I'd say it is a pretty safe bet it'll see a revision before August. That is a LONG time off, too long to still be sitting in a sub-Ghz processor. By then hopefully all the consumer machines will have hit that magical plateau as well (and if not it won't look too good IMHO, regardless if the iBook remains G3 or not, it has to reach 1Ghz just for "appearances sake, again MHO though).
Wether it will have the backlit keyboard, FW2, etc. who knows, but I would lean towards "yes." Remember though, there is only so much space on that little sucker to put stuff. :cool:
Around August sounds right. It's the smallest PB and everything in the lineup has now moved up the pecking order in terms of updates. All the desktops need a good going through, and the 15 and 17 PB's will probably get a lot faster while the 12 only gets a little faster at first.
It better be updated by August, I'm going to college and need a laptop. And it BETTER be above 1ghz. This is not really a magical plateau that Horned_Frog mentioned. That plateau would be more like 2ghz. It also needs a PC card slot.
I know Apple wont let them stagnate much longer then that tho. So I think you should plan for the worst.
Make sure you have a computer you can use for the month or two when school starts just in case they are not updated/ready in time.
Good luck!! I was in the exact same situation as you last year, but the PBs were updated in April... I knew I should have bought in just before MWNY (I coulda gotten a nice deal on one) but waited. It was cool tho because I got the same deal on Jaguar day (refreshed PB, not new tho)
so in short: be prepared to wait or prepared to take advantage of a good deal if you find one.
No one know yet, it's too early to say. But I'm banking on a bump in speed for the PB 12" (prob. to 1GHZ) before August. Maybe as early as April/June.
It's too damn close to the iBooks to sit at 867 for too long, and if the 15" Ti is changed around May... it would be silly not to give it a speed increase. And if it were to get a speed bump, then the 12" and 17" would get a speed bump, too.
Makes sense to ME, but I'm easily swayed by my own intellect. And while I'm wishing on a star... I'd like to see at least 256MB embedded on the 12". I don't think the lit keyboard or FW 2 will make it ... the damn thing is only so big!
i hope not, cuz i'll have money to buy one then, and i REALLY should not spend my money on those types of things, i need to save for college, plus i'll get a comp for my graudation present
haha not wanting an update just cuz i'll buy one...i'm not greedy!
...though whatever helps apple stock go up will be nice, i own 150 shares (yeah i know don't laugh) and i would like it up between 22 and 1million
Just a reminder that the last PowerBook G3 (Pismo) was released in February of 2000 and the only 'bump' it got was a larger hard drive at the end of the summer in 2000. The PowerBook G4 was released at MWSF in 2001 meaning the PowerBooks went 11 months without an update.
There was even some heated discussion about the new PowerBook G4 being released in August at Seybold in San Francisco (if anyone besides me and applenut remembers) but Apple held off since it was apparently 'too soon'.
I doubt they would let the PowerBooks go 11 months without an update again, but remember that the high end 17" AlBook won't be in stores (other than Apple retail) until late March the way Apple is advertising them. I also doubt that Apple would bump the 12" by itself. On the other hand, the 15" iMac hit stores earlier than most people thought it would (although it was still months before I saw a non Apple Store carry them). The iMac line was bumped very quickly at MWNY to include the 17" model, but I'm not sure how much sales were influincing the release.
The one interesting thing that throws a wrench in my thinking here is that the 15" PowerBooks are still TiBooks as opposed to AlBooks. At some point, Apple will have to change this but since those PowerBooks are still newer than just about every other Mac on the market, I don't think they'll be updated in the immediate future.
If the PowerBooks are updated in July at MWNY (if there is a show), that would put the PowerBook G4 12" at 4-5 months old, the PowerBook G4 15" at 7 months old, and the PowerBook G4 17" at 3.5-4.5 months old.
Then again, this is the year of the laptop, though, so we could see upgrades every three months.
Then again, this is the year of the laptop, though, so we could see upgrades every three months. </strong><hr></blockquote>
I didn't know about the Powerbook G3's stretch between updates, but that was during a processor switch, no? But I see your point about how Apple's history of updates is spotty. Although I thought the theme lately should be less of a dependence on Apple's 6 mo. policy. Particularly since it's pulling out of MacWorlds left and right and that the PBs just got a speed bump in Nov. and here we are discussing new models two months later.
Someone said (Matsu, maybe?) and update for the 15" PB in June... that would not surprise me. Along side some speed bumps (and please lit keyboards) for the 12" and 17" PB as well.
Yeah, if this is indeed the "year of the laptops" (or however Jobs phrased it), then I would like to think that it meant more than just "okay, two new PowerBooks now and a sissy update to the iBook at MWNY...".
That's a REGULAR year for Apple!
What I'd like Jobs' statement to mean is something more along the lines of: "two new PowerBooks, a rev of those two new models in the spring...along with the intro of the aluminum 15" model with all the 12" & 17" enhancements/modifications. Then we're looking at 1GHz iBooks in July with, perhaps a couple of months later (in time for the Christmas shopping season) the intro of a G4-based iBook. And oh yeah, we're going to put FireWire 800 on all PowerBooks, base RAM on all iBooks is 256MB, AirPort and Bluetooth standard in all PowerBooks, a widescreen Special Edition G4 iBook in the fall, Bluetooth in the iBooks by autumn and, uh...just one more thing: $100-400 price cuts across all models of laptops: iBook AND PowerBook."
Now THAT would make 2003 the "year of the laptop".
Rolling out two snazzy aluminum models and giving the iBooks a modest (and expected) update in the summer - believe me - isn't ANYONE'S idea of "year of" status or claims.
Comments
Wether it will have the backlit keyboard, FW2, etc. who knows, but I would lean towards "yes." Remember though, there is only so much space on that little sucker to put stuff. :cool:
I know Apple wont let them stagnate much longer then that tho. So I think you should plan for the worst.
Make sure you have a computer you can use for the month or two when school starts just in case they are not updated/ready in time.
Good luck!! I was in the exact same situation as you last year, but the PBs were updated in April... I knew I should have bought in just before MWNY (I coulda gotten a nice deal on one) but waited. It was cool tho because I got the same deal on Jaguar day (refreshed PB, not new tho)
so in short: be prepared to wait or prepared to take advantage of a good deal if you find one.
Happy hunting!
No one know yet, it's too early to say. But I'm banking on a bump in speed for the PB 12" (prob. to 1GHZ) before August. Maybe as early as April/June.
It's too damn close to the iBooks to sit at 867 for too long, and if the 15" Ti is changed around May... it would be silly not to give it a speed increase. And if it were to get a speed bump, then the 12" and 17" would get a speed bump, too.
Makes sense to ME, but I'm easily swayed by my own intellect. And while I'm wishing on a star... I'd like to see at least 256MB embedded on the 12". I don't think the lit keyboard or FW 2 will make it ... the damn thing is only so big!
my hope/guess is for :
12" 1ghz
15" 1ghz, 1.25ghz
17" 1.25ghz
than i can buy either a 12 or 15, depending on price
haha not wanting an update just cuz i'll buy one...i'm not greedy!
...though whatever helps apple stock go up will be nice, i own 150 shares (yeah i know don't laugh) and i would like it up between 22 and 1million
What I want to see:
1 GHZ+ processor with more cache
At least 256 MB ram
An even better graphics card
DVI output
Lighted keyboard
Same or lower price, of course.
There was even some heated discussion about the new PowerBook G4 being released in August at Seybold in San Francisco (if anyone besides me and applenut remembers) but Apple held off since it was apparently 'too soon'.
I doubt they would let the PowerBooks go 11 months without an update again, but remember that the high end 17" AlBook won't be in stores (other than Apple retail) until late March the way Apple is advertising them. I also doubt that Apple would bump the 12" by itself. On the other hand, the 15" iMac hit stores earlier than most people thought it would (although it was still months before I saw a non Apple Store carry them). The iMac line was bumped very quickly at MWNY to include the 17" model, but I'm not sure how much sales were influincing the release.
The one interesting thing that throws a wrench in my thinking here is that the 15" PowerBooks are still TiBooks as opposed to AlBooks. At some point, Apple will have to change this but since those PowerBooks are still newer than just about every other Mac on the market, I don't think they'll be updated in the immediate future.
If the PowerBooks are updated in July at MWNY (if there is a show), that would put the PowerBook G4 12" at 4-5 months old, the PowerBook G4 15" at 7 months old, and the PowerBook G4 17" at 3.5-4.5 months old.
Then again, this is the year of the laptop, though, so we could see upgrades every three months.
<strong>
Then again, this is the year of the laptop, though, so we could see upgrades every three months.
I didn't know about the Powerbook G3's stretch between updates, but that was during a processor switch, no? But I see your point about how Apple's history of updates is spotty. Although I thought the theme lately should be less of a dependence on Apple's 6 mo. policy. Particularly since it's pulling out of MacWorlds left and right and that the PBs just got a speed bump in Nov. and here we are discussing new models two months later.
Someone said (Matsu, maybe?) and update for the 15" PB in June... that would not surprise me. Along side some speed bumps (and please lit keyboards) for the 12" and 17" PB as well.
I guess we'll see....
That's a REGULAR year for Apple!
What I'd like Jobs' statement to mean is something more along the lines of: "two new PowerBooks, a rev of those two new models in the spring...along with the intro of the aluminum 15" model with all the 12" & 17" enhancements/modifications. Then we're looking at 1GHz iBooks in July with, perhaps a couple of months later (in time for the Christmas shopping season) the intro of a G4-based iBook. And oh yeah, we're going to put FireWire 800 on all PowerBooks, base RAM on all iBooks is 256MB, AirPort and Bluetooth standard in all PowerBooks, a widescreen Special Edition G4 iBook in the fall, Bluetooth in the iBooks by autumn and, uh...just one more thing: $100-400 price cuts across all models of laptops: iBook AND PowerBook."
Now THAT would make 2003 the "year of the laptop".
Rolling out two snazzy aluminum models and giving the iBooks a modest (and expected) update in the summer - believe me - isn't ANYONE'S idea of "year of" status or claims.
Please, I beg you: blow my mind.
Then again, this is the year of the laptop, though, so we could see upgrades every three months. <hr></blockquote>
I think we'll see speed bumps in increments of 33 1/3 -- just like LPs.