Please don't switch all iBooks to larger form factor!!!

[originaljohn]

Could you post the link to the source where u read the the 12" was being phased out? I love the 12" form factor. I'm with u guys. I will never purchase the 14" version because it is too large and it is ugly to me.

John

[vitaboy]

Actually, I don't really think there is any danger the 12" model will be phased out. I'm willing to bet a few dollars that sales of the 12" models far exceed that of the 14" model. In fact, I might even bet a few more dollars that if anything gets phased out, it will be the 14" model!

I mean, if you really want a big screen, then it's only a little step up to a TiBook, which has a much faster processor, faster bus, faster video - why settle for an awkward, clumsy sibling that is the 14" iBook?

[originaljohn]

Yep. For me its either the 12" ibook or the TiBook. I'm not quite sure what segment the 14" book is targeting, when it and the TiBook are so close in price (but the TiBook is so much better spec'd).

John

[vitaboy]

I'm not sure where the original poster of this thread saw the report that Apple may be planning to phase out the 12" iBook, but check out the latest issue of MOSR (http://www.macosrumors.com).

"A new iBook, which I have no idea of the release date (most likely at introduction of PowerBook but perhaps after to stimulate more sales for both models) will have 14-inch displays across the line, and in all likelyhood use the maturing Sahara G3 chips at around 700-800MHz with a bus still at 100MHz. This is just a wild guess, but I think that they will sport new graphics chips, but I have no real info on this."

Of course, since it's a rumor site, take it with a huge grain of salt, but this is worrisome. I think Apple would make a huge mistake by moving the iBook to the 14" display. Instead, they should work on making the 12" model even better in terms of weight and thickness.

This is especially true since the 14" iBook looks like a hack design - just look at all the wasted space around the keyboard! The fact that the keyboard of the 14" iBook is the same one as the 12" model, when there is so much room to accomodate more keys and a richer layout is just one reason why the 14" model is so uncompelling in terms of design.

Keep the iBook at the 12" form factor, please! But drop the weight to 3.9 lbs instead of the current 4.9 lbs, make it 1" thick, and move to the G4 as the processor. Finally, introduce a low-end model for $999 and Apple will be eating the sales of the PC companies alive. Seriously, with a 12" screen, Apple has a good chance of offering a sub-$1000 model, but it will be unlikely if they standardize on a 14" display.

Case in point - at the current time, I am extremely tempted to buy a 12" iBook because of its small form factor and price. There is NO WAY I would ever buy the 14" model because the design is simply uncompelling. I already mentioned before that a PC-using friend went Mac recently, and for her, the 14" model was never a consideration.

"Too big, unwieldy, and too heavy" she said, while she thought the 12" model was "just right." Let's not forget that the 14" inch iBook weighs 5.99 lbs! Holding the 14" model makes me think like I'm lugging around a Dell Inspiron (ugh)! In fact, I wouldn't buy a 14" iBook even if were the same price as the 12" model.

So maybe Apple might get more TiBook sales by going 14" across the iBook line because the similar features would cause people to buy up, but it would only do so at the cost of cratering existing iBook sales. Apple needs robust sales of both lines simultaneously to finally grow market share, and moving the iBook to 14" would just result in internal cannibalization. Don't make this mistake Apple, please!

Apple has done postively great under Steve Jobs the last 5 years, but one thing it hasn't really been able to do is run full steam in all product quadrants at once. One quarter, iMac sales are gangbusters, but PowerMac sales decline. Then PowerMac sales are strong, but iBook sales drop dramatically. Or iBook sales carry the company, but TiBook and the CRT iMac drag revenues down. It's the most frustrating thing as an Apple stockholder!

For 2002 and onward, I would like to see Apple have strong sales for ALL their products, iPod included. Let's hope Apple realizes the existing 14" iBook won't help sales, especially if it becomes the standard model.

[kenny]

I, too, saw the notes on macosrumors, and I'm a little concerned about this for a couple of reasons.

First, I have the 12" book, and it's "just right"; not too heavy, not too big. The larger formfactor eliminates one of the reasons that I chose the iBook over the TiBook in the first place (the other reason was the lack of a combo drive on the TiBook at the time). I didn't realize that the 14" book was so much heavier, but it makes sense.

The second reason is probably more important for Apple than it is for our personal preferences. At MWSF, Jobs mentioned that they're viewing their primary competitor as Sony, not Microsoft. That being the case, having a small form notebook is essential. I doubt that the iBook could be crammed into the same form factor as the VAIO 505, but to make the iBook larger is going the wrong direction. In fact, AFAIK, the 12" iBook is the smallest notebook Apple has had since the 2400c (which was a pretty sweet little book for its time).

I'm with vitaboy on this one, the iBook should get smaller (although I doubt very seriously that one could have a sub-$1k book with a G4), not larger.

[vitaboy]

Actually, kenny's post made me realize one thing. Sony currently has a variety of Vaio subnotebooks with small form factors. The new SR models have a 10.4" screen, so it's obvious that small LCD screens are - and will be available.

It would be a shame if LCD manufactuers begin phasing out 12.1" screens in favor of 14" screens, forcing Apple to abandon the 12" iBook. But if Sony is able to put out new models with smaller screens, I don't see why Apple is unable to, unless it was an internal marketing decision to move to the 14" screen (assuming it was decided).

As for a $999 price for a 12.1" iBook, I admit it might be hard to get there with a G4 inside, but it should be a goal. Every time Apple has managed to offer a sub-$1000 product, it set off a surge in sales. I remember when they came out with the $999 Mac Classic, and it suddenly revived general interest in Macs because Apple had something that was no longer perceived as "overpriced."

With the CRT iMacs fading into the sunset, and no chance that we will be seeing a $999 LCD iMac in the near future, it becomes more critical that Apple has a viable iBook for the consumer and education markets priced at $999.

Heck, the Sony Vaio SR notebook is as low as $899 (http://www.sonystyle.com/vaio/sr/index.shtml). Sure, it has a slow Celeron and only a 10.4" screen, but Sony isn't known for bargain pricing. If Sony can put out a notebook for $899, Apple can sure put out a G4 12.1" iBook for $999 before the end of the year....

[phatsharpie]

If Apple puts a 13.3" LCD in the smaller iBook and bump up its G3 processor by a couple hundred of MHz (or move to the G4), it would rock so hard!

Well... If I dare to dream... A low end Radeon mobility GPU would be nice too...

*drool*

-B

[originaljohn]

If they did that, I'd have to sell my 3 month old iBook (or give it to a family member), and shell out the bucks for a new one.