The new 15" PowerBook is
available. It looks like a nice machine, and the upgrades given to
the other PowerBooks look good, too, but now the iBooks are looking
a bit long in tooth.
The iBooks are still based on a G3 processor, which is now
almost six years old. They are the only Mac still based on this
processor - but for most things they continue to be decent
performers.
Apple's in a bit of a catch-22. If it keeps the G3 processor,
the iBook is two generations behind the G5, and current iBook
owners have little reason to upgrade to a newer model. If Apple
upgrades the iBook to a G4, iBook sales would start cutting into
PowerBook sales, and the 12" PowerBook and the iBook would end up
being essentially the same machine.
Either way they go doesn't look so great.
I've read a couple rumors that the iBook will be upgraded
shortly with a 500 MHz G4 and a 15" screen. While the 15" screen is
perhaps a good idea, giving consumers a lower priced large screen
laptop, moving to a 500 MHz G4 would be a mistake.
When I got my 400 MHz G4 at the
beginning of 2001, it was a reasonable machine, albeit on the low
end. 500 MHz was the top of the line then, first in the G4 desktops
and later in the PowerBook G4.
But that was almost three years ago. Today, I'd consider 500 MHz
slow, especially on a new computer.
If Apple were to launch a 500 MHz G4 iBook, it most likely
wouldn't sell simply because a new 500 MHz machine would be
considered slow by most computer shoppers. With cheap PC laptops
running at over 1 GHz, who would consider a 500 MHz
machine?
Even if Apple sold it very cheaply, I don't think it would be
too popular.
Then there's the argument that there is no real difference
between the G3 and the G4 except in applications designed to take
advantage of the G4. If you see it this way, a 500 MHz G4 wouldn't
be all that much faster than a 500 MHz G3; so a 500 MHz G4 iBook
would actually be slower than the current iBook!
That reminds me of the PowerBook
5300, which was meant to be a faster alternative to the
PB 190. Even though the 5300 had a
PowerPC processor, the 190 ended up being faster with some things
(especially older pre-PPC applications).
If Apple put the same speed G4 in the iBooks as in the low-end
PowerBook, Apple would have to deal with oversupplies of 12"
PowerBook G4s.
One option would be for Apple to offer a version of the older,
867 MHz 12" PowerBook G4 without Bluetooth and without an option
for the SuperDrive. This would risk cutting into 12" PowerBook
sales, and at the same time may not sell very well due to the low
clock speed compared to other consumer laptops that are currently
available.
Another option would be for Apple to continue on with the G3,
and release a 15" version, giving those wanting a screen bigger
than 14" a low cost option, along with boosting the clock speed. A
15" iBook could feature a 1.1 GHz G3 processor, ship with an
AirPort card, and have a SuperDrive as a standard item. This would
force those who need either a G4 processor or a SuperDrive to
purchase a higher end PowerBook G4, while giving a lower cost
option to those that don't need the extras.
While the G3 processor is showing its age, I think it may have
enough life left in it to continue being used in the iBooks for a
little while longer, and at this point keeping the G3 in the iBook
seems to be the better of the two options.
