New Portables? [Archive] - MacRumors Forums

swessels

Apr 8, 2002, 11:45 AM

I'd like to see Apple bump the Ti up a couple of notches by including any or all of these:
- higher resolution display. I need more on-screen real estate. The screen doesn't have to get bigger, just denser.
- superdrive
- 1.0 GHz or better
- please, please, please FIX the Airport wireless range for the Ti. I have a first generation 500 MHz Ti with Airport and it gets about 60% the range that my wife's PowerBook Pizmo does on our home network.

AmbitiousLemon

Apr 8, 2002, 11:52 AM

Originally posted by clonenode
There is nothing special about Apple Employees getting $200-300 off a computer. The discounts are typically 25%.

not true.

typical discounts are 30-40%

also apple will not typically sell to employees for certain items. currently no imacs. apple has dumped ibooks and powerbooks on the employees at amazing discounts. this happened before mwt. but these discounts are for apple employees. not just some apple store employee.

rjsweb

Apr 8, 2002, 12:04 PM

swessels,

I'm not 100% sure, because I don't have any personal experience, but I am very sure that Apple has fixed this in the new generation (Jan. combo drive release) of the G4 PowerBook.

My boss has one that is about 3 months old, and the AirPort "windows" are made of a new, totally different material than the first-generation G4.

Can anyone with one of these newer PowerBooks confirm this? We don't have wireless access in our building, so we can't test it out to confirm.

rjsweb

Mr. Anderson

Apr 8, 2002, 12:24 PM

Originally posted by rjsweb
swessels,

I'm not 100% sure, because I don't have any personal experience, but I am very sure that Apple has fixed this in the new generation (Jan. combo drive release) of the G4 PowerBook.

I have a November built TiPB, and I've not had any problem with the range at home or at the office.

swessels

Apr 8, 2002, 12:33 PM

I like hearing that maybe the wireless range problem has been solved. I wonder if there's an upgrade?

I think you have to take care when saying you are not seeing a problem with AirPort range unless you have a benchmark for comparison. If we didn't have the PowerBook Pismo here at home to compare I wouldn't have noticed how much worse the reception is on my Ti.

It could be a problem that's been resolved by Apple. This Ti is one of the first ones manufactured last year (and it's still really a cool box to develop on).

- Steve

mischief

Apr 8, 2002, 12:54 PM

Lets just clear this up:

Apple employees get:

A 15% discount except once a year they get a 25% discount.

All models are available once the channel is full.That is: the Employees are the last in line.

Prices get MUCH BETTER only once a model is in it's last month of production. Once a product is out of production (even by a few days) they get DIRT CHEAP for Apple and Apple retailer employees.

segastyle

Apr 8, 2002, 01:05 PM

i don't think it has been fixed. my brother purchased a 550 combo powerbook within the last month from an apple store and the wireless signal seems to be about half that of my ibook.

johnpaul191

Apr 8, 2002, 01:52 PM

sorry, but you have to remember these are the fine people that brought you the iWalk.

i think spymac has gotten a little better, but still. anyone can guess Apple will be tweaking pretty much everything *soon*. they seem to be working on a 5 month cycle these days. the question is will they upgrade portables in July, or the desktop machine. really there is time for a speedbump or minor revision before MWNYC. remember the jump to 1,000mghz was a very low key upgrade. they just udated the website and let people realize it. more recent rumors say the new desktops won't be till august (odd in itself.... maybe shown at NYC, but not shipping for a few weeks like the G4 imac?). i don't see them releasing a G4 ibook till desktop goes to G5, but then again who knows. the rumored G4 7500 series chip will show up this year and that would free up production of the other G4 chips for the other machines. the G4 does a decent job a running in a laptop (energy draw and heat).

clonenode

Apr 8, 2002, 01:52 PM

Originally posted by AmbitiousLemon

not true.

typical discounts are 30-40%

also apple will not typically sell to employees for certain items. currently no imacs. apple has dumped ibooks and powerbooks on the employees at amazing discounts. this happened before mwt. but these discounts are for apple employees. not just some apple store employee.

Where are you getting your information? I have FIRST-HAND knowledge about Apple Employee discounts. Even Q Promos (Quarterly Promos) don't come close to 40%. The best has been the 50% off they got on the iPod (and that was to just purchase one and only one).

Mr. Anderson

Apr 8, 2002, 02:12 PM

Originally posted by segastyle
i don't think it has been fixed. my brother purchased a 550 combo powerbook within the last month from an apple store and the wireless signal seems to be about half that of my ibook.

Since I don't have a iBook for comparison, I can't verify my results. It was just based on other peoples laptop performance. Maybe it has to do with the airport card inside a metal (Titanium) shell. Although if the antenna is connected in anyway to the case, it ends up becoming an antenna.

Any have an specs on this?

segastyle

Apr 8, 2002, 02:23 PM

my thoughts were along those lines. possibly the titanium shell. possibly the placement of the card? it's on the bottom of the tibook but on top under the keyboard on an ibook.

it's actually a little frustrating for thir household because of the distance between everyone's computers. someone htough of actually trying th link two airports to one another wireless to spread the ocnnection, but i don't know if that can even be done.

Curiousstrngmint

Apr 8, 2002, 02:24 PM

Well, I certainly hope they upgrade the titanium before July, because I'm leaving for college in September and I don't want my powerbook to get here August 31.

Jookbox

Apr 8, 2002, 02:32 PM

Originally posted by dukestreet

Since I don't have a iBook for comparison, I can't verify my results. It was just based on other peoples laptop performance. Maybe it has to do with the airport card inside a metal (Titanium) shell. Although if the antenna is connected in anyway to the case, it ends up becoming an antenna.

Any have an specs on this?

it has everything to do with the titanium shell. this material unfortunately blocks signals, although you would think it would help.

mischief

Apr 8, 2002, 03:44 PM

The Titanium shell has less to do with it than you would think.

The card itself is not the antenna. The antenna is in the framing of the monitor. Those little indentations along the sides are to better expose the antennas. What's more pertinent is the environment and whether or not it's just several machines or several machines with a base station.

The in-machine cards have inherently less range than a base station. The Portables have less power to spare to boost their signal.

In answer to earlier questions: Yes. 802.11b can be "daisy chained" as each tranciever acts as a (limited) switch/router.

To really take advantage of Airport you must take environment into consideration. Anything (like re-enforced concrete) that block or deadens RF will lessen the range. Add to this standard RF interference from local AM radio stations.

Mr. Anderson

Apr 8, 2002, 03:52 PM

Originally posted by mischief
The card itself is not the antenna. The antenna is in the framing of the monitor. Those little indentations along the sides are to better expose the antennas.

I looked for indentations on the monitor, didn't find any. Where exactly are you talking about?

mischief

Apr 8, 2002, 03:56 PM

I was thinking iBook.

The TiBook's dents are at the near edges of the main body along the sides.

You can see them quite clearly in Apple's QTVR.

krossfyter

Apr 8, 2002, 04:09 PM

its spymac. come on.

Mr. Anderson

Apr 8, 2002, 04:17 PM

Originally posted by krossfyter
its spymac. come on.

But even though all things SpyMac should be considered questionable, its still sometimes worthy of speculation.

The indents on the TiPB aren't dents at all, but clear plastic windows. To allow the rf signal to get out. That's where the problem might be. The limited space for the signal to communicate in the TiPB compared to the unobstructed antenna in the iBook.

quanta

Apr 8, 2002, 04:19 PM

If anyone knows anything that's more than just conjecture, that would be great. i'm getting ready to purchase a TiBook and i would hate to have to kick myself when 4 weeks later they announce a better machine at a similar price.

i do know for a fact that the TiBooks are $100 off for student prices, which they weren't a few weeks ago.

Is there a possibility of a Superdrive? i haven't heard that they've succeeded in scaling it down to TiBook size, but back in November, a friend of mine mentioned that they might have slot loads by Jan. That didn't happen, but maybe it will this time?

Let's all keep our fingers crossed, right...

arn

Apr 8, 2002, 04:36 PM

Originally posted by quanta

Is there a possibility of a Superdrive? i haven't heard that they've succeeded in scaling it down to TiBook size, but back in November, a friend of mine mentioned that they might have slot loads by Jan. That didn't happen, but maybe it will this time?

Let's all keep our fingers crossed, right...

At this point, it's all conjecture... but if I were you - I would not hold my breath on Superdrives in the Powerbook G4.

Speed bumps, of course, can happen at anytime - but MWNY seems more likely.

arn

swessels

Apr 8, 2002, 04:40 PM

Originally posted by mischief
The Titanium shell has less to do with it than you would think.

The card itself is not the antenna. The antenna is in the framing of the monitor. Those little indentations along the sides are to better expose the antennas. What's more pertinent is the environment and whether or not it's just several machines or several machines with a base station.
...

Environment is relevant when discussing overall range but not when you put two PowerBooks in the same locations and notice that the older style PowerBook G3 Pizmo can get a clean signal sitting in some chairs in the house from which the PowerBook G4 Titanium cannot.

Further, you are right, the card is not the antenna. Generally. The earlier model, and I think the iBook, put the antenna wire in the "display/lid". The Ti has the antenna in the base (the 2 pieces of plastic you mention).

Still, I can take the Pizmo and sit anywhere in the house and surf. The Titanium is a lot fussier and often cannot connect from certain locations. I've done a lot of experimentation on this as well. I've located the Base Station in numerous places and even odd angles and rotations. And like I was saying in an earlier post, if we didn't have the Pismo around to know better I would have just chalked it up to exaggerated marketing claims for the range of these things.

- Steve

King Cobra

Apr 8, 2002, 04:42 PM

A Superdrive in a Powerbook will not be likely for at least a year. I don't see how Apple plans to squeeze in a whole DVD-Burner application in an internal frame height of less than an inch.

Don't forget: Apple first came out with a Combo drive in the iBook before the same was done for the Powerbook.

And once it does happen, the speeds will be very slow, since it would take a lot of squeezing power and technology to burn DVDs faster, while keeping the frame so small.
________________

In the time it takes to read this message, an Apple computer will already have performed 15 billion float-point operations more than a consumer PC.

AmbitiousLemon

Apr 8, 2002, 05:22 PM

Originally posted by clonenode

Where are you getting your information? I have FIRST-HAND knowledge about Apple Employee discounts. Even Q Promos (Quarterly Promos) don't come close to 40%. The best has been the 50% off they got on the iPod (and that was to just purchase one and only one).

like i said before i only know about actual apple employees, not the apple technicians or apple store employees. im talking about the people who work for apple here in cupertino. apple employees are also only allowed to make a computer purchase of this sort once a year so i have no idea why you mention they could only buy one. i suspect you dont have any information about what apple employees get and that you are making this up or are getting confused with some other discount. and i like ho you claim to have first hand info when clearly you dont even have any experience buying as an employee. if you want to pretend you know what you are talking about go to the spymac forums they guys will believe anything.

krossfyter

Apr 8, 2002, 05:40 PM

Originally posted by dukestreet

But even though all things SpyMac should be considered questionable, its still sometimes worthy of speculation.

true... but its in the bottom of the totem pole for this. its like getting news from an unreliable kid sucking on a lollypop.:D

clonenode

Apr 8, 2002, 08:41 PM

Originally posted by AmbitiousLemon

like i said before i only know about actual apple employees, not the apple technicians or apple store employees. im talking about the people who work for apple here in cupertino. apple employees are also only allowed to make a computer purchase of this sort once a year so i have no idea why you mention they could only buy one. i suspect you dont have any information about what apple employees get and that you are making this up or are getting confused with some other discount. and i like ho you claim to have first hand info when clearly you dont even have any experience buying as an employee. if you want to pretend you know what you are talking about go to the spymac forums they guys will believe anything.

First, my point was that the best discount any Apple employee has gotten recently is the 50% discount on the iPod. They could only buy ONE at that discount. If you stop being so pompous about what you know, you'd see we're saying pretty much the same thing. I have access to Retail Store Employee information, which might be a bit off from your Cupertino info, but not by much.

As has been posted by someone else, employees can buy one Mac system (CPU, display, Airport card and Base Station) at 25% off per year. They can also buy three systems for family and friends at 15% off. Anything other than that is a special case that only you seem to have knowledeg of.

Take is easy now.

madamimadam

Apr 9, 2002, 01:59 AM

All I have to say is "hasn't anyone thought about SpyMac's recent release "rumours" and noticed that they all correspond around MWNY".

OF COURSE there is going to be an update of the laptops around June to September and OF COURSE there is going to be a new PowerMac around the same time (another SpyMac rumour). But, most importantly to this thread, if Apple did not release new PowerBooks at the start of the year, arn't they OBVIOUSLY going to be releasing new ones mid-year, esp. around MacWorld?! The only question is, will they be one ON MacWorld.

If/When Apple brings out the new mother board we have been waiting for it is likely that a) the books will not use a variation of it until next year and b) Jobs would not want to release a cool new PowerBook with smart features at MacWorld so as not to take attention away from the PowerMac.

With that, though, IF Apple has plans for such features as FireWire 2 in the mid-year they would probably want to add it to the PowerBook AT LEAST and, therefore, would wait until after MacWorld to release it.

mcrain

Apr 9, 2002, 02:38 PM

We will probably all get completely worked up as MWNY gets near, and Jobs will walk out on stage and announce that Apple's biggest, world changing announcement is: (drumroll) every computer gets Firewire2!!!

We all know that's coming, and Jobs could easily make that the focus of MWNY.

krossfyter

Apr 9, 2002, 04:12 PM

gooddog

Apr 9, 2002, 10:34 PM

Put two latches (one at each side) on the iBook lids.

This prevents that uneven, tilted, closed lid reported by so many disappointed iBook buyers. A nice Apple ought not look like a cheap cigar box.

Also, mold a very slight "lip" on the front edge of the upper lid ( screen side ) so that the safety air gap between screen and keyboard is not open to view and dirt.

An excellent example of these two features is the Sony DVP-FX 7" LCD portable DVD player.

The "lip" is imperceptible face-on but does the job when the lid is closed.

The two latch hooks are operated by a single, centered button so that it gives the same appearance as the iBook, only with a correct fit and finish.

SO , TO REVIEW :

(1) LIP ON UPPER LID

(2) TWO LATCHES - ONE BUTTON

Thank you,

---gooddog

/

: * ] AAaaRRrrFFff !!!!

\

===================================

gopher

Apr 12, 2002, 08:42 PM

Don't like the airport range on Powerbooks? Lucent Wavelan cards have 500 foot range at 10 Mbps, and 1800 foot range at 2 Mbps. The antenna externally makes life a whole lot better.

Originally posted by swessels
I'd like to see Apple bump the Ti up a couple of notches by including any or all of these:
- higher resolution display. I need more on-screen real estate. The screen doesn't have to get bigger, just denser.
- superdrive
- 1.0 GHz or better
- please, please, please FIX the Airport wireless range for the Ti. I have a first generation 500 MHz Ti with Airport and it gets about 60% the range that my wife's PowerBook Pizmo does on our home network.

Hemingray

Apr 13, 2002, 01:13 AM

Originally posted by mcrain
We will probably all get completely worked up as MWNY gets near, and Jobs will walk out on stage and announce that Apple's biggest, world changing announcement is: (drumroll) every computer gets Firewire2!!!

We all know that's coming, and Jobs could easily make that the focus of MWNY.

If that's the major announcement, I'll be missing work that day just so I can see Jobs get booed off the stage! :D

gooddog

Apr 13, 2002, 06:13 AM

OK, I gotta know,

Is FIREWIRE 2 a software-based upgrade or do I have to get a new machine to use it ?

What will the difference be ?

What happens to FW 1 machines like my brand new FP iMac ?

Thanx,

---gooddog

gopher

Apr 13, 2002, 08:09 AM

Originally posted by Hemingray

If that's the major announcement, I'll be missing work that day just so I can see Jobs get booed off the stage! :D

You might have to get an entirely new machine unless you have a PowerMac or Powerbook as one could easily put Firewire 2 on PCMCIA cards or PCI cards. Just as USB 1.1 ports can't give you USB 2 on USB 2 devices, Firewire 1 ports I doubt will be able to give you the speed of Firewire 2 when Firewire 2 is plugged in. I'd love to be wrong! Sonnet was good enough to make a motherboard replacement for the original iMac Rev A, B, C, D to give them Firewire. Maybe we can write letters to Sonnet to see if they will do the same and give us Firewire 2 on an upgrade card.

swahilibill

Apr 13, 2002, 01:41 PM

I want to see a updated iBook soon though. I run VPC 5 on my 600 ice and it is so damn slow. they need to bump up the processor speed and put in a G4 . The iBook is cool looking, but it is not durable, as everyobdy says it is, this is my second replacement. I would sell for a Dell or something if iTunes and iPod were PC compatable

gopher

Apr 13, 2002, 03:08 PM

I wouldn't run VirtualPC on a G3 with anything less than 512MB of RAM. Also make sure your hard disk image for running the PC is at least 5 GB. Otherwise Windows won't have the swapfile space to work with. That's the major cause for VirtualPC's slowdown. As for needing a PC, well, check http://www.versiontracker.com http://guide.apple.com/ http://www.macdownload.com/ http://hyperarchive.lcs.mit.edu/HyperArchive.html and http://www.allmacintosh.com/ for Mac alternative software titles to PC only software.

SPG

Apr 15, 2002, 04:13 PM

"OK, I gotta know,

Is FIREWIRE 2 a software-based upgrade or do I have to get a new machine to use it ?

What will the difference be ? "

Firewire2 is just a much faster version of firewire. From what I've seen in prototype is that there will be new plugs for Firewire2, and that if you want to get the transfer rates of FW2 you will need at least a new bridge. maybe there will be upgrade cards with the new ports, but I do not know if they will be fast enough to truly take full advantage of FW2.

gooddog

Apr 16, 2002, 03:23 AM

Would new cards be installable in the FP iMac you think ?

I have not seen the giblets in my FP iMac - not live, nor in a web page.

So . I wonder if that could be done. Say, one FW2 and one FW1 for the old stuff.

Anyway, I would much rather see the little video out port replaced by an ADC that will feed the 23" HD LCD --- :)

FW1 is plenty fast already. But those huge displays !!!!!!!!! AAArrrrFFfff !!!

---gooddog

mcrain

Apr 16, 2002, 11:21 AM

Originally posted by gooddog
Anyway, I would much rather see the little video out port replaced by an ADC that will feed the 23" HD LCD --- :)

I don't think that would be possible because the ADC cord provides power to the monitor. Not only would the laptop have to be plugged in, I would guess that the internal stuff needed to convert the electricity to power the monitor would add additional weight, size and heat to the computer.

Obviously, if I'm wrong and its possible, I say put it on the computer. I want all the bells and whistles.