[Titanium Man]

I remember reading somewhere a few months ago (Macintouch, maybe) that Apple had sent some users a questionnaire about what they would like to see in coming PBs. They already knew the obvious answers (G5, naturally, and faster video, longer battery life) and were looking for not so obvious ideas. So what would you like to see?

Hate to sound like a broken record (and it's rather obvious anyway), but hey, Apple, how about an ultralight? I enjoy my 12" PB, but it's still a little hefty at 5 pounds. My bag's already plenty heavy and any weight I can shave off would be welcome. If Sony can create sub-2 pound ultralights, why do PBs have to be so stinking heavy? Yeah, Sony leaves out the optical drive, but the drive alone can't account for 3 pounds. I think there's a decent size audience out there that Apple has yet to tap, one that doesn't need a full-featured notebook on the go. I can count the number of times I've used my combo drive on one hand, and I'd gladly give up the weight and bulk in exchange for something external I can leave at home most of the time. I just need a machine for wireless web surfing, word processing, iTunes, maybe watching a few DVDs and videos. Not everyone needs to be able to run Final Cut Pro or Maya on their laptop. Bluetooth 2.0 would be nice, mainly because Bluetooth currently sucks way too much power. USB 2.0 would also be nice. But FireWire 800 could be left off because not many average users have any need for it.

[DVD Plaza]

Two bloody mouse buttons...

[MrForgetable]

Carbon Fiber Body 2x2 Weave

[macaddict0001]

About half of your powerbooks 5 pound weight is the battery. about a tenth is the optical drive. not to mention the 2 pound sony's have a plastic case instead of a metal one.

[wilsonng]

I'd love to see a 13.3" widescreen to replace the 12.1" PowerBook. This would help differentiate the low end PB from the 12" iBook. Make the PBs all widescreen format and keep the iBooks at 4:3 format.

[iPoder]

Able to watch DVD without booting into OS.

[cpac]

nice idea for a thread.

I'd like to see:

(1) carbon fiber body - not just lighter and stronger, but it could be black again!
(2) higher resolution screen (and, once feasible, OLED)
(3) better latching system (at least than the TiBook had, I don't have much experience with the aluminum books)
(4) PMU placed somewhere such that heavy use of the earphone jack doesn't cause it damage

[Casper Crane]

Originally posted by Titanium Man:
I can count the number of times I've used my combo drive on one hand, and I'd gladly give up the weight and bulk in exchange for something external I can leave at home most of the time. I just need a machine for wireless web surfing, word processing, iTunes, maybe watching a few DVDs and videos.

it would be hard to watch DVDs without the drive.

as a 17-inch user, i am quite the opposite. i like being able to take my computer with me when i travel, but that's only a few times a year, and the rest of the time it is a desktop replacement.

so what i want is more power, of course.

-G5? sure, but not too hot please, this thing is already too hot to use directly on one's lap!
-better video card? in the 17-inch, we need to compete with desktop video because games demand it.
-Bluetooth 2.0 (with a bigger range)
-option for full-size keyboard instead of big speakers. personally, i use external speakers or headphones for sound most of the time. a number pad would be more useful on a daily basis.
-two mouse buttons. yes.
-wireless USB and/or Firewire
-longer battery life if possible
-IR port (not everything has bluetooth)
-built-in iSight camera (built into the screen like Sony, but nicer design, like you would expect from Apple)
-barcode reader
-thumbprint security
-force field
-optional jet pack

[QuadG5Man]

dual layer dvd burner, they are on the market. I saw one for 193 at dealmac.com

[Voch]

-improved CPU and bus speed (not necessarily a G5..it'd have to be battery-friendly...like the Pentium M being based on the Pentium III architecture argument in the other thread...a "super G4" would be great)
-better battery life (tied to the CPU want above)
-Gigabit ethernet standard on all models (my TiBook has spoiled me)
-standard Superdrive on all models

Stuff I do not necessarily want changed:
the current 15" display (love it love it love it)
the form factors (thinner and maybe a little less deep would be nice, but I think it's currently a nice balance)
I'm okay with one mouse button

Voch

[QuadG5Man]

dual g4

5400 RPM drives standard

[Fiete5401]

I hate to hear fans.
Would be nice if future PBs would run REALLY quite.

[Simon]

� Each PowerBook should offer the same motherboard features (CPU, clock, bus, GPU, RAM slots, FW800, etc.) and BTO options regardless of the display size
� The 12" PowerBook's display should have the angle and brightness of the 15" and 17" displays
� 5400 RPM drives standard, 7200 as BTO
� Radeon 9800 mobility with 64 MB VRAM standard, 128 or 256 MB BTO
� Dual-layer DVD +/- burner standard, Combo as BTO
� Removable optical drive in bay
� Drop FW400 ports in favor of two FW800 ports, but include a dongle to attach FW400 plugs to the FW800 port
� Increase battery life by at least 50%
� Fan-less design

And before people tell me that the last two points are utopian let me say this: Most people would probably benefit more from these last two points than from doubling the MHz or including any of the other points in the next design. There is currently no new G4 processor allowing 200MHz busses or 2.5GHz clocks anyway - Apple's engineers might as well try to tackle other remaining obstacles. Innovation is not increasing the MHz numbers alone. Apple should be about innovation. Apple should make the utopian become the normal.

[Superchicken]

I think Apple should move away from the 2 notebooks idea. They've already done tons of screen sizes. I'd like to see them actually come out with stuff like...

the Apple eBook (I bet they'd have to brand it differently because of eBooks) or even the eNote or something, but a light iBook like design with a 10 inch screen, external FW Optical drive, BlueTooth, very light, very school/light user friendly VERY CHEAP!

iBook essentially same as current design focus on battery life and relatively good speed.

PowerBook, best mix of Battery life, Size and Speed.

Xbook, SPEED! 3 hour real life battery or less, G5 at a meaninful speed, more the size of a PC laptop but still sexy and Apple like.

[iPoder]

On PB 17", dual HDs (either 2.5" or 1.8") in RAID 0 configuration.

[SEkker]

I'd like to see a tablet form factor. Would be extremely useful.

[k2director]

The 17" PBook needs a higher resolution screen. Not a HUGE leap, but something. 1440x900 isn't THAT much better than the 15" screen.

[Cadaver]

Originally posted by wilsonng:
I'd love to see a 13.3" widescreen to replace the 12.1" PowerBook. This would help differentiate the low end PB from the 12" iBook. Make the PBs all widescreen format and keep the iBooks at 4:3 format.

I second that!!

[psy111]

12" model:
widescreen 13" instead
able to switch battery wo/ shutting down
backlite keyboard
dual g4
longer batter life if possible
lighter if possible (but its lite anyway)
cheaper
better graphics card

[abo]

A much bigger disk drive.

C'mon, if they can get a 40G into an Ipod, they should be able to get something much bigger into a laptop.

[MrForgetable]

Originally posted by abo:
A much bigger disk drive.

C'mon, if they can get a 40G into an Ipod, they should be able to get something much bigger into a laptop.

it's 60 now. sad that my harddrive is now the same size as the largest capcity harddrive

[mh0ffmann]

How about a laptop not too different from current models, but with a screen that you could flip all the way back so the machine becomes a tablet? That would be great for regular tablet use and for Zinio mags!

[sbc]

Originally posted by SEkker:
I'd like to see a tablet form factor. Would be extremely useful.

I'd be in the line to purchase immediately. I think the resolution would stink, but the functionality and form factor would likely make up for the difference.

Having the the low-end 12" ibook or PB as a convertible would be great to me.

I doubt this will ever happen. I am waiting for IBM to get back into the tablet market.

[yoyoman]

like a powerbook duo but you use the laptop for mobility and when pluged in to the computer its like as if you have 2 cpu's 2 hard drives more ram etc.

[wilsonng]

I'd like the dock replicator. The BookEndz is nice but it mates with the ports on the sides. I'd rather have some kind of single cable hookup that would feed all the signals to a dock. Kinda like the ADC connector which feeds power and video signals on the Apple Studio Displays.

This would reduce the amount of wear and tear when I plug/unplug all the cable hookups.

Maybe some kind of proprietary connector? Kinda like the PowerBook Duo

Originally posted by yoyoman:
like a powerbook duo but you use the laptop for mobility and when pluged in to the computer its like as if you have 2 cpu's 2 hard drives more ram etc.

[iPoder]

Originally posted by yoyoman:
like a powerbook duo but you use the laptop for mobility and when pluged in to the computer its like as if you have 2 cpu's 2 hard drives more ram etc.

I like the idea of two CPUs while it is plugged, single CPU while it is unplugged. However, I don't know the feasibility though. It must have a very high speed external bus in order to achieve this.

[bedoughty]

1) a kitchen sink. My 17" powerbook has everything BUT one, and I could desparately use it
2) a drink holder. The slot loading disc drive is useless; I want a drink holder tray like most other laptops have
3) a red panic button for those times I don't have a virus, but wish I DID have one and could panic about it

[Hawkeye_a]

All notebooks are mean to be 'mobile' and efficient at doing that. Differentiating between an 'ultra-portable' and a 'super-portable' just does not make sence. Portables need to be portable regardless and need to do it well. I dont think consumers or even power users need another choice when it comes to portables, at least one of this nature.

Why do people buy portables ? to carry them around.

It does not seem economically feasable to ask the question 'how much do you plan to carry it around ?' and then design one kind of laptop for those who carry it around a lot and the other grou[ tat wont. whats to stop them from fragmenting the product even more ? ala...'do u need the portability and the power ?: consider the ...'really' portable powerbook....not as light as the ultra-portable, but not as heavy as the desktop-replacement-portable.

There are 2 portable lines, one for consumers and one for pro users. they both need to be light and small. period.

If you ask me.....
iBooks -13.3" and 14.1" widescreens and thats it, just 2 choices for iBooks, with every other feature being customizable (from the hard dive size to the RAm to the optical drive).Thickness no more than 1.33". This way consumers get to choose their size/weight and build a laptop around it. (default configuration will be available of course)weign in at 3lbs-5lbs depending on the configuration. 5 hour batter life is a must.

PowerBooks -15.2" and 17" widescreens. thickness should never exceede 1".everything else being customizable. weigh in at between 4-6lbs depending on the configuration. 5 hour battery life is a must.

i'd like to see:
-faster processors (Dont care if it's a G4 or G5...chances are if i need to stuff with a G5, i wont be doing it on a plane.
-faster bus speeds (probably more important than processor speeds)
-faster optical drives
-backlit keyboards across the powerBook lines
-Radeon Gaphics ONLY.
-i'd honestly like to see a touch screen capability made availabe... navigation would be so much easier, not to mention productivity gains in Photoshop.

[prutz11]

Originally posted by DVD Plaza:
Two bloody mouse buttons...

amen.

[dreamBweaver]

Originally posted by Simon:
� Each PowerBook should offer the same motherboard features (CPU, clock, bus, GPU, RAM slots, FW800, etc.) and BTO options regardless of the display size
� The 12" PowerBook's display should have the angle and brightness of the 15" and 17" displays
� 5400 RPM drives standard, 7200 as BTO
...
� Increase battery life by at least 50%
� Fan-less design

And before people tell me that the last two points are utopian let me say this: Most people would probably benefit more from these last two points than from doubling the MHz or including any of the other points in the next design. There is currently no new G4 processor allowing 200MHz busses or 2.5GHz clocks anyway - Apple's engineers might as well try to tackle other remaining obstacles. Innovation is not increasing the MHz numbers alone. Apple should be about innovation. Apple should make the utopian become the normal.

My #1 complaint in my 12" PowerBook is HD speed and noisy fans. This is a pro machine and I want responsiveness and expect high quality experience.

I don't think I'll buy a new laptop until it is fan-less. Use water-cooling or whatever works. Apple should innovate beyond this problem. Steve Jobs is known to hate fans so much the original engineers of the II called them "bananas" as a code-word or something. It's surely something Apple will tackle.

And please increase that HD speed. I can't wait for the day when FLASH or some Magnetic RAM technology caches the OS and gives us a more responsive, firmware-based OS...that's instant-on.

Keep it up. Great thread.

[LightWaver-67]

Am I the only one that misses the versatile bays...? Whereas if you don't WANT your Superdrive in-there... you can pop it out and swap for a battery to get more run-time.

I know that there is less-call for other bays such as a Zip�-Drive but that light-weight blank or "dummy" filler piece really lightened up the older PBs.

I thought that was a really cool feature that I was sad to see go.

[Simon]

Originally posted by LightWaver-67:
Am I the only one that misses the versatile bays...? Whereas if you don't WANT your Superdrive in-there... you can pop it out and swap for a battery to get more run-time.

Excellent reminder! I'm going to add it to my wish list.

[BenRoethig]

I'd like to see two distinct line. The current thin and light powerbook and a true desktop replacement. I know desktop replacements are big and ugly and Apple should have nothing to do with them. Lets take a look at what we get with a big, ugly, and heavy notebook such as the newly released sager 9860.

17" LCD display.
Desktop socket 775 processor on ZIF socket
4 SO-DIMM slots
256mb GeForce Go 6800 on upgradable module via PCI-e x16 bus
2 80.0gb 2.5" SATA hard drives
2 Slimline optical drives
4 large speakers and subwoofer
4 USB 2.0
2 Firewire 400
7 in 1 card reader
TV-tuner
802.11g

They may not be light or have the best battery life, but they weren't designed to.

[Voch]

Originally posted by BenRoethig:
I'd like to see two distinct line. The current thin and light powerbook and a true desktop replacement. I know desktop replacements are big and ugly and Apple should have nothing to do with them. Lets take a look at what we get with a big, ugly, and heavy notebook such as the newly released sager 9860.

17" LCD display.
Desktop socket 775 processor on ZIF socket
4 SO-DIMM slots
256mb GeForce Go 6800 on upgradable module via PCI-e x16 bus
2 80.0gb 2.5" SATA hard drives
2 Slimline optical drives
4 large speakers and subwoofer
4 USB 2.0
2 Firewire 400
7 in 1 card reader
TV-tuner
802.11g

They may not be light or have the best battery life, but they weren't designed to.

But if this wasn't to be battery operated and was less a few of those gadget upgrades how much would it differ from the 17" iMac? It would fold neatly?

EDIT: but in all fairness, I can't think of something compelling that Apple is going to come up with to make me give up my trusty TiBook other than speed bumps and my AppleCare running out in February 2006. I want to be surprised.

Voch

[SierraDragon]

Posts in this thread clearly indicate the need for broadening the PB line. Some folks need battery life and portability most. Some want coolness at all costs. Others - e.g. anyone like me who does professional graphics and images - need far more throughput than is available from existing G4 PBs.

We primarily need transportability with throughput, and will cope with a hot box by using a Coolpad or whatever if necessary. Because a/c power is almost always available, battery life is not very important to me; one hour is enough and beyond that is a bonus. Energy management can be set to drop CPU speed, fan usage, drive access, etc. way down while on battery, no problem; just max throughput while on a/c!

My ideal would have fast dual hard drives preconfigured for Raid 0 (Adobe apps thrive on fast disk access), a fast GPU (for Tiger's demands), and CPU/architecture to maximize image handling, ideally G5. Weight, heat, size, battery life, noise and coolness do not matter (well, maybe coolness does...). In terms of form factor a thicker, heavier PB 17 would do just fine.

Note that folks like me carry around cameras, lights, tripods, etc. to field locations. Each of those is less wieldy than two PB 17s in one case. We do need transportability because field usage is essential. However, when used as a desktop replacement running Photoshop, power is key.

[cwinters]

Originally posted by k2director:
The 17" PBook needs a higher resolution screen. Not a HUGE leap, but something. 1440x900 isn't THAT much better than the 15" screen.

IMO ALL the machines need a higher resolution, not just the 17". The IBM ThinkPad T42 (15" screen) I have for work does 1400x1050 and the extra pixels are definitely worth it. The machine is downright clunky compared to my 15" AlBook, but the screenspace is nice.

[Bookie]

Originally posted by wilsonng:
I'd love to see a 13.3" widescreen to replace the 12.1" PowerBook. This would help differentiate the low end PB from the 12" iBook. Make the PBs all widescreen format and keep the iBooks at 4:3 format.

I'll third that - great idea

Faster harddrives would help too.

And better video.

And faster bus speeds.

[one09jason]

I'll tell you what I want in the next PowerBook:

Better software.

Why? Because if the software were written better and optimized for the processors and architecture we already have, we'd get dramatically better performance, better battery life, less heat, etc. Isn't that what everyone's asking for here anyway? I'd pay Apple to help us get better versions of software apps we already use, and keep the the PowerBook I have.

Apple: Do what you can to encourage the development community, expecially the big guys, to give us all BETTER software.

[Evinyatar]

Originally posted by iPoder:
Able to watch DVD without booting into OS.

Booting, what's that again? I only shut down my PowerBook when I put it in secure storage when I'm going on vacation.

[iPoder]

Originally posted by Evinyatar:
Booting, what's that again? I only shut down my PowerBook when I put it in secure storage when I'm going on vacation.

If you get on the airplane, you need to shutdown your notebook. Then if you want to watch DVD on your PB, you have to boot it up into OS.

With this, you can double your PB as a portable DVD Player. Many Toshiba or HP notebooks have such feature, which is great for jetsetters.

[Luca Rescigno]

Better processors... not just faster, BETTER. Higher bus speed and twice the L2 cache would do nicely. Even if the MHz stayed the same, it would help.

Mobility Radeon 9800 video, 128 MB standard. Across the board? Perhaps. 12" should get at least a 64 MB GeForce 5700 Go, if it must remain nVidia.

Better screens are a must! The current ones are dull and washed out compared to the screens used by "premium" PC laptops. Go ahead and let the iBook keep its crappy screen, but the PowerBooks should all get those new ultra bright, high contrast screens.

Better battery life is also a must. The current PowerBooks are pathetic compared to the Pentium Ms.

5400 RPM drives should be standard, and a 7200 RPM option should be available on all models.

I'd like to see sturdier construction. The PowerBooks are sleek and sexy, but also they seem really fragile. I mean, the old Pismos are staying around a lot longer than TiBooks. A metal case might be cool, but plastic is probably better. Unfortunately, there are too many people who would buy a PowerBook entirely for its looks, and would be turned off by a plastic case, even if it meant superior durability.

People have talked about this since January 2003, but a PC card slot on the 12" would be good. I don't see why they shouldn't include one, it doesn't exactly take a ton of space.

I don't see where you guys are getting the idea of having a fanless laptop. Even the G3 iBooks had a fan (a damn noisy one at that, should it ever turn on).

[YangZone]

Dual 2GHz, dual core cpus in a 17" PB with fuel cell please. (I'll be waiting for Rev 2b when a problem with the fuel cell is corrected whereby it no longer takes out the entire neighborhood when the PB is put in Sleep mode while the Dead Kennedys are Paused in iTunes.)

[BogusBoy]

forget new features, focus on the basics:

*dramatic improvement in battery life
*kill the heat problem that prevents actually using the laptop on your lap.
*larger hard drives

it'd be nice to have it weigh less and be thinner, but I'd easily trade that off for the three items above.

don't add a G5 processor, the perf gain isn't worth it.

[iREZ]

Is it me or has Apple never refered to a PB as a laptop, I always hear them use the words notebook, so Apple never said you should be able to use the thing on your lap.

[Simon]

Laptop is a word people used in the 80s. Anytime I hear somebody say 'laptop' I think of an Osborne or so. The word belongs in a museam.

[olePigeon]

30" laptop with built in mobile 6800 DDL. Comes with a free Radio Flyer wagon to tote it on.

[Andrik]

12" with internal UMTS modem (to hold eg a Vodafone SIM card). Am I the only one travelling in Europe? Backlit keyboard. And no annoying fan.
I need no faster CPU, just more RAM.

Andrik

12" Superdrive G4 867 MHz 640 MB RAM 40 GB HD Airport

[allclass]

I've read through a bunch of these and I was surprised my number one
request wasn't their(May have been furthor down).

1) RUN'S COOLER
2) faster harddrive and bus
3) longer battery
4) More durable power supply (I've ruined three already)
5) DUAL DISPLAY - I would like two 15 inch monitors that
fold out to be a dual headed notebook
6) faster processor

[NYCFarmboy]

2 mouse buttons

a improved screen on the 12" models....(the 12" powerbook screen sucks......the 15" & 17" powerbooks have MUCH better screens..and interestingly Apple will not display the 12" powerbook in their stores anywhere near a 15" or 17" powerbook so you don't see how poor the 12" screen quality is in comparison...they stick the 12" powerbooks over by the ibooks which have the same pathetic screen).


as to chips..I'd be happy with a dual g4 1.5 gig powerbook 12"

but more than anything I want a good screen on the 12" model. I can't wait to get rid of this 1.3 g4 12" powerbook I have now...its going to my niece the minute a new improved model comes out.

shame on apple for putting this awful screen on the 12" powerbook models.

sorry...I had to vent.... this has helped.

[cvela]

Originally posted by iREZ:
Is it me or has Apple never refered to a PB as a laptop, I always hear them use the words notebook, so Apple never said you should be able to use the thing on your lap.

I don't know about claims but it is most definetely an advantage over most wintel notebooks. I certanly hate not being able to use a PB as a laptop. Some of the portability is lost.