Report: Asustek wins bid to produce widescreen iBook
Asustek Computer recently outbid Quanta Computer to secure orders from Apple Computer for a 14.1-inch widescreen iBook model, according to a report in China's Economic Daily News.
The deal reportedly extends to the first 500,000 of the new iBooks that will be manufactured and debunks an earlier DigiTimes report that said Quanta secured the same order back in April.
Apple's current offerings include both a 12.1- and 14.1-inch iBook G4 laptop, but neither features a widescreen display. The smallest profile Apple laptop to sport a widescreen is its 15.2-inch PowerBook G4.
The overseas report also cites unnamed sources in saying Asustek also recently secured orders for the 15.4-inch iBook, which will be launched in 2006.
The reliability of the report is unknown and Asustek declined to comment, stating it has non-disclosure agreements with all of its OEM customers.
According to the report, last year Asustek shipped more than one million notebooks to Apple, including 12.1-inch iBooks and 12.1-inch PowerBooks.
Asustek is also believed to be one of two Taiwanese manufacturers contracted by Apple to produce its iPod shuffle digital music player.
Meanwhile, Quanta retains contracts to produce Apple's iMac G5, Xserve G5, and certain PowerBook G4 models.
The deal reportedly extends to the first 500,000 of the new iBooks that will be manufactured and debunks an earlier DigiTimes report that said Quanta secured the same order back in April.
Apple's current offerings include both a 12.1- and 14.1-inch iBook G4 laptop, but neither features a widescreen display. The smallest profile Apple laptop to sport a widescreen is its 15.2-inch PowerBook G4.
The overseas report also cites unnamed sources in saying Asustek also recently secured orders for the 15.4-inch iBook, which will be launched in 2006.
The reliability of the report is unknown and Asustek declined to comment, stating it has non-disclosure agreements with all of its OEM customers.
According to the report, last year Asustek shipped more than one million notebooks to Apple, including 12.1-inch iBooks and 12.1-inch PowerBooks.
Asustek is also believed to be one of two Taiwanese manufacturers contracted by Apple to produce its iPod shuffle digital music player.
Meanwhile, Quanta retains contracts to produce Apple's iMac G5, Xserve G5, and certain PowerBook G4 models.
Comments
Originally posted by fahlman
Hopefully they ship with Intel processors.
Are you serious? The decision to move to Intel was only made very recently. Hardly enough time to design a new machine with a new architecture and put out contracts to build it.
SJ said it'll be the middle of next year before we see Intel-based machines. They wouldn't be letting contracts for those just yet, surely?
Originally posted by sunilraman
i DONT CARE ABOUT NEXT YEAR. WHAT ABOUT NEXT WEEK ????
We are writing a report (as I speak) on the new G4s that will likely show up in the next wave of PowerPC laptops.
Settle down...
Kasper
Originally posted by Kasper
We are writing a report (as I speak) on the new G4s that will likely show up in the next wave of PowerPC laptops.
Settle down...
Kasper
hey cool Kasper himself speaks. wow. that's like getting into the emperor's throne room and speaking to Palpatine himself, bypassing Vader.
I basically want the current 15" PowerBooks specs on the 15" Widescreen iBook. 1 running at 1.5ghz Pentium M and the other 1.7. The PowerBooks can start at 1.8 o
2.0 and max out at 2.2. By that time all the Professional items will come standard with 768mbs of ram
This won't be an Intel machine, either. Steve said they've still got plenty of new PPC products to show off.
Originally posted by CrunchinJelly
It's about time we had an iBook with a resolution higher than 1024x768.
This won't be an Intel machine, either. Steve said they've still got plenty of new PPC products to show off.
I would presume it would pack a chip from this family:
http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=1142
Not too exciting... but that's why we're moving to Intel after all, right?
Best,
Kasper
Originally posted by Kasper
We are writing a report (as I speak) on the new G4s that will likely show up in the next wave of PowerPC laptops.
Settle down...
Kasper
Haha! Very funny Kasper! But we all know that next wave of Powerbooks are going to hold G5's (dual processors, too, from what I'm gathering) in an even slimmer form factor. Of course, the liquid-nitrogen cooling pack is 20 pounds, but that's not been an issue so far in testing.
G4s! Ha, so 2000! Next thing you'll know, you'll be telling us all about Apple switching to Intel processors and all. Man, you're a riot!
Originally posted by krispie
Are you serious? The decision to move to Intel was only made very recently. Hardly enough time to design a new machine with a new architecture and put out contracts to build it.
Steve did not wake up Monday morning and decide to switch to Intel processors.
Originally posted by AppleInsider
15.4-inch iBook, which will be launched in 2006
I hope that it ships late enough in 2006 to have an Intel processor. I don't need a new computer. My ol' Windows desktop I inherited when I got married 5 years ago still surfs the internet and sends and receive email just fine. It's going to be even better when I install Fedora Core 4 sometime in the next few days. When I need to do real work I go to the office and work on the dual 2.0GHz G5 or Dual 1.25GHz G4. I would like a laptop so I'm not tied down to a desk at home too and I'll buy one when the iBooks go Intel.
Originally posted by krispie
Are you serious? The decision to move to Intel was only made very recently. Hardly enough time to design a new machine with a new architecture and put out contracts to build it.
SJ said it'll be the middle of next year before we see Intel-based machines. They wouldn't be letting contracts for those just yet, surely?
SJ said that by the time WWDC rolls around next year they should already be shipping Intel-based models. So any time between January and June could be the introduction of Intel-based iBooks and Mac minis.
My best guess is we will see 12.1" (4:3) standard and 14" (16:10) widescreen iBook models with better graphics and faster G4 processors in the coming weeks. Minor cosmetic changes to both with the new 14" widescreen model simply being wider. Then next spring we will see the Intel-based iBooks, a total redesign from the ground up which will include a 15.4" widescreen iBook and a smaller 13" model, both widescreen this time.
Originally posted by 1984
My best guess is we will see 12.1" (4:3) standard and 14" (16:10) widescreen iBook models with better graphics and faster G4 processors in the coming weeks.
No widescreen iBook in the next couple of weeks (IMO). An iBook refresh is one thing, but a widescreen requires new design and layout, lots of testing. They're not going to do that as part of a 'refresh'. If you're doing all that, you might as well start from ground up and redesign the thing (its been the same for many years, although I like the looks of it).
And I'm not holding my breath on better graphics. I did that the last time it was refreshed and was left blue in the face and unconconscious.
My experiences of Asustek have been not good...the latest being a mate's top of the line laptop falling apart after a month of sitting on a desk...i understand that its all designed to reduce the price of the end machine... lets just hope that it sticks to Apple's quality control...my PB is still as tight as the day i took it home......
someone is bound to tell me they are reasonable, cheap products but hey, this is just my opinion
Originally posted by krispie
SJ said it'll be the middle of next year before we see Intel-based machines. They wouldn't be letting contracts for those just yet, surely?
Not quite...he said Apple will be SHIPPING INTEL PRODUCTS by this time next year. Theoretically, he could launch a new intel product anytime between now and the day before WWDC '06
Originally posted by Louzer
No widescreen iBook in the next couple of weeks (IMO). An iBook refresh is one thing, but a widescreen requires new design and layout, lots of testing. They're not going to do that as part of a 'refresh'. If you're doing all that, you might as well start from ground up and redesign the thing (its been the same for many years, although I like the looks of it).
Just wondering out loud...how difficult would it be for Apple to have two prototypes under development using the same form factor. One running PowerPC, another one running Intel.
If what Jobs says is true (MacOSX living a double life for the past five years), surely they've considered different motherboard designs.
Originally posted by Louzer
No widescreen iBook in the next couple of weeks (IMO). An iBook refresh is one thing
Your speculation ? as good as any ? is reasonable, but you have to keep a few things in mind:
1. The iBook is 3 MONTHS beyond its very regular product update cycle. It has been updated on schedule for the last four years. Every time a product has substantially missed its update cycle, has in years past meant a major upgrade was pending. This has been the Apple modus operandi.
2. Steve Jobs was quoted as saying that they have very good PPC products yet to be released. Given the current situation with the iBook, the fact that Apple has stuck with its form factor for over 4 years, and the fact that Apple needs products to bridge the gap to the Intel era, I would say comports with the thinking that a major iBook revision is likely.
Other reasoning on why a major revision is needed is outlined in my post on the other iBook thread.
Just my 2¢...we'll see!
Originally posted by DHagan4755
Your speculation ? as good as any ? is reasonable, but you have to keep a few things in mind:
1. The iBook is 3 MONTHS beyond its very regular product update cycle. It has been updated on schedule for the last four years. Every time a product has substantially missed its update cycle, has in years past meant a major upgrade was pending. This has been the Apple modus operandi.
2. Steve Jobs was quoted as saying that they have very good PPC products yet to be released. Given the current situation with the iBook, the fact that Apple has stuck with its form factor for over 4 years, and the fact that Apple needs products to bridge the gap to the Intel era, I would say comports with the thinking that a major iBook revision is likely.
Other reasoning on why a major revision is needed is outlined in my post on the other iBook thread.
Just my 2¢...we'll see!
Sorry, I just don't buy it. Apple is cheap. Extremely cheap. When we all complained about the G5 towers still lacking PCI Express, it was "They're waiting for the next chips, since its cheaper to do it all at once". I just don't buy apple making a whole new widescreen iBook just to come out with a slightly faster processor.
As to your points, #1 is invalid. The PowerMac G5s were last updated June 2004 (not counting the stupid single processor in Sept). Everyone waited and waited for the update, and 11 months later, Apple releases it as a minor update. And this was a year after a long delay after its initial release, only to get the last update.