Can we please talk about powerbooks... I'm waiting for one!!!

I'm looking forward to an update too, and I also browse the forums looking, for thoughts and opinions on this.

I really think they'll put in the 7448. I also expect them to change the video card, on the 12-inch, unless they scrap the 12-inch altogether, which I really hope does not happen.

I would like to see them cut the combo drives, and have Superdrive models only, lowering the price to the previous combo drive prices.

Finally, if it isn't too expensive for Apple, I would love to see dual-layer superdrives.

That is all I really want to see. One has to be realistic, but a better processor and dual-layer superdrive, maybe a bit larger hard drive standard, plus a $100-$200 price cut would be sweet in my opinion.

When do I think we'll see it? I fully expected to see it by the end of September a few weeks ago. However, there doesn't seem to be anything telling us that will happen now. There are not any new rumors on the Powerbooks, and they are still 24 hours shipping on Apple.com. Surely, within 60 days we will see new Powerbooks, in my opinion. They need an update because the current ones have been out so long, so the sales have dropped.

Yeah.. if they put in a 7448 I'll probably switch too, and get a rev C or so Macintel powerbook.

generik said:

Yeah.. if they put in a 7448 I'll probably switch too, and get a rev C or so Macintel powerbook.

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Man I would not bother switching just for a 7448. From what I hear it will be a hardly a speed bump and 167 to 200 FSB not that big of a deal... what I would like to see is longer battery, maybe a bit higher screen res and 9700 (128) in the 15 stock and 9700 (64) in the 12" for a rev E anyways... but nothing big will change until the intel PBs (I am guessing here of course) Still these things are pretty sweet... I love mine!!!

I'm not holding my breath

I've been telling a friend to hold off on a 15" powerbook purchase for MWParis but it does seem like all chance of a near-term powerbook update has vanished.

Signs pointing to an update:
Mac World Paris this month
Powerbooks overdue for an update, last update very minor
Several back-to-school specials run recently on ibooks/powerbooks

Signs of no Update soon:
Ship times very low on powerbooks, 24 hours.. 2-3 days for custom configs.
No Steve Jobs at MWParis
No keynote of any kind at MWParis

I'm still hoping we'll see a 1.8 GHz Powerbook G4 or maybe even a G5 powerbook based on the announced low-power G5s. I'd be happy with a Radeon mobility 9800 (sweet chip) though even that's a generation old now. It'd keep costs down though, lower power and still improve performance by a significant amount. Moving to all superdrive is a good idea too, at least on the powerbook. The current 15" costs $300 more for an upgrade to the Superdrive and a 160MHz increase in clock. Thats just freaking silly.
I think Apple can do it. I think they could do it and possibly even lower price (though they wouldn't have to for a G5.. they'd sell like hotcakes).
I just don't think we'll see it very soon.

P.S. I don't think we'll see DDR2 in the next revision of a G4 powerbook.. Maybe a new G5 if the towers update too.
The G4s problem isn't the memory available, it's the front side bus of the cpu. DDR-2 would be faster than the FSB (unless Freescale FINALLY makes some sort of major FSB udate) but it would have a higher latency. Since the G4 is a fairly low latency (short pipeline) processor DDR-2 would almost certainly slow down a G4 system.
Remember, the G4 is still on an SDR front side bus!! The G4 is extremely memory constrained. The DDR-333/400 in the current G4 systems is much faster than the CPU bus.

ffakr

I am also excited to see the new PowerBook G4s come out.
Can't wait to see what Apple puts in them.

Duff-Man says....new PB thread #852....was there something wrong with all of the other ones that required another new one? ....oh yeah!

I need to get 3 of the 12" soon!!!!

But is treu, they still shipping them as normal

Per the news reports, Jobs will be at paris, just not keynoting.

powerbook911 said:

I'm looking forward to an update too, and I also browse the forums looking, for thoughts and opinions on this.

I really think they'll put in the 7448. I also expect them to change the video card, on the 12-inch, unless they scrap the 12-inch altogether, which I really hope does not happen.

I would like to see them cut the combo drives, and have Superdrive models only, lowering the price to the previous combo drive prices.

Finally, if it isn't too expensive for Apple, I would love to see dual-layer superdrives.

That is all I really want to see. One has to be realistic, but a better processor and dual-layer superdrive, maybe a bit larger hard drive standard, plus a $100-$200 price cut would be sweet in my opinion.

When do I think we'll see it? I fully expected to see it by the end of September a few weeks ago. However, there doesn't seem to be anything telling us that will happen now. There are not any new rumors on the Powerbooks, and they are still 24 hours shipping on Apple.com. Surely, within 60 days we will see new Powerbooks, in my opinion. They need an update because the current ones have been out so long, so the sales have dropped.

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Same. With the video cards, they should all have 128MB ones, with 15" and 17" having an option for 256.. (Doubling what happens now). And yeah, not much point to combo drives in pbs...

I think the powerbooks need better battery life. I don't think it makes much sense to have the ibooks with 2 more hours than their top of the line notebook.

WillMak said:

I think the powerbooks need better battery life. I don't think it makes much sense to have the ibooks with 2 more hours than their top of the line notebook.

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I don't know how much it would increase, but if they put the 7448 in them, the battery life should improve somewhat.

Im am excited about this update and hoping maybe (depending on the upgrade) that i could purchase the new parts for my 4 month old PB...but besides that i couldn't ask for a better comp

wrxguy said:

Im am excited about this update and hoping maybe (depending on the upgrade) that i could purchase the new parts for my 4 month old PB...but besides that i couldn't ask for a better comp

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This has not been the case in the past and I don't expect it to be the case now! If CPUs are bumped then you are talking a whole new logic board (~$1000).

Personally I don't expect to see any sort of upgraded wireless (802.11n), graphics chips (new logic board needed for a likely single revision), new RAM type (new logic board again) or realistically much increase in battery life until the first Intel powered PowerBooks, hopefully early next year.

Wait for the 7448 for a couple of weeks... wait for the intel version for a year or so (maybe)... hmmm, in 2 years Steve will come out with something really awesome, and in 3 years...

There will be something better around the corner, you can count on it. While you are waiting I'm having a great time with my new Powerbook

This is getting silly. we are all suffering from major obsessive-compulsive complexes, diseased neuroses, insanity. we are making plans to buy and life is happening. we are frequenting forums, playing sherlock holmes off update clues and waiting.

This is just what the leader ordered --- Apple's got us, our money and our soul. Now, if I can get off the boat before it sinks ...

oh, and powerbook updates next tues.

g0gie said:

the current powerbooks are friggen hot as well. like burn off my peanuts hot

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you obviously never owned many laptops before...


IMO, its probably one of the cooler ones I've had.... then again my past laptops were intel laptops...

wako said:

you obviously never owned many laptops before...


IMO, its probably one of the cooler ones I've had.... then again my past laptops were intel laptops...

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I absolutely LOVE my powerbook (15" AL Rev B), and I've used many PC laptops before this one. It's beats them in everyway, except...

My peanuts are also in danger of burning off!

However, that just became an excuse to buy a pretty iLap

The two things I most would like to see on the Mactel Powerbooks are longer battery life and those shiny screens (I forget what they're called) that you can look at from all angles and the image is not affected like LCDs.

only thing I can say is dont buy one now they are ridicoulously overpriced I hate to do it but compareing them to pc pro laptops and the rest of the mac lineup is a joke the pbooks havent gotten a significant update in like a year.

Define significant: The last update to the imac line was significant.

discoforce said:

I absolutely LOVE my powerbook (15" AL Rev B), and I've used many PC laptops before this one. It's beats them in everyway, except...

My peanuts are also in danger of burning off!

However, that just became an excuse to buy a pretty iLap

Click to expand...

note* im not really putting down your powerbook its just that I love my ibook and I find that it compares favoreably to budget pc's a little more expensive but vastly higher quality.