# What about the ibook



## Johnny Blaze (Jan 12, 2006)

I was just getting ready to buy a new ibook when mac announced the intel decision, so now how long do I have to wait until an ibook (or something similar) comes out with an intel processor.  Anyone know?


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## Mikuro (Jan 12, 2006)

Well, Steve Jobs said they'd have all their lines using Intel by the end of the year. We don't really know any more than that.

Some people are guessing that the iBook will use the single-core version of Intel's new chip to better differentiate it from the MacBook Pro. This single-core version is supposed to be available in a couple months. But other people say that Apple won't touch the single-core chip with a 10-foot pole. It's all just rumors and guesswork at this point.


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## Ripcord (Jan 12, 2006)

Johnny Blaze said:
			
		

> I was just getting ready to buy a new ibook when mac announced the intel decision, so now how long do I have to wait until an ibook (or something similar) comes out with an intel processor.  Anyone know?



Yes, we all know.  But we can't say.

Okay, okay, 47.3 days, give or take a few minutes.


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## Shookster (Jan 12, 2006)

They said they should have their Pro apps converted to Universal Binary by March, so I'm guessing that they'll maybe have some PowerMacs out by then (or maybe save them until NAB in April). Who knows, maybe they'll release iBooks at the same time.


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## fryke (Jan 12, 2006)

the universal apps are for the MacBook Pro (and pro users on other Macs), too.


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## whitesaint (Jan 12, 2006)

closest thing to a new ibook the "iTab" or "iTablet"


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## fryke (Jan 12, 2006)

It should say "crippled" instead of "evolved", though.


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## Rhisiart (Jan 12, 2006)

I wonder whether Apple should continue with iBook? I am not overly impressed with mine (the case was warped from day one and the keys don't feel right, poor resolution etc.).

I have seen my friend's PowerBook and am bowled over by the sheer quality of it. It's a faboulous laptop.

Just a thought, but perhaps Apple should put all it's eggs in one basket and stick with the PowerBook.


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## ElDiabloConCaca (Jan 12, 2006)

InkWell doesn't even work with their touchscreen.  I'll bet the finished product looks nothing like the photos, as well, in terms of quality of the finish and construction.

Still, nifty idea.


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## Reality (Jan 12, 2006)

rhisiart said:
			
		

> I wonder whether Apple should continue with iBook? I am not overly impressed with mine (the case was warped from day one and the keys don't feel right, poor resolution etc.).
> 
> I have seen my friend's PowerBook and am bowled over by the sheer quality of it. It's a faboulous laptop.
> 
> Just a thought, but perhaps Apple should put all it's eggs in one basket and stick with the PowerBook.



I don't think a lot of people would be interested in paying $2000 for a Apple laptop though. There needs to be a iBook. Its the every day consumer laptop for Apple users. I seen more students with iBooks then I have PowerBooks. (3 students had iBooks. A teach had the PowerBook) Even if its not all the bells and whistles of the PowerBooks/MacBooks you can get one for $1000 less. So when it comes to the market that just needs a nice computer without giving their right eye, less is more when they are checking the price tags. 

(You can get some great looking Windows laptops when really nice specs for even less the the lowest costing model iBook. Maybe with Apple's switch to Intel they could offer a little more specs for the same price. Or at lest drop the prices some because right now the competition cost less and gives more. I'm really tempted to just get a great Windows Laptop, Hack Mac OS X on it and have something on the level of a MacBook for $1000 less. )


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## fryke (Jan 12, 2006)

I'm pretty sure they'll have a replacement for the iBook in some way or the other.  ... They're so successful, it'd be unexplicable _not_ to pursue the entry-level notebook category.


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## whitesaint (Jan 12, 2006)

i had an ibook g3 500 mhz back in the day and it was pretty slow, but it got the job done.  Besides it being kind of slow on OSX it was a great machine.  Did alot of programming on it, connected to every device etc. Can't wait til they release a new ibook, in my opinion they will prolly do it in around 4-8 months.  I am so surprised that they would update their two newest products first but i guess it made sense from an engineering and sales point of view.

Yea i didn't notice it before i just found that today, but the iTablet is crippled, it only has one USB port, no keyboard and mouse, but these could prolly be connected to all these things.

But yea I agree with all you guys.  There has got to be a consumer laptop so they can ship alot of these things and can still add to their profit.  I can't afford an ibook or a powerbook, but an ibook is much more within average people's reach, gives them osx for less money and a very capable laptop.  marketshare is more important than profit for apple imo.


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## fryke (Jan 12, 2006)

Well, back when the G3/500 iBook was new, OS X was kinda slow &#8211; as was the hardware. I'd say ever since the iBook G3/700, though, which did work with Quartz Extreme, the iBooks were good little notebooks with OS X. (All depending on what you do, of course.)


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## whitesaint (Jan 12, 2006)

yea jaguar jus came out after i bought it and it had 8mb of vdram so it was still kind of slow


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## Johnny Blaze (Jan 12, 2006)

I think they need to quit keeping people in the dark about this.  You know they have some plans laid out for the next ibook or equivalent, and whether it is intel or not will affect a lot of peoples purchase plans.  I would be pretty upset with apple if I bought a powerbook in november and then all the sudden they announce this huge change that maybe I wouldve really liked to wait for.  At the very least let us know if they are planning an intel switch for all their laptops.  Damnit.


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## Rhisiart (Jan 12, 2006)

I accept the general viewpoint that it is important for Apple to maintain a low end laptop, but my Compaq is far better constructed than the iBook, at a much lower cost (still prefer Apple's OS of course).



			
				Johnny Blaze said:
			
		

> At the very least let us know if they are planning an intel switch for all their laptops. Damnit.



I don't know whether to praise or curse Apple for being 20,000 leagues ahead of MS in terms of bringing out new OS and hardware products so frequently. It's a pity that the processors haven't kept the same pace, but it appears that will now change.


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## Phluxy (Jan 12, 2006)

rhisiart said:
			
		

> I wonder whether Apple should continue with iBook? I am not overly impressed with mine (the case was warped from day one and the keys don't feel right, poor resolution etc.).
> 
> I have seen my friend's PowerBook and am bowled over by the sheer quality of it. It's a faboulous laptop.
> 
> Just a thought, but perhaps Apple should put all it's eggs in one basket and stick with the PowerBook.



I completely disagree with you. I just bought a new ibook from the apple store. The 12 inch. The case is beautiful and durable. And for the budget crowd, the ibook is the best buy. I don't use the screen on the laptop that much but it is ok (i downloaded a hack so i can extend the desktop). And since your ibook is old, I can assure you the new ones must be a million times better because I love mine.


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## ecirtap (Jan 13, 2006)

Other than my 6 logic board failures on my iBook G4 I was very happy with it. (No kidding!)

Luckily, Apple replaced the G3 after the 6th l/b failure - with a brandnew G4, that even had a harddrive that was 10 GB larger, and AirPort, as well as Bluetooth integrated. Yeah! 

And I still love it very much...

patrice
http://www.patriceschneider.com/apple-osx/blog/


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## Rhisiart (Jan 13, 2006)

Phluxy said:
			
		

> I completely disagree with you. I just bought a new ibook from the apple store. The 12 inch. The case is beautiful and durable. And for the budget crowd, the ibook is the best buy. I don't use the screen on the laptop that much but it is ok (i downloaded a hack so i can extend the desktop). And since your ibook is old, I can assure you the new ones must be a million times better because I love mine.



I bought mine two years ago, so you may well right that they have improved since.


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## ecirtap (Jan 13, 2006)

I am not entirely convinced that they managed to get rid of all the technical problems; just read this site/petition:

http://www.the-set.com/index.php?id=1

Plenty of people having problems with the iBook G4, and also plenty of people who were not treated as nicely as I was (well, more or less... but that's another story) by Apple re their G3...

Re my 6 logic board failures mentioned in my previous post... all in all, my iBook was at the repair shop for ca. 6 weeks, all the failures added up (no apology, no free goodies, nothing!)... And the service (from the official AASP) over here in Thailand, where I am currently living, is absolutely ridiculous... 99 % of the members on this forum/website would be able to do a much better job... and the guys at the AASP (Apple Authorized Service Provider) actually are Apple Certified!!!

The experience there (plus with the officials from Apple Thailand & Apple Singapore) turned me from an Apple-loving person to someone who buys Apple because there is no alternative. Sad, but true...

patrice
http://www.patriceschneider.com/apple-osx/blog/


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## limike28 (Jan 13, 2006)

Seems to me that regardless of these issues the iBook has been very successful.  The G3 iBook I bought was my first mac and I loved it. I did outgrow it as I became more accustomed to the mac platform, but my friend is still using that machine with no problems.  

I would hope that apple takes note of the logic board issues, and that a new intel based ibook squashes those issues.


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## fryke (Jan 13, 2006)

Apple clearly had a lot of problems with the iBooks - but they also had a lot of success with them. Since their replacements will have completely new motherboards, anyway, we can safely assume that their problems won't be the _same_ at least.


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## Jason (Jan 13, 2006)

My iBook gave me no problems at all, in fact it worked perfectly up until this last week when I sold it (I miss it already), I will probably be stupid with my money and buy a new one when it comes out... doh!

Reasons I like the iBook:

-It's price to quality ratio, high quality, cheap price
-Small and light, but still durable
-Generally good on battery life

I used my iBook, for internet browsing, typing notes in classes, as a portable media player/storage device, etc... Nothing heavy, I never needed a lot of power for anything I did, and I like my laptops to be portable and last a decent amount of time on batteries... Not all of us are looking for desktop replacements


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## Yang shushu (Jan 13, 2006)

We all view things from different angles don't we? I am still using my G3 iBook from 2001 every day and it rarely gives me any trouble. I could do with some more speed, but it works fine to watch a dvd on the road, write academic work on, surf wirelessly, listen to music, burn various discs, play games, make webpages etc etc. I wouldn't hesitate to by a new one, even with the Intel ones around the corner. I carried mine to the Chinese countryside innumerable times, to small Indian villages, all around Asia and Europe, dropped it to the floor a couple of times, etc etc - and it still works fine. It was never repaired (only by me...) and it still looks shining white and beautiful.

FF


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## Reality (Jan 13, 2006)

The iBook G3 my mother purchased was a complete lemon. It was repaired a good 9 times under the single year she owned it. When it wasn't at the Apple shop the screen was turning purple, ghost-ing up, ect. Finally I called Apple about it when it died its 10th time. I was on the phone with them for about 2 hours and they agreed to a exchange. She got a brand new iBook G4 and the difference between the G3 and G4 was noticed right away. So far the G4 has had no problems so I look forward to seeing if the Intel iBooks can be ever better.


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## lujhu (Jan 14, 2006)

I love my G4 ibook.  My wife and I live in Taiwan and it is our connection to home (Canada).  We have had no problems with it.  We surf the web, video conference home, store/edit/print pictures, work, write grad school applications, watch DVD's, play games and listen to music.  It is in use 14+ hours a day.  I wouldn't hesitate to buy another.  They are the computer of choice among my friends and everyone loves them.

I must admit, that getting an extra gig of RAM made it run a lot quicker!  
Without a doubt, the ibook is a durable and versatile machine.


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## Rhisiart (Jan 14, 2006)

Yang shushu said:
			
		

> I carried mine to the Chinese countryside innumerable times, to small Indian villages, all around Asia and Europe, dropped it to the floor a couple of times, etc etc - and it still works fine.



Looks like I am being out gunned here and perhaps rightly so. I suspect that my iBook may have come off the production line late on a Friday afternoon. However, like Yang Shushu, mine did cope with two weeks of lectures in 45 C in India (the case was warped before I went).


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## ApeintheShell (Jan 14, 2006)

Johnny Blaze said:
			
		

> I think they need to quit keeping people in the dark about this.  You know they have some plans laid out for the next ibook or equivalent, and whether it is intel or not will affect a lot of peoples purchase plans.  I would be pretty upset with apple if I bought a powerbook in november and then all the sudden they announce this huge change that maybe I wouldve really liked to wait for.  At the very least let us know if they are planning an intel switch for all their laptops.  Damnit.



Apple let the whole world know they were switching to Intel processors last year.Suprisingly, this was more important news than the war in Iraq and other big headlines at the time. All the big rumor sites and news sites reported Apple would release new computers with intel processors beginning in January 2006. Where were you Johnny Blaze?


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## fryke (Jan 14, 2006)

Plus, they've now said that EVERY Mac product line will switch to intel over the course of 2006, so we know the timeplan. Although not whether the PowerMac will move to intel in March, June, September or December, for example.

However: Here's where the rumour sites and this forum come in. We knew beforehand that the computers which would go "Yonah" (i.e. intel core duo) were basically ready for MWSF. Several rumours talked about iBooks and PowerBooks going intel in the first quarter of 2006 already, for example. Just have to keep yourself informed, as I don't think Apple will change the surprise-strategy, since that gives them a lot of good press. (Worked for them ever since the original iMac more than five years ago!)


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## Johnny Blaze (Jan 15, 2006)

I consider myself moderately knowledgable on the subject of mac computers, but I really didn't hear anything about the switch over until december.  I also looked around on the apple website for a long time for information about a new ibook or something comparable with intel processor, and they mention nothing of it.  You would figure they would a lot more info on their website about the switchover, but I guess you have to rely on other third party sites to learn the most about it.


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## gwynarion (Jan 15, 2006)

Johnny Blaze said:
			
		

> I consider myself moderately knowledgable on the subject of mac computers, but I really didn't hear anything about the switch over until december.


I'm not sure how you can put these two statements together.  Apple made a very large and very public announcement back in June, saying that they were going to migrate the entire platform over to Intel processors.  From that time until pretty much this exact moment the IT and business press has been all over this news, speculating about it endlessly.  The same goes triply for rumor sites like the one we're on right now.  I can't think of a tech announcement in recent years which has received more coverage.



			
				Johnny Blaze said:
			
		

> I also looked around on the apple website for a long time for information about a new ibook or something comparable with intel processor, and they mention nothing of it.


Well that's pretty much par for the course.  Apple doesn't make announcements about specific product releases that far ahead of time.  They've been keeping mum on this particular subject because they don't want to impact on the sales of their current sales.  About the furthest in advance that they will usually announce something is about a month (like they did with the MacBook Pro).


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## Johnny Blaze (Jan 15, 2006)

Oh yea gwynarion, how bout we fight about it ***.  I bench 250 and have ***.

(EDIT BY FRYKE: KEEP IT DOWN, BOYS. THERE'S NO REASON TO BREAK BOARD RULES HERE...)


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## fryke (Jan 15, 2006)

I understand you're angry, Johnny Blaze, but the info was out there. There really _was_ a lot of talk about it. You're right that Apple did not talk about it that much on their main website, and intel iBooks won't be on their website until you can actually buy them. They still want to sell their _current_ products, of course. Such a transition is always difficult.


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## Jason (Jan 15, 2006)

Wow? Such animosity over Apple info?

The internet = drama.


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## Lt Major Burns (Jan 15, 2006)

Was that fisticuffs on a geek site? brilliant.


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## Rhisiart (Jan 15, 2006)

Johnny Blaze said:
			
		

> I consider myself moderately knowledgable on the subject of mac computers, but I really didn't hear anything about the switch over until december.  I also looked around on the apple website for a long time for information about a new ibook or something comparable with intel processor, and they mention nothing of it.  You would figure they would a lot more info on their website about the switchover, but I guess you have to rely on other third party sites to learn the most about it.


Yes, third-party sites are the way to go alright.

Does anyone have suggestions as to how best keep ahead of the game via third-party sources (other than this site obviously)?


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## fryke (Jan 15, 2006)

macrumors.com has their hardware guide, but obviously sometimes Apple likes surprises even more and releases updates to hardware that according to the guide is "buy now - middle of life cycle", so you'll still have to read one or the other rumour site.

I guess there are a couple of guidelines that will help you when thinking about buying a particular (available) Mac model:

1.) When was it released in its current form? (macrumors.com's hardware guide is good for that.)
2.) Is an official Apple event near? (MWSF is early January, WWDC is in June, AppleExpo is in September usually. So if one of these dates are near, it's _never_ a good time to buy stuff, because a new version might be just around the corner.)
3.) Read rumour sites. You don't have to read them on a daily basis &#8211; and quite certainly not everything they say will come true. But if you want to buy an iBook and more than one rumour site says there's one around the corner, it might be worth looking more closely at all three points in this list again!

Plus, although you've already mentioned it and we _are_ here already: macosx.com. Create a thread like "Should I buy that iBook G4 12" right now?" along with information about _why_ you want to or have to buy it now. You'll certainly get a lot of info that _won't_ really help you in your decision (like: If you're into gaming, an iBook is not the solution, although for you it may be clear already and you aren't into playing computer games, anyway...), but you'll also get valuable opinions of people who have more or less experience in buying hardware at all the wrong and right times.

However: If you buy, then Apple updates and you do all these steps _afterwards_ (i.e. suddenly you find out that it all was so obvious etc.), you'll certainly get a few calls of pity but a lot of answers that are not _so_ nice...


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## nixgeek (Jan 15, 2006)

How ridiculous this all is.  Does it really matter at this early stage?  Heck, I bought an iMac G5 in September and my sister got a G4 iBook for Christmas.  And I KNEW that the Intel Macs were coming.  Consider this:  many people have said over and over that not all apps have been made Intel-friendly, so why get miffed about having a non-Intel Mac?  Universal binaries will be around for a while for us PPC users to make the most of our Mac gear.  Sure, I was a bit miffed about a month later when the iMac G5 Rev C came out to replace my Rev B bought in September, but so what?  I'm happy with my purchase and it performs like a champ for me.  Computers will always be one-upped at some point, so why gripe about it?  Be happy with what you have until you can't use it anymore!

Being knowledgeable in a particular topic doesn't mean you know it all.  This is why I have tons of bookmarks that I check up on because not everyone reports on the same topic at the same time, if at all.  And even still, I don't claim to be that knowledgable in certain topics.  As for the Intel switch, the news about it was all over the press, and not just the tech press.  Whenever anything has the name "Intel" on it, it's bound to make mainstream news.  Even the PC sites were reporting the news when it was announced.

No offense, but comments like that give people impressions that might not be justified, but are tough to shake off.  Belligerence isn't going to help things at all.  Be able to take the constructive criticism or risk alienating yourself from people who truly want to help.  Not saying that this will happen, but who knows.  Besides, we're all pretty civil here, so please let's keep it this way.


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## Rhisiart (Jan 15, 2006)

nixgeek said:
			
		

> No offense, but comments like that give people impressions that might not be justified, but are tough to shake off.  Belligerence isn't going to help things at all.  Be able to take the constructive criticism or risk alienating yourself from people who truly want to help.  Not saying that this will happen, but who knows.  Besides, we're all pretty civil here, so please let's keep it this way.


If it was anyone else, I could take offence, but I always take what you say with grace.


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## nixgeek (Jan 15, 2006)

rhisiart said:
			
		

> If it was anyone else, I could take offence, but I always take what you say with grace.



Thank you.   I welcome constructive criticism as I am SO far from perfect, and I myself have been corrected numerous times and acknowledged the expertise of those who have corrected me.  I learn from them and give them the props they deserve.  I'm sure that's all anyone here would want.  Not to much to ask for IMO.


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## Rhisiart (Jan 16, 2006)

Sorry nixgeek. I thought you were directing your comments at me. I don't think you were. 

It would be nice to have some good sources that one can tap into to know when to make well timed purchases (as much as it possible to do do).


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## Ripcord (Jan 17, 2006)

Is the lovefest over?  Can we talk about ibooks again?


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## Rhisiart (Jan 17, 2006)

Ripcord said:
			
		

> Is the lovefest over?  Can we talk about ibooks again?


Good idea. What are your views?


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## nixgeek (Jan 17, 2006)

Hey man, the lovefest AIN'T NEVER OVER!!!!  (So if you read the grammatically, you're right Ripcord... )


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## Rhisiart (Jan 18, 2006)

nixgeek said:
			
		

> Hey man, the lovefest AIN'T NEVER OVER!!!!  (So if you read the grammatically, you're right Ripcord... )



read the grammatically: what does this mean?

I'm just curious.


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