School Deal points to iBook Updates?

[steeldrivingjon]

There have been plenty of hot rumors that turned out to be false as well.

Like G5 PowerBooks and 3GHz PowerMacs.

The fact that lots of people loudly say that they want something does not mean it's going to happen.

The thing is, the talk about Intel laptops from Apple is in large part supported by the well-known fact that Intel is introducing their new dual-core laptop chip a few days before MacWorld.

The G5 PowerBooks and 3GHz PowerMacs rumors lacked this kind of a real-world, third-party basis. The rumors were primarily based on need and hope. The main problem there was the actual lack of the CPUs and the difficulty of getting information about what IBM was shipping; these problems definitely don't exist with Intel, which has many customers other than Apple so Apple doesn't control the flow of information about the CPUs.

It would be very surprising if Apple didn't announce a laptop.

I even think there's a good chance that, not only will a laptop be announced, but it'll be announced onstage with Intel at CES *this* week.

Given the prominence of the Intel/Apple link-up, I think it would be odd for Intel's big intro to lack something from Apple, and I think it would be unlikely that Apple would sit, while all kinds of PC vendors announce Yonah products, and not say anything until next week.

(Though perhaps Jobs would show up at CES to talk about an Intel Mini, rather than a laptop, given Intel's interest in pushing media convergence.)

 

[WindowsSUCKSX5]

The thing is, the talk about Intel laptops from Apple is in large part supported by the well-known fact that Intel is introducing their new dual-core laptop chip a few days before MacWorld.

The G5 PowerBooks and 3GHz PowerMacs rumors lacked this kind of a real-world, third-party basis. The rumors were primarily based on need and hope. The main problem there was the actual lack of the CPUs and the difficulty of getting information about what IBM was shipping; these problems definitely don't exist with Intel, which has many customers other than Apple so Apple doesn't control the flow of information about the CPUs.

It would be very surprising if Apple didn't announce a laptop.

I even think there's a good chance that, not only will a laptop be announced, but it'll be announced onstage with Intel at CES *this* week.

Given the prominence of the Intel/Apple link-up, I think it would be odd for Intel's big intro to lack something from Apple, and I think it would be unlikely that Apple would sit, while all kinds of PC vendors announce Yonah products, and not say anything until next week.

(Though perhaps Jobs would show up at CES to talk about an Intel Mini, rather than a laptop, given Intel's interest in pushing media convergence.)

I agree with most of what you say, but you are forgetting one thing about apple and Mac in general. Jobs is gonna want to make a big deal at mac world. He will announce the Laptops and other computers at a mac event or an event that somehow is about mac. Jobs is too smart to announce a new computer at an event where apple would be in intels shadow. Apple is out for apple not intel. If intel is part of the road to success then great, but intel will help apple. Apple will not look to gelp intel. The computers that come out at Macworld will be an intel mac mini and ibook. Powerbooks are unlikely, but possible. I expect those in the 2nd quarter.