Black iBooks?

qwikstreet

qwikstreet

OS X Friendly
Since Apple is gracing us with sleek looking black iPods along with their default "snow" iPods, does this mean or hint that we may see black iBooks and iMacs? Or are the black iPods meant to match the Powerbook? Eventhough the Powerbook's black isn't as shiny as these iPods.

I would love for my next iBook to be black.
 
The PowerBooks aren't black at all. At least not the current generation (AluBooks). But I thought about iBooks and iMacs getting black as an option, too...
 
There were rumors (this was a while ago) that the PowerBook G5 was going to be black... although, that was a rumor, and we all saw how that turned out.
 
Black iBooks and PowerBooks would be slick. I have an aluminum PowerBook and while it is definitely gorgeous, I will admit that my 14" iBook seemed sturdier. The plastic on those iBooks is really hard and damage resistant. If they went to black plastic on the iBooks and PowerBooks it would be an entirely different, sleek look. I'd go for that.
 
Call me crazy, but I find all of Apple's laptops of the past few years to be spectacularly boring, looks-wise. The original Titanium PowerBook looked nice (for a minute or two, anyway), and the clamshell iBooks had something going for them. Since then....*shrug*...they're just unremarkable. Actually, all of Apple's hardware is pretty boring these days, IMO. I think Apple's in a creative rut as far as these things go. I miss the CRT iMacs.

I liked Apple's old black PowerBooks. Maybe it's time for the fashion to cycle back around.
 
^I think that is one of the first times I heard someone like the clamshell. I will agree on the other older looks.

Somehow, white is not my color for any hardware. It does make me stick out in a crowd and screams, "Hey, this guy is using something different!" However, it looks out of place next to my entertwainment center which is black or silver items.
 
Hm. I liked my clamshell blueberry iBook back then, too. Back then, something radical like this was needed. Screaming for attention (with the original iMacs, too)... Then they noticed that business people wouldn't really buy into those. ;) ... The current lines of iMacs, iBooks, PowerBooks might not be spectacular, but they're "simply elegant", which is important in my opinion. There might come another time, but I don't think it's time for that curviness of old again just yet.
 
the problem with the designs of the current 'books is that they are so refined, the very epitome of elegance, simplicity and durablity. they are the logical conclusion. Jonathan Ive is a problem of his own success, and following such focussed design will be very hard without taking steps backward.

difficult....
 
I would love to see black iBooks. The black iPods are outselling the white ones, so maybe Apple will take notice and release a black iBook as well.
 
I'm sure that they would look slick, and that many people would love them. I love my white iBook though. My only complaint is that it gets sooo dirty on the palmrests. I started typing, thinking that I was going to say something like, "If I wanted a black computer I'd get a Dell", but, now that I think of it, I think I would have to seriously consider a black iBook. That shiny, reflective surface...mmm...ok, where are they?
 
qwikstreet said:
^I think that is one of the first times I heard someone like the clamshell. I will agree on the other older looks.
Click to expand...
I didn't say I really liked them. :) I said they had something going for them. The only model I really liked was the graphite. The others were too garish, IMO (my eyes still sting from the first time I saw Key Lime....). But regardless of my personal taste, it was a creative design, and I can respect that. I think Apple has lost some of that creativity.
 
The clamshell iBook was visually different, but too much heft. It did have some niceties, like the way it fit on your lap and the fact that there's a built-in handle.

These days, Apple's designs are dictated by the technology insides, not the other way around. The design is the bare minimum to house the technology while still being structurally sound. I suppose this trend will just continue.
 
Not only black, but with a brilliant screen that is wide, glass going to the side of the Mac's cover... like the iPod.

And replace the rectangular scroll pad by a round pad !
 
adambyte said:
The clamshell iBook was visually different, but too much heft. ...

These days, Apple's designs are dictated by the technology insides, not the other way around. The design is the bare minimum to house the technology while still being structurally sound.
Click to expand...
That's another reason I liked the clamshell, actually. It felt a lot more sturdy than today's offerings, and I consider that very important in a laptop. I felt more comfortable doing laptop-y things with it, like sticking it in a bookbag.
 
I guess that's the problem for all notebook designers, really. Gotta be sturdy and light. Powerful with long battery life. Big screen but small package. Remember the "Butterfly" IBM ThinkPad? That was one of the weirder "evolutionary" outbreaks. Its keyboard was wider than the overall package (can't do that with screens just yet...).

Let them surprise us... I can see two line of reasoning here...

1.) When switching to intel, Apple will keep the design for the notebooks in order to visually suggest that "nothing really changed". Good for old Mac users.

2.) Switching to intel is a chance to make a splash in the market, thus a new, innovative design accompanies this task. Good for winning new Mac users.

Simply colouring the iBooks black (or adding black as an option) would maybe add fuel to the fire of "Apple switches to the dark side"... ;)
 
Almost every day at work I talk to people who are comparing PC laptops to Apple laptops, and one of the very common comments I hear is how much those people prefer the simplicity and elegance of the Apple look to the PC look which seems to believe that the more curvy plastic bits you glue on to the case the better.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top