Filed under: Hardware, Rumors, iBook
Intel iBook mock-up...sweet
A user with some mad Photoshop skillz at Macteens posted a mock-up of a possible design for the expected Intel iBooks (or "MacBooks sans Pro").
It's got a thinner shell and a wide-screen display, and looks exactly like what I think Apple would shoot for with the new models: a familiar, modernized, consumer-friendly design with Apple's trademark stylin' goodness.
Notebook designs are getting sleeker and sexier every day, and the current iBooks, while great machines, are starting to show their age (in more ways than one). A revamp like this would be a great way to revitalize interest in one of Apple's most important product lines.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
CALI said 10:18AM on 1-25-2006
The integrated iSight is missing...
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Matthew said 10:20AM on 1-25-2006
Couldn't agree more: the current iBook would really benefit from a little trimming, some widening and, of course, a fast processor.
I'll take two.
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Brent Todd said 10:25AM on 1-25-2006
I don't know if they will go this route or not. The current line of iBooks was/is designed with elementry school kids in mind. Its made out of a seriously tough plastic that can withstand quiet a bit. When I had to demo the iBook at a University this was something parents loved knowing that their son or daughter would have very little respect for the laptop and if a book got thrown into the bag with the iBook it was going to be ok. As a fun demo I used to punch the back side of an open ibook (to the side of the apple logo) and parents were amazed. I have a hard time believing that Apple would get rid of this selling point.
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David C. said 10:31AM on 1-25-2006
that looks niice! that's one of the things that have turned me off from the current iBook models (not including power) is the "fatness" of their shells. This mock-up however is the way it should be!
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Joshua Ochs said 10:32AM on 1-25-2006
The most reliable rumors (those that accurately predicted MWSF '06) said we should expect iBooks in early Spring with 13.3-inch widescreens. Looking at similar machines from other vendors, it looks like that would be a 1280x800 resolution.
*Drool*
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Jeff said 11:12AM on 1-25-2006
This looks good. Lets just hope Apple gets off its high horse for consumer products and introduces an iBook or whatever its called with higher video resolution than 1024x768. And make it a 14" widescreen. And throw in the built-in iSight. But I'm probably grasping for straws there.
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Matthew said 11:13AM on 1-25-2006
#3: who said anything about doing away with durability?
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Anatoly Papirovsky said 11:24AM on 1-25-2006
First, his skills are apparently not mad... they're not even good. Look at the frame around the LCD. There's no way Apple, or for that matter any other computer manufacturer, would commit such a crime. What's the reason for such big borders? The right bottom part is screwed up and the screenshot doesn't even fit properly.
I remember the "trash-can-looking" console somebody suggested Apple might makenow that was a fine piece of Photoshop and 3D work. Because it actually had some of the Apple's image in it and was thought out quite well
This isn't.
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matt said 11:42AM on 1-25-2006
i dont think the new macbook as it probably will be called will look that thin i can live with my current ibook size its the low prices that sell ibooks not durability. ALSO I HAVE HEARD AN APRIL LAUNCH DATE TO COINCIDE WITH THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY. Would be a good date look back at the old and heres something new!!!!
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yann said 11:46AM on 1-25-2006
same same, but different and in 3D : a mock-up of another kind is visible at http://kub.fr/design/design_mybook.htm
it's a rugged ultraportable, hope you'll enjoy.
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Klar said 11:58AM on 1-25-2006
I just wonder why so many waste time with this sort of conjecture. It looks pretty, but why spend the time making it?
I guess if one has a lot of time on thier hands...
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Sam said 12:00PM on 1-25-2006
I hope the screen is as bright as the MacBook Pro's.
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b. nystedt said 12:10PM on 1-25-2006
The keyboard is too big... it's not standard Apple size. There should be a gap inbetween the sides and the keyboard.
AND IT'S THE MACBOOK for crying out loud! iBook is likely dead.
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Brent Todd said 12:18PM on 1-25-2006
#6 - if you were to make the iBook that thin you would most certainly lose some durability.
#8 - I never said it was THE selling point, only that it is a selling point. And while price may be something for you to consider, others look at other things. The pricing we had on a 14inch iBook was $5 cheaper than a 12inch PowerBook. The powerbook weighed a lot less, was seriously smaller, had a better graphics card and faster processor. But most parents/students bought the iBook, not because the screen was bigger (same resolution), nor cause it saved them a whole $5, but because of the durability issue.
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Andrew said 12:36PM on 1-25-2006
So will this one be called the MacBook Con (for consumer, get it)? Pro, Con, haha! Ok sorry about that.
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Neil said 12:53PM on 1-25-2006
He forgot the iSight.
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William Wilkinson said 6:28PM on 1-25-2006
Hey Everybody, i was the one that made this. I am in the middle of doing a new version of this design, i am making the bezel thinner, changing name to macbook and maybe adding an isight. "I guess if one has a lot of time on thier hands...", it only took me an hour.
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Natrino said 7:07PM on 1-25-2006
First of all, I really like the design.
I highly doubt we'll see a built-in iSight in the iBooks (see below). My prediction is they will try to make this as cheap as possible, more of a laptop equivalent to the Mac Mini. A cheap(er), basic laptop. Think $600-$800. I would expect it to have many of the MacBook Pro's features (scrolling trackpad, drop protection (both of which are in current iBooks), and the magsafe connector). However, I would not expect a built-in iSight, illuminated keyboard, or ExpressCard slot. I expect these to stay MacBook Pro exclusive, as they were with the PowerBooks (as much as I would love an iBook with an illuminated keyboard.)
Also, I would be surprised to see the iBook renamed MacBook. I know it seems like the obvious choice, and may happen, but I just think having 2 products with nearly the exact same name would provide for consumer confusion. I think the Pro in MacBook Pro has a lot to do with marketing and it being perceived as a high-end laptop.
I guess we'll find out soon enough.
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tdungan said 8:07PM on 1-25-2006
Gee Karl (Klar) why spend time blogging, or building guitars with four necks, or playing WoW, or surfing the internet for that matter. The nice thing in this world is that you don't have to understand EVERYTHING in order to appreciate it.
Maybe William was bored the other day. Maybe he wanted to express his desire for something. Interest may die right here and now or it may continue for some time to come. But if you don't have anything constructive to say, why bother saying it at all?
I, for one, wish there were more people like William and Yann and Isamu. A LOT of us enjoy imagining what possibilities the future holds.
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William Wilkinson said 11:00PM on 1-25-2006
Thanks tdungan! :)
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