Just got a sweet deal on a 15.2" AlBook!

[illumin8]

I am so excited to finally be a switcher... My shiny new 15.2" AlBook is on order. I ordered it from Us1Camera.com, and I think I got a pretty good deal on it. It is factory stock, the 1.25 w/ SuperDrive model and I got it for $2399.99 plus $49.99 shipping. (No Tax)

I wish it came with Panther pre-loaded, but it looks like I'll have to do the $19.95 up-to-date deal. Oh well.

If anyone else wants to order from them, it looks like they have some of the best deals on both the 15" and 17" PowerBooks. The 17" is only $2649.99, which is just a little bit outside of my price range.

[illumin8]

I've been looking for a small sleeve type case to buy for my PowerBook when it arrives. The ones I'm considering so far are the Acme Bag (http://www.acmemade.com/bags.html) or the Incase Sleeve (http://www.goincase.com/DetailLaptopSleeveNylon.php).

Which one of these two cases is better? It's hard to tell without seeing them in the flesh. I want a really small case that is just big enough to hold my PowerBook plus a mouse and the AC adapter. Also, I really like some of the colors and patterns you can choose from on the Acme Bag. I'm just curious if you think having a colored bag would draw more or less unwanted attention (from thieves, I mean). I know having a black laptop case pretty much screams "steal me", but what about having an orange one? Any thoughts?

Also, if there are any other bags I should consider, please let me know.

[alset]

I can't say for certain on cases, but I love the Incase for my iBook and would recommend looking into them.

Congrats on your new Mac!

Dan

[m4rc]

I have the incase sleeve for my 15.2" PB, and it is great. I sometimes use it as is, but more often it goes inside my much m uch larger Timberland laptop case, which takes my filofax - I know I don't need one with the PB just havent quite got used to all the Apps that I can use instead! - note pads, catalogues, lunch etc.

Cant comment on other bags, didnt bother looking at anything else.

Marc

[mattroberts]

take a look over at kensington, they have some neat back packs.

I'm still looking for one myself :-)

cheers
matt

[mango]

Howdy,

I have a decent backpack, but would like to get a protective covering to stick in my backpack (I have a Targus with a laptop area and strap). Anyone know of any hard padded cases ? I would like to be able to stick my powerbook in this and then stick it into my backpack.

Thanks,
- Matty

[illumin8]

Originally posted by mango
I have a decent backpack, but would like to get a protective covering to stick in my backpack (I have a Targus with a laptop area and strap). Anyone know of any hard padded cases ? I would like to be able to stick my powerbook in this and then stick it into my backpack.
Those two cases that I mentioned in the second post on this thread are both like that. They are designed to be slip cases that you put your PowerBook in which can be used on their own, or placed inside a larger notebook case like the Brenthaven or any other larger case. I'm still torn between the Incase (average looks, great price at only $50) or the very stylish Acme bags. The Acme bags come in some really funky patterns but the designer patterns all cost $150 (!?!) which is a little too much for just a slip case. Anyone have an Acme bag that can tell me if it's worth it?

[illumin8]

Well, I called them today to find out why my order hadn't shipped yet... Turns out they're out of stock... :mad: It seems they forgot to mention that to me when I placed the order. Everywhere seems to be out of stock on the 15" PowerBooks w/ Superdrive right now. Anyone know where to get one (besides the Apple Store)?

[jadariv]

Yeah, you want to watch out with these guys, i've heard bad things about them.

Good rule of thumb. You will never find new apple products for a lower price (other than the $5 less you see at MacMall) than you will get from apple. You just get freebies like ram and printers.

[jsd]

I think it's really unlikely that this is legitimate. You're price is $200 below resale, isn't it? Plus, I knew someone who ordered a Sony camcorder from them and they charged his credit card but never bothered to ship it. The only way I can think of that they can honestly sell at this price would be to take a block of orders and then order a block of computers from apple. Like an eBay presale. Otherwise, they couldn't possibly make a profit. So you might want to dig some more about the store. Look for user reviews on shopping sites like DealTime. You could be waiting a long, long time.

[jsd]

BizRate had some info:

This store is being re-rated.

"Stores can be re-rated for a variety of reasons, including:

Detection of a significant amount of unusual survey activity that makes us believe that the prior ratings were unreliable.

Significant changes to a store's site or operations.

Once enough valid reviews have been gathered, a new rating will be calculated and displayed for this store."

The one review I found said they would not shop there again. The store is not customer certified.

[jaykk]

I looked at this deal, and didnt trust these guys. The best deal so far I found is at Amazon.com, they have $100 mail-in rebates, no tax in most state, free shipping.

[illumin8]

Originally posted by jsd
BizRate had some info:

This store is being re-rated.

"Stores can be re-rated for a variety of reasons, including:

Detection of a significant amount of unusual survey activity that makes us believe that the prior ratings were unreliable.

Significant changes to a store's site or operations.

Once enough valid reviews have been gathered, a new rating will be calculated and displayed for this store."

The one review I found said they would not shop there again. The store is not customer certified.
I actually checked resellerratings.com on these guys and they had stellar ratings on there. It's possible that they stuff the ballot box though. I guess any online reseller could artificially pump up their ratings, but there were only a couple of negative ones and they had like an 8.86 out of 10 overall. Also, pricegrabber.com gave them 4.5 out of 5 stars on their reviews (done by people that use the site).

It's hard to know whether or not they are ethical...

[illumin8]

I checked around on Pricegrabber.com (this really is a great way to find good deals on equipment) and called a couple of places before I found one that had a 15" with Superdrive in stock. It turns out most places are back-ordered right now and even the Apple store says 10-15 business days on ship date.

I just ordered one this afternoon from PCVideoOnline.com who assured me they have it in stock and can ship overnight (woohoo! instant gratification) for $2449.00. Not quite as good as $2399.99 but I'm not complaining. I checked my bank website and I see a credit card authorization from them already, and if all is well I should get the system by tomorrow morning. I'll let everyone know if it arrives or not.

God, I feel like I'm playing russian roulette with the online resellers. It's just that I'm not going to pay retail, retail is for suckers, and I'm not going to pay sales tax on a purchase that large. If I were to purchase from the Apple store I would be waiting 3 weeks for it and end up paying close to $3000 after tax.

I know Apple has some type of agreement where resellers aren't allowed to advertise anything lower than $5 off of list price. Somehow a few resellers are getting around that; maybe if they don't advertise it and just allow search engines (like Pricegrabber) to crawl their site it slips by the Apple legal folks... I dunno.

Anyways, I am off to bed to hopefully wake up tomorrow morning to a brand new Powerbook. Wish me luck!

[jsd]

The way I look at ratings is I'll usually trust them if there are enough that I can believe there's no way the reseller had the patience to sit down and write their own reviews. But it's always a gamble. Some perfectly good resellers have only been around a short while.

Anyway, I really like my 15" Superdrive AlBook. It's a beautiful machine. And I don't know how I lived without Panther. Exposé is really useful, especially if you put it in corner mode. (Especially with a Wacom tablet. Using the trackpad I sometimes accidentally trigger it, so then the corner mode isn't so great).

[illumin8]

Yes, I just got it! I just finished registering with Apple and running Software Update. I'm typing this message from Safari right now. If anyone needs a system I would highly recommend ordering from PC Video Online. They have the G4 w/ Superdrive in stock right now for only $2,449.00.

Anyway, my first impressions are pretty good. I can't see any dead pixels, and no white spots on the screen (yet).

There are a couple of minor annoyances:

I have the latch problem where it doesn't close all the way. I think I can fix this on my own.
The fan is really loud. During the 10.2.8 update it kicked on a couple of times and it sounds different than most fans. It sounds a little "rumbly" like a small engine or something.
When connecting to an SSL site I get the high-pitched hum while data is transmitting back and forth. Not a big deal, but I remember other people mentioning this.


By the way, I have to say that this system is fast! Safari is the fastest browser I've ever used period; even faster than IE 6.

[jsd]

The fan in this 'book "purrs". It's kind of strange.

For your latch problem, the solution is just to close the lid confidently. If you swing the lid shut fairly quickly, the latch will work more reliably than if you close the lid slowly and gently. I heard from somebody that the proper technique is demonstrated by Eddie Murphy in "Daddy Day Care".

Mine makes squeaking and chirping noises when it's working too, but then so do iMacs. Probably all computers do, but you don't notice because of the loud fans, the extra plastic/metal and the fact that they're under your desk.

[jevel]

Hi!

I´ve had my 15.2 Albook for a couple of weeks now, and I have the same "purring" fan. It kicks in only when I use it for CPU/GPU intensive tasks, but even when gaming it manages to get through the sounds from the game(!) (Using headphones.)

I paid $3500,- for this computer, and it´s very annoying to be stuck with an even noisier machine than my old IBM T22! :( Anyone contacted apple on this?

-KJ

[jsd]

I don't think the purring fan is a defect. It's part of the design. When MacAddict took apart a 17" PowerBook recently, you could see from the photograph that the fan was not a normal rotating blade fan, but rather a paddle fan, to fit in the inch-thick housing. I imagine it just makes that kind of noise. I can't hear the fan or the processors working if there are people in the room with me talking, and my headphones get rid of the noise even without playing sounds. The other day I was using a cheap pair of Sony Headphones that I had bought at Best Buy (rather than my usual Bose pair, which I was too lazy to get out of my bag) and they don't envelope your ear completely. They actually were amplifying the noise coming from the computer. It was louder and more noticeable than when I wasn't wearing them!

I had been using a brand new ThinkPad last year, btw, and I don't remember ever hearing it make noise...but I hated it anyway. It was huge and clunky for only having a 14" monitor and although it had a lot of resolution, the viewing angle wasn't that good. The wireless card was finicky, it was running Windows 2000, and worst of all it had that stupid little red-ball-joystick thing in the middle of the keyboard. I think that was the main reason I couldn't stand it. Sometimes a mouse just isn't convenient, and they expect you to use that thing?! My Roommate's new HP is better because it has a trackpad, but the damn thing is only a few decibels short of a vacuum cleaner when it's in sleep mode because its fans never turn off. He of course just shuts the lid and goes to bed, and it actually keeps me awake sometimes. It's louder than our air conditioner for Pete's sake! Sometimes I just can't stand it and I go over and put it into hibernation mode just for some peace and quiet but then he gets mad at me. Too bad I can't wear my headphones to bed.

[Powerbook G5]

In the three months I've had my 15" Aluminum PowerBook I have yet to hear my fan. It just never goes on, so I can't speak for its noise level. My latch seems just fine, but I do close it pretty "confidently". The only real "defect" or whatever it could be that I can speak of is that light high pitched chirp when I log into secure sites, but that is barely audible.

[jevel]

@ jsd:

If the fan is meant to be like this, mine goes right back! You can´t be serious! It sounds like a little lawnmower in there! :(

As for the IBM TrackPoint, it´s far, far better than these touchpads if you get used to it. More precise and far better for the hand.

@ Powerbook G5:

Have you tried games on it? Mine only comes on when I´m doing 3D modelling or gaming. (Even though MP3 encoding makes it hot, it won´t start the fan. Dunno why.)

-KJ

[Powerbook G5]

I've tried everything on my PowerBook. I've encoded over a gig of mp3s to AAC, I've burnt CDs, I have played probably a dozen games for more than a few hours, I've converted a couple of Quicktime movies, and I've done some light rendering stuff in Photoshop, but nothing has brought the fan on to date. It does get warm sometimes, but not that hot. I use a Coolpad traveler edition laptop stand, so I don't know if that makes the difference or not.

[latergator116]

I wrapped my iBook in a fleece blanket and put on a DVD. That sure put the fan on!!:p

[jsd]

Hmmm... Well, maybe your fan is loose. Mine purrs, but it's definitely not very loud. Certainly nowhere near a lawnmower! (The HP I was talking about isn't really vacuum-cleaner status, either, if we're trying to bring down the hyperbole. It's more like a hair dryer.)

I suppose the trackpoint is something you could get used to, like my beloved Wacom tablet... But you must use it all of the time for that to happen, and I like to use my Wacom tablet for most tasks. The trackpad is for when I want to lazily mouse around with one hand. I always needed two hands for the trackpoint. And I'm often standing up, cradling my computer in my left arm; on other occasions I am watching a DVD in bed, and it's cold, so I want to keep my left arm under the covers. Thus, when I have occasion to use the trackpad, two hands aren't usually convenient. As a result, I never got used to the trackpoint; I always either far overshot my target or used so little deflection that I had to wait for a long time for my cursor to get where it needed to go. My friends never got used to it either, apparently; I've vocalized my annoyance with the device before, and you're the first person I've met who actually liked that thing.

Ah well, to each his own.

[jevel]

Originally posted by jsd
Hmmm... Well, maybe your fan is loose. Mine purrs, but it's definitely not very loud. Certainly nowhere near a lawnmower!

OK, so I was exaggerating a bit ;) But it has a very distinctive sound. If I manage to dig up my mic, I´ll record it and post here...

Originally posted by jsd
Ah well, to each his own.

Amen to that! ;)

My gripes with the trackpoint came from using the wrong positioning with my hand. Now I use my right hand, with the thumb on the mousebuttons, and the base of the thumb on the blue "scroller" button. In that way there´s no need fo moving the hand at all. All I do is apply pressure.

This trackpad on the other hand.... :D

No need to go on and on and on here, as you´ve already given the argument to end it all... :)

-KJ

[jsd]

Ah well, I hardly ever use the trackpad anyway. I love my Wacom tablet, though. I can't live without it anymore. It's about the same size as the computer, so I found that I can stuff it into my incase sleeve, although that makes the bag bulge comically. At least the tablet makes corner mode in Exposé practical and convenient; any other device and it goes off unexpectedly.

Anyways, I have to stop procrastinating on the forums... I've got 52 hours of work left on this project and a deadline only a week away.

Happy New Year!

[Funkatation]

I'm going to be buying this sleeve (http://www.willowdesign.com/SLV-22.html) from willow design for my iBook, decently priced, and the quality from that company is top notch (had a different bag from them for another computer)

[rt_brained]

Incase Sleeve - Inexpensive, thin, black, low-key.
Acme Case - Pricey, chick handles, funky patterns scream, "I LOVE LIZA MINELLI"

[jevel]

Originally posted by jsd
I don't think the purring fan is a defect. It's part of the design. When MacAddict took apart a 17" PowerBook recently, you could see from the photograph that the fan was not a normal rotating blade fan, but rather a paddle fan, to fit in the inch-thick housing.

OK, so I´ve been searching like crazy for that article, but can´t find squat. Can you link us to it?

-KJ