Compiled by Charles Moore
and edited by
Dan Knight
- 2005.04.15
This Week's PowerBook, iBook, and Notebook News
General Apple and Mac desktop news is covered in The Mac News Review. iPod news is
covered in The iNews
Review.
'Book News
'Book Reviews
'Book Tips
New Products
Tech Trends
'Book News
Quanta Secures iBook Orders from Apple
DigiTimes.com's
David Tzeng
and Rodney Chan report:
"With Quanta Computer recently securing orders for a new model
of the Apple iBook, Asustek has lost its status as the sole
contract maker for the popular consumer notebook series, sources
close to the deal revealed yesterday.
"Quanta, already the biggest contract maker for Apple's
PowerBooks, will start to ship 14.1-inch widescreen iBooks as early
as the fourth quarter of 2005, the sources said.
"Asustek has also received orders for a new model, the 15.4-inch
iBook, which will be launched in 2006, plus follow-up orders for
the 12.1-inch iBook and 12.1-inch PowerBook, the sources said."
Apple Signs 'Widescreen iBook' Contract
The Register's
Tony Smith reports:
"Recent rumours that Apple is preparing to update its consumer
hardware product lines were given added weight today when sources
close to Taiwanese contract manufacturer Quanta claimed it has won
a deal to make a new, widescreen iBook.
"The sources, cited by DigiTimes, said Quanta could begin
shipping the new model in Q4 this year. It is not yet certain
whether the widescreen version will replace the standard 14.1in
iBook, which may be updated soon in any case....
"The deal ends Apple's exclusive arrangement with its current
notebook supplier, Asustek. Not that it need feel badly off. It has
received fresh orders for 12.1in iBooks and PowerBooks, and - most
interestingly - a 15.4in widescreen iBook, due to ship in 2006, the
sources claim...."
PowerBook, iBook Top UK Consumer Magazine
MacNN
reports:
"UK consumer magazine Which? has published a report on the best
laptops in three categories. Apple topped two of the three
categories, providing the best desktop replacement and entry level
machines. The PowerBook 15" was the best 'desktop replacement,' and
it 'tore through our tasks, burning a CD of MP3 files in just over
four minutes.' The 14" iBook was the highest ranked 'entry level'
laptop...."
Illustrated PowerBook and iBook Take-Apart
Guides
PR: Interested in taking apart your 'Book?
PowerBook
Tech has posted some illustrated guides that explain and
show what you need to know for WallStreet, Lombard, Pismo, iBook
(All White), Titanium.
PowerBook Tech reminds everyone that they can't be responsible
for damage caused by customers doing their own repairs, but if
you're prepared to proceed at your own risk, you can check them out
at:
Streamload Wins Mobile Choice Award
Mobile magazine, formerly known as Mobile PC magazine, awarded
Streamload with its
Mobile Choice Award in the April 2005 issue. Streamload
earned a 4.5-star rating (out of a possible 5).
Regarding Streamload, Mobile magazine reports, "Just another
dull online storage service? Not Streamload, which is better
described as an online media center, a place to house, share, and -
true to its name - stream your music, movies, photos, and the like.
Of course, it's also a fine place for presentations, work files,
and backups, but that stuff is, like, so boring. Whatever you use
it for, Streamload is awesome."
Streamload's service allows users to transfer and stockpile
their personal entertainment files, i.e. TiVo, digital video
recordings, MP3 and photo collections, into a centralized library,
move Gigabyte-size media files ("Megafiles") seamlessly between
people and their digital devices, and access files everywhere there
is an Internet connection.
Mobile magazine added, "Streamload is a snap to sign up for an
account (four fields and you're done), and the file-management
interface manages to be simultaneously hip and elegant. For the
most part Streamload is easy to navigate. There's a utility you can
install for drag-and-drop uploading and downloading, but the
browser-based interface couldn't be simpler."
Streamload is also expanding support for mobile devices
including the new PSP (PlayStation® Portable). PSP owners will
soon be able to store and manage their TiVoToGo files and their
entire personal digital video collections on Streamload.
Streamload's goal is to make everyone's digital files accessible
from all their devices, at anytime.
Streamload CEO Steve Iverson said, "It's great to be recognized
by Mobile Magazine and receive their Mobile Choice Award. Users
today don't want to just have their files in one place; they want
them everywhere. Streamload lets them access as much as they want,
from wherever they are without worrying about limits." Iverson
added that Streamload will offer broad support for mobile devices
such as the PSP later this year.
Streamload is further supporting mobile users with its recently
announced xStreamMail email system, specifically designed for
sending and sharing large files up to 2 GB in size and up to
25,000 separate files per email message. This new service follows
Streamload's recent offering of free 10 GB storage accounts - ten
times more than other online services.
'Book Reviews
iBook Mini Review
machtpc.com says:
"Well I've had the pleasure of using my 1.33 GHz, 14" iBook for
two days now and I wanted to share some initial impressions; I know
this isn't mini or even home theater related for that matter, but
it is an Apple and hey that's enough. My particular configuration
included a 1.33 GHz processor, 14" screen, combo drive and an
additional 256 MB of memory from Crucial.com, I just couldn't bring
myself to pay Apple's prices for extra memory.
Starting with aesthetics I'm really impressed by the fit and
finish of the entire laptop. It just feels right, the screen clasp
closes as if it was made in an aviation machine shop and the grey
band around the outside edge gives a nice balance between the
smooth acrylic-ish white finish....
"Getting down to the nitty gritty, I was also pleasantly
surprised with how fast it was. Now don't get me wrong, this thing
won't break any land speed records, but apps popped open much much
faster than I had already prepared myself for."
A Linux Fan's PowerBook First
Impressions
a consistencies.net
blog says:
"I'm playing with my PowerBook for about two days now and even
though not being too tolerant when it comes to operating systems, I
have to admit that OS X itself is pretty appealing. It has
that Just Works(tm)-touch I sometimes miss with GNU/Linux. I'm
afraid there's probably not too much to write about, it's nearly
too simple and I found my way around pretty fast....
"Both, PowerBook and OS X made quite an impression here. It _is_
simple. It is fun to use. The general performance is not as snappy
and responsive as Debian/KDE 3.4 on my P4 2.4 GHz XPC but it's not
exactly slow and I guess with all that eye-candy I have to
compromise (not that KDE would look any worse here). I guess there
will be a lot more entries covering my new Mac."
'Book Tips
Maximize PowerBook, iBook Battery Life
A new Apple
article says:
"With a little bit of care, you can maximize the battery life
(i.e. the time your battery will run before it must be recharged)
and life span of your PowerBook or iBook battery. Most importantly,
use your PowerBook or iBook in its comfort zone for temperature
(See 'Keep Your Notebook Comfy'). Don't leave it locked in a hot
trunk during the summer....
For proper maintenance of a lithium-based battery, it's
important to keep the electrons in it moving occasionally. Apple
does not recommend leaving your portable plugged in all the time.
An ideal use would be a commuter who uses her iBook on the train,
then plugs it in at the office to charge. This keeps the battery
juices flowing. If on the other hand, you use a desktop computer at
work, and save a notebook for infrequent travel, Apple recommends
charging and discharging its battery at least once per
month....
If you don't plan on using your notebook for more than six
months, Apple recommends that you remove and store the battery with
a 50% charge. If you store a battery when it's fully discharged, it
could fall into a deep discharge state, which renders it incapable
of holding any charge. Conversely, if you store it fully charged
for an extended period of time, the battery may experience some
loss of battery capacity, meaning it will have a shorter life. Be
sure to store the ejected battery at the proper temperature....
A properly maintained PowerBook or iBook battery is designed to
retain up to 80% of its original capacity after 300 full charge and
discharge cycles.
New Products
MCE Multi Drive for iBook G4: DVD±RW,
CD-RW, and DVD-RAM
PR: A Multi Drive is a SuperDrive with the additional
feature of being able to read and write to DVD-RAM discs. The
MCE DVD-R/RW/RAM
Drive for the iBook G4 utilizes 4.7 GB single-sided and 9.4
GB double-sided rewritable industry standard discs and can record
to DVD-RAM/DVD-R/DVD-RW/DVD+R/DVD+RW/CD-R/CD-RW media and provide
superior performance and reliability.
Fully compliant with the DVD Forum's standards, the single-sided
media is capable of storing a full two-hours of MPEG-2 video. MCE's
DVD Multi Drive for the iBook G4 offers unprecedented media
interchangeability and seven times the capacity of CD-R and CD-RW.
The MCE DVD Multi drive reads industry-standard DVD-ROM, DVD-Video,
DVD-R, CD-ROM, CD-R/RW, CD-DA, Photo CD, and Video CD media. The
random-access, drag-and-drop DVD-RAM storage media provides in
excess of 100,000 write/rewrite cycles and data life in excess of
30 years.
The DVD-RAM recording function of the MCE Multi drive is
supported natively by Mac OS X at the desktop level without the
need for additional drivers, and is also fully compatible with
Dantz Retrospect backup software.
The MCE DVD recorder for the iBook G4 comes complete with DVD
authoring software compatible with Mac OS X and Mac OS 9. Here's a
few of the many customizable menus and buttons you can create, as
well as the easy-to-use, drag-and-drop DVD authoring
environment:
The MCE Multi drive upgrade for iBook G4 must be professionally
installed into your iBook by MCE, or at one of MCE's worldwide
authorized upgrade centers. Once installed you'll be able to easily
record up to 4.7 GB of data, video or audio onto recordable DVD
discs right from your iBook.
Features
- Slot-loading mechanism
- 2 MB Cache Buffer
- Buffer underrun protection
- Bootable
- Ships with DVD Authoring software for creating Video DVDs and
Video CDs
- Compatible with iDVD, DVD Studio Pro, iTunes, Disc Burner and
Apple DVD Player
Specifications
- Type: Internal
- Interface: ATAPI
- Audio Interface: Analog out
- Data Buffer: 2 MB
- Loading Method: Slot-load
- Warranty: 1 year
Write Support
- DVD-R 4.7 GB, DVD-RW 4.7 GB, DVD-RAM 4.7 GB (single sided),
DVD-RAM 9.4 GB (double sided)
- CD-R 700 MB (type 80), CD-R 650 MB (Type 74), CD-RW
Read Support
- DVD-ROM and DVD-Video (Single and Dual layer)
- DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD-RAM
- CD-ROM Mode 1, CD-ROM XA Mode 2 (form1, form2)
- CD-DA CD-EXTRA (CD Plus), Video CD, Photo-CD (single or
multisession), CD-Text
- CD-R, CD-RW
Write Speed
- DVD-R: 4x, 2x, 1x
- DVD-RW: 2x, 1x
- DVD+RRW: 2.4x, 1x
- DVD-RAM: 2x, 1x
- CD-R: 16x, 12x, 8x, 4x
- CD-RW: 8x, 4x, 2x
Read Speed
- DVD-ROM (Single): Max 8x CAV
- DVD-ROM (Dual): Max 8x CAV
- DVD-R, DVD-RW: Max 4x CAV
- CD-ROM: Max 24x CAV
- CD-R, CD-RW: Max 24x CAV
Minimum System Requirements
- iBook G4
- Mac OS X (10.3.2 and later)
- 64 MB RAM (256 MB or greater recommended)
What you get
- Internal Slot-Loading DVD-R/RW Drive
- Toast Lite CD-Recording Software CD
- ImageMixer DVD Authoring Software CD
- (2) Blank DVD-R Discs
Price - $249
MCE MobileStor 100 GB PowerBook and iBook Hard
Drives
PR: MCE has released a 100 GB version of its MobileStor 9.5 mm, 2.5"
laptop hard drive series. The drive is a 4200 RPM unit with
8 MB of buffer cache.
Each MobileStor Ultra ATA/IDE hard drive model has been tested
and certified by MCE to be 100% compatible with the Apple PowerBook
and all Mac OS versions up to and including Mac OS X. MCE
MobileStor drives do not require any third-party hard disk drivers,
as they perform best when used with Apple's standard Drive Setup
utility software (pre-Mac OS X) as well as with Apple's Disk
Utility program under Mac OS X. MCE claims to be the only
Apple Certified Developer that tests its drives with every
PowerBook and Mac OS to maintain and guarantee this high level of
compatibility.
The MobileStor MS40GX, MS60G72K and MS80GX with 8 MB cache
and MS60GX with 16 MB cache and at least 5400 RPM spindle speed,
are drives especially well-suited for the Apple PowerBook G4
(Aluminum and Titanium), the PowerBook G3 (FireWire), and the
PowerBook G3 Series - 1999
(Bronze/Lombard), all of which have high-speed internal hard
disk controllers. Other systems will see some performance increase,
but not as significantly as these systems.
MCE says that the hard drive in the iBook is not end-user, or
even dealer/service center, upgradeable. Just accessing the hard
drive bay is a job involving the removal of over two-dozen screws,
hex-nuts, plastic parts, and very small, sensitive, electronic
components. If the proper level of antistatic protection is not
maintained and the take-apart procedure not properly documented
then a successful upgrade is nearly impossible. This being the
case, installation instructions are not included for the iBook in
the MCE PowerBook Hard Drive Installation Kit. MCE now offers an
iBook hard drive upgrade program.
The MCE PowerBook hard drive installation kit is included free
with every MobileStor hard drive upgrade solution:
- Installation manual with step by step instructions and photos
(makes installation a breeze).
- All of the necessary tools to open your PowerBook and install
your drive
- Antistatic wrist strap.
The 100 GTB MobileStor sells for $279.
MCE 100 GB/4200 RPM Xcaret Pro Expansion Bay
Hard Drive for WallStreet
PR: Just slide the
Xcaret Pro Expansion Bay Hard Drive into your expansion
bay and it's ready for use. Multimedia tuned to deliver clean,
uninterrupted audio and video for your project.
Note: This unit is for use with the PowerBook G3 Series 1998
(WallStreet) which has a black keyboard. This is not for use
with the PowerBook G3 1999
(Lombard/Bronze) or PowerBook
G3 2000 (FireWire/Pismo), which both have a semi-translucent
brown keyboard.
Price - $279.
MCE 100 GB/4200 RPM Xcaret Pro-99 Expansion Bay
Hard Drive for Lombard, Pismo
PR: Just slide it into your expansion bay, and it's ready
for use! Multimedia tuned to deliver clean, uninterrupted audio and
video for your project.
Note: This unit is for use with the PowerBook G3 2000 (FireWire/Pismo) and
PowerBook G3 1999
(Lombard/Bronze), which both have a semi-translucent brown
keyboard. This is not for use with the PowerBook G3 Series 1998
(WallStreet), which has a black keyboard.
Price - $279
New Power Support 'Book Accessories
PR: Hot from Japan, Power
Support offers:
- Wrist Rag - protects an often abused area of the PowerBook from
scratches and nicks while providing a comfortable surface to rest
your wrists or palms.
- Track pad Film - Simply peel off the backing and line up the
film to your track pad. The film can be easily removed and will not
leave a sticky residue.
- Tilt Tray - Tilt Tray elevates the PowerBook, lifting it
slightly off any surface you are working on. It is especially
useful when traveling as it weighs under 8 ounces for the larger
15" model.
Tech Trends
Sanyo, IBM Develop ThinkPad Fuel
Cell
The Register's
Tony Smith reports:
"Sanyo and IBM today said they will jointly research and develop
a fuel-cell power system for notebook PCs.
"The two companies said they will develop a hybrid system.
Essentially, the direct methanol fuel cell will work alongside a
slimline lithium-polymer rechargeable battery."
20% of LCD Displays Consume 3W or
Less
The Mobile PC Extended
Battery Life Working Group has announced that approximately
20% of display panels shipped in the first quarter of 2005 consume
3 watts of power or less. This is a significant milestone for the
EBL-WG's low power display panel initiative, which strives to
reduce the power consumption of laptop displays in order to extend
battery life - one of the most important purchasing criteria for
laptop buyers today.
A mobile PC display subsystem constitutes a significant portion
of the overall, average power consumed by a mobile PC. Among the
various components and subsystems within a mobile PC, the display
subsystem absorbs the most power by far. To help address this
issue, the EBL-WG developed recommendations for power consumption
for XGA displays as well as display subsystem power measurement
guidelines for uniform and consistent measurement across the
industry, and has worked with display suppliers to enroll their
support.
"As new lower power display technologies emerge, the display
subsystem must also consume less power to continue driving down
overall mobile platform power consumption," said Kamal Shah,
Mobility Enabling Initiative manager, Mobile Platforms Group, Intel
Corporation, and chairman of the EBL-WG. "Consumers are
increasingly demanding longer and longer battery life from their
notebook PCs. If we are to achieve the ideal of all-day battery
life, reducing power consumption of notebook PC displays is
critical."
"As we embark upon the era of spontaneous mobile computing,
being truly wireless requires seamless wireless access and extended
battery life," said Shah. "The availability of low power displays
is a good example of what is possible when mobile PC industry
companies collaborate with platform ingredient suppliers such as
the display makers. I look forward to further broader availability
of low power displays as this collaboration continues."
"We are pleased to work in collaboration with the EBL-WG in
support of the vision for all-day battery life for notebook PCs by
developing products which meet our customers requirements and are
under 3W of power consumption. We have the best technology for a
lower power consumption. It's 'Low Temperature Poly Silicon(LTPS)
TFT,'" said Toshio Yanagisawa, Managing Officer & Chief
Customer Solution Officer,Toshiba Matsushita Display Technology
Co., Ltd.(TMD).
Bruce Berkoff, Executive Vice President of Marketing for
LG.Philips LCD, one of the world's leading manufacturers of TFT-LCD
panels, commented that "We at LG.Philips LCD are pleased to see the
progress the EBL-WG has made in supporting the growing needs of
mobile computing. LG.Philips LCD remains committed to providing
more display choices, including larger, wider, and more power
efficient LCD modules."
As part of its ongoing efforts to drive the industry to adopt
its methodology for measuring battery life, the EBL-WG is
encouraging all display panel manufacturers to include power
consumption measured according to the group's guidelines in their
product data sheets. This initiative will allow mobile PC
manufacturers to assess the list of panel features comprehensively
and simplify the panel qualification process by compiling all
relevant data in one place.
The EBL-WG is pleased to note that two suppliers, Toshiba
Matsushita Display Technology Co., Ltd. and Chi Mei
Optoelectronics, have already committed to including this
information in their panel data sheets for future production
introduction.
Bargain 'Books
Bargain 'Books are used unless otherwise indicated. New and
refurbished units have a one-year Apple warranty and are eligible
for AppleCare.
There are two different versions of WallStreet running at 233
MHz, the cacheless MainStreet version and the later
Series II with a level 2
cache. It's not always possible to determine from the vendor's
listing which is being offered, so we've included links within this
paragraph to the two models. The same goes for the PowerBook G4/667 (VGA) and G4/667 (DVI), the titanium vs. aluminum
15" PowerBook G4 at 1 GHz, and 1.25 GHz to 1.5 GHz 15"
PowerBooks.
- 17" PowerBook G4/1 GHz,
512/60/SuperDrive, Airport Extreme, TechRestore 6 Month Warranty,
30 Day Refund, $1,699.99
- 15" PowerBook G4/1.5 GHz,
512/80/Combo, AirPort Extreme, free 512 RAM, $1,999
- 17" PowerBook G4/1.5 GHz,
512/80/SuperDrive, AirPort Extreme, free 512 RAM, $2,299
- refurb 12" iBook G4/1.2
GHz, 256/30/CD-ROM, $799
- refurb 14" iBook G4/1.33
GHz, 256/60/Combo, AirPort Extreme, $1,099
- refurb 14" iBook G4/1.33
GHz, 256/60/SuperDrive, AirPort Extreme, $1,299
- refurb 12" iBook G4/1.2
GHz, 256/30/Combo, AirPort Extreme, $849
For more deals on current or recently discontinued models, see
our Best PowerBook G4 Deals,
Best iBook G4 Deals, Best PowerBook G3 Deals, and Best iBook G3 Deals.
