Apple Updates iBook Line With G4 Processor 632
Kyro writes "Apple today upgraded their iBook notebook range across the board to G4 processors, Airport Extreme, bluetooth, USB 2.0, and slot-loading combo drives. All models ship with Mac OS X 10.3, and the 12" model gets a 800Mhz G4 while the 14" models get a choice of 933Mhz or 1Ghz. Prices largely remain the same as the old G3 versions." Mwongozi adds "Although not announced on the front page, the Apple Store was updated just a few minutes ago to show the new iBook."
Dont (Score:5, Informative)
it takes the $1099 12inch ibook down to $949. Hey thats 1/2 an ipod!:)
Re:Dont (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Dont (Score:3, Funny)
I'm "technically" a federal government employee (for the next 3-5 years with good behavior). I make license plates and package Microsoft products, but I can't find a discount structure that applies to *me*. What should I do? And would it be possible for some kind soul to hide an iBook in a cake and hand-deliver it to me?
Also, I *may* be eligible for the student discount. I'm learning a trade in here, but I can't rea
Re:Dont (Score:5, Informative)
Actually I think it's only a $100 rebate across the board, but the edu store (here, anyway) has an extra $949 moder with only a CD-rom drive, and the RAM downgraded to 128 MB (clearly not enough).
The eMacs were also upgarded -- both models have 1GHz processors now. Specs:
Combo Drive model
1GHz PowerPC G4
128MB SDRAM
40GB Ultra ATA drive
$799.00 ($749 at edu store)
Super Drive model
1GHz PowerPC G4
256MB SDRAM
80GB Ultra ATA drive
$1,099.00 ($999 at edu store)
Re:Dont (Score:5, Informative)
Check out datamem.com. Been using them for about 6 years and only had one bad chip. I called them and they next day'd a chip out to me. Didn't even wait for me to return the bad chip.
Re:Dont (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Dont (Score:3, Interesting)
My dual USB ibook has only one DIMM slot. It also came with 128 Megs soldered onto the logic board.
Re:Dont (Score:3, Funny)
End of the G3 (Score:5, Informative)
Just got myself a 12' PowerBook, oh well :-) Today I'd be hard pressed to choose -- one big plus on the PB is the *digital* video out, which lets you attach a Studio display. The new iBooks are discounted $100 at my University's edu store, versus $200 on the PBs. Specs and Euro prices from Macbidouille:
- 12" / 800MHz
PowerPC G4 a 800 MHz
256 Ko de cache N2 (a 800 MHz)
Ecran TFT 12" (1024 x 768)
256 Mo DDR266 / 30 Go
Lecteur combo DVD/CD-RW
ATI Mobility Radeon 9200 (32 Mo VRAM)
1.199 euros
- 14" / 933MHz
PowerPC G4 a 933 MHz
256 Ko de cache N2 (a 933 MHz)
Ecran TFT 14" (1024 x 768)
256 Mo DDR266 / 40 Go
Lecteur combo DVD/CD-RW
ATI Mobility Radeon 9200 (32 Mo VRAM)
1449 euros
- 14" / 1GHz
PowerPC G4 a 1 GHz
256 Ko de cache N2 (a 1 GHz)
Ecran TFT 14" (1024 x 768)
256 Mo DDR266 / 60 Go
Lecteur combo DVD/CD-RW
ATI Mobility Radeon 9200 (32 Mo VRAM)
1699 euros
Re:End of the G3 (Score:5, Funny)
A 12 foot PowerBook? I'd be upset too.
Helevius
Re:End of the G3 (Score:5, Funny)
Troc
For some reason my first reaction is: (Score:4, Funny)
"..."
"I'm getting one."
You may get money back... (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:End of the G3 (Score:3, Informative)
Powerbook premium (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Powerbook premium (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Powerbook premium (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Powerbook premium (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Powerbook premium--fan? (Score:3, Informative)
Bus speed and backside cache (Score:5, Informative)
The G4 iBooks have only a 133Mhz bus and 256K of backside cache.
The faster buses and larger caches in the PowerBooks are going to keep them running faster than the new iBooks in real-world tasks, even if the CPU speed is the same.
-Mark
Re:Bus speed and backside cache (Score:2)
All kidding aside... how will this impact my gaming? (No, seriously)
I've wanted a newer Mac for a while. I would also like to play Warcraft III and maybe some other 3D games and would LOVE to tote an iBook with me to LAN parties instead of my PC. Is the bus speed going to have an effect on gaming? It looks like they include a (fairly) dec
Re:Bus speed and backside cache (Score:3, Informative)
-Spyky
Re:Bus speed and backside cache (Score:4, Insightful)
That aside, it would be interesting to see how the 133 MHz/1 GHz G4 with 256k cache in the iBooks compares to the 167 MHz 1 GHz G4 with 512 in the PB. (barefeats, are you listening?) I was also wondering how long Apple was going to make G3s, G4s, and G5s. Now they're back to just 2 CPUs.
Re:Bus speed and backside cache (Score:2)
When I realized that the backside cache was compeltel
Re:Bus speed and backside cache (Score:2)
Re:Powerbook premium (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Powerbook premium (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Powerbook premium (Score:5, Informative)
Availability of superdrive
Max 1.25 GB RAM, compared to 640 MB on ibook
Built-in bluetooth
512 K L2 cache, compared to 256 K for ibook
Mini-DVI out, not Mini-SVGA out
Allows for monitor spanning, not just mirroring
The 15" and 17" models also have gigabit ethernet, FW800, widescreen aspect ratio, and backlit keyboards...
Of course, it's up to you to decide if these features are worth it or not.
Re:Powerbook premium (you forgot) (Score:3, Interesting)
Right now, I think anyone would be a fool to buy one. People who just received theirs are having these screen problems in as little as the first few days to 1 week of use. Apple was doing warranty replacements, but so far, the replacements had the same issues as the originals.
(To Apple's credit, though, many of the Apple suppor
Re:Powerbook premium (Score:3, Interesting)
The specifications of the 14" iBook is superior in every respect (speed, drives, etc) to the 12" PowerBook, and it's $100 cheaper. I think it's a pity they didn'
Re:Powerbook premium (Score:3, Interesting)
Especially since it comes with a DVD/CD-RW drive, 1 FireWire & 2 USB 2.0 ports, 30GB drive, decent 32MB video ram, 10/100 & modem all built-in.
So - were you just looking to troll, or were you actually trying to make some kind of informed point?
Re:Annoying ibook external monitor limitiation (Score:3, Informative)
Try here [google.com] for the firmware hack.
I doubt this will be the end of the G3 (Score:3, Informative)
I will interested to see how this will affect lower end powerbook sales.
Re:I doubt this will be the end of the G3 (Score:3, Insightful)
G4 heat issues? 12" model only 800MHz (Score:2)
Not snow white anymore... (Score:2)
Oh well, off to buy one I guess.
Great and all... (Score:2)
Re:Great and all... (Score:2)
Re:Great and all... (Score:2)
Only G4 by apple's marketing (Score:5, Informative)
Previous PPC750s (the fx and so on) were called G3s. Add an AltiVec unit to it and Apple call it a G4
Remember Apple's marketing is perfectly justified in calling a chip anything it likes, and it looks to be using AltiVec as the demarcation between G3 and G4, rather than the rest of the core. It's still a PPC750 in these new iBooks however.
Re:Only G4 by apple's marketing (Score:5, Insightful)
G4 has a much better FPU (Score:3, Informative)
No Velocity Engine !!! (Score:4, Interesting)
Any other Technical Specifications page for any other "G4" Apple offers, they say "with Velocity Engine".
I am afraid the iBook and eMac may not *have* a "Velocity Engine", or Apple would advertise it, wouldn't they ? These might be IBM chips, but they are not IBM chips with "Altivec". They may be "G4" in name only, i.e. we're marketing guys, we're willing to call it "G4" just because it's over 800 Mhz... this totally sucks if it's the case. I hope I'm wrong and Apple updates the Tech Specs to include mention of Velocity Engine, but I am afraid that Apple might have just stooped to the level of other hardware companies here.
Re:Only G4 by apple's marketing (Score:3, Informative)
How do you know? Personally, I doubt it. The last few generations of G3 iBooks had 512kb of L2 cache, and these iBooks only have 256kb.
This points more in the direction PPC7450/PPC7455 (i.e., the G4 used in the eMac/iMac and previous -not current- Powerbooks) than in that of a PPC750GX (successor of the PPC750FX used in previous iBooks, supposedly with up to 1MB of L2 cache a
Re:Only G4 by apple's marketing (Score:2)
Re:Only G4 by apple's marketing (Score:2)
You wouldn't mind disclosing your source for this tidbit, would you?
USB 2.0 (Score:3, Informative)
It also ships with OS X 10.3 Panther [apple.com], although this should surprise no one as Panther is set to ship within the week anyway.
Re:Only G4 by apple's marketing (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Only G4 by apple's marketing (Score:3, Informative)
The PowerPC 750GX [ibm.com] has a 1MB Level 2 cache and no AltiVec. I doubt that these are in the Ibook.
You're very wrong! (Score:3, Informative)
the 750GX, due soon at a fabrication plant near you, is essentially a 750FX with additional L2 cache (1MB vs. 512K), and some minor reworking to accomodate higher clocking and better caching. Expect it to run in the 900MHz-1.2GHz range over it's lifetime.
The 750VX, which nobody has even claimed to have seen yet, is the rumored IBM 750+AltiVec CPU. It would be IBM's answer to Motorola's G4 chip. Specs are
Re:Only G4 by apple's marketing (Score:4, Informative)
Screen resolution questions (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Screen resolution questions (Score:2, Informative)
Nowadays people use the term "resolution" when they really mean screen size or dimension.
You can have a screen that's 1024 X 768 and is only 2-inches wide... or 2-feet wide.
Get it?
Anyway, since most people sit closer to their laptops and portables than they do when they are working on desktop computers, smaller scre
Re:Screen resolution questions (Score:2)
I'll even pay postage.
Needless to say... (Score:2, Funny)
G3 support? (Score:3, Funny)
Re:G3 support? (Score:2, Insightful)
Why would you want to try and run Panther on a 233-300 Mhz G3 machine anyway? I can't imagine the performance issues on that slow a processor would be worth it.
Re:G3 support? (Score:2)
Re:G3 support? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:G3 support? (Score:2)
thank god i hesitated (Score:3, Interesting)
no MPC7447 here... (Score:5, Interesting)
The only reason I could see is, apart from differentating the models in terms of cache size, the future transition to G5 in the Powerbooks and G4-7447s in the iBooks.
Re:no MPC7447 here... (Score:2)
Re:no MPC7447 here... (Score:4, Interesting)
I think it was probably just easier for Apple to shoehorn the older 12"/17" PowerBook design (with the MPC7445 (or are they using the MPC7455?) into the iBook's case, where you've got a little bit more space for cooling.
Re:no MPC7447 here... (Score:3, Informative)
I have one of the new PowerBooks. I also have Apple's CHUD (Computer Hardware Understanding Development) tools. When I run the Hardware PreferencePane, what is reported is 7457, not 7447.
Since when do you believe what you see on MacRumors?
New Power/iBook (Score:3, Insightful)
I have just bought a new top-of-range Al Powerbook and although I am extremely happy with it I am concerned that Apple has not got enough of a differentiation between the iBook and Powerbook line.
Bluetooth and a larger L2 cache is hardly a justification and the superdrive is personally neither here nor there. I think the sooner they get the liquid cooled G5 fitted into a powerbook the better. Hey I might even be *forced* to part with even more money for the sheer coolness of it.
However I think that this market segmentation is crucial for Apple to keep an aspirational difference between consumer and pro lines. And frankly these releases are dangerously close to blurring them...
I would suggest that plastic vs metal case is *not* gonna be enough if they are both based on the same processor architecture...
The 7 stages of grief for highly effective people (Score:5, Funny)
Welcome to computer purchasing (Score:2)
research, buy, don't look back (don't look for a least a year)
Re:The 7 stages of grief for highly effective peop (Score:5, Funny)
O:-)
hehehe
Difficult to justify the 12" powerbook now... (Score:4, Insightful)
eMac prices lowered too! (Score:3, Informative)
Wait until Friday!!! (Score:5, Informative)
If you want to buy one of these, it might be a good idea to go to the unleashing of Panther this Friday at an Apple Store! When Jaguar came out, it was what, 10% off everything in the store?
Wish they'd do a pen convertible at least (Score:3, Insightful)
But, I'd have to haul around a separate graphics tablet (at least these days w/ USB you don't need a wall-wart power supply like my ThinkPad and Wacom ArtZ did), and the handwriting recognition is ``merely'' the print recognizer from Newton OS 2.x and doesn't learn, and there's no built-in support for gestures beyond basic editing for other aspects of pen UI.
Surely Apple could engineer a nice double-hinge setup which was elegant, durable, reliable and innovative (look at recent stories on interesting laptop designs from IBM as examples of what they should surpass).
So, I got a Fujitsu Stylistic instead, at least I didn't have to compromise and get a convertible, but got a true slate---for Mac OS X, I'd probably compromise though, especially if they added further pen-specific aspects to the UI.
I really miss PenPoint though (ran it on an NCR-3125), and have always kind of wished that Go had teamed up with HP, and that NeXT had gone w/ PenPoint for their portables (say w/ some kind of synch arrangement like to the Palm Pilot).
William
Differences between PowerBook and iBook (Score:5, Informative)
The differences I can see are:
- Bluetooth is extra (an internal module, like AirPort).
- No SuperDrive option. This is a big deal to me -- I do backups on DVD-R's (you don't want to back 60 GB onto CD-R's!).
- No DVI out (also none on my PB, but there is on new ones)
- White plastic instead of metal case.
- 0.3 pounds heavier, perhaps 1/2 inch thicker.
- 10 GB smaller hard drives
- Plastic probably more impact resistant than metal (but also leads to case being thicker).
- $500 more for PowerBook.
So overall, a tradeoff. I'm still as happy as ever with my 12" PB, but now more people can buy most of what I've got, and while that makes it a little less exclusive, that's really a good thing...
Re:Differences between PowerBook and iBook (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Differences between PowerBook and iBook - RAM! (Score:3, Informative)
iBook = up to 640 MB
Powerbook = up to 1.25GB
Big difference!
Re:Differences between PowerBook and iBook (Score:3, Informative)
iTunes (Score:3, Interesting)
Thanks Mr. Jobs.
Excellent (Score:4, Interesting)
One thing I would like to ask those who have an iBook already: What's the battery life like? It sayed 6 hours in the UK Apple store for the pre-G4 12" version, which would be amazing if it was true. They've changed it to the rather vague "extra-long battery life" for the G4 version.
price protection (Score:5, Informative)
However, I called Apple, and it turned out I qualified for some kind of price protection. I am not allowed to return my iBook and get a new one (since my iBook was "custom built" by having extra RAM and an Airport card added), but they are going to credit my Visa $190.
Hope this helps anyone else who just bought an iBook. CALL APPLE!!! they may have some money for you....
Re:I was looking at some laptops today (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:I was looking at some laptops today (Score:2)
Re:I was looking at some laptops today (Score:2)
There are Thinkpads, and there are THINKPADS... (Score:5, Interesting)
Perhaps you speak of the newer IBM Thinkpads that were basically designed and built in Taiwan by Acer. However, the Thinkpads that were IBM-designed and built in IBM-owned facilities *are* that tough.
I just plunked down three bills to get myself an off-lease 600E. The thing is *built*. The finish is completely coated in a rubberized coating so that even french-fry fingers won't slip. It seems to be made with a metal frame and plastic shell over the metal. Even though the thing only weighs 5 pounds, it feels very, very solid. (Yeah, I know there are much lighter lappies out there but this is the lightest one I have ever owned.)
Oh yeah...this is the only IBM Thinkpad that Big Blue took the trouble to get Linux certified. Here's a link to an old /. article about it. [slashdot.org]. The big gripe in the article was about how everything but the modem worked. Guess what: IBM did write and release Linux drivers for the MWave modem in this model! It took them a while, but they are out there now.
You can get 600Es cheap at Computer Geeks and at other places that sell off-lease Thinkpads...I suspect the reason why they are all over the place now is because they were popular around the apex of the Dot-bomb boom, and now there's a glut because so many of the folks who were carrying those around are now baristas at Starbucks. ^_^
Oh yeah, to pull this back on topic: the only thing built tougher than a Thinkpad is a PowerBook. Ph33r the mighty Wallstreet/Lombard/Pismo...those are tough mofos. Same with the iToiletSeat iMacs...those were designed with K-12 students in mind, just like the legendary eMate NewtonOS device. Even the old 100-series PowerBooks are tough as nails. And everyone I know with an Ice iBook has stories of how durable their iBook is.
Re:There are Thinkpads, and there are THINKPADS... (Score:3, Informative)
Whenever you're hitting the road, slide that bad little piece of non-biodegradable love in there, so that your keyboard and/or pointing device (if you've got one of those wee joysticks amidships) doesn't trash your screen.
Re:I was looking at some laptops today (Score:3, Funny)
however, if they raise the price to $2000and cut the battery life in half, perhaps you will be more impressed.
p.s.
what rock have you been living under? ibooks have run osx since day one... YEARS ago.
Re:Why is this news? (Score:2, Interesting)
Basically the difference between g3 and g4 is so great that this is a big deal. Up until now, the question has been, do you go with the iBooks and save a bunch of money, but suffer; or spend a "premium" and get the leaps-ahead g4. This has been one of the biggest problems with recommending a mac laptop to someone-- they couldn't get an acceptable processor at a cheap price.
Now even Apple'
Re:Mac problems (Score:3, Informative)
The mac you are using doesn't have pre-emptive threading support. The Macs now have a totally different OS core, based on BSD.
Re:Necessary Move (Score:5, Interesting)
I'm only going to say this once.
Nobody gives a damn about Apple's share of the entire computer market. Does anybody care about Mercedes's share of the entire automotive industry? Of course not.
Apple, like any company, has target market segments. First-time home computer buyers in upper-middle-income brackets; first-time laptop buyers in same; students; teachers; creative professionals; science and technical users. Among these market segments, Apple's share is just fine, thanks.
Apple doesn't sell well to people who already own computers and who make under $75,000 per year per household. So freakin' what? That's not their target market. Just like Mercedes doesn't sell well to single people under the age of 25.
Now that you've been educated, kindly slink back under your bridge, you troll.
Re:Necessary Move (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Necessary Move (Score:3, Insightful)
Apple's market is now experienced computer users who find that the Windows world has failed them and the Linux world still takes too much effort. It is people who want to USE computers and are tired of FIXING them. This includes many students and artists and lawyers and writers and scientists whose f
Re:Necessary Move (Score:3, Informative)
And you're dead right about the digital hub being part of the allure. They have ea
Re:I want to cry (Score:2)
That and if you want a Superdrive or built in bluetooth, you need to buy a PB.
The new iBooks include builtin Bluetooth as a BTO option, which means I'll probably go ahead and spring for one of these.Re:consider talking to a lawyer (Score:3, Insightful)
The only case he would have is if Apple guaranteed him that this would be the fastest iBook ever. And since that's unreasonable, there is no case.
Re:next? (Score:2, Interesting)
I think you're forgetting that it's the year of the laptop..
And I think you'll see speed revs before (or in lockstep with) price drops, given that they said 3GHz in 2004 is realistic..
And listen, the stock G5 may dissipate lots of power at 2ghz, but don't be surprised if Apple comes up with an interesting cooling sch
Re:Death to Gobi? (Score:2)
Re:Does it really matter anymore? (Score:5, Funny)
Kia Rio for less than 10 grand! They both go 75mph which is as
fast as you can go anywhere anyway. Audi is charging over
3 times as much!
Audi, as a quality automobile company, is dying.
Re:Does it really matter anymore? (Score:5, Interesting)
This is a funny statement. I'm not entirely sure why. It's something like a Roman Centurion around 200 AD saying "Christianity is dying. I mean, why shell out for one god when you can have a whole pantheon, and with significantly fewer commandments to follow!"
Re:oh no, what am i going to do? (Score:5, Informative)
The iBook (mine is a 700 MHz G3, a little dated now) is a wonderful machine, and it handles every demand work and school can throw at it. Having the Unix command line accessible at a click is indispensable for both locations. The GUI part of OS X is absurdly easy to use and very powerful; if you're used to XP or any of the common Linux desktops, it will take you about a day to get comfortable with it and a month or two to get over the "I didn't know it could do that! OMFG, that's so cool!" reaction. I'd say that if you buy one of the G4 iBooks, you'll feel that your money was well spent.
Any caveats? Well, yeah. You probably want to spend a little extra on the 3-year AppleCare plan. With luck you'll never need it, but let's face it, life is rough on laptops. And unless you shoot your laptop, give it to your dog as a chewtoy, or drop it in salt water, AppleCare will take care of anything that's likely to go wrong. And, of course, as always, spend every penny you can on boosting the RAM; the default is never enough. But I think you can do all of the above and still stay within your $1,300 limit -- and you'll have a machine that no similarly-priced PC laptop can touch.
Re:The G5 Laptops are coming! (Score:3, Interesting)
I'm sure the new G5 PBs will come out only a few days after I get my new G4 PB.