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

phatsharpie

phatsharpie

Futuristic Robotic Cat
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
 
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! :D
 
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!
 
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
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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
 
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?
 
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
 
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.
 
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.
 
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....
 
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
 
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.
 
Well....why would u complain about the weigh....5.99 lb 14 inch ibook is NOT heavy....look at the old Mac portable (first Mac) was over 15 lbs...that is HEAVY....just accept it and get what u pay for. U need to grow up and gain some more muscle to lift a ibook, except whoever has muscle disease or health problems are excused...but not the muscular Mac users :)
 
Using the sour grapes argument shouldn't be a reason to like a product. "Well, so they couldn't make it lighter than 6 lbs. I guess that's not so bad" is not a very inspiring perspective to have on industrial design. The fact is, while 5.99 lbs may not weigh much compared to, say, an adult elephant, it is considerably more than the 12" iBook. In fact, it's also considerable more than the TiBook which, surprisingly, has a bigger screen than the 14" and even more features (such as a PC Card slot).

The 14" iBook is a move *backwards* in terms of product design for Apple, that is why most people responding on this thread prefer the 12" model over the 14" model. As the title of this thread makes clear, more than a few people would be very disappointed if we were left with just 14", 6 lb iBook left to consider for purchase.
 
I'd hate to have a bigger ibook. The ibook is so nice to use on my lap or to carry it around anywhere. Its the perfect size. Since there isn't a higher resolution on the bigger screen it makes no difference to me. The smallness of the ibook is what makes it cool. Whenever somebody sees mine they comment on how small it is.

It would be a really stupid move for Apple to do that.
 
For me! I have the 14" and love it. I am constantly reading threads with people bashing the 14" iBook (Poor design, screen etc.). The size does not hinder me in any way. Come on people hit the gym! I really like the 12" as well, but it comes down to personal preference. Most people are reacting like Apple is going to force them to trade their beloved 12"ers in for 14"ers! End of rant :)

Kelena
 
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