[jmalcolm01]

I keep on seeing posts of people saying that something major is still on the way for the ibook in the next couple of months. Almost as if this was just a speed bump that will turn into the introductory line or something. I just find it hard to believe they would release something else this soon, but why buy now when I'll be kicking myself in the rear in a few months. So if anyone has some good info I'm dying to know and probably alot of others aswell... Thanks!!!

[OldManMac]

No one knows, unless they work for Apple, in which case they're giving out secret information, and are subject to disciplinary action.

[stew]

In a year from now, iBooks will
- ship with better graphic cards
- have faster CPUs
- ship with larger hard drives
than today. ***CONFIRMED***

[chabig]

Stew is exactly right. In the history of the iBook, they've been updated about every six months.

Chris

[SupahCoolX]

Actually, I see an iBook update sometime in the summer (July, August?) to capitalize on the new school year starting. That's always a major focus for Apple (and one of the iBook line's targets). I guess there's also a chance of a new or refreshed form factor then, but who knows?

[Krusty]

Originally posted by jmalcolm01:
I keep on seeing posts of people saying that something major is still on the way for the ibook in the next couple of months. Almost as if this was just a speed bump that will turn into the introductory line or something. I just find it hard to believe they would release something else this soon, but why buy now when I'll be kicking myself in the rear in a few months. So if anyone has some good info I'm dying to know and probably alot of others aswell... Thanks!!!

Who knows what will really happen with the iBook in the coming months. I think the reasons people are latching on to the idea are:

"I just find it hard to believe they would release something else this soon"
- They updated the TiPB in Nov and then released the alubooks just a few weeks later in Jan. Its roughly time for a total revamp of the iBook (iBook will be 2 yrs old in May.. TiPB was 2yrs old in Jan when the Alubooks were announced), so maybe they'll do the same sort of thing with it which is to have a new model that exists alongside of the current iBooks.
- All the new models have gone to the cheaper, opaque white color scheme, which may indicate that the current form factor iBook will end up being like the eMac (i.e. the low cost super-entry level machine in their laptop line)
- Jobs was quoted as saying that 2003 will be the "Year of the Laptop". The most current iBook revision is arguably the least impressive update to the iBook line to date (100mhz increase is proportionally less when going from 8-900 than when going from 5-6, 6-7, or 7-8). Having 3 laptop lines seems implausible at first glance ... but makes more sense when you consider that there are 3 desktop lines and the proportion of laptops that apple sells is rapidly approaching 50%. (40% or so right now, but moving up rapidly).
-I think a lot of suspicion has been aroused because the "updated" ibooks still boot OS 9, do not have bluetooth or Airport Extreme support.

So, of course, no guarantees .. but something along the lines of a new "premium" consumer laptop makes some sense. If you need a laptop now, buy one now. If you don't, then I'd say wait til late July/ early Aug or so ... you're likely to be in the window to get a free 10.3 upgrade by that point (which could save you $129 bucks) and a lot of states have "tax free" weekends on the first weekend of August .. which could save ~$100 on an iBook purchase depending on the tax rate in your state (Of course, you can always buy tax free on line, but you are technically liable for tax on the purchase.).

If I were to guess what Apple might do with a new laptop line it would be the following:
-form factor: unknown (I'd personally love to see at 13.x wide(r) sceen format + return to crystal white for the "premium" ibooks)
-will support latest apple technologies of airport extreme and have built in bluetooth
-if there are any "optimal" requirements to run 10.3, it will support those.

[/total rampant speculation]

[x user]

I think the time of the G4 iBook will come in the next revision. Perhaps the PB's going to dual or G? processors.

[WizOSX]

Originally posted by x user

I think the time of the G4 iBook will come in the next revision. Perhaps the PB's going to dual or G? processors.

I'm beginning to think that Apple may never put out a G4 iBook and here's why:

1) The G4 runs very hot and that's why we constantly hear about the hot 12" and 17" new TiBooks. Trying to put the G4 in a notebook (like the TiBook) is relatively expensive (to get rid of heat) and gives a noisier machine than the G3 does. So the G3 iBook fills the bill perfectly for people who want a very quiet, inexpensive and not hot notebook. Its just not worthwhile for Motorola to develop a really low-heat, low-power using G4.

2) The current G3 is currently comparable to low-end Celeron Windows notebooks. There is a good market for those machines just as there is for the iBook. Apple doesn't need to go to a G4 to sell machines to people who don't really need one (mainly non-Photoshop users). IBM will probably be able to get the G3 over 1ghz soon so I think we will see that in one more iBook iteration, probably in July or August. A 1.2ghz G3 iBook with beefed up video would be a quick machine, certainly quick enough for me and many iBook users, even with Panther.

3) IBM might find it worthwhile to come out with a mobile version of the 970. That is likely what we will see in a revamped iBook, maybe in January but I would guess more likely in Summer 2004.