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intel powerbooks redesign


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Louie
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2005-08-29, 19:33

what do you think the new powerbooks and ibooks will look like when intel rolls around, what sizes do you think they will offer?

*please be creative*
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faramirtook
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2005-08-29, 20:21

Yeah, I think we're due for some pscates intelBook mockups... :smokey:
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psmith2.0
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2005-08-29, 20:43

Ha...nah, I don't have any.

Surely they'll look a little different, if only for a visual cue as to "this is something new".

I don't know what, though. I just hope they don't get any thicker or more bulky (I doubt they will). And I'd still like to see white iBooks and silver PowerBooks, as far as color goes. That's a nice, clean look and separates teh two lines just fine.

Other than that, I have no real requests. I'm sure they'll look wonderful. Ive has yet to turn out a dud, appearance-wise.

The current PowerBooks are, in so many ways, really ideal: no doors or latches, a great hinge design, widescreen, easy-to-access ports, etc. And you know what? They look so classy and understated, as if to say "we don't HAVE to look like those HP monstrosities at Staples, with two-tone shells, ports and buttons all over the damn place, stickers, etc.". I definitely don't want to see them lose that sleek, minimalist look. That's the best thing about them...just a slick, unobtrusive slab of silver, and a little white Apple logo.



I'm having trouble imagining "improvements" in those key areas, you know?

Perhaps just a slight refinement (some thinning and so forth) on an already-great design and look?

I wouldn't mind if the PowerBooks kept looking the way they do for a good long while. No rule saying they HAVE to be drastically redesigned.

No, I don't want black or dark gray either.

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Ryan
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2005-08-29, 21:18

I'd love a paint/material/whatever that didn't get so many smudges on it. Every time I touch my Powerbook, I get another few fingerprints on it. It probably isn't possible though.
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Brad
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2005-08-29, 21:44

Wow -- you must have dirty fingers! Are you one of those guys that gets holes in the surface from your sweaty palms too?

The only times I think I've ever smudged my PowerBook's surface were when I was eating while typing.

The quality of this board depends on the quality of the posts. The only way to guarantee thoughtful, informative discussion is to write thoughtful, informative posts. AppleNova is not a real-time chat forum. You have time to compose messages and edit them before and after posting.
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shatteringglass
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Join Date: Aug 2004
 
2005-08-29, 21:49

I agree with pscates. The current PowerBook and iBook designs are so refined at this point that it's hard to find something they could retool for Intel PowerBooks, unless the redesign is a completely different concept in design language, like when Apple phased out the Pismos and introduced the TiBooks.

I remember seeing a cool prototype notebook from Compaq (of all places). It was modular in that you could detach various parts of the computer, like the screen and keyboard, and use them wirelessly when you were settle down at your desk at the office like a compact desktop computer, but would piece together nicely and be used as a regular notebook computer when you're on the road or in a coffee shop. This is a complete departure from the design of Apple's current notebooks, in which the computer seems to be fashioned out of a single slab of metal, with every feature being sealed within.

Last edited by shatteringglass : 2005-08-29 at 21:58. Reason: Addendum
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Bill M
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2005-08-29, 23:44

I agree with PscatesDosPuntoCero, keep the same style, just refine them a little... like making the 15" and specially the 12" thinner, one inch or less; like the current 17" or the original TiBook.
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Wrao
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2005-08-30, 00:55

It would be neat if the 12" was under 1" thick. I don't know if that's feasible though.

It would also be nice if the 15" returns to 1" thickness.

Chances are the design won't be too radically different. Though I'm sure the hinge system will be refined to account for that little gap that shows up when the thing is closed. Also, Ports might be rearranged a little, and new ports might show up. I think that's a given.

I think that the whole package will look 'sharper', less rounded edges, more akin to the titanium book, only modern and more sturdy build.

Basis for any of these predictions? none really, but I do think apple is starting to propgate a 'sharper' look all around. The aluminum books have a very 'clean' look, but it's not exactly 'sharp'. Ugh, I feel like such a hack using such terms, but that's all I got.

Hopefully they don't change the keyboard, because I think that the current keyboard is beyond perfect. The only thing I could imagine them changing there would be improving the backlight somehow.


It would be kind of cool if they released a dark metal powerbook, like a dark graphite color. But, I think apple will probably stick with the light metal look for a while, it really does set their laptops apart from the crowd in a good way. But man, the backlight would look SO SLICK against a dark gray frame.

I agree with Paul that the current powerbooks are winners when it comes to the design. But improvements can always be made. For instance, the original El Capitan case, imo was amongst the greatest PC case designs ever. But, in subsequent revisions, they refined not only the exterior to look prettier, but they cleaned up the insides radically which helped the overall form factor.

The Titanium design was pretty good, the Aluminum was even better. I think they will continue to make slight improvements wherever they see fit.

Knowing apple though, they will likely change the aesthetic just for the sake of doing so.

If I was more savvy with photoshop or whatever I would try and do a mock-up of what I envision the powerbook looking like in the future...but... I'm not very good at that stuff. heh...

okay that's all from me... an interested powerbook user.

Last edited by Wrao : 2005-08-30 at 00:56.
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Baron Munchausen
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2005-08-30, 04:46

All I ask is a tall ship...no!, I mean all I ask is that the 'Intel Inside' logo is nowhere to be seen...not even on the underside!
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Franz Josef
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2005-08-30, 05:28

Quote:
Originally Posted by Baron Munchausen
All I ask is a tall ship...no!, I mean all I ask is that the 'Intel Inside' logo is nowhere to be seen...not even on the underside!
You can pretty much guarantee there will be no "Intel inside" logo . And it's nice to see even Dell don't like them, for entirely different reasons - http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20050829-5253.html
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Satchmo
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Join Date: Aug 2004
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2005-08-30, 08:49

How about some form of clear matte coating that will keep the look of aluminum but add some of the durability of the iBook?
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Louie
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2005-08-30, 11:33

Quote:
Originally Posted by Franz Josef
You can pretty much guarantee there will be no "Intel inside" logo . And it's nice to see even Dell don't like them, for entirely different reasons - http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20050829-5253.html
peal of the sticker and use iclear to and maybe a rough sponge or rag to get the sticky off
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oldmacfan
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2005-08-30, 11:54

Quote:
Originally Posted by Satchmo
How about some form of clear matte coating that will keep the look of aluminum but add some of the durability of the iBook?
As soon as you coat it with something the sooner the coat chips or peels or flakes or rubs off over time.
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Brad
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2005-08-30, 12:02

Quote:
Originally Posted by oldmacfan
As soon as you coat it with something the sooner the coat chips or peels or flakes or rubs off over time.
Exactly. This is why there were a million complaints about the titanium PowerBooks' surface.
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gjas15
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2005-08-30, 13:09

What I would love to see is a $2000 dollar notebook that isnt so flimsy. Now, I do love my powerbook to death (especially after seeing my friends alienware area51m... 40 min battery, sad thing is the battery is 6800mah where as mine is 4800mah, 2in thick, 15lb monstrosity), but I dont like having to treat it gingerly. From riding in my backpack inside a sleeve the screen no longer closes evenly, the left side touches base while the right is aobut an 1/8th of an inch above it. Also, this thing bends if it gets hot. Got the fans up to 2000rpm playing UT2k4 on my lap and I go to put it on my desk and it wobbles. I have to pick it up with the screen open and twist it to fix the problem.

I hope apple gives it a sturdier fram (even if it does make it a bit heavier). Maybe even a little less pron to getting scratched as well.
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newMACer
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2005-08-30, 13:19

Quote:
Originally Posted by Brad
The only times I think I've ever smudged my PowerBook's surface were when I was eating while typing.
Blasphemy of the highest proportions!! How can you eat while being anywhere near your PowerBook?

For me, eating while typing is reserved only for my "precious" Dell desktop at work
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MacRonin
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2005-08-31, 02:52

Black carbon fibre skins & a cast magnesium frame...

With the glowing white Apple logo in the center...

That would rock...!
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Baron Munchausen
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2005-08-31, 03:10

Why not brushed ally and Moroccan Leather? Rosewood and brass?
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Kickaha
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2005-08-31, 03:13

Quote:
Originally Posted by newMACer
Blasphemy of the highest proportions!! How can you eat while being anywhere near your PowerBook?

Are you kidding? WiFi means never having to say "brb, gotta pee"
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MacRonin
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2005-08-31, 03:49

Quote:
Originally Posted by Baron Munchausen
Why not brushed ally and Moroccan Leather? Rosewood and brass?
Because we are looking for strength, stiffness & light weight...

And when choosing leathers, one should always listen to Khan Noonien Singh and go with the Corinthian...

:smokey: :smokey: :smokey:

Last edited by MacRonin : 2005-08-31 at 03:50.
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Franz Josef
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2005-08-31, 05:45

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kickaha
Are you kidding? WiFi means never having to say "brb, gotta pee"
That needs to be added to the Wikipedia entry on WiFi- most of us probably just haven't understood the technology yet.
  quote
Doxxic
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2005-08-31, 06:46

The first iBooks had transparent plastic with the white paint on the *inside*, just like the iPod i think, which made them look extremely lickable.

It's a shame they don't do that anymore, though I guess it wasn't worth the costs in the iBook's case.
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jondaapplegeek
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2005-09-02, 10:05

how about get rid of the keyboard, and use a touch screen - found this on a google search:


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Brad
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2005-09-02, 10:11

Touch-sensitive keyboards are horrible. Have you ever used one? Star Trek glorified this concept way too much.

Users generally need some kind of physical feedback as a tactile indication of pressing a button. This becomes increasingly important as you have ten fingers sliding all over the thing.

The quality of this board depends on the quality of the posts. The only way to guarantee thoughtful, informative discussion is to write thoughtful, informative posts. AppleNova is not a real-time chat forum. You have time to compose messages and edit them before and after posting.
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jondaapplegeek
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2005-09-02, 10:31

no, never used one.
i liked the idea though, so you can have dual display.

i could also imagine new iBooks/ Powerbooks with a little screen on the back where the apple is, in the same shape and colour, but that tells you some information of some kind, like users loged on, whats open and the time/date, when the notebook is 'sleeping'.
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Baron Munchausen
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2005-09-02, 10:36

I would like to see keys that are clear with some eInk/ePaper inside, so you can reprogramme the keys and it will be displayed on the key top.

It would also be dead cool to have the keys show the FONT that you are using :-)... So when you alter font or go bold, the keys go bold. When you move from American Typewriter to Arial, the keys also change.
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mjteix
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Join Date: Jul 2005
 
2005-09-02, 11:07

I wouldn't change much on the PowerBook design, but I'd like to see widescreens all the way, faster drives and the same ports/features on all models. The 12" iBook/PowerBook debate sucks. I would like to see:
- a 10" model, for those who like it really small. widescreen 1280x768.
- a 13" model, just a little wider that the 12". widescreen 1280x768 (or more)
- a 15" model, widescreen 1440x900 (or more)
- a 17" model, widescreen 1920x1200 (full HD capable)
maybe iBooks/PowerBooks could share the same frames, the difference will be in the autonomy vs. performance:
iBooks: low-voltage, slower CPUs, slower HD, slower GPU (for example: 1.5/1.67GHz low-voltage Yonah, 5400rpm HD, ATI X600...)
PowerBooks: faster CPUs, HD, GPU (for example: 2/2.13GHz dual-core Yonah, 7200rpm HD, ATI X800...)
All with USBx2, FW400/800, GB Ethernet, BT, AP, modem, VGA/DVI out (extended desktop & mirroring)
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Baron Munchausen
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2005-09-02, 11:36

Some good thoughts IMHO, mjteix, especially in the differentiation between iBook/PoweBook, but that is just returning to where we used to be with G3 Books and G4 Power!

I would also say that iBooks with the high end video is not necessary, especially as this really does hit the price - beinga high end, instead of 'cooking', graphics card.

My guess is that even the 15" will get full HD resolution by next year...
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zippy
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2005-09-02, 11:44

I most like to see a bit of a price drop. It would be awesome if they would drop the initial prices on the entire laptop lines by $200 - $300. Imagine a 12" iBook for $699 or $799. I just read a news article the other day that quoted $1,000 as the average price of a laptop nowadays.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9157036/
It would be nice to have a basement price that is a little less than the overall average.

Wait, I'm coming out of REM sleep now, what was I saying..?
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mjteix
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2005-09-02, 12:17

Quote:
I would also say that iBooks with the high end video is not necessary...
Yes true, I just realized while typing, that the Intels PBooks will have PCI-E instead of AGP so I just change a "9" for a "X".
So what GPU may go in iBooks? X300?

Quote:
My guess is that even the 15" will get full HD resolution by next year...
It's also true that 15.4" panels can do 1920x1200 already

Quote:
Imagine a 12" iBook for $699 or $799...
I imagine a 10" iBook for $699 very well
13" iBook for $999
15" iBook for $1399
17" iBook for $1899
10" PowerBook for $1499
13" PowerBook for $1799
15" PowerBook for $2199
17" PowerBook for $2699
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