[mikerally]

Finally after doing some research on the net - and I do care - (it's a good thing to learn about other cultures) - is some solid material about my grammar claims:

An entire article about it:

http://german.about.com/library/weekly/aa100900a.htm

[craigthomas]

Originally posted by mikerally:
Finally after doing some research on the net - and I do care - (it's a good thing to learn about other cultures) - is some solid material about my grammar claims:

An entire article about it:

http://german.about.com/library/weekly/aa100900a.htm

I know we are straying further and further from the thread post, but what's the deal with all those OS X boxes. Is your message that you've been with the OS since it's beta? Or do you just love OS X and it's packaging. Just wondering.

[mikerally]

Craig, the original picture made a lot more sense and was a lot bigger, but after some talk with forum members, I decided to shrink it under their recommendation.

It's basically so cut up, shrunk, and rearranged (many times over) that it isn't likely to convey the original message.

But lo and behold, you got the point in one guess anyway.

Yeah I've been using Mac OS X for a long time, even in the days of the public beta.

Back then Mac OS X was really slow.

I think the original topic of this thread may have lost it's momentum, if your interested in what may be up ahead in Macworld San Fransisco 2003, you may want to check this thread:

http://forums.macnn.com/showthread.p...hreadid=133313

[John123]

Good grief, people. craigthomas and mikerally, it was a JOKE. I can't believe how worked up you people are getting and how serious you're taking it all!

[craigthomas]

Originally posted by mikerally:
Craig, the original picture made a lot more sense and was a lot bigger, but after some talk with forum members, I decided to shrink it under their recommendation.

It's basically so cut up, shrunk, and rearranged (many times over) that it isn't likely to convey the original message.

But lo and behold, you got the point in one guess anyway.

Yeah I've been using Mac OS X for a long time, even in the days of the public beta.

Back then Mac OS X was really slow.

I think the original topic of this thread may have lost it's momentum, if your interested in what may be up ahead in Macworld San Fransisco 2003, you may want to check this thread:

http://forums.macnn.com/showthread.p...hreadid=133313

Cool, I figured it out! I too was a beta tester and have been using it ever since. Glad to see it has come a long way since then, and hope the real speed will come soon too. OK, I'm off to see the tread you mentioned.

[Lateralus]

Originally posted by seanyepez:
New iBooks are coming out at MWSF in January of 2003. The new iBooks will feature a new enclosure. They're supposately extremely sweet machines. The person I talked to about the new iBook declined to say whether it was a G3 or a G4, but I'm inclined to believe that they will be 600- and 733-megahertz G4's.

You said the exact same thing before the 800's were released.

1) 600-733 G4's.
We didn't get that.
2) New enclosure.
We didn't get that.

All you are doing is making people who should be having a load of fun with their new iBook 800's regret purchasing them, and that is wrong.

At this moment, this thread has been viewed more than 2,000 times, and the topic which you directed us all to over in the iBook section has more than 4,000 views.. Of those 6,000+ views, hundreds could be from people looking to purchase iBooks in the near future that now wont because of what you have posted.

This type of thread does more damage to Apple and the Macintosh community than anything a PC troll could say, or that a TV commercial could show.

Unless you know for sure, don't make posts like this.

[Luca Rescigno]

This is a load of crap. Apple is NOT going to update the iBook at MWSF, and they CERTAINLY won't update it the way you say. Keep these points in mind:

1. Apple has rarely or never updated a product twice in a two month span.
2. Apple has rarely or never decreased the clockspeed of a product in a revision, even when moving from one processor to another. A notable exception is the 40 MHz IIfx to 25 MHz Quadra 900. You can't count the release of a 400/450/500 MHz G4 line which was then dropped to 350/400/450, because the first lineup was never actually released. At the very least, they'll keep the clock speed the same... leaving a 700 and 800 MHz G4 (which is very reasonable).
3. Apple rarely or never releases a whole slew of products at a Macworld convention. They have never updated the G4 iMac (adding the 17" model and doing price changes doesn't count). It's been a good six months since the PowerMac was updated. Why would they constantly upgrade their laptops without upgrading their desktops? It makes no sense. It's weird enough already, there's no way they'd continue this streak.
4. A 733 MHz clock speed would require a 133 MHz bus speed. That won't happen. The iMac doesn't have a 133 MHz bus speed, and the iMac will have a 133 MHz bus speed before the iBook does.

So... IF Apple somehow does FOUR THINGS, all at the SAME TIME, that they RARELY or NEVER do, I would be very surprised. I would also owe you an apology. However, for the time being, I think you owe everyone else an apology for trolling for responses. You're not helping anyone. In fact, you're doing harm. Think of it. A lot of people are going to blindly believe you because you have almost 7000 posts. They will hold off buying an iBook until MWSF, when it won't be updated. Then, three to five months later, their iBook will be obsolete (because that's when they actually will be updated). It's really stupid.

The iBook reflects the best price/performance ratio in Apple's lineup. The PowerBook isn't far behind. The desktops, though, are in dire need of a major revision. There is no way they would allow the desktops to slide even further.

[legionare]

I don't care if Apple has never done this or that. If it wants to make value-conscious customers pull out their wallets, Apple better starts updating its products more often and get some of the functionalities back. I'm holding out on buying a PowerBook until Apple pulls its head out of the butt and add the dual-battery/dual firewire back in the PowerBook (I never consider the expansion-hamstrung iBook a viable option), a real high-margin product to Apple. I *hate hate hate* the non-removable slot-loading optical drive that pops the disc out against your rib cage. I just got my Pismo's DVD-ROM replaced. Now imagine I'd ship the whole 'Book back to Apple if it's the TiBook. I read a comment somewhere that the engineering of the PB G4's innards is a mess compared to some of the earlier models. I told Apple in that PB marketing survey I don't care for Bluetooth, I don't mind the PowerBook getting beefier, I want real capabilities (bigger hard drives, bigger screen, powerful graphics, dual battery, dual firewire, analog audio-in AND infrared, expansion bay, power button!), not fancy-wancy gadgets like Bluetooth and all those iApps (sans iTunes).

[Luca Rescigno]

I agree with you completely. I think the PowerBook should be made more like the Pismo. Keep the wide aspect screen, hopefully keep the wide-but-not-deep footprint (good for airplane trays), but ditch the front loading CD drive! The only other Apple portable with a front loader was the PowerBook 1400, and that was changed rather quickly because it's so stupid. Side loading is much better... actually, side loading is better when it's on your lap and front loading is better when it's on a desk.

Anyway, I wasn't arguing about what Apple should do, I was arguing about what Apple will do. Should they update all their products every 2-4 months instead of every 6+ months? Yes. Will they? No.

[mikerally]

I think one thing that we can all agree on is that we all doubt the release of a revised iBook in January (sorry, sean ).

It's just too soon.

I think the iMac is a 99% certain contender for a revision - you should check out the other thread I linked to in an earlier post.

[iDaver]

Originally posted by Luca Rescigno:

So... IF Apple somehow does FOUR THINGS, all at the SAME TIME, that they RARELY or NEVER do, I would be very surprised. I would also owe you an apology. However, for the time being, I think you owe everyone else an apology for trolling for responses. You're not helping anyone. In fact, you're doing harm. Think of it. A lot of people are going to blindly believe you because you have almost 7000 posts. They will hold off buying an iBook until MWSF, when it won't be updated. Then, three to five months later, their iBook will be obsolete (because that's when they actually will be updated). It's really stupid.

Luca, I agree with your post except... Anyone who follows the Mac Web or just about any kind of Mac journalism and doesn't absolutely need a Mac right now, waits a number of weeks or months until MacWorld, every time, to see what happens before buying. Sean isn't causing any more harm than anyone else who speculates about upcoming hardware. Whether he's more believable or not is irrelavant.

All of this pre-expo speculation is why Apple may no longer participate in major expos after MWSF. Personally, I think it might be a good idea if they did not.

[seanyepez]

If you're not in the market for a new machine, it's really not of your concern.

In response to the claims that a 733- or 800-megahertz iBook with a 133-megahertz bus is impossible, I must point out that the updated iMacs will feature a 133-megahertz bus speed. Though I do not have any evidence to support this, it is almost a given. PC-133 and PC-100 memory are the same price.

As I said, I do not have details about either the processor or new enclosure. The G4 at 733 or 800 megahertz is purely an educated guess.

[Troll]

Originally posted by seanyepez:
I must point out that the updated iMacs will feature a 133-megahertz bus speed. Though I do not have any evidence to support this, it is almost a given. PC-133 and PC-100 memory are the same price.

As I said, I do not have details about either the processor or new enclosure. The G4 at 733 or 800 megahertz is purely an educated guess.

Sean, you've got to be more careful with your language if you want to stay out of trouble. You say the updated iMacs "WILL feature" and then say you don't have any evidence and are just guessing. The word "will" implies a certainty. If a 133MHz bus in an iMac isn't certain you need to use "could conceivably" or "might."

I would point out that the fact that PC 133 memory modules are the same price as PC 100 modules has little bearing on which one Apple will use. The cost of the memory modules themselves is not the only factor that determines which is used in the machine. You have to take into account the costs of the busses and, more significantly, the costs of redesign and retooling for a faster bus.

Your guess on the chip has changed I see. In the iBook forum you said 600MHz and 733MHz and here you're saying 733MHz and 800MHz. That doesn't take into account the point that some raised that Apple is unlikely to lower the MHz spec from 800MHz so why the change?

[Eug]

Originally posted by legionare:
I don't care if Apple has never done this or that. If it wants to make value-conscious customers pull out their wallets, Apple better starts updating its products more often and get some of the functionalities back. I'm holding out on buying a PowerBook until Apple pulls its head out of the butt and add the dual-battery/dual firewire back in the PowerBook (I never consider the expansion-hamstrung iBook a viable option), a real high-margin product to Apple. I *hate hate hate* the non-removable slot-loading optical drive that pops the disc out against your rib cage. I just got my Pismo's DVD-ROM replaced. Now imagine I'd ship the whole 'Book back to Apple if it's the TiBook. I read a comment somewhere that the engineering of the PB G4's innards is a mess compared to some of the earlier models. I told Apple in that PB marketing survey I don't care for Bluetooth, I don't mind the PowerBook getting beefier, I want real capabilities (bigger hard drives, bigger screen, powerful graphics, dual battery, dual firewire, analog audio-in AND infrared, expansion bay, power button!), not fancy-wancy gadgets like Bluetooth and all those iApps (sans iTunes).

1) I prefer tray load sometimes, but it's not a big deal.
2) I prefer front load, but side load is OK too.
3) Dual Firewire would be a bonus.
4) I couldn't care less about dual batteries.
5) The Pismo is aesthetically unpleasing (at least compared to the TiBook)
6) The Pismo weighs 6 lbs, yet has a smaller screen.
7) Infrared is ancient history to 99.9% of the population.
8) My hard drive is 60 GB already.
9) I have analogue audio-in.

In other words, I think you are in the minority. In your list the only thing I'd want that I don't have is dual Firewire. Indeed, despite the fact I have no current use for BlueTooth, I think it's a much more important feature than all the rest of the other features you requested, combined.

I'm so glad I was not stuck with the option of your version of a souped up 2002 Pismo vs. the 2002 iBook when I went shopping last month for a new upgrade to my 2001 iBook. If I had been, I would have bought another iBook for sure.

[wallinbl]

Originally posted by legionare:
I told Apple in that PB marketing survey I don't care for Bluetooth, I don't mind the PowerBook getting beefier, I want real capabilities (bigger hard drives, bigger screen, powerful graphics, dual battery, dual firewire, analog audio-in AND infrared, expansion bay, power button!), not fancy-wancy gadgets like Bluetooth and all those iApps (sans iTunes).

The last thing I want is another big notebook. I hate the Dell I have at work because of its size. The PowerBook has a very nice size. The iBook is a little too small. Something in the middle would be perfect.

[Eug]

Originally posted by wallinbl:
The last thing I want is another big notebook. I hate the Dell I have at work because of its size. The PowerBook has a very nice size. The iBook is a little too small. Something in the middle would be perfect.

I agree. I'd love to have a 14" widescreen PowerBook, at 5 lbs. However, I wouldn't mind a 1024x768 13" 4:3 PowerBook, at 4.6 lbs.

Heavy laptops suck. One of the reasons I sold my feature-rich PC laptop was because it was well over 7 lbs.

[cowerd]

I told Apple in that PB marketing survey I don't care for Bluetooth, I don't mind the PowerBook getting beefier, I want real capabilities (bigger hard drives, bigger screen, powerful graphics, dual battery, dual firewire, analog audio-in AND infrared, expansion bay, power button!), not fancy-wancy gadgets like Bluetooth and all those iApps (sans iTunes).

Yeah and Apple can sell more laptop accessories, like the iMule, iGenerator and iTruss.

Firewire is a minor quibble. You can actually chain devices together. Expansion bay--what for? You can get a Superdrive that will burn CDs and DVDs and play CDs and DVDs. You can add another 60GB drive that runs off the FW bus. The new TiBook has audio in and Bluetooth is going to be much more important than infrared, especially to people who have new technology like cell phones and PDAs.

And the Radeon 9000 64MB video card is as good as it gets for portables. You might want to look into a desktop machine.

[legionare]

http://www.wired.com/news/mac/0,2125,56939,00.html

[icruise]

Originally posted by Eug:
1) I prefer tray load sometimes, but it's not a big deal.
2) I prefer front load, but side load is OK too.
3) Dual Firewire would be a bonus.
4) I couldn't care less about dual batteries.
5) The Pismo is aesthetically unpleasing (at least compared to the TiBook)
6) The Pismo weighs 6 lbs, yet has a smaller screen.
7) Infrared is ancient history to 99.9% of the population.
8) My hard drive is 60 GB already.
9) I have analogue audio-in.

In other words, I think you are in the minority. In your list the only thing I'd want that I don't have is dual Firewire. Indeed, despite the fact I have no current use for BlueTooth, I think it's a much more important feature than all the rest of the other features you requested, combined.

I'm so glad I was not stuck with the option of your version of a souped up 2002 Pismo vs. the 2002 iBook when I went shopping last month for a new upgrade to my 2001 iBook. If I had been, I would have bought another iBook for sure.

I think we will have to agree to disagree about the aesthetics of the Pismo. Personally I much prefer it to the Titanium (perhaps because the Titanium seems barely different from many Japanese laptops I see, whereas the Pismo was and is uniquely and elegantly curved).

As for functionality, though, I really do think that there is a lot that can be learned from the Pismo design. To wit:

Sturdy case: Whatever you think of its looks, you will have to admit that the Pismo has a much sturdier case than the Tibook. I hope that the next revision of the powerbook takes durability into account as well as thinness. The funny thing is that I have seen a lot of laptops thinner than the Tibook that don't seem at all flimsy. They are mostly made of magnesium alloy. I have a suspicion that the whole Titanium thing is a marketing ploy, since it seems weaker (at least in actual use) that other metals I have seen used in laptops.

Expansion bays: A lot of people seem to dismiss the idea of expansion bays, but I personally love the idea. You can have two batteries simultaneously, have two internal hard disks, have an internal zip or superdisk, etc etc. Sure, most people probably didn't use them, but they had advantages even if you didn't use them. By this I mean that they theoretically made repairs easier (theoretically since when my DVD-ROM drive on my Pismo died Apple made me send the whole computer in ) and they allow new drives to be added without retooling the computer design or waiting a long time for special slot-loading versions to be created (as was the case with the Tibook and combo drives).

I will admit though, that now that the superdrive is available, I don't see them adding a new drive with more capabilities for a while. But if the Tibook had an expansion bay drive, all the people asking about Superdrive upgrades could just buy a new bay and sell the old one. Much simpler and likely cheaper.

Dual firewire ports: I have a lot of firewire peripherals, and not all of them have pass-through ports (the iPod being a conspicuous example). If I only had one firewire port I would be forced to juggle several devices or buy a hub. Annoying.

But most of all I am hoping against hope that Apple might see the light and give us a smaller Powerbook (in addition to, not instead of a larger, desktop replacement type of machine). This is probably not the time to be doing that kind of thing, in terms of the economy, but I would love to see a sub-4 pound (preferably sub-3 pound) machine designed with portability in mind. Technologically, there is nothing preventing this, but Apple doesn't seem to want to make one.

[jstein]

Originally posted by Icruise:
I think we will have to agree to disagree about the aesthetics of the Pismo. Personally I much prefer it to the Titanium (perhaps because the Titanium seems barely different from many Japanese laptops I see, whereas the Pismo was and is uniquely and elegantly curved).

As for functionality, though, I really do think that there is a lot that can be learned from the Pismo design. To wit:

Sturdy case: Whatever you think of its looks, you will have to admit that the Pismo has a much sturdier case than the Tibook. I hope that the next revision of the powerbook takes durability into account as well as thinness. The funny thing is that I have seen a lot of laptops thinner than the Tibook that don't seem at all flimsy. They are mostly made of magnesium alloy. I have a suspicion that the whole Titanium thing is a marketing ploy, since it seems weaker (at least in actual use) that other metals I have seen used in laptops.

Expansion bays: A lot of people seem to dismiss the idea of expansion bays, but I personally love the idea. You can have two batteries simultaneously, have two internal hard disks, have an internal zip or superdisk, etc etc. Sure, most people probably didn't use them, but they had advantages even if you didn't use them. By this I mean that they theoretically made repairs easier (theoretically since when my DVD-ROM drive on my Pismo died Apple made me send the whole computer in ) and they allow new drives to be added without retooling the computer design or waiting a long time for special slot-loading versions to be created (as was the case with the Tibook and combo drives).

I will admit though, that now that the superdrive is available, I don't see them adding a new drive with more capabilities for a while. But if the Tibook had an expansion bay drive, all the people asking about Superdrive upgrades could just buy a new bay and sell the old one. Much simpler and likely cheaper.

Dual firewire ports: I have a lot of firewire peripherals, and not all of them have pass-through ports (the iPod being a conspicuous example). If I only had one firewire port I would be forced to juggle several devices or buy a hub. Annoying.

But most of all I am hoping against hope that Apple might see the light and give us a smaller Powerbook (in addition to, not instead of a larger, desktop replacement type of machine). This is probably not the time to be doing that kind of thing, in terms of the economy, but I would love to see a sub-4 pound (preferably sub-3 pound) machine designed with portability in mind. Technologically, there is nothing preventing this, but Apple doesn't seem to want to make one.

Exactly!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ae86_16v]

Originally posted by Icruise:

But most of all I am hoping against hope that Apple might see the light and give us a smaller Powerbook (in addition to, not instead of a larger, desktop replacement type of machine). This is probably not the time to be doing that kind of thing, in terms of the economy, but I would love to see a sub-4 pound (preferably sub-3 pound) machine designed with portability in mind. Technologically, there is nothing preventing this, but Apple doesn't seem to want to make one.

I think this what is the iBook's market.

[SwarmyCurve]

Powerbook is supposed to be the mobile solution for power users (hence the name). iBook is more consumer and education oriented.

How Apple could built a power notebook system thats is under three pounds seems impossible at this time. That seems really unreasonable...

I think the next powerbook should be no larger than the current one, but I'm not sure how that will all work. Its not a good marketing move to go from a 15.2" widescreen display to anything smaller. It probably shouldn't get all that much thinner or else it will be too flimsy and lack the sense of build quality.

[siflippant]

only 3 pounds? GO APPLE GO!

[icruise]

I'm not suggesting that they replace the current Powerbook with something under 3 pounds -- that would indeed be impossible. What I would like to see is basically a third laptop model designed with portability in mind.

My ideal subnotebook would have a 12" screen (actually I wouldn't mind smaller, but I think many people would). It would be no more than half an inch thick, and have no internal optical drive, thus making the weight around 3 pounds. There are literally dozens of machines like this available for windows -- it's not a question of whether it is technically possible, rather of whether Apple thinks it is a good idea to make one. I do agree that the whole idea of streamlining the product line into "pro" and "consumer" lines with very few products was a great one. It makes those products have a much stronger identity with the consumer and makes choosing a Mac a simpler process in many ways. It also keeps prices down for Apple, since they don't have to make, store or service a huge variety of models. However I know for a fact that a lot of people in Japan in particular would kill for this kind of machine, and Apple has already sort of broken out of their "product grid" with the emac and the 14" ibook.

Anyway, back to the topic at hand, my prediction for MWSF is that there will be new iMacs (well, updated ones), updated iApplications, possibly updated iPods and possibly a new device that we know nothing about. While I am very anxious to see what the new iBook and Powerbook enclosures would be like, it doesn't seem to make sense for Apple to update them now. If the last update had really been a minor one (like the time they updated the Pismo powerbooks by just increasing the hard drive size) then I could see it, but the last powerbook and ibook updates were actually relatively major -- breaking the 1Ghz barrier, adding radeon 9000 video and a superdrive to the powerbook, adding 32mb radeon 7500 and 100mhz to the ibooks. They aren't going to spend the time retooling these models only to sell them for a few weeks. Not to mention how angry the people who got ibooks for christmas would be if something totally new were to be released 2 weeks later.

So now that I have totally disproved the idea of new portables at macworld, I'm sure the entire portable line will be changed

[mikerally]

Sean, you've got to be more careful with your language if you want to stay out of trouble. You say the updated iMacs "WILL feature" and then say you don't have any evidence and are just guessing. The word "will" implies a certainty. If a 133MHz bus in an iMac isn't certain you need to use "could conceivably" or "might."

Good Grief,

if taking an attitude like that is likely to get someone into trouble, then I start to wonder what happened to freedom of speech. Even if he's wrong, even if he's lying, it's his God given right to express it, I personally think more so than the right to bare (grammar?) arms!

It's comments of a personal nature (that are likely to directly offend a specific person, race, etc) and generally offensive behaviour that should get you into trouble, not because you sound like an idiot, or you can't spell, or you can't speak english (things like that are easy to just simply ignore).

Just who are lacking a tough hide here? Those who are causing the trouble - or those responding to it.

Hmm...

[Troll]

Originally posted by mikerally:
Good Grief,

if taking an attitude like that is likely to get someone into trouble, then I start to wonder what happened to freedom of speech. Even if he's wrong, even if he's lying, it's his God given right to express it, I personally think more so than the right to bare (grammar?) arms!

It's comments of a personal nature (that are likely to directly offend a specific person, race, etc) and generally offensive behaviour that should get you into trouble, not because you sound like an idiot, or you can't spell, or you can't speak english (things like that are easy to just simply ignore).

Just who are lacking a tough hide here? Those who are causing the trouble - or those responding to it.

Hmm...

Mike, it's a bit ironic that you raise this point given your previous research into a minor grammar point. Nevertheless, I don't think this is a grammatical question at all. Sean's post in itself illustrates his appreciation of the difference between "might" and "will." Also, he hasn't edited the post so it would appear that this was not an error at all.

My point is that Sean keeps "getting into trouble" with other people on these boards for some of his comments on future hardware and for making predictions and then going back on them. You'll see quite a lot of hostility directed at him (not from me), including whole threads that aggressively take him on. I don't think that's healthy for our forum and all I'm trying to do is show him why he gets that.

Your point about freedom of speech is unfounded. I never denied Sean the right to say what he said. I simply pointed out to him an example of the kind of choice of words that draws hostility. It's our right (although I don't believe the right was created by God) to respond to his speech just as it's his right to speak. By chilling our right to respond, and encouraging us to ignore mistakes, you fall prey to your own argument.

I have absolutely nothing against Sean and I don't think my post can be taken as offensive to him. I'm actually genuinely trying to help him. If he changed one word, he might sound less cocksure, less connected, maybe less knowledgable, but he'd gain in terms of spending less time defending himself ... and save money too (he actually made an open wager of money on a release date that he got wrong!).

What Sean says here seems to be reported far and wide on other websites and even in print media. Some people reading these fora and other media make very important decisions on the basis of his choice of words (like delaying their PowerBook purchases for months because Sean says the new ones WILL have DDR RAM) and when it turns out that Sean mislead them, it's natural for them to aim some hostility at him. Given the stakes, I'm merely pointing out that Sean needs to be a little more careful.

So Sean, Mike, no offense okay?

[icruise]

Well said, Troll.

[k2director]

Agreed.

[SwarmyCurve]

You have to take people's comments about rumors with a grain of salt. I mean, how many times have there been rumors about apple going with a multibutton mouse!? Forever!

Rumors should be for entertainment purposes - like a psychic hotline or something. Don't act so serious about them! (Esp. silly rumors like new ibooks this soon)

[mikerally]

Mike, it's a bit ironic that you raise this point given your previous research into a minor grammar point. Nevertheless, I don't think this is a grammatical question at all. Sean's post in itself illustrates his appreciation of the difference between "might" and "will." Also, he hasn't edited the post so it would appear that this was not an error at all.

My argument for not judging people based on how people spell or use grammar is based on the fact that some people, e.g. those who have Dyslexia, have a mental disability that simply prevents them from reading/writing properly - or come from another culture that reads or writes english in a different way (e.g. the British) - or whose native tongue isn't english.

Please to do not mistake me for advocating ignorance of spelling/grammar.

Your point about freedom of speech is unfounded. I never denied Sean the right to say what he said. I simply pointed out to him an example of the kind of choice of words that draws hostility. It's our right (although I don't believe the right was created by God) to respond to his speech just as it's his right to speak. By chilling our right to respond, and encouraging us to ignore mistakes, you fall prey to your own argument.

No, no, I'm sorry, I never meant to imply that you have directly denied his freedom of speech. But it's more like an unwritten rule of the forum.

I used the phrase "God given right" in the same way people use "In God we trust" and "Oh my God" - I certainly don't want to get into discussion about God - it's just a passing expression I've picked up, just like people keep quoting "play it again, sam" from the film Casablanca even though that line is not actually said in the film (It's something along the lines "could you please play that again one more time" I think).

I applaud the way you have responded to my post, and actively encourage it - I have nothing against constructive criticism, I'm arguing against those who choose to respond with flames.

I've seen it too many times, instead of just pointing out what the mistake is in tact, they add a snide comment in aswell, their own little dig just because they have formulated their own personal opinion about that person in general. I am not implying that you have done this, but having seen other people do this is more or less the reason why I made my original post.

So Sean, Mike, no offense okay?

None taken, sorry if I have at any point made it look like my previous post was directed at you because I quoted you - it is not - it was merely to set the context of the post.

[mikerally]

Trying to get back onto the topic on the thread (my little rants are suitable for the lounge, not this thread - so I am sorry).

Thinksecret, a reasonably reliable source of rumors (they've been right more often than wrong in the last year), has reported no product updates for iBooks/Powerbooks this month.

http://www.thinksecret.com/news/mwsf03cpus.html

[Troll]

Originally posted by mikerally:
My argument for not judging people based on how people spell or use grammar is based on the fact that some people, e.g. those who have Dyslexia, have a mental disability that simply prevents them from reading/writing properly - or come from another culture that reads or writes english in a different way (e.g. the British) - or whose native tongue isn't english.

And I'd wholly support you on this although I don't think Sean is Lysdexic! I don't agree that the Brits write English in a different way though. The British invented English so it's all the others that speak and write it in a different way ... and it's not only Pommies that spell rumour and colour correctly, thanks to colonialism, you can add the Aussies and the Indians and the South Africans and the Kiwis and the Pakistanis and the Kenyans and the Zimbabweans etc. to the list of people what speaks English proper-like!

Btw, I was recently in your country of origin (or your parent's country of origin). A very interesting place ... stunningly beautiful too. Port Louis even has a Mac store!

[John123]

[mikerally]

Btw, I was recently in your country of origin (or your parent's country of origin). A very interesting place ... stunningly beautiful too. Port Louis even has a Mac store!

Your right, Mauritius is a beautiful place (it is partly of my origin, my mother is Italian, father Mauritian), I went there for the first time last year myself.

My cousin actually works in technical support for the only Mac dealer in Mauritius.

[lokjah]

i'm hopin for itunes4 and mp4 support for ipods with a new version of ipod software.

l�k

[jmelrose]

I had faith, as Sean knows, but some of you who called his credibility into question, publicly, I believe own him an equally public apology. Considering his sources, he told as much as he could without comprimising them. Although he said it would be an ibook update, clearly the G4 in a small enclosure would have sounded like an ibook had anyone expected a sub-notebook POWERbook.

Nice job once again Sean. Thanks.

Jeff
Illinois

[vsurfer]

Originally posted by jmelrose:
I had faith, as Sean knows, but some of you who called his credibility into question, publicly, I believe own him an equally public apology. Considering his sources, he told as much as he could without comprimising them. Although he said it would be an ibook update, clearly the G4 in a small enclosure would have sounded like an ibook had anyone expected a sub-notebook POWERbook.

Nice job once again Sean. Thanks.

Jeff
Illinois

And the fact that it's 1.2 inches thin is kinda iBook like too.

[k2director]

Apologize to Sean for what again? Most people's beef with Sean is due to the certainty, bordering on arrogance, that he injects into his posts (at least regarding rumors). He often allows no margin for error, and speaks as if he has all the facts, no matter what. That's simply annoying to me, especially when I know that he can't possibly have all the facts. It's a subtle thing--if he only posted this kind of stuff with a tinge more humility, I'd have no problem. But since he practically invites others to prove him wrong, it encourages us to do just that when he is!

That being said, it's fair to say that Sean had uncovered some good intel regarding a "g4 ibook in a new case". It turned out to be a Powerbook, but hey, close enough! I'm happy to give credit where credit is due. However, it's also fair to point out that Sean, 2 months ago, stated with 100% certainty that the Powerbooks would not have an update for several months (ie, way wrong). He also made a similar claim in his G4 ibook thread of late (wrong again).

It's also fair to point out that Sean's last post in his G4 Ibook thread (just a few days ago), reversed his earlier postion (which he had been dead certain about) and suggested the G4 Ibook was really a tablet, and made some other predictions that didn't come true. Also, over the course of that thread, he made enough vague predictions so that all his bases seemed to be covered no matter what happened at the show! Sorry, but Sean doesn't get credit for that. I'm not about to give credit for the things he got right, and conveniently forget all the other stuff....

Or actually, I am. All that I ask is that when Sean makes statements in the future, he manages a **slightly** different tone...one that accomodates the fact that while he certainly does have some good information to share (and I want to hear it!), he might also, God forbid, be wrong as well...

Again, if you don't challenge people to prove you wrong, they won't feel compelled to do it...

[Troll]

Okay, I'm trying to work out whether I need to apologise! k2director has said pretty much exactly what I think - it's not the content of what Sean said; it's the way in which he said a lot of it that I disagree with although he did tone it down with time.

Now, as to whether Sean is the oracle or not, I did a brief run through these fora and saw that there are a few people who gave us a lot more accurate hints than Sean. Oeyvind actually seems to be the man, if you ask me! Nevertheless, a quick report card for Sean

Posted on : 12-25-2002 09:45 AM
New iBooks are coming out at MWSF in January of 2003. The new iBooks will feature a new enclosure. They're supposately (sic) extremely sweet machines. The person I talked to about the new iBook declined to say whether it was a G3 or a G4, but I'm inclined to believe that they will be 600- and 733-megahertz G4's.

5/10 - The new PowerBooks are not iBooks; not in price, not in features, not the same thing. Still, he did guess that there would be a new G4 laptop (not exactly rocket science). Completely wrong on the CPU's. Half marks is pretty generous I think.

There will be a new "iApp" and digital hub device announced at the show. The application will be related to DVD burning, but I don't have a definite answer on its name yet.

0/5 - iDVD is not a new iApp!
2/5 - Airport Extreme - telephony - not really?

The look of things is going to be changing. Apple will discontinue their 22-inch Cinema Display in favor of a new 19-inch display featuring the same resolution but with higher brightness and the silver-style enclosure.

0/5 - Not that I saw.

Posted on : 12-25-2002 07:52 PM
I don't think there's going to be a PowerBook update. You're safe.

0/10 - Big Oooooopppppsss

Posted on : 12-25-2002 09:53 AM
I haven't heard much about the iMac. Apple seems to be getting good at keeping things under tabs. However, it's safe to say that we're getting gigahertz-class CPU's and lowered prices at MWSF.

0/10 - None of the above.

Posted on : 12-25-2002 10:31 AM
The enclosure is changing. How it's changing is anyone's guess. I've only heard of prototype plastics.

2/5 - It's not an iBook and it's made of Aluminium not plastic.

Posted on : 12-25-2002 10:42 PM
The PowerBook is the only product I'd feel safe buying.

1/5 - Well, the 15 inch is unchanged, but it's $200 cheaper and anyway, I don't think anyone with an inkling of what was coming would have felt "safe" buying a PowerBook (as Oeyvind pointed out).

Posted on : 12-25-2002 07:34 PM
Well, it's safe to say that the graphics chipset isn't going to improve dramatically. A 32-megabyte RADEON 7500 is very reasonable.

1/5 - iBook graphics to the new PowerBooks graphics - I'd say that is a dramatic improvement. Radeons?

12-25-2002 07:43 PM
I honestly haven't heard anything about integrated Bluetooth, but I'm sure Apple has it planned for sometime in the near future.


3/5 - No brainer that it was coming what with the changes to Jag and iSync, but this implies it wasn't coming at MWSF.

Posted on : 12-31-2002 09:49 AM
I must point out that the updated iMacs will feature a 133-megahertz bus speed.

0/5 - What new iMacs?

Posted on : 01-03-2003 02:59 AM
Actually, I have no holes now. The new iBook will be released on January 7th. A SuperDrive will be available.

Posted on : 01-03-2003 07:51 PM
In fact, I'm suspicious about the two claims I've heard pertaining to the SuperDrive's availability in iBooks. Don't expect it. I'm contradicting myself, but I have my suspicions.

3/5 - I'm feeling generous here.

Posted on : 01-03-2003 08:23 PM
I can, however, say that iPhoto and iTunes will be updated.

There might be an update to iDVD and iMovie (they're aging applications), and I've heard some speculation about iBrowse. I logically doubt an application like that exists, though. Among the updates to iTunes will be Rendezvous support.

9/10 - All of the above except Rendezvous. I would have given 8/10 but decided to give a bonus point for the use of "might."

Posted on : 01-06-2003 06:53 PM
I'm inclined to believe that the iMac will be updated. The iPod will likely be updated. I think a new tablet's coming out. The iBook so wildly talked about is probably the tablet.
Rendezvous support Steve Jobs discussed at Macworld New York will most likely be announced at the show.

0/10 - No iMac, no iPod, no Tablet, no Rendezvous announcement.

Which comes to a grand total of 26/100 - 26% hit rate - probably on a par with ThinkSecret, SpyMac and the boys. I kinda like these threads actually, but I would like to see Sean clearly labelling his predictions as rumours and predictions and not imply any certainty. Now I'm just dying to hear Sean say, "You see, I was right!!"