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You are here: MacNN Forums > Hardware - Troubleshooting and Discussion > Mac Notebooks > Apple to use Ex-Sony Eng for new PB?

Apple to use Ex-Sony Eng for new PB?
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jhogarty
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Aug 3, 2005, 04:47 PM
 
I'm sure many, like me, are eager for the next gen PowerBook. I came across an article on the MacRumor site that references this:

Ex-Sony New PB

Anyone else find this exciting? Believable? I'd love to replace my Dell Inspirion 8200 with a new Mac laptop. But I think the current PB needs a major overhaul.

J.
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TFunkadelic
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Aug 3, 2005, 05:54 PM
 
I think the current powerbooks look far superior to that sony yuck, and pretty much any other laptop on the market, except maybe a few of the Voodoo PC laptops....
     
osxisfun
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Aug 3, 2005, 06:17 PM
 
they not looking at sony for ID they are looking for engineers.
     
jhogarty  (op)
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Aug 3, 2005, 06:36 PM
 
Ya, I dont want a PC cloney laptop. Want the lovely Apple product. But the sony displays I've seen lately are very nice.

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Link
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Aug 3, 2005, 06:40 PM
 
I don't really believe this rumor, though there are 2 things to say:

1. Given all of Apple's "hell frozen over" changes lately, I wouldn't be surprised if they hired Michael Dell and fired Jonathan Ives
2. Sony "miniaturized" the Mac Portable and came up with the original Powerbook..
Aloha
     
mitchell_pgh
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Aug 3, 2005, 06:43 PM
 
The only thing the PB is lacking IMHO is a more powerful CPU.

I would love to see a sub-notebook from Apple (no optical drive) in the $600 range.
     
bleee
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Aug 3, 2005, 06:44 PM
 
Originally Posted by jhogarty
I'm sure many, like me, are eager for the next gen PowerBook. I came across an article on the MacRumor site that references this:

Ex-Sony New PB

Anyone else find this exciting? Believable? I'd love to replace my Dell Inspirion 8200 with a new Mac laptop. But I think the current PB needs a major overhaul.

J.

I personally think the current powerbooks are fine and should remain that way until some revolutionary break through at Apple comes along. Manufactures these days just pump out laptops with stupid useless features just the other day I had to ghost two toshiba laptops that had these fancy CD controls on the exterior of the laptop great so where's the software for it?? I installed every single driver and piece of software for those laptops from the Toshiba web site just to see if I could get the buttons to work and surprise surprise no luck. Same goes for dell we have two Inspiron 850D's (I think those are the numbers) they have a set of volume up/down and mute buttons on the laptop after install all the software from their site nadda couldn't get the buttons to work. Also all their stupid addon software to power all the fancy features always add one stupid icon to the system tray and slows the machine down on bootup.

The only thing I think would really help the powerbooks and iBook is if they increased the screen resolution on the 12/14 inch ibook and 12inch powerbook 1024x768 just dosen't cut it
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jhogarty  (op)
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Aug 3, 2005, 06:44 PM
 
Agreed, that is the item I really want. More POWER! :-)

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ibook_steve
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Aug 3, 2005, 06:44 PM
 
Originally Posted by osxisfun
they not looking at sony for ID they are looking for engineers.

I find this rumor very hard to believe. I worked there and the current Powerbook engineers are more than qualified to design an Intel based laptop without anybody's help. A CPU and chipset change doesn't make much of a difference to a board design engineer. It's just a different set of components to integrate into the design.

Steve
     
goMac
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Aug 3, 2005, 06:46 PM
 
Originally Posted by Link
1. Given all of Apple's "hell frozen over" changes lately, I wouldn't be surprised if they hired Michael Dell and fired Jonathan Ives
They're looking for Ex-Sony people to design the insides, not the outsides.
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osxisfun
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Aug 3, 2005, 06:47 PM
 
Originally Posted by ibook_steve
I find this rumor very hard to believe. I worked there and the current Powerbook engineers are more than qualified to design an Intel based laptop without anybody's help. A CPU and chipset change doesn't make much of a difference to a board design engineer. It's just a different set of components to integrate into the design.

Steve

i should add. "if the rumors" are true. but i don't find it hard to believe at all if apple wants to nab some sony notebook guys to fill out their team. not only is it no harm, its acutally a smart move.
     
I was David B.
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Aug 4, 2005, 09:52 AM
 
Sony used to build powerbooks for apple in the past. And even nowadays european powerbooks are serviced at the sony service site in the netherlands.

The idea does not sound that far fetched.

Surely apple will do the exterior design itself. But, if you ever had one of these cute 13 inch widescreen vaios in your hand...

If they would run a decent operating system (=OS X) I would not hesitate to buy one.
     
ajprice
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Aug 4, 2005, 10:25 AM
 
As has been said in previous posts, these ex-Sony people are to do the engineering of the laptops, helping the Apple people get up to speed with the Intel architecture. They are not being involved to design the exterior look of the machines at all. This was on Engadget last week, and the comments were basically having the same argument. The Intel apple laptop will not be a Vaio with an Apple badge on it, it will be an Apple design, with a bit of Sony engineering on the motherboard.

It'll be much easier if you just comply.
     
Link
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Aug 4, 2005, 05:51 PM
 
The interesting thing about it is that if they really had these problems, and given apple's relationship with sony and the laptops, you'd think they'd be working with the company -- not trying to sneak over their ex-employees!
Aloha
     
osxisfun
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Aug 4, 2005, 05:55 PM
 
not if its not in their current biz plan.
     
teknopimp
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Aug 4, 2005, 06:39 PM
 
not a good idea in my estimation. apple didn't ask them to help develop the tibook, G4 chip, ipod or anything else so why start now? apple is the innovator, the japs will always be the imitator.

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mattsgotredhair
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Aug 4, 2005, 06:44 PM
 
Originally Posted by teknopimp
not a good idea in my estimation. apple didn't ask them to help develop the tibook, G4 chip, ipod or anything else so why start now? apple is the innovator, the japs will always be the imitator.
Did you seriously just say that?
maybe you've been brainwashed too.
     
osxisfun
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Aug 4, 2005, 06:48 PM
 
Originally Posted by teknopimp
not a good idea in my estimation. apple didn't ask them to help develop the tibook, G4 chip, ipod or anything else so why start now? apple is the innovator, the japs will always be the imitator.

Wow. care to slur any more races while you have the mic?

hint: just say you meant to type "japanese"...
     
cloudaj
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Aug 4, 2005, 09:06 PM
 
Originally Posted by goMac
They're looking for Ex-Sony people to design the insides, not the outsides.
exactly, props to goMac for saying what i was going to say verbatim
     
tracemhunter
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Aug 4, 2005, 09:19 PM
 
political correctness sucks anyways. bill mahr is my hero.
     
SEkker
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Aug 4, 2005, 10:19 PM
 
love the eBay ads -- "Powerbook G5"
     
goMac
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Aug 4, 2005, 10:36 PM
 
Originally Posted by Link
The interesting thing about it is that if they really had these problems, and given apple's relationship with sony and the laptops, you'd think they'd be working with the company -- not trying to sneak over their ex-employees!
But now Sony and Apple are competing in the laptop market. Sony won't be about to roll over and hand the x86 laptop market to Apple.
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analogika
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Aug 5, 2005, 03:06 AM
 
Originally Posted by tracemhunter
political correctness sucks anyways. bill mahr is my hero.
It's one thing to be un-P.C. to make a point.

It's another to be an ignorant moron with a thing against "Japs", all the while forgetting that Sony designed and built the first couple of generations of Apple's "innovative" Powerbooks, thus creating the laptop market...
     
ASIMO
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Aug 5, 2005, 03:13 AM
 
If it means that I would be able to view my PB's display as comfortably as my friend's Vaio outside even in the shade let alone in moderate sunlight, then more power to this rumor.
I, ASIMO.
     
ibook_steve
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Aug 5, 2005, 12:37 PM
 
Originally Posted by ASIMO
If it means that I would be able to view my PB's display as comfortably as my friend's Vaio outside even in the shade let alone in moderate sunlight, then more power to this rumor.
That has absolutely nothing to do with who designs the machine. Using bright, power hungry screens is a choice that is made by designers and marketing people, not engineers. If Apple used these wonderful displays in the same size designs they make, you'd be lucky to get an hour or two of battery life.

And I'll say it again since no one seems to be paying attention: this is a rumor and *highly* unlikely. Trust me on this, OK?

Steve
     
osxisfun
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Aug 5, 2005, 02:10 PM
 
you got inside info?

pray tell.
     
ibook_steve
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Aug 5, 2005, 02:26 PM
 
Originally Posted by osxisfun
you got inside info?

pray tell.
I told you. I worked there. On the 12" Powerbook. The people there do not need anybody else to help them with this, other than Intel. I already stated above why. Hardware is hardware. It's firmware and OS that would be the trickier parts, and the OS is already up to snuff, as we know.

Steve
     
osxisfun
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Aug 5, 2005, 02:40 PM
 
thanks.

not that i believe the rumor but i still think one of two people that have built intel before couldn't hurt.

whatever gets me a dual core powerbook fastest!
     
teknopimp
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Aug 5, 2005, 03:42 PM
 
Originally Posted by analogika
It's one thing to be un-P.C. to make a point.

It's another to be an ignorant moron with a thing against "Japs", all the while forgetting that Sony designed and built the first couple of generations of Apple's "innovative" Powerbooks...
i was not aware sony designed the first powerbooks. thank you for enlightening me. i therefore retract my overgeneralized statement in this particular case. you guys will forgive me right?

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