Apple announced updated iBooks today, basically beefed up versions of the previous ones. More standard memory, faster processors and video, yada yada. (No, I mentioned the bisque…)
Most of the interweb seems rather surprised that Apple didn’t announce a widescreen model. Frankly, I’m not at all surprised. A widescreen iBook would close the gap between iBooks and Powerbooks enough to cannibalize sales of the later, something the PowerMac line already experiences thanks to uber-fast iMacs. My guess is that many people buy a 15″ Powerbook just for the widescreen. Features like more RAM, a PC card slot, and faster video really don’t make that much of a difference to your average consumer. For Joe Blow, its all about that widescreen, and maybe a little about the Aluminum casing.
In any case, I don’t think we’ll see a major revision to any of Apple’s portables until the x86 transition. Rumor has it that the inability of IBM to produce a G5 for notebooks was a major factor in the Intel switch, and that’s where my money is too.
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