[Rumor Addict]

12 inch iBook

$1,099.00

1GHz PowerPC G4
512K L2 cache @ 1GHz
12-inch TFT Display
1024x768 resolution
256MB DDR266 SDRAM
30GB Ultra ATA drive
Combo Drive
ATI Mobility Radeon 9200
32MB DDR video memory
AirPort Extreme ready

14 inch iBook

$1,299.0

1GHz PowerPC G4
512K L2 cache @ 1GHz
14-inch TFT Display
1024x768 resolution
256MB DDR266 SDRAM
40GB Ultra ATA drive
Combo Drive
ATI Mobility Radeon 9200
32MB DDR video memory
AirPort Extreme ready

14 inch iBook

$1,499.00


1.2GHz PowerPC G4
512K L2 cache @ 1GHz
14-inch TFT Display
1024x768 resolution
256MB DDR266 SDRAM
60GB Ultra ATA drive
Combo Drive
ATI Mobility Radeon 9200
32MB DDR video memory
AirPort Extreme built-in

[Krypton]

The 12 inch combo iBook is only �799 in the UK - a truly great price, finally competing with all the Windows laptops advertised on TV.

[scottiB]

And a SuperDrive is available on the 14" models.

Decent, but not as progressive as the PowerBooks. I wish the prices would've dropped by U$100 across the board.

[im_noahselby]

This iBook update was pretty lackluster:

Same video card, same crappy 30GB HD in 12" (should be 40GB!), same everything, except for a slight processor increase. It's a disappointing day for the iBook hopeful among us...

Before this update, the 12" iBook had the edge as the better value compared to the 12" PowerBook (Cdn$), but now the 12" PowerBook is clearly the better value of the two.

12" iBook $1,449 (before update was $1,499) $50 savings!
1GHz PowerPC G4
512K L2 cache @ 1GHz
12-inch TFT Display
1024x768 resolution
256MB DDR266 SDRAM
30GB Ultra ATA drive
Combo Drive
ATI Mobility Radeon 9200
32MB DDR video memory
AirPort Extreme ready

12" PowerBook $2,099 (before update was $2,299) $200 savings!
12.1-inch TFT Display
1024x768 resolution
1.33GHz PowerPC G4
512K L2 cache
256MB DDR333 SDRAM
60GB Ultra ATA/100
NVIDIA GeForce FX
Go5200 (64MB DDR)
Full size keyboard
10/100BASE-T Ethernet
FireWire 400
AirPort Extreme built-in
Mini-DVI out

$650 more Cdn gets you:

- 60GB HD (30GB more than the 12" iBook)
- 64MB Graphics Card (32MB more than the iBook)
- More processing power 1.33Ghz vs 1Ghz
- Bluetooth
- Built in Airport Extreme
- Mini DVI out
- Aluminum alloy case, sturdy keyboard vs cheap white plastic
- and more...

Noah

[kdixey]

funds and an update like this is welcome news. I still think the 12" ibook is still a terrific value, the powerbook SHOULD be better for $400 (US). I'm not trying to be difficult, but that is a significant amount of money when looking at which one to buy. The fact remains that the ibook will never have the specs that the powerbooks have. Apple would risk powerbook sales if it did. Basically, the current version of the ibook is almost identical to the combo drive version of the rev B 12" powerbook (same L2 cache, bus speed, processor speed etc.)

I'm someone that has been struggling at which Mac to buy. I have very limited The addition of the larger L2 cache alone is going to make these new ibooks seem significantly more zippy than the previous versions. Not a bad little machine IMHO.

[sniffer]

I love this upgrade. 1Ghz w/512 Kb lv cache is just what the 12" ibook needed. It also have an onboard 256 Mb ram module. The only thing that doesn't make sense is no offical support for video spanning. The PB have already distanced itself, so there wouldn't be anything wrong with making spanning a feature on the ibooks.

Buying an ibook is next on my list, if I dont save up for a PB 12" that is.

[mishap]

Originally posted by sniffer:
I love this upgrade. 1Ghz w/512 Kb lv cache

512 l2 cache... finally!!! g4 ibook should be great now!

[Quadra]

Color me unimpressed. Rather anemic update on the ibook line.

Should have priced the low end ibook at $999.00 IMO.

Going to wait until the next update.

[funkboy]

Originally posted by im_noahselby:
This iBook update was pretty lackluster:

...

$650 more Cdn gets you:

- 60GB HD (30GB more than the 12" iBook)
- 64MB Graphics Card (32MB more than the iBook)
- More processing power 1.33Ghz vs 1Ghz
- Bluetooth
- Built in Airport Extreme
- Mini DVI out
- Aluminum alloy case, sturdy keyboard vs cheap white plastic
- and more...

The bluetooth... that still requires an adapter on the powerbook, doesn't it?

Still, I agree, the 12" PowerBook looks nice.

Remember, the iBook G4 was a huge seller last quarter for Apple, so I doubt they'll change it much until it stops selling really well.

Still, I was more than happy with this update, though I'm not into the tech specs as much as I once was. It's at the magical 1 GHz mark, and still a nice low price, and officially supports the 1GB RAM. Yay!

[Simon]

Originally posted by funkboy:
The bluetooth... that still requires an adapter on the powerbook, doesn't it?

No, you can have it internally as BTO option.

[d0ubled0wn]

Looks like educational discount is now $150 (used to be $100.) My sis will be happy... heading over the online Apple Store to order the 12" right now.

edit: I was looking at the wrong model, it's still $100.

[joltguy]

I think this is a decent upgrade, although it's missing 2 things I've been looking for in every recent iBook update:[list=1][*]The 12" model should have a BTO option to get the faster 1.2GHz G4[*]The 14" model should have a better resolution than 1024x768![/list=1]

I'm still lusting over that 12" PowerBook though.... I just wish it came with Gigabit Ethernet like it's big brothers. The $200 price reduction (I'm in Canada) is very very welcome!

[preslove]

Originally posted by sniffer:
I love this upgrade. 1Ghz w/512 Kb lv cache is just what the 12" ibook needed. It also have an onboard 256 Mb ram module. The only thing that doesn't make sense is no offical support for video spanning. The PB have already distanced itself, so there wouldn't be anything wrong with making spanning a feature on the ibooks.

Buying an ibook is next on my list, if I dont save up for a PB 12" that is.

I have a question about video spanning, or the lack thereof. Will this deficiency prevent one from using an iBook for a powerpoint presentation with a projector?

[sniffer]

Originally posted by preslove:
I have a question about video spanning, or the lack thereof. Will this deficiency prevent one from using an iBook for a powerpoint presentation with a projector?

No, it supports mirroring and you have the option for both VGA and s-video out.

[vixi]

I love what they did to the new ibooks. 256, expandable to 1.25g of ram rules. The fact that now you can get a superdrive in the 14 inch is really nice too. These were the two main factors that had me on the fence between powerbook and ibook.

- vixi

[Dimitri]

Boy, I wish I would've waited a month and a half for this.
I also made the mistake of buying my ibook at ChumpUSA. I was led to believe I could upgrade things through apple but then I call apple and they tell me I can't. So not only am I stuck with the 30GB hard drive (unless I want to void my warranty), now I see the increased on-board ram and upgraded cpu. I'll do my homework better next time and buy directly from Apple right AFTER a new hardware update.

[mrweirdo]

I like the upgrade to the cpu at least in the new ibook. The ram upgradability is nice as well. The only thing that I can think of is why they chose to stick with a 32mb 9200 ati radeon. I'm not sure if I am expecting to much but i would had though they would go to at least a low end 9600 in ibooks and put something like 9800 or higher end ati stuff in the PB line with its update that is coming.

[mrweirdo]

Originally posted by Dimitri:
Boy, I wish I would've waited a month and a half for this.
I also made the mistake of buying my ibook at ChumpUSA. So not only am I stuck with the 30GB hard drive (unless I want to void my warranty),

Lol I wouldn�t be caught dead buying anything from that place. Even the stuff you buy with a warranty they won�t honor it on because they make up some lame excuse so they can get out of the warranty. Someone I know had that happen to them with a monitor they purchased their with CompUSA warranty. It had a major portion of the screen with dead pixels and it had been purchased with a warranty from them. The people at CompUSA kept making excuses to not exchange or repair it. First time we calmly approached them about it they kicked us out of the store. So we went back a few days later and they didn�t want to do anything about it. This time we threaten to report them to multiple agencies and finally they gave in and allowed us to exchange the monitor.

[andreas_g4]

The iBooks are sweet machines that I'd recommend to most people that want to have "a computer for stuff". The 1 GHz 12" model ist the perfect companion for 90% of the people I know. This thing can everything that the average user can think of. The only thing that Apple could have made better ist the harddrive size. Of course, 50 or 80 bucks is a very good price for the HD upgrades, but 40 GB should have been standard.

[d0ubled0wn]

Originally posted by Dimitri:
I'll do my homework better next time and buy directly from Apple right AFTER a new hardware update.

There's always eBay. I sold my iBook 600 about a year after I bought it and recouped over 80% of what I bought for it. Remember, eBay is a seller's market... people always overpay on eBay.

[discotronic]

I'm very happy to see that they finally put the 256MB RAM on the board and officially recognize that a 1GB module will work. Overall a nice little update but I wish that a SuperDrive could be ordered with the 12". If I were in the market for an iBook right now the 12" would have been ordered this morning.

[parisblue]

What was the video card and cache on the old iBooks? Specifically on the 933Mhz 14" iBook?

[sniffer]

Same 9200 video card and half the level 2 cache in the elders.

[parisblue]

Originally posted by sniffer:
Same 9200 video card and half the level 2 cache in the elders.

Thanks. What sort of areas does the Level 2 cache have an effect on? Specifically gaming? Or any kind of video and graphic work?

[Cadaver]

The new iBooks are very nice indeed. 1GHz for the 12" is great. This means that for the first time in Apple's history, they aren't selling any machines with a clock speed less than 1000MHz

But, something interesting I've noticed - configure a 12" iBook with Airport and Bluetooth, and bump the HD to 60GB, and you're within $200 of a 12" PowerBook (which now has a 60GB HD and Airport standard, and is 333MHz faster).

However, $999 (education price) for the base combo drive 12" iBook is great! I was all set to get a new iBook (to replace my aging 600MHz Rage128 iBook), but I'm now leaning towards a 12" PB now that an AE card and a 60GB HD are standard.

[sniffer]

Originally posted by parisblue:
Thanks. What sort of areas does the Level 2 cache have an effect on? Specifically gaming? Or any kind of video and graphic work?

Not really sure exactly. I know the main difference between the standard Pentium and the Celeron CPU is the size of the cache, and that cache is very expensive. In raw data crunching (most tasks really) the bigger cache should have a major advance, and make a difference. The CPU wouldn't have to wait for the slower system bus that frequent since it have more workspace on the nearby/on chip buffer/cache. Perhaps someone else here can enlighten more about this topic.

[freakboy2]

with the g4 powerlogix upgrades going from 256k cache to 512k generally gives about a 10-20% boost to performance with most tasks.

these new ibooks should be noticeably faster than the old ones. the extra 128 megs of ram is nice too.

also i think the 7447 (?) chip is lower power than the older g4s, so battery life should be better on the new machines.

oh yeah i think they upped the speed of the memory bus too. this should also give a 5-10% boost in performance.

we'll have to wait and see the benchies and performance testing.

this update just made the ibook the perfect laptop for me again. I love those things.

now i just need to get one

edit: wow i just priced out an ibook 12inch vs a powerbook 12 inch on the education thing.. the powerbook comes out to be about 180$ more expensive as long as you buy your ram 3rd party.. (going to 768 megs) the ibook prices for ram aren't that preposterous, so i just priced it on apple's site.

270$ for 512 of 2700 sodimm is like 2x as much as you can get it from a good 3rd party.

so for 170$ more you get everything the same except you have a faster proc, don't know if 9200 mobile is better than a 5200go (i'd bet the ati is better).

good stuff all around though maybe i have to get a powerbook now.

fb

[Dimitri]

Not sure how you're getting that. PB's use DDR333, but assuming both ram upgrades are equal in price there's still a $400 difference. That and the warranty is $50 more for a PB. You adding crap like BT and AE? That might knock it down to like a $250 difference then. For a slightly better graphics system and 33% faster processor and better case, it's $250 well spent though.

iBooks still use the same DDR266 so no difference there. The cache is going to boost speed, but probably not as much as the 200mhz bump will.

[rytc]

Originally posted by sniffer:
I love this upgrade. 1Ghz w/512 Kb lv cache is just what the 12" ibook needed. It also have an onboard 256 Mb ram module. The only thing that doesn't make sense is no offical support for video spanning. The PB have already distanced itself, so there wouldn't be anything wrong with making spanning a feature on the ibooks.

Buying an ibook is next on my list, if I dont save up for a PB 12" that is.

Lack of video-spanning is hardly an issue, simply apply the patch that's available all over the net and you've have it. I've done it on a couple of iBooks so far and haven't seen any issues.

http://www.rutemoeller.com/mp/ibook/ibook_e.html

Cheers Ry

[sniffer]

Yes, I am aware about the spanning hack. If I didn't I wouldn't consider a new iBook in the first place. I own a iBook to day that doesn't support the spanning hack. It does the job well, but as I use it as a desktop replacement, video spanning is a must have. The 12" PB have improved slightly enough to distance it self, so I'll consider the PB 12" as well. One or the other, this is the time to buy a new Mac portable.

[roders]

Is it my imagination or has the Ibook got a much better (i.e. upgraded) video card now (asoppossed to what people have said in this thread)?
I.E from Rad 7500 to 9200? if so the 9200 has pixel shader support.

[Simon]

Originally posted by roders:
Is it my imagination or has the Ibook got a much better (i.e. upgraded) video card now (asoppossed to what people have said in this thread)?
I.E from Rad 7500 to 9200? if so the 9200 has pixel shader support.

No, the last generation iBooks (800MHz, 933MHz, 1GHz G4s) already had that.

The 7500 was on the series before that (800 & 900MHz G3s).

[freakboy2]

the pricing i quoted was from the educational side, and adding AE is kind of mandatory for an ibook. (or does it already come with airport built in?)

what i was trying to say was that by the time i got a 60 gig hd, ram, Airport extreme, the price difference was about 180 bucks maybe 200. That seems like the powerbook is a good deal all of a sudden as it has other faster subcomponents and a 33% faster proc.

does anyone know if the 5200 go is as good as the 9200?

[Dimitri]

Did you add Applecare also? Either way, the PB is worth it unless you'll be doing very little in graphics. I believe the 5200 is slightly faster, it also has twice the video ram.

[Nerozwei]

Originally posted by freakboy2:
also i think the 7447 (?) chip is lower power than the older g4s, so battery life should be better on the new machines.
[[/B]

Developer notes are out. The supplemental ref. document G4 link leads to the 7447A product place.

It also states that the clockspeed is switched dynamically, between 500MHz and 1GHz & between 600MHz and 1.2GHz: "When DFS is enabled, the processor dynamically adjusts its speed based on the current needs of the system. The processor speed will switch between 1000 MHz and 500 MHz or between 1200 MHz and 600 MHz, depending on the configuration."

All the PB's dev notes also lead to the 7447A page. Maybe Apple really is running 7447A throughout the line... If this is the case I'm guessing there'll be overclocking attempts

[dspiel]

Yeah, the resolution on the 14"...why still the same? Would it be so painful to bump up the resolution a little bit?

[fastback]

Here in Canada. The 14" sells for $1499.

And I think the 12" sell for around $11-1250.

[Arkham_c]

I am very impressed with the new iBook. $1099 for a 1GHz G4. I bought a 900MHz G3 for $799 2 months ago (new, discounted inventory) and have been really happy with it. With a 512k cache it was as fast as the 800MHz G4. This new iBook though would likely yield another speed boost. I'd recommend that 12" iBook to anyone looking for a portable Mac.

[Nerozwei]

Originally posted by joltguy:
I think this is a decent upgrade, although it's missing 2 things I've been looking for in every recent iBook update:[list=1][*]The 12" model should have a BTO option to get the faster 1.2GHz G4[*]The 14" model should have a better resolution than 1024x768![/list=1]

I'm still lusting over that 12" PowerBook though.... I just wish it came with Gigabit Ethernet like it's big brothers. The $200 price reduction (I'm in Canada) is very very welcome!

At 1.2GHz it'd be really close to the 12" PB. I'm sure Apple will try to lure people to get the PB instead. Plus it might not make sense logistically to offer a BTO option 1.2GHz order. Most people would probably be satisfied with the 1GHz or get a 12" pb.

As for the upping of the 14" resolution... I think its good to offer a choice for those with worse eyesight. Hell, the day I do, I'd be cursing Apple for cutting the 14"

And one last thing. Are the new iBooks available at Applestores already?

[d4nth3m4n]

Originally posted by dspiel:
Yeah, the resolution on the 14"...why still the same? Would it be so painful to bump up the resolution a little bit?

am i wrong to think that maybe apple still has screens from the g3 powerbook days? same screen right? or just the same size?

[mspalacios]

Originally posted by Nerozwei:
And one last thing. Are the new iBooks available at Applestores already?

Yup.... picking 12" 1Ghz this week from the Kenwood Applestore (Cincinnati, OH).

[Nerozwei]

Originally posted by mspalacios:
Yup.... picking 12" 1Ghz this week from the Kenwood Applestore (Cincinnati, OH).

Sweet. Let us know about the performance & battery life, mmmkay?

My BTO 12" is still pending (this is for Europe, shipping from Cork, Ireland)... probably shipping on the 28th. It'll replace my G3 700MHz CD-ROM.

It'll also my first computer to break the GHz barrier. AMD did it like four years ago? I must be retarded to be this late

[mspalacios]

I ended up deciding to buy it from the online Applestore, just because I wanted the built-in Bluetooth. They're quoting 1-3 days, just ordered last night. We'll see..