[fastback]

What's the best thing to do, buy an iBook in the next 2-3 months or wait however the time the G5 is coming out.

[Leonard]

The iBooks were updated in October, so it will likely be 3-4 months (April or May) before the iBooks are updated again. As for a G5 iBook this year, I think most agree that's unlikely this year. I think something was mistranslated or misinterpreted in that iBook G5 rumor. So if you need an iBook, buy now, otherwise you'll be waiting 3-4 months for the new ones, which likely won't have G5s in them.

[iREZ]

It all depends on what your going to be doing with it, and if you could wait or not.

[d4nth3m4n]

g5 ibook? ibook? keep dreaming.

it was nearly 4 years after the pb went g4 for the ibook to go g4.

don't hold your breath.

[iluvmymactoo]

Well I guess you could wait for the G5 iBook, but by then the G6 iMac will be available

[theJoKell]

Originally posted by d4nth3m4n:
g5 ibook? ibook? keep dreaming.

it was nearly 4 years after the pb went g4 for the ibook to go g4.

don't hold your breath.

Same could've been said about the iMac before it hit the G5. I'm not sure you can base the G5 iBook timeline on how long it took to go to G4...

[Rev-O]

Originally posted by theJoKell:
Same could've been said about the iMac before it hit the G5. I'm not sure you can base the G5 iBook timeline on how long it took to go to G4...

I think it is safe to say the PowerBooks will go G5 before the iBook, and I also think that there is a good chance that PowerBooks will go dual core G4 before they go G5. So if iBooks stay a step behind PowerBooks from an updating standpoint, you've got perhaps 2 revisions between you and a G5 iBook.
1.5MHz G4 -> dual core G4 -> G5.

The point about the iMac going G5 so soon is valid, but iMac sales were tapering off a bit, and Apple needed to jump start the product line. From a laptop perspective, the line Apple needs to jump start is the PowerBook line before the iBook.

So, I wouldn't be holding you're breath.

[juusan]

powerbook g5's pose a serious heat issue, so it's going to be quite some time before they are released. go for an ibook.

[IceBreaker]

how much of a hurry are you in?

what type of laptop do you have now?

[fastback]

No hurry at all. I currently own a crappy PC.

I'm planning on getting an iBook at the earliest in early summer this year.

[theJoKell]

Originally posted by Rev-O:
I think it is safe to say the PowerBooks will go G5 before the iBook, and I also think that there is a good chance that PowerBooks will go dual core G4 before they go G5. So if iBooks stay a step behind PowerBooks from an updating standpoint, you've got perhaps 2 revisions between you and a G5 iBook.
1.5MHz G4 -> dual core G4 -> G5.

The point about the iMac going G5 so soon is valid, but iMac sales were tapering off a bit, and Apple needed to jump start the product line. From a laptop perspective, the line Apple needs to jump start is the PowerBook line before the iBook.

So, I wouldn't be holding you're breath.

Why do you think there will be a dual core G4? People are so quick to point out previous Apple releases when it comes to G5 books but fail to remember that there has never been a dual core processor in a Mac. Why would Apple start now?

I imagine if the G5 PowerBook is not forthcoming, a 1.7Ghz G4 will be the next update followed by the G5 Pbook. And I don't see why both the iBook and the Powerbook couldn't go G5 at the same time - the powerbooks would just have a higher clock speed (not to mention other advantages). That may be wishful thinking on my part but I think it's just as plausible as a dual core g4 notebook.

[Rev-O]

Originally posted by theJoKell:
Why do you think there will be a dual core G4? People are so quick to point out previous Apple releases when it comes to G5 books but fail to remember that there has never been a dual core processor in a Mac. Why would Apple start now?

I imagine if the G5 PowerBook is not forthcoming, a 1.7Ghz G4 will be the next update followed by the G5 Pbook. And I don't see why both the iBook and the Powerbook couldn't go G5 at the same time - the powerbooks would just have a higher clock speed (not to mention other advantages). That may be wishful thinking on my part but I think it's just as plausible as a dual core g4 notebook.

There is much thinking that dual core procs are going to help bridge the difficulty gap created by going with smaller and smaller processes. The current (what is it, 90nm?) process has hit a bit of a wall (or maybe more like a 'stumble'). Hence the dual core G5 possibly later this year, and freescales dual core G4 which is (IIRC) far along. If powerbooks make the jump to G5s skipping dual core G4s, I'd still suspect that a dual core G4 would end up in the iBook to create the tiered marketing approach Apple likes, keeping the distinction between consumer/prosumer lines. In some applications, the performance difference between a G4 and a G5 is seems to be a function of clock speed, not raw horsepower, of course that is with 10.3 and not 10.4.

I guess the long and the short of it is, it's just a guess. IBM has had a hard time delivering the goods on the G5 front, so maybe Apple is going to give Moto a shot. Dunno. Of course, I'm probably full of crap!

[macaddict0001]

The ibook has a good two years before it hits the wall with g4 speeds, just get a g4 ibook and be happy with it.