowerBook G4 would make sense, primarily by reducing the number of different screens Apple has to buy. It would also more clearly stress the iBook's role as a consumer version of the pro-oriented PowerBook line.
The 60GB hard drive and 256MB of memory are logical enhancements to the capacities already offered.
The price, however, pitches the new model right where the current 12.1in combo drive-equipped iBook sits, suggesting only one, bottom-of-the-range 12.1in model will be offered with bigger screen versions in the mid-range and top end of the line. Or Apple is planning to push prices down to the £500 ($819) market. ®
There is absolutely no way that Apple will take a product down from 900MHz to 500MHz. For one thing, it would cause a significant slowdown in a number of applications, because the G3 and the G4 are not so dissimilar.
A 500Mhz G4 and a 15" screen... he didn't perchance say that the next iBook would come sheathed in titanium, did he? That would explain much.
Originally posted by Chagi
I'm not sure we'll see an iBook refresh this year, but if it happens, the following "minor" changes would be nice:
- 256MB RAM as base memory, which I understand is necessary for Mac OS X to ship as the sole OS choice on a system
- change to DDR RAM, 133 FSB, 900MHz or 1GHz "G3" .......
Everything above is fine with me except that 256 MB as 'base' memory is not possible [if what you mean by base memory is the one that comes 'soldered' to the mother board].
The max memory supported by a G3 is 640 MB. And if you have 256 MB soldered, all you can do to get to the max is a 384 MB card in the additional slot and you know mem only comes in 128, 256 and 512 etc configurations...
That's one reason whenever you order 256 MB, you get 128 MB soldered and 128 MB in the additional slot.
Anyways, I just can't wait to see the new iBooks!!
Originally posted by Amorph
Tony Smith has a MOSRian track record, and I can state with some confidence that this won't improve it.
There is absolutely no way that Apple will take a product down from 900MHz to 500MHz. For one thing, it would cause a significant slowdown in a number of applications, because the G3 and the G4 are not so dissimilar.
A 500Mhz G4 and a 15" screen... he didn't perchance say that the next iBook would come sheathed in titanium, did he? That would explain much.
How about this guys?
Probably it's an 800 MHz G4 iBook...
And you know 5 and 8 can look quite similar in some fonts...
Or may be I am just being too ambitious...
Originally posted by iEatMyHomeWork
The max memory supported by a G3 is 640 MB.
Where do you get this from? The 750FX supports 32-bit physical addressing (4GB) according to IBM's documents, and the 60x bus also supports 32-bit addressing.
Certainly, any number of G3 desktops have supported more than 640MB.
Originally posted by Amorph
Where do you get this from? The 750FX supports 32-bit physical addressing (4GB) according to IBM's documents, and the 60x bus also supports 32-bit addressing.
Certainly, any number of G3 desktops have supported more than 640MB.
Yes, my Pismo has a 500MHz G3 and It's maxed out with 1 Gig of RAM. The limit has more to do with the physical limits of the notebook than the limits of the processor. If Apple made the iBook big enough, it could support 4GB ... but that's not realistic.
The only reason the iBook is limited to 640MB is because Apple wants hardcore Mac users to buy the more expensive PowerBooks.
Back to the original topic: It's pretty much a done deal that the next iBook will feature IBM's new 750GX chip (1.1 GHz with 1MB of L2 cache running at chip speed). Although it will still be a "G3," the 750GX will likely outperform 1GHz and slower G4 chips in non-Altivec applications ... and it will still be very fast in Altivec-enhanced apps like Photoshop.
Unlike Motorola, IBM has generally been pretty on-schedule with the PowerPCs. Apple was already shipping iBooks with the 750FX by the date that IBM said the chip would "begin" production. Since IBM said the 750GX will begin production in December, I suspect that we'll see new iBooks in November or December. If IBM was honest about the December production date, then we won't see new iBooks until January or February.
Originally posted by rustedborg
Yes, my Pismo has a 500MHz G3 and It's maxed out with 1 Gig of RAM. The limit has more to do with the physical limits of the notebook than the limits of the processor. If Apple made the iBook big enough, it could support 4GB ... but that's not realistic.
But that doesn't address the assertion I was questioning, which was that it was impossible to increase the RAM even within the current confines of the machine. In fact, if Apple soldered a 512MB DIMM underneath, the iBook could go to 1GB. Nothing inherent to the architecture prevents that.
The essentially political reason you give is more accurate.
Unlike Motorola, IBM has generally been pretty on-schedule with the PowerPCs. Apple was already shipping iBooks with the 750FX by the date that IBM said the chip would "begin" production. Since IBM said the 750GX will begin production in December, I suspect that we'll see new iBooks in November or December. If IBM was honest about the December production date, then we won't see new iBooks until January or February.
Be aware, though, that the 750FX didn't reach the speed IBM said it would reach (1GHz). That said, the 750GX should be a very good performer with that big, fat cache. Just don't expect battery life to get any better - the GX is hotter than the FX.
Originally posted by Luca Rescigno
The January 2002 update was the release of the 14" iBook at MWSF. The flat panel iMac was released at the same time. To give some perspective, iBooks were at 500 MHz and 600 MHz back then, and they cost $200 more than they currently do, while the iMacs had 700 and 800 MHz G4s. Yeah, iMacs were good deals back then.
iBooks were upgraded in May 2002, to 600 and 700 MHz with Mobility Radeon (QE-supporting) graphics in time for Jaguar. Then they were upgraded in November 2002 to 700 and 800 MHz with Mobility Radeon 7500 graphics, and finally last April to 800 and 900 MHz with the same graphics as before but 32 MB on the low end instead of 16 MB. Throughout all these updates, hard drive sizes have increased steadily, from 10-20 GB to 30-40 GB. But the RAM has remained the same the entire time - 128 MB on the 12", 256 MB on the 14".
I wonder how long into 2004 Apple will be selling OS 9-booting Macs? Maybe there will be updates to the eMac and iBook by the end of the year that put 256 MB in each model, while also bumping the processor, graphics, etc.
Judging by the historical dates in your post, I think it's a reasonable guess that we will see an iBook update around November or so of this year.
I've been thinking further about the combo drive models, and I think that we'll be seeing at least one more generation of models with CD-ROMs. I'm speculating that the price of the combo drive model will come down a bit though.
Would be cool if the lowest model iBook sported a DVD-ROM, a compromise in price between a CD-ROM and a DVD/CD-RW combo drive. A couple of PC laptop manufacturers have recently been shipping DVD-ROM drives in base models, one example being Acer.