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Apple Updates iBook Line With G4 Processor
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."
I honestly do not find the iBooks--at least the 12.1" versions--to be that large. They are a bit thicker than competition, but they also can take a tremendous beating. I have dropped my current iBook three times, and my previous one four or five, and neither was hurt at all. (What finally did my old iBook in was actually when idiot moving people dropped a 100 pound crate on it, which cracked the LCD. I currently use it as my home server.) By comparison, I have heard stories from my friends of when they drop their IBM and Sony laptops and they shatter badly. Yes, this is anecdotal, but If we're talking only about a pound difference weight-wise for the extra stability then it's certainly worth it to me.
AltiVec really is the only significant difference between the G3 and the G4 anyway. There are some other minor differences, but the "bolt on altivec and call it a G4" story is not new.
Mod down posts with a "Free Mac Mini/iPod" sig, they're spam!
Its difficult to justify buying the 12" PowerBook with the new 12" iBook. I know the PowerBook is slightly faster, has slightly better graphics card, DVI out and a slightly nicer casing but the price difference is so large that you'd really have to need one of these specialised features to justify the purchase of a PowerBook 12".
The slowest PB-G4 is 1 GHz, and the only way to get above 800 MHz is to go up to the 12" model, so there's not much overlap in the 12" units at all. And since the 14" units still only have a 1024x768 screen (same as the 12" *books) that's the big difference between the 14" iBook & 15" PB. They did a pretty good job of no overlap.
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.
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this is a great point. for one, apple could never substantially increase their share without dramatically changing their structure. i was an econ major, not business, but i know a a little about vert/horiz integration and economic scalability. apple is a "niche" player. to be able to compete with the dell $799 un-inspiron or the best buy special o' the week, they would have to cut back on what makes them a "mac". then they are not different, and they cannot compete, because they can't scale that high. so, they are better off being where they are. if they change, they don't compete, they die. great point.
My problem? I was perfectly gruntled, until some numbnuts came by and dissed me.