Filed under: Apple Corporate, Hardware, iBook
Apple bumps up iBook and Mac mini lines
Call me underwhelmed, but still appreciative that Apple is finally realizing that 256MB of RAM is pretty useless.512MB RAM is now the minimum in both the iBooks and Mac mini families. Yay!
The Mac mini now comes in 3 models, with a top price of $699 for a 1.42GHz model with a SuperDrive. Bluetooth and Airport Extreme are now built-in on the $599 (1.42GHz Combo Drive) and $699 models, but are build-to-order on the $499 1.25GHz model.
The iBook G4 lineup was bumped up to 1.42 GHz on the 14-inch model, which has a SuperDrive, while the lower end comes in at 1.33GHz with a Combo Drive. Both iBooks now sport an ATI Mobility Radeon 9550 and built-in Bluetooth and Airport Express right out of the box. The iBooks also now include the scrolling trackpad and Sudden Motion Sensor.
That's it??? I'm going back to bed.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
aequitas said 9:31AM on 7-26-2005
That must be the newest revision of Bluetooth. Maybe you should go back to bed ;)
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Laurie said 9:39AM on 7-26-2005
Dude, that typo is so old news. I corrected that like 8 minutes ago. Pay attention next time!
Now... do you want your news fast and rough around the edges or slow and proofread. :)
/Now/ i'm going back to bed.. heh.
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Kacy said 9:39AM on 7-26-2005
in the words of black flag.... "i get so wound up (that) i feel so let down." i feel that has been happening over and over again with apple lately. i am still waiting for my damn itunes phone.
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Peter Koritschan said 9:40AM on 7-26-2005
I am soooo disappointed....
What new Apple product have we seen in the past 6 months? As far as I remember none. The only interesting event was the announcement of the switch to Intel processors....
Other than that no really new or interesting products since January's mac-mini and iPod shuffle...
A little renaming in the iPod lineup, a little processor and configuration improvements, but that's about it...
I am sooo bored with that... I wish for an exciting new Apple product!
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Blue Balloon said 9:42AM on 7-26-2005
Finally! I want new iBook that include built-in bluetooth. Don't need to worry about crap bluetooth USB adapter which I had one for my old PowerBook G3. It would make much easy for me connect with my Nokia 6820 via bluetooth with EDGE as wireless modem. And 512MB RAM? Faaaaancy!
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umijin said 9:59AM on 7-26-2005
*Yawn* Well, if Apple isn't gonna wake up... why should we?
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LD said 10:00AM on 7-26-2005
There is no pleasing some people. Those are some pretty significant changes. Sure, it's not a completely new white widget for you to blow your wad on, but there are some siginificant changes all the same, particularly in the low-end iBook.
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Adrian said 10:09AM on 7-26-2005
Well these updates are more progression than evolution.
That evolution will probably wait until next year with the introduction of Intel Inside the Mini and Ibook.
Just my pair of pennies.
Now back to work
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Ashley Mushnick said 10:17AM on 7-26-2005
I'm glad to see this boost for the ibooks. Does anyone know if that knew graphics card supports the "ripple effect" in Tiger?
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Penginkun said 10:19AM on 7-26-2005
I think what bugs me most is the video RAM. They left it at a paltry 32mb. Call me crazy, but if your OS needs 64mb for everything, shouldn't all your systems ship with at least that much?
Meh. Maybe it's just me. I didn't expect a redesign (or widescreen) this go 'round because as Adrian pointed out, they'll be saving that for the first Intel systems.
If people get themselves wound up over rumours, who do they have to blame when reality doesn't match their expectations? Is it Apple's fault that Kacy and Peter are disappointed with the product updates? Don't believe everything that you read on a rumours site.
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umijin said 10:26AM on 7-26-2005
*Yawn* Well, if Apple isn't gonna wake up... why should we?
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paul said 10:30AM on 7-26-2005
LD is right, this is a big deal. That's at least $150 or $200 in savings per item. What exactly were you people expecting? You're all so spoiled that you think something outrageous has to be released every month. Sure, the iBooks aren't widescreen, but big deal. It's a great improvement, especially with the increased memory.
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Jamie Phelps said 10:40AM on 7-26-2005
Is that true about Mac OS X Tiger requiring 64MB VRAM? If so, there's absolutely no way I'm buying an iBook like I had planned. I will drop the extra change and get another Powerbook. In that case, the question will be how my wife and I will tell our 'books apart.
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danb said 10:48AM on 7-26-2005
My mum's comp just died and rather than wasting my time trying to get it fixed she has said she will get a new one. Given that I just installed wireless round at hers I will most definately be advising her to purchase on of these.
In response to #10 it's people like my mum who will easily cope with a 32mb graphics chip. She mails surfs and types. Mac will always need to appeal to this end of the market and 64mb graphics will just up the price tag.
Get a powerbook if you want to do some serious computing.
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Gotecki said 10:50AM on 7-26-2005
the ATI 9550 chipset IS a programmable one, it's basically a clocked down ATI 9600 (which is CoreImage compliant) with less VRAM, so it should be compatible with Core Image/Video. I guess the problem with Core Image is not (or not only) about VRAM, but "programmability", the previous ATI 9200 wasn't a programmable chip (didn't support complex shaders etc).
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Michael said 12:18PM on 7-26-2005
Interesting, the middle and high end Mac mini models don't ship with a modem standard now.
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Small Paul said 1:34PM on 7-26-2005
Tiger doesn't *require* 64MB Video RAM per se, but for the full graphic pizzazz, it does. (Then again, it also requires specific supported graphics cards, I believe, so even 64MB Video RAM won't necessarily cut it.)
Now that the iBooks have trimmings like Bluetooth 2.0, scrolling trackpad and the SMS, there's really very little to distinguish them from the PowerBooks apart from Video RAM, and Gigabit Ethernet. Unless either of these are important to you, the lightness and better battery life of the iBooks really should win out: so much better value.
G5 PowerBooks. That's what we're all still waiting for. IBM has announced the chips. Will they hit the PBs before Christmas? Place ye bets.
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John said 1:47PM on 7-26-2005
The new iBooks have support for more RAM than a 12" Powerbook as the 512MB chip is soldered on now rather than the 256MB in the Powerbook. So finally the i line has overtaken the Power line. What a joke.
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Blake said 2:07PM on 7-26-2005
I'm very glad I didn't go through the hassle of returning the Mac mini I bought a couple of weeks ago. I almost did on the 14th day and paid the $50 open box fee because I thought it would be worth it to wait for the new model. Now I put that $50 towards a gig of RAM and I think it'll be just fine.
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Avi Flax said 2:12PM on 7-26-2005
OK, now the PowerBook line really needs an update!
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