Apple today announced a variety of updates across their popular line of PowerBook laptops. Key new features include faster G4 chips (1.67GHz), more memory (512MB) as standard, and better connectivity via AirPort 802.11g and Bluetooth 2.0. The new PowerBooks also feature scrolling "TrackPad" technology and Apple"s much hyped Sudden Motion Sensor.
"Apple continues to lead the industry with the most innovative notebooks," said Philip Schiller, Apple"s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. "With new features like the scrolling TrackPad and Sudden Motion Sensor, the new PowerBooks are the ultimate combination of performance and portability."
Read more for the updated specs on the PowerBook; the new PowerBooks will be available for purchase online later this week. Speculation last week was rife that the company would be imminently announcing a G5 version of the PowerBook; the rumours were triggered when a placeholder on the Apple website with the text "apple_g5_powerbook". Clearly, this update dismisses these rumours and suggests that a G5 PowerBook is still a few months off. Apple VP Tim Cook has apparently described the task of getting the G5 chip inside a laptop as "the mother of all thermal challenges". In other Apple news, Apple was nominated "top brand" of 2004, bumping previous winner Google off the top spot.