Widescreen iBook Rumors Gain Weight, 12" iBook G4 Reviewed, Ultralight Laptops, Rugged Laptops, and More
Low End Mac Reader Specials
Memory To Go Special: New 2008 iMac 2GB $42 / iMac Intel Core2 DUO & MacBook Pro 2GB $36 - 1GB $20.
MacPro 8 Core Memory 8GB kit $286 / 4GB kit $143 / 2GB kit $93 -- Free shipping available. LIfetime warranty.
Download Typestyler, still the Ultimate Styling Tool for Internet, Print and Video
Graphics. Works great in Classic with a Native OS X Version on the way. Free
Tryout: www.typestyler.com
LA Computer Company: Specials on AppleCare, iMac's, Apple Batteries and Apple A/C Adapters. Also Great prices on Used Apple Computers. Call 1-800-941-7654 Click Here.
Other World Computing has the Upgrades, Enhancements, and Accessories for getting the most from your Mac. Quality Products, Competitive Prices, Expert Support Staff - www.macsales.com
Mac users can finally play Party Poker for Mac. Not only that, they can also learn how to play PokerStars for Mac.
Laptop Hardware Provided by TechRestore - Overnight Mac & iPod Repairs.
Compare products like desktop computers, laptops, and LCD TVs side by side! All the information and reviews to make the best purchasing decision for a new cell phone GPS products or MP3 players. The Ciao network makes searching products easy for you.
Charles Moore
- 2005.06.24
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 iPod News
Review. News about Apple's transition to Intel CPUs and other
Intel developments is covered in The Macintel Report.
All prices are in US dollars unless otherwise noted.
News & Opinion
- From Mac Plus to 17" PowerBook G4
- Widescreen iBook Rumors Gain Weight
- Taiwan's Asustek Snatches iBook Order from
Quanta
Intel Transition
- Intel Integrates WiFi with
CPU (Macintel Report)
Reviews
Windows Watch
Bargain 'Books
News & Opinion
From Mac Plus to 17" PowerBook G4
hyku's Josh Hallett says:
"Unpacking my new PowerBook
17" got me thinking about my Macintosh history. It has spanned
18 years and seen 12 different machines starting with a Macintosh Plus in 1987 and
continuing today with a new G4 PowerBook 17".
"Let's take a look back, shall we."
Widescreen iBook Rumors Gain Weight
The Register's Tony Smith says:
"Asustek, not Quanta, will produce Apple's upcoming widescreen
iBook laptop Mac.
"So claims a report in Taiwan's Economic Daily News, which adds
weight to rumours published in April that the Mac maker is
preparing a consumer-oriented widescreen notebook."
Taiwan's Asustek Snatches iBook Order from
Quanta
AFX News Limited (via Forbes) reports:
"Asustek Computer Inc (2357.TW) has signed a contract with Apple
Computer Inc to make 14-inch 'iBooks' for the American computer
giant, the Economic Daily News reported, quoting unnamed market
sources."
DigiTimes.com's Jessie Shen reports:
"Asustek Computer recently beat out Quanta Computer to grab
orders from Apple Computer for a 14.1-inch widescreen iBook model,
with shipments to total about 500,000 notebooks, according to the
Economic Daily News.
"Last year, Asustek shipped more than one million notebooks to
Apple, the paper indicated. According to sources, the company
produced Apple's 12.1-inch iBook and 12.1-inch PowerBook. Asustek
also secured orders for the 15.4-inch iBook, which will be launched
in 2006, the sources added."
Reviews
12" iBook G4/1.2 GHz Reviewed
MacUser says:
"When the iBook range was launched, there was a wide performance
gap between this new consumer portable and the existing PowerBook
models. Now, though, it's a different story. Both portable lines
feature G4 processors and, despite the PowerBooks having more
megahertz, their performance is similar. And the iBooks are nipping
at the PowerBooks' heels in other respects, too."
- Link:
iBook G4 12in 1.2 GHz Combo Reviewed (subscription
required)
Windows Watch
Carbon Fibre Used in Ultralight Laptops
gizmag.com reports:
"The never-ending quest for lighter, more powerful notebooks
appears to have a new trend, at least if you can call two carbon
fibre notebooks a trend. A fortnight ago Acer showed its Ferrari
4000 Carbon Fiber notebook, now MPC has joined with its own
high-powered notebook with carbon fibre lid. The sad part is that
unlike the sleek and sexy Acer, which shows the carbon fibre weave,
MPC has elected to paint theirs. Designed to offer an ultra-sleek
notebook with exceptional performance in a lightweight form factor,
the TransPort U1000 ultra-portable notebook computer weighs less
than four pounds, an Intel Pentium M processor for high-performance
mobile computing, and 12.1" display integrated into a carbon-fiber
lid. At US$1,900, it's a lot of performance in an incredibly light
package, but someone should tell them about the attractiveness of
the carbon weave."
Laptops Built for Abuse
Forbes' Arik Hesseldahl says:
"Occasionally I have a nightmare about bad things happening to
my laptop. A drink gets spilled in the keyboard, or it goes
crashing to the ground. Either would be enough to give me a real
start in the real world and would be certainly enough to shatter an
otherwise peaceful night's sleep....
"With these fears in mind, I've always wanted to try out some of
the so-called 'ruggedized' notebooks I've heard so much about over
the years. The opportunity finally presented itself when I got
samples from two manufacturers of rugged notebooks: Panasonic, a
unit of Japan's Matsushita, and the privately held Itronix, based
in Spokane, Wash.
"These are the machines that utility companies buy for their
field service personnel, that police departments buy for cops and
that the military buys for soldiers in dangerous places around the
world.
- Link:
Laptops Built for Abuse
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.
- 12" iBook G3/500,
192/10/CD-ROM, $399.99
- 12" iBook G3/600,
256/20/Combo, $529.99
- 12" iBook G3/800,
256/30/CD-ROM, $529.99
- 12" iBook G3/900,
256/40/Combo, $679.99
Special Deals: Apple
Certified
- refurb 12" iBook G4/1.2
GHz, 256/30/CD-ROM, $799
- refurb 12" iBook G4/1.2
GHz, 256/30/Combo, AirPort Extreme, $849
- 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" PowerBook G4/1.33
GHz, 256/60/SuperDrive, AirPort Extreme, $1,299
- refurb 12" PowerBook G4/1.5
GHz, 512/80/SuperDrive, AirPort Extreme, Bluetooth, $1,499
- Blueberry iBook G3/300,
96/6/CD-ROM, $279.99
- Tangerine iBook G3/300,
96/6/CD-ROM, $279.99
- PowerBook Pismo G3/400,
192/10/DVD, $415
- PowerBook Pismo G3/500,
256/12/DVD, $459
- 15" PowerBook G4/500,
256/20/DVD, $599
- new 12" iBook G4/1 GHz,
256/40/CD-ROM, 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. 
Recent 'Book Reviews
- nVidia Inside Next MacBook?, Time for a Mac Netbook, Asus Launched MacBook Air Killer, and More, 10.10.
Also photo reveals more about MacBook Pro, comparing 16:9 and 16:10 displays, Apple settles suit over faulty iBook and PowerBook adapters, bargain 'Books from $150 to $2,699, and more.
- Mac Netbook Coming?, $179 64 GB SSD, Apple Owns 20% of US Notebook Market, and More, 10.03.
Also head of Norton AntiVirus team uses a Mac, Toshiba demos new battery technology, 1 TB notebook drives due in 2010, bargain 'Books from $150 to $2,699, and more.
- $200 64 GB SSD for Your 'Book, Apple Steering Customers Away from MacBook Pro, and More, 09.26.
Also how a $550 Windows notebook can cost over $1,200, netbooks may cut into MacBook sales, widescreens getting wider, bargain 'Books from $150 to $2,699, and more.
- Mac Notebook Share up 60% in US, Apple Refurbs a Great Deal, RIP PowerBook G4, and More, 09.19.
Also speculation on next generation MacBooks, refreshing a WallStreet, running a PowerBook 5300 from flash memory, 3G modem sale booming, bargain 'Books from $150 to $2,699, and more.
- More in the .
Links for the Day
- Mac of the Day: Motorola StarMax 5000, May 1997 - This second-generation Mac clone offered 603e, 604e processors.
- List of the Day: The iPod List The iPod List is a forum to discuss the iPod, it's accessories, the iTunes Store, iTunes, and related topics.
- October 13 in LEM history: 98: Evidence that Macs last longer - 99: A Mac is like Prozac - From home computers to a real computer - 00: Tradeoffs for OS X beta - 03: iBook failures - 05: The 2005 iMac G5 value equation - Email on your iPod - OS X on 4 dual-core CPUs - 06: The legendary Apple Extended Keyboard - Stinky old iBook smells like sweat - Apple's climb back to success
Recent Content on Low End Mac
- TruePower Battery Can Run WallStreet PowerBook Past the 5 Hour Mark, Tommy Thomas, Welcome to Macintosh, 10.10.
If you have a rugged old PowerBook but its battery is losing capacity, TruePower can give you plenty of time in the field.
- Economic Crunch May Slow Mac Sales, a Recycled Cube, ToCA Race Driver 3 for Mac, and More, Mac News Review, 10.10.
Also don't buy RAM from Apple, customize your Mac's appearance, MacTribe expanding into print, My Apple Space social networking, and more.
- 30% of iPhone 3G Buyers Switched Carriers, EU Battery Rule May Force iPhone Redesign, and More, iNews Review, 10.10.
Also iPhone 3G greatest consumer electronics device ever, track presidential polls on your iPhone, Talking English Dictionary, waterproof armbands, several new iPhone apps, and more.
- Best Mac Pro Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.10.
Used 2.66 GHz 4-core, $1,799; new, $1,949 after rebate; 2.8 4-core, $2,099 shipped; 8-core, $2,599 shipped; 3.0 $3,399 shipped; 3.2, $4,099 shipped.
- Best PowerBook G3 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.10.
Used 14" WallStreet G3/266 MHz, $90; Lombard G3/400 MHz, $150; Pismo G3/400 MHz, $300; 500 MHz, $350.
- Best Time Capsule and AirPort Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.10.
Refurb 500 GB Time Capsule, $249; new, $294; refurb 1 TB, $419; new, $462; AirPort Extreme Card, $39; Base Station, $159; Express, $60.
- Modding Your Old Mac to Make It More Useful, Phil Herlihy, The Usefulness Equation, 10.09.
If your old Mac is too slow, too noisy, too plain looking, or has too little room for expansion, you might want to mod it.
- What Would an $800 MacBook Mean for the Mac mini?, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 10.09.
If Apple does release an $800 entry-level MacBook next week, the $600 Mac mini is going to look very overpriced.
- Best iMac G4 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.09.
Used 15" 700 MHz CD-RW, $269; 800 Combo, $300; 1 GHz, $390; 17" 1.25 GHz SuperDrive, $400; 20", $529.
- Best 15" MacBook Pro Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.09.
Used 1.83 GHz Core Duo, $995; 2.16, $1,125; new, 2.2, $1,400 after rebate; refurb 2.4, $1,699; 2.5, $1,999; 2.6, $2,299; rebates on new.
- Best Mac OS X 10.4 'Tiger' Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.09.
DVD upgrade from 10.3, $75; upgrade bundle with 10.3, $118; full version, $129; family pack, $200; 10-user Server, $350; unlimited, $400.
- The Power of Older Macs, Why Vista Only Sees 3 GB of RAM, Wangwriter Supplies, and More, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 10.08.
Also the end of an era as MIT HyperArchive shuts down and another suggestion for profiling Windows computers.
- Migrating My Law Office from Windows to Macintosh, Andrew J Fishkin, Best Tools for the Job, 10.08.
By switching to Leopard Server, everyone in the office will be able to move to a Mac - but which ones will best meet their needs?
- Low End Mac Needs Help Moving to Joomla, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 10.08.
We've settled on Joomla as the content management system that should work very well for Low End Mac, but we're running stuck with templates.
- Will Apple's iPhone/App Store Tornado Blow Away the Competition?, Tim Nash, Taking Back the Market, 10.08.
The iPod, iTunes, and the iTunes Store paved the way for the success of the iPhone and the App Store - and nobody can match that.
- More links in our archive.
Low End Mac Reader Specials
Memory To Go Special: New 2008 iMac 2GB $42 / iMac Intel Core2 DUO & MacBook Pro 2GB $36 - 1GB $20. MacPro 8 Core Memory 8GB kit $286 / 4GB kit $143 / 2GB kit $93 -- Free shipping available. LIfetime warranty.
Download Typestyler, still the Ultimate Styling Tool for Internet, Print and Video Graphics. Works great in Classic with a Native OS X Version on the way. Free Tryout: www.typestyler.com
LA Computer Company: Specials on AppleCare, iMac's, Apple Batteries and Apple A/C Adapters. Also Great prices on Used Apple Computers. Call 1-800-941-7654 Click Here.
Other World Computing has the Upgrades, Enhancements, and Accessories for getting the most from your Mac. Quality Products, Competitive Prices, Expert Support Staff - www.macsales.com
Mac users can finally play Party Poker for Mac. Not only that, they can also learn how to play PokerStars for Mac.
Laptop Hardware Provided by TechRestore - Overnight Mac & iPod Repairs.
Compare products like desktop computers, laptops, and LCD TVs side by side! All the information and reviews to make the best purchasing decision for a new cell phone GPS products or MP3 players. The Ciao network makes searching products easy for you.
Charles Moore - 2005.06.24
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 iPod News Review. News about Apple's transition to Intel CPUs and other Intel developments is covered in The Macintel Report.
All prices are in US dollars unless otherwise noted.
News & Opinion
- From Mac Plus to 17" PowerBook G4
- Widescreen iBook Rumors Gain Weight
- Taiwan's Asustek Snatches iBook Order from Quanta
Intel Transition
- Intel Integrates WiFi with CPU (Macintel Report)
Reviews
Windows Watch
Bargain 'Books
News & Opinion
From Mac Plus to 17" PowerBook G4
hyku's Josh Hallett says:
"Unpacking my new PowerBook 17" got me thinking about my Macintosh history. It has spanned 18 years and seen 12 different machines starting with a Macintosh Plus in 1987 and continuing today with a new G4 PowerBook 17".
"Let's take a look back, shall we."
Widescreen iBook Rumors Gain Weight
The Register's Tony Smith says:
"Asustek, not Quanta, will produce Apple's upcoming widescreen iBook laptop Mac.
"So claims a report in Taiwan's Economic Daily News, which adds weight to rumours published in April that the Mac maker is preparing a consumer-oriented widescreen notebook."
Taiwan's Asustek Snatches iBook Order from Quanta
AFX News Limited (via Forbes) reports:
"Asustek Computer Inc (2357.TW) has signed a contract with Apple Computer Inc to make 14-inch 'iBooks' for the American computer giant, the Economic Daily News reported, quoting unnamed market sources."
DigiTimes.com's Jessie Shen reports:
"Asustek Computer recently beat out Quanta Computer to grab orders from Apple Computer for a 14.1-inch widescreen iBook model, with shipments to total about 500,000 notebooks, according to the Economic Daily News.
"Last year, Asustek shipped more than one million notebooks to Apple, the paper indicated. According to sources, the company produced Apple's 12.1-inch iBook and 12.1-inch PowerBook. Asustek also secured orders for the 15.4-inch iBook, which will be launched in 2006, the sources added."
Reviews
12" iBook G4/1.2 GHz Reviewed
MacUser says:
"When the iBook range was launched, there was a wide performance gap between this new consumer portable and the existing PowerBook models. Now, though, it's a different story. Both portable lines feature G4 processors and, despite the PowerBooks having more megahertz, their performance is similar. And the iBooks are nipping at the PowerBooks' heels in other respects, too."
- Link: iBook G4 12in 1.2 GHz Combo Reviewed (subscription required)
Windows Watch
Carbon Fibre Used in Ultralight Laptops
gizmag.com reports:
"The never-ending quest for lighter, more powerful notebooks appears to have a new trend, at least if you can call two carbon fibre notebooks a trend. A fortnight ago Acer showed its Ferrari 4000 Carbon Fiber notebook, now MPC has joined with its own high-powered notebook with carbon fibre lid. The sad part is that unlike the sleek and sexy Acer, which shows the carbon fibre weave, MPC has elected to paint theirs. Designed to offer an ultra-sleek notebook with exceptional performance in a lightweight form factor, the TransPort U1000 ultra-portable notebook computer weighs less than four pounds, an Intel Pentium M processor for high-performance mobile computing, and 12.1" display integrated into a carbon-fiber lid. At US$1,900, it's a lot of performance in an incredibly light package, but someone should tell them about the attractiveness of the carbon weave."
Laptops Built for Abuse
Forbes' Arik Hesseldahl says:
"Occasionally I have a nightmare about bad things happening to my laptop. A drink gets spilled in the keyboard, or it goes crashing to the ground. Either would be enough to give me a real start in the real world and would be certainly enough to shatter an otherwise peaceful night's sleep....
"With these fears in mind, I've always wanted to try out some of the so-called 'ruggedized' notebooks I've heard so much about over the years. The opportunity finally presented itself when I got samples from two manufacturers of rugged notebooks: Panasonic, a unit of Japan's Matsushita, and the privately held Itronix, based in Spokane, Wash.
"These are the machines that utility companies buy for their field service personnel, that police departments buy for cops and that the military buys for soldiers in dangerous places around the world.
- Link: Laptops Built for Abuse
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.
- 12" iBook G3/500, 192/10/CD-ROM, $399.99
- 12" iBook G3/600, 256/20/Combo, $529.99
- 12" iBook G3/800, 256/30/CD-ROM, $529.99
- 12" iBook G3/900, 256/40/Combo, $679.99
Special Deals: Apple
Certified
- refurb 12" iBook G4/1.2 GHz, 256/30/CD-ROM, $799
- refurb 12" iBook G4/1.2 GHz, 256/30/Combo, AirPort Extreme, $849
- 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" PowerBook G4/1.33 GHz, 256/60/SuperDrive, AirPort Extreme, $1,299
- refurb 12" PowerBook G4/1.5 GHz, 512/80/SuperDrive, AirPort Extreme, Bluetooth, $1,499
- Blueberry iBook G3/300, 96/6/CD-ROM, $279.99
- Tangerine iBook G3/300, 96/6/CD-ROM, $279.99
- PowerBook Pismo G3/400, 192/10/DVD, $415
- PowerBook Pismo G3/500, 256/12/DVD, $459
- 15" PowerBook G4/500, 256/20/DVD, $599
- new 12" iBook G4/1 GHz, 256/40/CD-ROM, 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.
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