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

[phatsharpie]

Apple,

Please don't switch all iBooks to larger form factor! I love the size and portability of the 12.1" iBook! I agree that the screen can be bigger, but can you move to 13" inch screens but still retain the form size? I know a lot of the people like the compact iBook for its (almost) sub-notebook size, and I would be very sad if the small form factor were to be discontinued.

Other than that, iBooks are GREAAAAAAAT! But a major speed-bump and a more powerful graphic processor would be great (G4? ATI Radeon? GeForce2Go? Pleeeeeaaaaasssseeee?)

-B

[symphonix]

I agree entirely. The 12" iBook is just the right size for any briefcase or backpack ... with the larger notebooks, you know you're carrying a computer around, but the 12" iBook can slip into your bag without being noticed.

Keep all three sizes going, and keep everyone happy!

[vitaboy]

Yes, the small form factor of the 12.1" model is very appealing. A friend of mine, who only used Windows machines before and owns a Windows laptop, recently went Mac (even better, she went Mac because she was in the market for a portable digital music player and decided to buy the iPod).

But despite the larger screen of the new 14" iBook, she by far preferred the smaller form factor of the 12.1" model to the point that she never even considered the "big brother" model.

I think it would be in Apple's interest to capitalize on the lower prices of 12.1" flat screens and continue to drive down the price of the iBook even lower and eat the sales of the bigger screen Wintel notebooks alive. I mean, imagine how many more iBooks Apple would sell if they dropped another $100 to $200 in price!

[rharder]

Another vote here to keep the small form factor as an option! It makes me want to buy an iBook to complement my TiBook whereas the big iBook just confuses me about which one computer I'd want to buy.

-Rob

[Koelling]

Me too. I have seen people using TiBooks and iBooks and I've seen them side by side, but when I went to my Mac user group last week and there was a 14iBook I realized just how cool the little one is! When I saw the two of them together and I realized that the little one cost less money I thought that the big one was going to fail. Not because the big one is bad, quite the contrary. 14 inches attracts someone to look at a mac portable and 12 makes them realize that this doesn't have to be that big an investment in weight and size and money. It fits on a lecture hall desk! you can hardly fit a spiral notebook on one of those chunks of drift wood.

Keep both. 14 inches for the telecommuter who wants a computer small enough for taking to meetings, but large enough to use at home instead of a desktop. And the 12 incher for the college student who is always on the go.

[googolplex]

12 inch is way better considering you still only get 1024x768 on the 14 inch.

[kcmac]

The 12 inch should be the default model. Apple finally gets into the ultraportable market with a beauty of a machine. I travel a lot and it has been perfect for my needs.

I think the 14 inch model is ugly.

[tcjohns]

I read online the reason for Apple's phasing out of the 12 inch monitor was because the manufacturer of those screens (in Japan or Korea) was phasing them out in favor of the 14 inch screen. Maybe a rumor but at the time it seemed to be a reliable source (MacWorld or Cnet). I love my 12 inch ibook for all the same reasons listed above including the ability to burn CDs and watch DVDs. I choose it over my 14 inch screen Pismo when I know I will have limited space for carrying and use. Amazingly it's exactly the same size as the Compaq Aero I have which was nothing more than a big screen pocket pc with a keyboard.