Powerbook Ti Discontinued

[Jeffx342]

I'm not sure if this is true, but i herd a rumor that Apple is probably going to Discontinue the Powerbook Ti line. The reason is because its a pain in the ass to manufacture them and not enough people buy them. I hope this is just a RUMOR and NOT TRUE


-somebody reply and tell me if the next editions are coming

 

[Cappy]

It could be true just for the fact that the TiBook has been around now for a few years. Something new is likely due to replace it. I would look at it more as a positive than a negative.

 

[Durandal7]

I think they will stick around for a while longer. If they are getting discontinued they would get replaced with something even slicker so have no worries.

 

[formasfunction]

where did you hear this rumor?

 

[Jeffx342]

If Apple is discontinueing the Powerbook Ti the reason is because its difficult to produce, pain in the ass to squeeze hardware into, and expensive. Why would they replace with something even better? doesn't make any sence
If Apple discontinued the Powerbooks they will just stick with iBook


-cant tell you where I herd this rumor sry

 

[Liamcow]

TWO iBook MODELS!!
it would totally rock if they made 2 iBook models, consumers get the one Apple has now, and the Ti people get a titanium colored (vs. white) one with maybe G4 processor at 1GHz and a 15" screen? i don't know, i hope so

 

[Rajj]

The TiBook is immaculate!!! I wonder how are they going to top current the design?

 

[alex_ant]

As for being difficult to manufacture... Apple doesn't even manufacture the TiBooks itself. And they do make a massive profit off them. $1000+ on the high-end model (at least that's how it was with the rev Bs). If they want to sell more, they should lower the prices, but that's obvious.

My problem with the TiBook is its paint. It chips. I don't understand why Apple couldn't have chosen some kind of scratch & chip-resistant automotive-type paint, or used gray plastic instead of carbon fiber for the frame, or something. If not on the rev As, then on the rev Bs or Cs. This paint-chipping problem has been around forever and it still hasn't been fixed.

Same for the body. Why paint the titanium? Why not just have shiny bare titanium? Anyway, why titanium at all when magnesium is lighter and more rigid? A black anodized magnesium PowerBook, using the same design as the current TiBook, would be awesome.

Alex

 

[Sun Baked]

Troll-O-Meter

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Not even a quality trolling, this troll is a little too thinly spread to even be called a real troll.

This troll came in with a bang at around 9 and had good chance of spreading terror, but when confronted quickly spammed his vomit throughout multiple discussion areas lowering the score.

And sadly when in defense of his rumor, uses Crazy Apple Rumors as a source which quickly tanked the final score.

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This post has been reworked to protect new readers.

 

[mymemory]

I think would be good

The Ti was no competition for the old powerbook line except for the processor and the screen.

The Ti was fragile, the paint was bad and was not the most flexible portable computer Apple has made. It was fast and nice looking but that is not enough, the Ti is not the kind of product that is gonna "last you for ever", it is a product with a very limited usefull life (a year at most) just because it caracteristics.

In my case I just got a second Pismo that even run faster than mine because some modifications. The pismo line was fast, reliable, it is heavy but a few times better and versatile than any of the iBooks, just the fact of not to be able to have a second monitor in the video out and the lack of speed and the price difference say a lot.

I had the chance of getting a Ti but I stil thinking the Ti line is not ready yet, like the pismo was the best of its kind, the Ti is not there yet.

 

[Over Achiever]

Pismos...bah!

The tibook will eventually be discontinued...but I don't think anytime soon. But then again, the "major" updates that people are expected for the tibook in january points toward the discontinuation of the tibook...that might mean a new processor

Even though the ti has its problems, it also has an appeal. The thinness of the ti is unrivaled by comparable PCs (the laptops with a 15" screen) Sure there are thinner laptops, but they all have 12.1" screen. The slot loading drive also give the ti a clean, no-nonsense look, very conservative, yet the thin metal look makes it sexy. The ti is nice right now, and if they discontinue it at paris (I highly doubt it), i'll be sorely disappointed.

My two pesos

 

[Jeffx342]

INFO

PowerBook G4s are becoming scarce leading up to next month's Worldwide Developers Conference. Crazy Apple Rumors Site has learned that Apple will announce that it is discontinuing the PowerBook line completely.

Apple sources close to the manufacture of the PowerBook indicate that the highly successful professional laptop will be discontinued because it is "a pain in the ass to produce."

"Have you looked in one of those things?" CARS' source asked. "There's all kinds of wires and plugs and these sharp looking brass jobbies that I'm not even sure if it's okay to touch."

"It's really fricking complicated."

Indeed, comments made by Apple Senior Vice President for Hardware Engineering Jon Rubinstein over the past few months corroborate the view that Apple has simply become fed up with producing the award-winning PowerBook G4.

When asked about a potential update to the PowerBook during an interview with the press at January's Macworld San Francisco, Rubinstein sighed heavily and rolled his eyes. "Man, I really don't want to open that thing up again. The last time we did, there were six screws and this little thing that looked like a square bottle cap left over when we were finished. We just sat there staring at each other. No one had any idea where they were supposed to go."

Meeting with Apple resellers last month, Rubinstein again voiced complaints about the complex design of the PowerBook.

"You have no idea how hard it was to get the combo drive into that machine," Rubinstein said. "Me and Greg Joswiak had to push on the back while two engineers shoved the drive in from the other side. There was this horrible scraping sound. Hopefully that'll be the last time we have to change the drive for a while."

CARS' source said the PowerBook will not be replaced by a new model. "What, replace one really complicated laptop with another really complicated laptop? Yeah, no thanks."

This change in Apple's product lineup is not expected to affect the consumer-level iBook, which the source said was "more like an Etch-A-Sketch" in terms of complexity.

 

[Sun Baked]

This BS just in from Crazy Plane Site...

Boeing to stop making 747s, fake executive quoted as saying "yeah they're one of our biggest sellers, but have you seen how many parts go into one one those things."

After buying the guy a few more drinks we were able to further learn, "Boeing will be replacing the 747 with paper airplanes."

The peanuts bought us "It take 3-4 months to build a 747, but only minutes to make a paper airplane."

 

[Over Achiever]

You know, you really should post the same thing in two separate threads (although a lot of newbies are doing it recently), especially if you started the same thread in different forums! Post one thread in one forum only so you only have to post info once!

That said, I'm not even going to post on the other thread.

And crazyapplerumors is a just that, a crazy site that gives nothing but rumors.

 

[Gus]

Pismos, Bah!???

Hey man, don't knock the Pismo-it's one helluva a machine, especially now that you can upgrade it to a G4. The first TiBook was a joke if you ask me. Same video card memory as the Pismo, same speeds as the Pismo (albeit in the G4 variety), and no expandability. Let's not even talk about ruggedness. I wanted a TiBook for the longest time, but nothing has come through the pipe that I liked. The last revision was the closest to what I would have expected a year ago. Don't get me wrong, I like the Ti for it's looks and size, but at that price point, I expect something that will just blow the upgraded Pismo away.

Flame away.

Gus

 

[tjwett]

I hope they go back to plastic.

 

[kiwi_the_iwik]

I just hope they make the next-gen. G4 laptop more robust - I'm trying to talk the powers-that-be at work into getting a slew of the late-model variants of the TiBook as portable video edit machines for when we are out in the field shooting stories (and don't harrass me about opting for Avid ExpressDV 3.5 over FCP3 - we use Avid Newscutters at work, and the Workspace files are 100% compatible, unlike Final Cut).

I'm willing to wait and see if the next version still has a widescreen display - an absolute necessity. And, of course, these new babies have to last. A slot-loading SuperDrive wouldn't go amiss, either...

 

[Cappy]

Originally posted by kiwi_the_iwik
I just hope they make the next-gen. G4 laptop more robust - I'm trying to talk the powers-that-be at work into getting a slew of the late-model variants of the TiBook as portable video edit machines for when we are out in the field shooting stories (and don't harrass me about opting for Avid ExpressDV 3.5 over FCP3 - we use Avid Newscutters at work, and the Workspace files are 100% compatible, unlike Final Cut).

I'm willing to wait and see if the next version still has a widescreen display - an absolute necessity. And, of course, these new babies have to last. A slot-loading SuperDrive wouldn't go amiss, either...

I don't see widescreen going away anytime soon. I wouldn't be surprised if the industry adopts this in the future but they'll probably have to standardize on a size first.

 

[e-coli]

Re: I think would be good

Originally posted by mymemory
The Ti was no competition for the old powerbook

the pismo screen was worthless. it was dark and insanely small (resolution). borderline unuseable.

It, too, scratched.

...and i've had mine for over a year. no plans to scrap it for several more.

This seems a little rediculous. of course they're not going to discontinue it. it's the flagship of their portables.

 

[D*I*S_Frontman]

I would love to see them return to black polycarbonate. Maybe titanium or magnesium reinforced on the corners with supports cast right into the poly. Then put in a true 16:9 display for killer presentations. I wouldn't care if it was two feet wide! And I wouldn't WANT it an inch thick, unless it were milled out of solid aluminum, because I want to use it in the bump-scratch-and-drop real world, not the land of "esoteric design utopia" where laptops are never dropped, bumped, twisted, scratched, handed from one person to another, or even touched.

I hear the Japanese don't like TiBooks because they are too wide to comforably use on their subway trains. I say give them 12" iBooks w/processing abilities at TiBook levels. For the travelling film/graphic arts/web design professional, however, give us a big platform, durable, versatile machine again. EXPANSION BAYS! Yes, you can hook up peripherals via FW all you want, but I don't want to bring an octopus to a presentation. I would rather hot-swap whatever I'll need (CDR-DVDR, extra battery, extra HD, etc) ten minutes before the meeting and have an elegant platform to work from.

Take a Pismo and just add about three inches of width to the case and the screen, 1.5" per side–think 17" iMac widescreen display on a laptop. Make room for 2 G4 processors, 2 gig RAM, and true DDR RAM with 133mhz bus speed. Use the extra space to make BIG expansion bays for long battery life, huge auxiliary HDs, SuperDrives, etc. Keep the excellent output options, plus an additional DV out for Apple external displays (not that you'd need one) and perhaps two completely discreet FireWire busses instead of two ports on the same bus. Reinforce the chassis w/titanium or magnesium supports and gel-suspend a g-force resistant internal HD for hard portable usage. Offer a CardBus expansion chassis like the Magma only classier-looking and Apple-branded as a BTO option for use with PCI cards. None of this would be cutting-edge technology--its all here now.

The Apple G4 SuperPismo–now THAT would be worth $4000 in a portable. Imagine the crowd that would gather around it at any CompUSA in the nation with that 17" screen! It would make the biggest Vaio look like a Timex Sinclair!

I say if you're gonna be a bear, be a grizzly... Make a statement... Over the top...

 

[FelixDerKater]

Re: Powerbook Ti Discontinued

Originally posted by Jeffx342
I'm not sure if this is true, but i herd a rumor that Apple is probably going to Discontinue the Powerbook Ti line. The reason is because its a pain in the ass to manufacture them and not enough people buy them. I hope this is just a RUMOR and NOT TRUE


-somebody reply and tell me if the next editions are coming

OK, bro... Put down your crack pipe or whatever is making you think these crazy thoughts... Unless they have come up with some sort of miracle machine, Apple is not going to discontinue the TiBook. I have yet to see anything come close to it in design. When I carry mine around and see PC folk staring in lust at it, I know that Apple has made a good design. I am not saying there aren't still a few minor improvements they could make to the design, but other than that, not much is wrong with the design.

 

[razakaze]

Discontinuing the Ti line does make sence, but why?

Well as you all know, the Macs today are all graphite coloured, except rfom the Ti.

I see an Graphite Ibook elite series,
a standart 14 inch iBook,
and an low end iBook...

The new generation of portable Mac would sport some kind of high powered G3 running at least 1.5Ghz+.

The G3 (750FX) is far more efficient per clocl cycle than the G4, and could/should be tuning for optimal performance!


------------------------------------------
The G3 IS the G4 killer

 

[Newtonboy]

Re: Pismos, Bah!???

Originally posted by Gus
Hey man, don't knock the Pismo-it's one helluva a machine, especially now that you can upgrade it to a G4. The first TiBook was a joke if you ask me. Same video card memory as the Pismo, same speeds as the Pismo (albeit in the G4 variety), and no expandability. Let's not even talk about ruggedness. I wanted a TiBook for the longest time, but nothing has come through the pipe that I liked. The last revision was the closest to what I would have expected a year ago. Don't get me wrong, I like the Ti for it's looks and size, but at that price point, I expect something that will just blow the upgraded Pismo away.

Flame away.

Gus

I'm with you gus. When the Ti Books came out, I saw a chance to get a great Pbook for cheap, so I got a 400MHz Pismo because my ma had good luck with her Lombard. I didn't think the 1st Gen Tis were anything worth bragging about, and I figured the Pismo would do me well. It had the same specs, same innards, just G4's, a larger/wider screen, and no drive bay. Plus The Pismo had an upgradable processor, which the Ti didn't. I had the 500 MHz G4 put in as soon as I heard it was out. I never regreted doing it. I'm so pleased. Granted I'm not a graphics designer or anything like that.

 

[Newtonboy]

Take a Pismo and just add about three inches of width to the case and the screen, 1.5" per side–think 17" iMac widescreen display on a laptop. Make room for 2 G4 processors, 2 gig RAM, and true DDR RAM with 133mhz bus speed. Use the extra space to make BIG expansion bays for long battery life, huge auxiliary HDs, SuperDrives, etc. Keep the excellent output options, plus an additional DV out for Apple external displays (not that you'd need one) and perhaps two completely discreet FireWire busses instead of two ports on the same bus. Reinforce the chassis w/titanium or magnesium supports and gel-suspend a g-force resistant internal HD for hard portable usage. Offer a CardBus expansion chassis like the Magma only classier-looking and Apple-branded as a BTO option for use with PCI cards. None of this would be cutting-edge technology--its all here now.

The Apple G4 SuperPismo–now THAT would be worth $4000 in a portable. Imagine the crowd that would gather around it at any CompUSA in the nation with that 17" screen! It would make the biggest Vaio look like a Timex Sinclair!

Dude, you're crazy, but I LOVE IT! That would be the coolest bloody Laptop known to man. It's actual size might be a bit of a throw back to the 80's with the mac portable, but if anyone could, Apple could pull it off. It might even make me consider getting a new computer.

 

[RadApple]

PowerBooks to Rule the Universe

Whose head can double as a floatation device?

Yes current PowerBooks are going to be dicontinued. They are to be replaced with G4 100MHz and up, 64 MB Video Cards, 167 Bus, and an ultrathin SuperDrive combined with HD quality screen. In fact look for all Macs to be HD resolution soon

There you go... so go you there.