[fener]

As the history of Apple iBook shows, the new iBooks get renewed every April-May, then, 5 1/2 months later its revision in April-May, it gets renewed again.

Since iBook 900 was introduced on April 22, the next revision is:

April 22 + 5.5 Months = October 8

Apple is going to revise its iBook line sometime during the first two weeks of October. Just an information for people who are planning to buy a brand new iBook!


Note: Also, Apple has changed the design of its iBook line in 2 years. Its been over 2 years since the Snow iBook came out. Even its been over 2 years, Apple NEVER changed a design on September/October up to date. New designs were introduced between April-September. I would like to get your opinions of when the design of iBook will be/needs to be changed.

[SupahCoolX]

Since the iBook is Apple's "education" portable, if there's any update on the horizon, they would do it in Aug/Sep to capitalize on the back-to-school buying. Otherwise, they may wait until MWSF in January (total redesign then?).

[x user]

Welp, maybe their waiting for the G5 PB, so they can do a G4 iBook.

[arclight]

I would assume that any update would include the new Sahara G3 before any G4 ibook appears. I've been predicting a G4 ibook for some time now and have just given up. The new G3 from IBM seems like a better fit. But then again, Apple always seems to pull some kind of magic out of their keester-

[aloner]

I read somewhere that the new IBM G3 chip for the iBooks (GX?) won�t be available until December.

In addition, I don�t think Apple will update the iBooks until 2-3 months after updating the PowerBooks, as they have done so far.

[GORDYmac]

Technically, there is already a G4 iBook. And when it hits 1GHz and gets a backlit keyboard I'm buying it.

[Powaqqatsi]

Originally posted by SupahCoolX:
Since the iBook is Apple's "education" portable, if there's any update on the horizon, they would do it in Aug/Sep to capitalize on the back-to-school buying. Otherwise, they may wait until MWSF in January (total redesign then?).

bzzzzt, it's Apple's consumer laptop. They have no official "education" laptop.

[Superchicken]

The day after I buy mine

Murphy's law

[fener]

Below are the detailed release dates of the iceBook line:


500 Mhz
05/01/01
05/20/02 Discontinued

600 Mhz
10/16/01
05/20/02 Disc.

600 Mhz Rev2
05/20/02
11/06/02 Disc.

700 Mhz
05/20/02
11/06/02 Disc.

700 Mhz Rev2
11/06/02
04/22/03 Disc.

800 Mhz
11/06/02
04/22/02 Disc.

800 Mhz Rev2
04/22/03

900 Mhz
04/22/03

As it is seen, the average time passes between two revisions is 5 1/2 month. This brings us to a revision date of:

10/05/03

Apple should be releasing a new iBook sometime in October. Moreover, Apple revised the original iBook's design after 2 years of its release. We currently have passed the 2 year length, but this happened because it concluded with the release dates of Mac OS X 10.3 and the debut of the G5. The new design should be coming on the NEXT revision, which should be April/May '04.

P.S. Release Date information is taken from www.everymac.com

[CrazedVW]

The G5 is still too hot to put into a notebook. It won't be put into the Powerbooks until next year at least.

Originally posted by x user:
Welp, maybe their waiting for the G5 PB, so they can do a G4 iBook.

[fener]

As we have noted before, the release date is too close now. It is the month of October, definitely a new iBook revision.

The main question now is this:

Is iBook going to a new revision,

OR

Is iBook going to the next generation with new design?

The reports started to emphasize on a new design. This would make the release of the iBook a little postponed. If the design doesn't change on this release, it will DEFINITELY change on January/February '04.

[fener]

The iBook life cycle is well Over! It is most likely that Apple waited to release the new iBooks because the Music Store and iPod were priorities. They will be announced tomorrow, and will get out of the way.

I say, after the release of the Mac OS X 10.3 Panther, its the iBooks turn.

The new iBook will debut during the first week of November. Who knows, maybe Apple redesigned it.

[Scooterboy]

I'm ready to upgrade. I'm looking at the 15" Powerbook G4, but I really would rather wait for a G5 Powerbook. A new iBook with the right specs and a decently elegant case might just fit the bill until then.

Here I my desired iBook specs:

IBM 750GX 1.1 GHz on 200 MHz system bus

256 MB Onboard RAM (what type of RAM does the 750GX support?) with up to 1 GB in the expansion slot for 1.256 GB max RAM.

ATi Radeon 9000 or 9200 video GPU with supported monitor spanning

40 GB or 60 GB HD

Airport Extreme

Built-in Bluetooth

FireWire 400, FireWire 800, USB 2.0

Same composite video, S-video, VGA out as current iBook (mini DVI would be nice but that is Powerbook domain)

DVD ROM in base model, then Combo drives in all others.

13" hi res screen with X-brite or whatever those bitchin' PC laptop screens are (you know, sharp, really bright, viewable from any angle and in direct sunlight.

Same size case but re-designed in a more elegant yet sturdy enclosure.

Better speakers! The current ones really do suck.

[mike one]

Originally posted by Scooterboy:
I'm ready to upgrade. I'm looking at the 15" Powerbook G4, but I really would rather wait for a G5 Powerbook. A new iBook with the right specs and a decently elegant case might just fit the bill until then.

with you on that one.


with supported monitor spanning
[/QUOTE]

apple will never do this with the ibook, because they are bastards, "A number 1 bastards"

seriously.


Airport Extreme
Built-in Bluetooth
FireWire 400, FireWire 800, USB 2.0
[/QUOTE]

AE and blue tooth, bah�, i sure don't care about firewire 800. my firewire 400 is just dandy in my current ibook. those feautures aren't going to make the cut in an ibook, wild dreaming my friend. other thoughts about HD and chip speed shouldn't be a problem though.

[Scooterboy]

Built-in Bluetooth should be standard. I hate using that $50 dongle, and I keep forgetting it when I need it most. I use iSync with a Bluetooth mobile phone and am buyiing soon a Bluetooth keyboard.
Apple doesn't sell 802.11b base stations any more, so AE should be featured across the entire product line. AE I assume is better than 802.11b for wireless lan party?
Why not FireWire 800? If Apple wants to make FireWire 800 an accepted standard, they need to get it into as many machines as they can. Still, I won't cry if they leave that out. I really hope they make the processor and bus improvements and video card improvements: 1.1 GHz G3 on 200 MHz system bus and ATi Radeon 9000 or 9200. And please Apple, why bother disabling the monitor spanning these video cards support, when you know that plenty of iBook owners will install a monitor spanning hack whether Apple supports it or not?

[d4nth3m4n]

Originally posted by CrazedVW:
The G5 is still too hot to put into a notebook. It won't be put into the Powerbooks until next year at least.

this is what people said about the g4 as well. it will just take some advanced engineering... have faith.

[Scooterboy]

It's not the G5 that is the problem. Many others here have pointed out that G5 power outputs, i.e. heat, are about the same as the G4 at similar processor clock speeds. I'm guessing that it is now up to Apple to design a G5 PowerBook logic board and they have a lot of work to do what with the completley new system architecture the G5 requires.
There will be a G5 PowerBook before December 2004, that's my speculation for what it's worth, around 2�.

[Peter]

Originally posted by Scooterboy:
I'm ready to upgrade. I'm looking at the 15" Powerbook G4, but I really would rather wait for a G5 Powerbook. A new iBook with the right specs and a decently elegant case might just fit the bill until then.

Here I my desired iBook specs:

IBM 750GX 1.1 GHz on 200 MHz system bus

256 MB Onboard RAM (what type of RAM does the 750GX support?) with up to 1 GB in the expansion slot for 1.256 GB max RAM.

ATi Radeon 9000 or 9200 video GPU with supported monitor spanning

40 GB or 60 GB HD

Airport Extreme

Built-in Bluetooth

FireWire 400, FireWire 800, USB 2.0

Same composite video, S-video, VGA out as current iBook (mini DVI would be nice but that is Powerbook domain)

DVD ROM in base model, then Combo drives in all others.

13" hi res screen with X-brite or whatever those bitchin' PC laptop screens are (you know, sharp, really bright, viewable from any angle and in direct sunlight.

Same size case but re-designed in a more elegant yet sturdy enclosure.

Better speakers! The current ones really do suck.

Your specs are too high - Get a PowerBook.

I wouldnt expect Bluetooth in the new iBooks - think eMacs.

[Scooterboy]

All my specs or just some of them are too high? I'll agree that FW800 is unlikely. Bluetooth, maybe so but on a laptop built-in Bluetooth is really useful and Apple will sell a lot more Bluetooth Keyboards if iBooks are so equipped.

I'll stand by my processor and bus specs and video card specs. PowerBooks are up to Radeon 9600, so a Radeon 9000 or 9200 would not compete here. Radeon 7500 has been in iBooks for how long? and I would be sorely dissapointed if new iBooks still had the aging card.

40 GB or 60 GB Hard Drives are currently shipping in iBooks. Airport Extreme is in every Mac but the current iBook.

Why shouldn't a new iBook design have improved specs? The specs I cited are not all that far beyond the current ones: G3, HD size, and features. If the iBooks are not significantly improved then why re-design them at all. A simple processor update in the same iBooks is all we should expect I suppose.

[fener]

Apple continues to stick to its tradition ro renew its lines every 5-6 months. As of today, HERE are the new models:

Configurations

Order number 12-inch Combo Drive
M9164LL/A 14-inch Combo Drive
M9388LL/A 14-inch Combo Drive
M9165LL/A
Processor 800MHz PowerPC G4 933MHz PowerPC G4 1GHz PowerPC G4
Level 2 Cache 256K at 800MHz 256K at 933MHz 256K at 1GHz
System bus 133MHz
Memory (DDR SDRAM) 256MB, expandable to 640MB
Hard drive(8) 30GB Ultra ATA 40GB Ultra ATA 60GB Ultra ATA
Optical drive Slot-loading Combo (DVD-ROM/CD-RW)
Display 12.1-inch (diagonal) TFT XGA 14.1-inch (diagonal) TFT XGA
Graphics support ATI Mobility Radeon 9200 with 32MB of DDR SDRAM
FireWire One FireWire 400 port at up to 400 mbps
USB Two USB 2.0 ports (480-Mbps each)
VGA, S-video and composite video output Video mirroring supports VGA video out to an external display or projector (requires included Apple VGA Video Adapter) and S-video and composite video out to a TV or VCR (requires optional Apple Video Adapter, sold separately).
Modem (4) Built-in 56K V.92 modem
Ethernet Built-in 10/100BASE-T Ethernet
Wireless support (6) AirPort Extreme ready; optional internal Bluetooth module available
System Software Mac OS X
Software All models include Mac OS X 10.3 Panther, Mail, Safari, iChat AV, Sherlock, Address Book, QuickTime, iLife (includes iTunes, iPhoto, and iMovie), iSync, iCal, DVD Player, AppleWorks, Mac OS X Chess, and Classic environment; Microsoft Internet Explorer, AOL, Quicken 2004 Deluxe, World Book 2003 Edition, Microsoft Office 4.X Test Drive, Tony Hawk�s Pro Skater 4, Deimos Rising, Sound Studio, and Zinio Reader; Apple Hardware Test.
Service and Support 90 days of free telephone support and one-year limited warranty
Internet Access All models also include 30 days of free Internet service through EarthLink. Internet access requires an Internet service account; fees may apply. Product contains documentation. Backup copy of software is provided on CD-ROM


Build-to-Order Options
Order a custom-configured computer from the online Apple Store or an Apple Authorized reseller.
Wireless AirPort Extreme Card M8881LL/A
AirPort Extreme Base Station M8930LL/A
AirPort Extreme Base Station (with modem and antenna port) M8799LL/A
Bluetooth T6295ZM/A
Adapters and cables Apple Video Adapter M9109G/A
Apple VGA Display Adaptor M8639G/A
Apple FireWire Cable (4-pin to 6-pin, 1.8 meter) M8706G/A

Battery and power Apple Portable Power Adapter M8943LL/A
iBook Rechargeable Battery (12.1-inch iBook with CD-ROM) M9337G/A
iBook Rechargeable Battery (14.1-inch iBook) M9338G/A
Accessories Apple Wireless Keyboard M9270LL/A
Apple Wireless Mouse M9269ZM/A
Apple Keyboard (White) M9034LL/A
Apple Mouse (White) M9035G/A
iSight M8817LL/A
Services AppleCare Protection Plan M8853LL/A
.Mac Subscription M9036Z/A

[fener]

Surprisingly,

iBook Come with the Slot load drive, which used to be unique to Powerbooks.

As iBooks got G4 chips, Slot load drives right now, the Powerbook sales will significantly decrease.

This leads us to a conclusion:

Apple is gonna release G5 Powerbooks earlier than thought.

[DeathMan]

Originally posted by fener:
Surprisingly,

iBook Come with the Slot load drive, which used to be unique to Powerbooks.

I bet they were losing a lot of money on tray door repairs. At least I had to send mine in at one point. I always thought the slot load was the way to go.

As iBooks got G4 chips, Slot load drives right now, the Powerbook sales will significantly decrease.

This leads us to a conclusion:

Apple is gonna release G5 Powerbooks earlier than thought.

I thought the same thing about the G5 powerbooks.

I honestly don't think the powerbooks are that much superiour to the high end iBook. They do have some nice extras, but mostly eveything your avererage iPod buyer would want in a portable, you get in the new ibook.

[Eug]

I've got my plastic money ready and waiting for a G5 PowerBook...