15.4" Powerbooks

[Les Posen]

It seems Compal in Taiwan has been given the contract to make the 17"  
Powerbooks.

But Digitimes reports that Compal will also manufacture 15.4" notebooks  
for Apple too....perhaps in Aluminium too to give the Powerbook lineup  
some homogeneity.

In other Digitimes news, other laptops over on the dark side have also  
given Compal similar contracts. here's the report:

Sources: Acer to launch 15.4” and 17” wide-screen notebooks in 2Q


http://www.digitimes.com/NewsShow/Article1.asp?datePublish=2003/01/ 
14&pages=04&seq=18

<<<<<<David Tzeng, Taipei; Chinmei Sung , DigiTimes.com [Tuesday 14  
January 2003]

Acer will launch two new wide-screen notebook computers in the second  
quarter, tackling the increasingly popular notebook format, sources  
said.

According to sources, by the end of this month the company will decide  
on manufacturers for the 15.4-inch (16:10) and 17-inch (16:10) models  
among its three existing contract manufacturers.

Compal Electronics and Quanta Computer are strong contenders due to  
their experience in wide-screen notebook production and likely to win  
one order each, sources predicted. Wistron is Acer’s other contract  
manufacturer.

Compal is making 15.4- and 17-inch wide-screen notebooks, to be  
launched in February or March, for Dell Computer’s Inspiron performance  
line. Quanta recently landed 17-inch wide-screen notebook orders from  
Apple Computer, sources added.

BenQ and Mitac Technology are the only Taiwanese companies that have  
launched own-brand wide-screen notebooks. Both are equipped with  
15.2-inch screens.

Acer will use TFT LCD panels from fifth-generation (5G) production  
lines, sources added. >>>>>>>


Interesting times ahead

les