iBook update appears to be a let down

tofutoddtofutodd
Posted:
in Future Apple Hardware edited January 2014
Gah, the 12in iBook has nowhere to go with the current 12in Powerbook capping its features. What, a 133mhz speedbump, maybe 256 more mb of ram, and a 10gb bump in hard drive capacity?? Same r9200 32mb video? i hope they shave $100 off the price.... the 12" PB in its current form is cramping the iBook's style. They need to get a G5 in it or a widescreen soon, but with the recent bump the iBook is now up to bat...

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 16
    dhagan4755dhagan4755 Posts: 2,152member
    Could be a good conspiracy to say that the next rev of the iBook will be when Apple release those 2nd quarter G5 PowerBooks and G5 iBooks.





    OH NO! NOT ANOTHER G5 POWERBOOK THREAD!!!!
  • Reply 2 of 16
    swallswall Posts: 2member
    How often does apple update the PowerBooks/iBooks? Is it randomly or scheduled? In either case, is a new iBook imminent? Sorry, im new to Apple.
  • Reply 3 of 16
    jwdawsojwdawso Posts: 389member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by swall

    How often does apple update the PowerBooks/iBooks? Is it randomly or scheduled? In either case, is a new iBook imminent? Sorry, im new to Apple.



    Go to MacRumors Buyers Guide and you can see how often Apple typically updates product lines, and when an update could take place.
  • Reply 4 of 16
    xflarexflare Posts: 199member
    For the last couple of years, iBook updates have been pretty consistent - in April/October - so if that pattern continues an update might not be too far off. BUT, as other posters have said, where can the iBook go? Perhaps we won't see any new iBooks until the Powerbooks receive MAJOR upgrades ( you know what i'm takling about ) and goodness knows when that will be. Memory or GPU updrages would take them too close to the 12" Powerbook.
  • Reply 5 of 16
    cubistcubist Posts: 954member
    In fact, looking at the MR Buyer's Guide, it looks like iBook updates have almost always followed Powerbook updates within a month, so I'd expect some rather lackluster updates fairly soon.



    We might expect 1.33GHz on the 12" and 1.5GHz on the 14". They should also get Bluetooth 2. And that's about all I can imagine them changing... the iBooks are good machines now.



    PowerBooks will be differentiated in the future by high-density displays, but those are waiting for Tiger.
  • Reply 6 of 16
    dhagan4755dhagan4755 Posts: 2,152member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by cubist

    PowerBooks will be differentiated in the future by high-density displays, but those are waiting for Tiger.



    Aren't they know? *except the 12-inch PB
  • Reply 7 of 16
    swallswall Posts: 2member
    Thanks for the help.
  • Reply 8 of 16
    commoduscommodus Posts: 270member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by DHagan4755

    Aren't they know? *except the 12-inch PB



    I think, in this case, high-density means significantly higher resolutions on the 15" and 17" models, at or above 110 DPI. For that to happen, the 15" would have to get a 1440x900 or higher resolution, and the 17" would have to get 1680x1050.
  • Reply 9 of 16
    dhagan4755dhagan4755 Posts: 2,152member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Commodus

    I think, in this case, high-density means significantly higher resolutions on the 15" and 17" models, at or above 110 DPI. For that to happen, the 15" would have to get a 1440x900 or higher resolution, and the 17" would have to get 1680x1050.



    I would love to see that happen
  • Reply 10 of 16
    pbg4 dudepbg4 dude Posts: 1,611member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by swall

    Thanks for the help.



    swall,



    Macrumors.com has a buyer's guide that guesstimates when the next update should occur. If history is to be believed, updates occur to the iBook/PowerBook line every 9-12 months. There have been periods where this has been shorter and periods where this has been longer. Still, 9-12 months is a good average to start with.



    Hope this helps.
  • Reply 11 of 16
    maccrazymaccrazy Posts: 2,658member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Commodus

    I think, in this case, high-density means significantly higher resolutions on the 15" and 17" models, at or above 110 DPI. For that to happen, the 15" would have to get a 1440x900 or higher resolution, and the 17" would have to get 1680x1050.



    Well if you've seen the mistake in the 17" manual it mentions 1920x1200 displays. I would be really jealous if they brought out high-res displays - more so than a G5 processor.
  • Reply 12 of 16
    gfeiergfeier Posts: 127member
    Forget higher density displays until resolution-switching becomes truly viable. Apple has determined that a certain dpi is the way to go and will pretty much stick to it as the default setting. Sorta like their standard for the number of buttons on a mouse.
  • Reply 13 of 16
    dhagan4755dhagan4755 Posts: 2,152member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by MacCrazy

    Well if you've seen the mistake in the 17" manual it mentions 1920x1200 displays. I would be really jealous if they brought out high-res displays - more so than a G5 processor.



    Yeah, that mistake begs the question of whether or not the PowerBook G5 was ready for MWSF but canned at the last minute. Something is holding those types of displays up and I would venture to say it's G5 processor supply. Just think ? if Apple is going to really kick high-def into high gear, then they are going to need the screen and the processing power to do it. And a G4 with a slow bus isn't going to cut it. Could they put a higher rez screen on exisiting products? Sure, but that wouldn't really work to Apple's advantage. I think we'll see PowerBook G5s announced in June with these high def displays, shipping in July or August. If Digitimes' reporting is to be believed, then we'll also see iBook G5s around or at the same time.
  • Reply 14 of 16
    jounihatjounihat Posts: 1member
    What are the chances that the next iBook will be lighter than the current one? If they don't plan to drop the weight, then I might just go and buy the current model. Though, if they drop the price, make the battery last longer, and build a better keyboard, I'll probably just wait.



    Shouldn't Apple announce something before they release new models? At least I would like to know a bit about their future plans before rushing into the store.
  • Reply 15 of 16
    maccrazymaccrazy Posts: 2,658member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by jounihat

    What are the chances that the next iBook will be lighter than the current one? If they don't plan to drop the weight, then I might just go and buy the current model. Though, if they drop the price, make the battery last longer, and build a better keyboard, I'll probably just wait.



    Shouldn't Apple announce something before they release new models? At least I would like to know a bit about their future plans before rushing into the store.



    Apple announce products on the day. The only thing we know is that 512MB RAM will be standard.
  • Reply 16 of 16
    monkeyastronautmonkeyastronaut Posts: 1,343member
    I think it would be nice if the new iBooks could sport a metal/white look like the Mac mini. Widescreens all across the line would be welcomed too. 12-inch widescreen and 14-inch widescreen seems reasonable.



    Dell is already offering this:



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    So maybe Apple can incorporate widescreen displays on their consumer lineup. $999-1499 for a widescreen iBook sounds awesome to me, even with a G4 processor.
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