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f1000 · Jan 10, 2006, 11:31 PM

Jobs wants the "Mac" in "MacBook" to differentiate Intel Macs from Intel PCs. OK, but might there not be a better combination of "Mac" with a prefix/suffix that could replace the venerable PowerBook and iBook monikers? Let's hash out the alternatives here!

SpaceMonkey · Jan 10, 2006, 11:35 PM

To be honest, it's kind of growing on me.

Maybe "OSXBook"?

To be mispronounced by clueless salespeople as "Oh-Sex-Book"? That'd move some boxes.

jaydon34 · Jan 10, 2006, 11:49 PM

Yeah Im not really feeling the name as well.

f1000 · Jan 10, 2006, 11:51 PM

Originally Posted by SpaceMonkey

Maybe "OSXBook"? To be mispronounced by clueless salespeople as "Oh-Sex-Book"? That'd move some boxes.

Would give new meaning to the word dongle.

Here's my short list:

Mactop
MacPad
NoteMac
LapMac

Yes, they're corny.

porieux · Jan 11, 2006, 12:09 AM

How about Powerbook?

MacBook Pro is one of the worst I could think of

jhogarty · Jan 11, 2006, 12:12 AM

Guess I'm one of the few that actually likes "MacBook Pro". /shrug.

J.

Helmling · Jan 11, 2006, 12:40 AM

I've dubbed it:

Mac ProBook

Much better, no?

I command everyone to adhere to this new nomenclature.

That is all, you may go about your business now until my next decree.

rjenkinson · 12:47 AM

macbook pro sounds too much like an accounting package.

-r.

Helmling · Jan 11, 2006, 12:46 AM

That's why it's now called a ProBook.

Aren't you listening to me?

Geesh!

Eug Wanker · 01:18 AM

McBook

I'm lovin' it™

Eug Wanker · Jan 11, 2006, 01:07 AM

P.S. Is the name of this forum now going to change?

Kevin Moon · Jan 11, 2006, 01:48 AM

I kinda like intellimac as it has a sense of power and wisdom behind it. Would have been great for marketing too.

Chuckit · Jan 11, 2006, 03:20 AM

Originally Posted by Helmling

I've dubbed it:

Mac ProBook

Much better, no?

That is a lot better, yeah.

Actually, I think just nixing the inner caps and calling it the Mac Book would be better. MacBook Pro is just embarrassing. When I first heard the new specs, I thought I'd trade in my PowerBook for one. But on second thought, I do not want to walk around with a computer that says "MacBook Pro" on it.

Simon · Jan 11, 2006, 04:34 AM

This discussion serves absolutely no purpose, so I'll chime in.

It should be called Mac Book Pro instead of MacBook Pro - just like Power Mac. This is not McDonalds. If Apple's computers ever suck as bad as McD's burgers, I'll buy a Dell.

shunt · Jan 11, 2006, 04:48 AM

The Apple MacBook Pro....it just sounds redundant, and trivial.

All I can imagine is leaving my Powerbook at my grandmother's house, and her calling me up, "....now eat your veggies, and oh you forgot your Apple...mac...book...pro thingy here on the sofa."

I'm not sure if a name change was even warranted, but why not just go in a whole new direction that at least flows a little better...all of the animal refs have really melted into the product lineup nicely even though they came out of nowhere.

Fear of not recognizing it as a Mac or Apple product?....I think the give-away would be when you walk into the store with a HUMOUNGOUS WHITE BLAZING APPLE might do it....even at compusa it's tough not to know your in the Apple section.

I like IntelliMac better, but still too obvious...it's kind of sad we're even discussing this, we should have been challenged by a new name....but in a good way, a way that offers a just a hint of nervous uncertainty followed by grin of sinister confidence....knowing it's a new direction designed by people who always seem to be a few steps ahead.

Right now, it feels like I read a report on what someone did last summer which started with, "What I did last summer..."

Yuck--C+ , Johnny how much time did you spend on this? Please see me after class.

Ryan1524 · Jan 11, 2006, 04:59 AM

'telBook (IntelBook)

Cipher13 · Jan 11, 2006, 05:54 AM

MacBook is terrible. Sounds like it was considered for all of 30 seconds.

Paco Loco · Jan 11, 2006, 06:02 AM

If this is the 'MacBook Pro', then surely it follows that there should be a regular 'MacBook'...? Does that mean that iBook==MacBook? Discuss.

Dr.Michael · 07:20 AM

Originally Posted by Helmling

I've dubbed it:

Mac ProBook

Much better, no?

I command everyone to adhere to this new nomenclature.

That is all, you may go about your business now until my next decree.

Originally Posted by Chuckit

MacBook Pro is just embarrassing. When I first heard the new specs, I thought I'd trade in my PowerBook for one. But on second thought, I do not want to walk around with a computer that says "MacBook Pro" on it.

Yes, Mac ProBook is much better than MacBook Pro!!!!!!!!
And yes, I agree: MacBook Pro is embarrassing!

I don't understand this: Since the first Powerbook there was Mac around but no one ever put this together. Good so. We all have digested that the Powerbook is the pro series (since the iBook came out). And now, the first time since the Powerbook G3, the POWER - book seems to deserve its name again, Apple changes it.

Just speak it: Powerbook flows, MacBook has a stopper in the middle. So Powerbook is much better. (Thats why Mac ProBook is also much better).

I suggest:

##################

Powerbook CoreDuo.

###################

I hope MacBook will disappear and finally, after the Intel processor architecture has left the beta state, it merges with the Powerbook line. Just make the MacBook a collectible soon

.

mrmister · Jan 11, 2006, 07:22 AM

The obvious correct name is PowerBook. Jobs can be a dumbass sometimes.

threestain · Jan 11, 2006, 07:27 AM

macbook pro sounds windows ish and poo.

powerbook was fine - had nothing to do with the powerpc chip in my eyes - just sounds like its powerful, and fast and cool.

macbook pro sounds like it was thought of in a drunken fury at macdonald's.

Dork. · Jan 11, 2006, 08:04 AM

Originally Posted by Dr.Michael

I suggest:
##################

Powerbook CoreDuo.

###################

Why not just Powerbook Duo?

I still think G6 would have been a fine name for the Intel chips, there must have been some licencing issues with IBM or Moto/Freescale, though.
How about Powerbook GI? (Never mind, that's a crappy name....)

himself · Jan 11, 2006, 08:32 AM

Originally Posted by Dork.

Why not just Powerbook Duo?

Powerbook Duo.

That's probably why they didn't name it that, but I think it would be a nice name for the "MacBook". Pays homage to the original. On top of that, the original Powerbook Duo didn't have a PPC processor, so the "Powerbook" moniker shouldn't be dependent on the processor. It should have stayed Powerbook.

If they insisted on changing the name (which I can't really argue with, since this is a new era of Macintosh hardware), "ProBook" would have been great. "MacBook" makes me cringe.

Someone ought to start a petition...

edit: I wonder what they plan to do with the "Powermac" moniker... will the become "MacMac"? "MacMac Pro"? Maybe they'll try "ProMac" this time, but that sounds a little pretentious to me.

ism · Jan 11, 2006, 08:44 AM

Originally Posted by himself

edit: I wonder what they plan to do with the "Powermac" moniker...

MacTower Pro

Or just Mac Pro since they have Mac mini

demibob · Jan 11, 2006, 08:46 AM

i just hope they dont change the name of the power mac as well

demibob · Jan 11, 2006, 08:54 AM

not that it would be called the mac mac

MAC-ALEX · Jan 11, 2006, 09:08 AM

I wouldn't change the name from PowerBook, but another name could be iBook Pro and just iBook with single Intel Core Solo that they will release soon. :-)
OR
iBook Duo
iBook Solo

Love Calm Quiet · Jan 11, 2006, 09:18 AM

Of course... the Power Mac will have to become the MacPower

But seriously... as a marketing issue (even if SucSounding) MacBook gets the "Mac" into the public ear more. Consider: If I reference "my PowerBook", most Dell users probably have no idea that the laptop concerned is an Apple. Whereas people do know that something "Mac" is from Apple.

Simon · Jan 11, 2006, 09:27 AM

The Power Mac will become the Mac Pro. Anybody wanna bet a beer against that?

Helmling · Jan 11, 2006, 10:14 AM

No, I think you're right.

Now here's the question: will the mini change its name? I'm think Mac Media or something like that. Or iHub.

Me, I don't need Firewire 800, so I'm just holding out until they squeeze a DL DVD burner into these things and then I'll be the proud owner of a:

Mac ProBook!

Jay Random · Jan 11, 2006, 10:28 AM

Am I the only person who remembers how lame 'PowerBook' seemed in 1991? It was a blatantly obvious ripoff of Dynabook, the magical prototype laptop from Xerox PARC. Dynabook only ever existed in Alan Kay's head, because Xerox didn't have the technology to make it small enough to carry; but when Apple actually created such a product, Kay sneered that it was no big deal. 'PowerBook' was as close as Apple could come to calling it a Dynabook without provoking a lawsuit.

MacBook? Meh. I don't much care for the name, but it's not as if I'll buy a Dell Inspiron or Acer Aspire instead. 'MacBook' is a pretty dull name, but 'Inspiron' is downright dorky. And there is no product name sexy enough to make me put up with Windows every day.

'In the beginning, the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move.' — Douglas Adams

Some people will complain about absolutely anything.

Dr.Michael · Jan 11, 2006, 11:28 AM

Originally Posted by Jay Random

... 'PowerBook' was as close as Apple could come to calling it a Dynabook without provoking a lawsuit.

...'MacBook' is a pretty dull name, but 'Inspiron' is downright dorky. And there is no product name sexy enough to make me put up with Windows every day.

Everybody advertises things he does not have. Powerbook was the name for a slow Notebook (ever except for the G3) and Inspiron is the name for something as uninspired as it can get.

Here we are down in the mud: Start comparison with Dell. Can we sink deeper?

Dork. · Jan 11, 2006, 11:29 AM

Originally Posted by himself

Powerbook Duo.

That's probably why they didn't name it that....

I guess I should have kept the sarcasm tag in my post....

Dr.Michael · 01:49 PM

Originally Posted by f1000

Jobs wants the "Mac" in "MacBook" to differentiate Intel Macs from Intel PCs. OK, but might there not be a better combination of "Mac" with a prefix/suffix that could replace the venerable PowerBook and iBook monikers? Let's hash out the alternatives here!

Up to the Lombard the full name of a Powerbook was "Macintosh Powerbook G3". There is the Mac in the name. Steve has changed this first into Powerbook G3 and now it gets worse.

Dr.Michael · 01:46 PM

sorry - database foolead me

Dr.Michael · 01:43 PM

sorry - database fooled me

Dr.Michael · 01:43 PM

sorry - database fooled me

Dr.Michael · 01:41 PM

sorry - database fooled me

Dr.Michael · 01:39 PM

sorry - database fooled me

shunt · Jan 11, 2006, 02:06 PM

Originally Posted by Jay Random

Am I the only person who remembers how lame 'PowerBook' seemed in 1991?

Yes.