LA Computer Company: Specials on AppleCare, iMac's, Apple Batteries and Apple A/C Adapters. Also Great prices on Used Apple Computers. Call 1-800-941-7654 Click Here.
OWC: NewerTech NuPower Batteries for iBook and PowerBooks Designed+Built in USA to run longer, LAST LONGER TOO! Free Battery Recycling Return Label; Quality High-Capacity from $99.95
One piece of big news last week was the Motorola PowerPC
7410, a low power version of the G4 processor. Most sites got
pretty excited about the initially announced 550 MHz speed,
then dumped all over Motorola for removing all mention of it from
their press release the next day.
But as far as Apple and groundless rumors are concerned,
the key concept is lower power consumption. It's exactly what Apple
needs to catapult the current G3-based PowerBook to the next level,
at least as far as CPU hype is concerned.
The code name for the next PowerBook, according to the major
rumor sites, is Mercury, coincidentally the name of the U.S.
space program that launched one astronaut at a time into orbit.
Maybe Apple expects a G4-based PowerBook to put them in orbit.
After Mercury came Gemini, which propelled two astronauts
into space with each launch. Surprise - Gemini is Apple's code name
for a multiple processor PowerBook set to debut early next
spring.
According to our sources, John Doe 6 and John Doe 42, while
Mercury will be a very sleek design borrowing from PowerBook and
iBooks, Gemini will be an entirely new design that provides
excellent heat dissipation and incredible battery life.
One reason Apple has avoided launching a G4 PowerBook is heat.
It's not just bad from a marketing standpoint, but from a legal one
as well. "Your Honor, how was my client to know the PowerBook G4
would blister his legs?"
The Gemini PowerBook addresses this in two ways. First, it moves
the CPU and the entire logic board from the bottom of the computer
to the lid. That's right, the motherboard will be behind the
display, keeping the processors off the user's lap.
The other innovation is surface maximization. The Gemini's top
looks a lot like corrugated cardboard, although it is made
of black metal to act as a heat sink for the laptop's CPUs.
(We're just waiting for the jokes comparing Gemini to George
Foreman's grilling machine!)
The lid will contain almost the entire computer: 1280 x 1024 pixel
screen, motherboard, memory (two sockets!), AirPort, and up to
four processors.
Sounds top-heavy, doesn't it? Rest assured, Apple has
addressed that as well.
The base will hold the keyboard, trackpad, hard drive, and
DVD-ROM drive, plus an absolutely huge battery that not only
counterbalances all the equipment in the lid, but will provide up
ten to twelve hours of field operation.
Weight? Don't ask. This will not be the thin-and-light portable
many have longed for!
Not only will Apple have a stunning laptop with an equally
stunning price tag, but users will also be able to make grilled
cheese sandwiches in the field.
- Anne Onymus
Recent Rumor Mills
New Apple drive supports Blu-ray and HD DVD, 09.11.
Tired of being second-guessed and sometimes outmaneuvered by Microsoft, Apple has embraced both next gen DVD formats with its new SuperDrive Extreme.
California: Beyond 'no light bulbs for you', 02.01.
A Calfiornia assemblyman wants to make incandescent light bulbs illegal - but that's just the beginning. His next target: CRT monitors and TVs.
Sudden impact: Apple's great Asteroid hoax, 06.09.
Truth of the matter is, the Asteroid Project didn't exist to produce a viable product, but as a way to shut down rumor sites.
Mac of the Day: PowerBook 190cs, Aug. 1995 - The last 680x0-based PowerBook could take a PowerPC upgrade.
List of the Day: Apple TV List The Apple TV List is a forum to discuss the Apple TV.
August 28 in LEM history: 95: PowerBook Duo 2300 - 00: Gaming on older Power Macs - 01: AppleShare on Linux - From Beebs and Acorns to Macs - 02: Sleep of Death, - Think smarter? - It's the software, stupid - 06: PowerBook 5300 reminiscence - You might be a Mac fanatic if... - Hiding complexity behind elegant simplicity
Recent Content on Low End Mac
10 Mac Browsers Compared, Simon Royal, Mac Spectrum, 08.28.
A look at Internet Explorer, Radon, Opera, Safari, Shiira, iCab, Firefox, Netscape Navigator, Flock, and Camino running in Leopard.
Clone and Boot: Another Advantage of the Mac OS, Kev Kitchens, Kitchens Sync, 08.28.
Unlike Windows, Apple makes it possible to clone a bootable drive (Classic Mac OS or OS X) and use it with another supported Mac.
Best MacBook Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.28.
Used 1.83 GHz, $799; 2.0 black, $875; refurb 2.1 GHz, $899; 2.4, $1,099; black, $1,299; new 2.1, $1,019 after rebate; 22, $1,094; 2.4, $1,219 a/r; black, $1,394 a/r.
Best iMac G5 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.28.
Used 17" 1.6 GHz Combo, $499; 1.8 SuperDrive, $530; 2.0, $600; 1.9 iSight, $625; 20" 1.8 GHz, $580; 2.0, $650; 2.1 iSight, $700.
Best classic Mac OS Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.28.
System 6, $10; 7.1, $12; 7.5.1, $4; Mac OS 7.6, $13; 8.0, $13; 8.1, $48; 8.5, $25; 8.6, $20; 9.0, $20; 9.2.2, $20; more.
CrossOver Strikes Out, Frank Fox, Stop the Noiz, 08.27.
Running Windows apps on a Mac without paying for Windows is great in theory, but actually getting Windows software working is another story.
MacDrought: 4 Months with No New Macs, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 08.27.
The most recent Mac update was over four months ago, and the Mac mini has been unchanged for over a year.
Best Intel iMac Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.27.
Used 17" 1.83 GHz, $625; 20", $599; 2.16, $749; 24", $950; refurb 20" 2.4, $999; 2.66, $1,299; 24" 2.4, $1,299; 2.8, $1,549; new 3.06, $2,094 after rebate; more.
Best 15" PowerBook G4 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.27.
Used 1.25 GHz Combo, $600; SuperDrive, $650; 1.33 Combo, $640; 1.5, $680; SD, $725; 1.67, $730; hi-res, $800.
Best Time Capsule and AirPort Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.27.
500 GB Time Capsule, $294; 1 TB, $468; AirPort Extreme Card, $39; 802.11n Base Station, $166; 802.11g AirPort Express, $60; 802.11n, $98.
Purposeful Reincarnation for Old Macs, Phil Herlihy, The Usefulness Equation, 08.26.
The key is to avoid spending more on upgrades than the final use of the machine can justify.
Best Power Mac G5 Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.26.
Used 1.6 GHz single SuperDrive, C$499; 1.8, $569; dual, $675, 2.0, $800; 2.3, C$899; 2.5, C$1,199; 2.7, $1,225; 2.5 Quad, $1,500.
Best 17" MacBook Pro Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.26.
Used 2.16 GHz Core Duo, $1,330; 2.33 C2D, $1,689; refurb, 2.4, $1,899; new, $2,099; 2.5, $2,558 after rebate; 2.6 Santa Rosa, $2,399 a/r; more.
Best iPod shuffle Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 08.26.
Refurb 3G 1 GB, $39; new 3G, $45; refurb 2 GB, $59; new, $68.
Our advertising is handled by BackBeat Media. For detailed
price quotes and advertising information, please
contactat BackBeat Media (646-546-5194). This number
is for advertising only.
LINK POLICY: This site allows and
encourages links to any public page, so long as the linked page
does not appear within a frame that prevents bookmarking the linked
page.
Low End Mac is an independent publication and has
not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple
Computer, Inc. Apple and the Apple Logo are trademarks of Apple
Computer, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their
respective holders. If you still think this is serious business,
read About The Rumor Mill.
