PowerBook G4 Takes Wing

- 2002.11.04

Not even two years old yet, the PowerBook G4 is growing long-in-tooth and ready for an overhaul. And what an overhaul it's going to be!

The new TiBook - its announcement delayed until after Tuesday's elections - sprouts wings, almost literally. I'll be the first to call it the WingBook, because in addition to the spectacular 1280 x 854 screen on the latest generation TiBooks, the new PB G4 will include two additional fold-out 640x854 screens. You really have to see it to believe it, and our mock photo below doesn't really do it justice. (The real WingBook will be gold plated Titanium.)

You ain't seen "megawide" until you've seen this baby, and serious gamers will appreciate the ability to better immerse themselves in game world thanks to the outrigger screens.

The WingBook will be thicker than the current model - 1.2" to provide room for the additional displays to fold beneath the main screen. The hinges for the displays will also increase the width of the PowerBook G4 by 0.2" and add a bit of weight (our sources had no weight figures).

This will also eliminate the problem with fingerprint oils from the keyboard messing up the screen.

For improved AirPort reception, which has been the TiBook's Achilles heal, there will be an antenna in each of the screens on the side.

Following the model set by the Power Mac G4, the WingBook will come in three different versions. The base model will have the same 800 MHz G4 processor as today's top-end machine, the intermediate model will include a 1 GHz G4, and the new top of the line will contain a pair of 800 MHz G4 processors.

Yes, the rumor mongers are right, this sweetheart will have a SuperDrive - but only as an option on the entry-level model to keep that price "reasonable."

Besides gaming, the "wings" can be used for palettes, to hold IM clients, to keep email or some other app away from other projects, etc. And if all that isn't enough, the WingBook will still support an external monitor, which can either mirror the primary display or act as a fourth screen for the power user.

Unofficially, Steve Jobs says that if you can't afford a personal jet, you can't afford the new WingBook, so don't bother asking about the price. However, every Windows laptop user will be "jealous as Dell" when they see you unfold the screen on this screamer.

The single-display TiBook will stay in the line for those whose budgets are more down to earth. Sources say you may have to wait for April 1, 2003 before the WingBook leaves the nest.

- Anne Onymus

Online Discussion

• The New Powerbook - Article and Picture, MacAddict, 2002.11.04. "Too bad that's not real. I think I would actually pay for that. There's no such thing as too much monitor real estate."

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