Apple Releases PowerBooks and iBooks

[MacRumors]

Apple released new PowerBook (Press Release (http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040419/sfm095_1.html)) and iBooks (press release (http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040419/sfm094_1.html)) today as was widely rumored (http://www.macrumors.com/pages/2004/04/20040419003915.shtml).

The new models come in the following configurations (See Apple Store (http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=9eASk0x48lo&subid=1&offerid=13301.1&type=10&tmpid=80&RD_PARM1=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.apple.com%2Feducation%2Fk12%2Filifeandkeynote%2F&u1=macrumors)):

12.1" iBook G4 @ 1.0GHz, 256MB RAM, Combo Drive. $1099
14.1" iBook G4 @ 1.0GHz, 256MB RAM, Combo Drive. $1299
14.1" iBook G4 @ 1.2GHz, 256MB RAM, Combo Drive. $1499

12.1" PowerBook G4 @ 1.33GHz, 256MB RAM, Combo drive. $1599
12.1" PowerBook G4 @ 1.33GHz, 256MB RAM, SuperDrive. $1799
15.2" PowerBook G4 @ 1.33GHz, 256MB RAM, Combo Drive. $1999
15.2" PowerBook G4 @ 1.5GHz, 512MB RAM, SuperDrive. $2499
17" PowerBook G4 @ 1.5GHz, 512MB RAM, SuperDrive. $2799
Price comparisons will be available on http://macrumors.pricegrabber.com (http://macrumors.pricegrabber.com)

Notes: All PowerBooks come with Airport Extreme PreInstalled. The 1.5GHz PowerBooks can be upgraded to 128MB graphics memory in the built in ATI Mobility Radeon 9700.

According to whispers, this should be the last G4 PowerBook revision.

[Trimix]

great news - go apple go

[the_mole1314]

1.5ghz, very nice.

[~Shard~]

Yep, here they are, pretty much as expected! Hopefully more hardware updates are in store soon... <fingers crossed>

[CyberB0b]

These PBs have been out for a few hours now, way too long. I'm gonna wait for the next updates, they've gotta be just a few weeks away. :)

[MightyB]

You can also upgrade an iBook now with a superdrive!!!

[srobert]

I'd like to have your opinion on the 12 incher (Powerbook) graphic card.

Thanks

[slooksterPSV]

THEY'RE HERE, YAY, now I can get an iBook OMG I'm so happy

[Diatribe]

Geeez you guys are fast... all in all kinda dissapointing.

[Dippo]

Still the 12" ibooks and powerbooks are crippled!!

[MattG]

Nice...probably not worth upgrading my 1.25ghz Al over, but nice nonetheless. 4x Superdrive would sure be nice, though.

[Trimix]

These PBs have been out for a few hours now, way too long. I'm gonna wait for the next updates, they've gotta be just a few weeks away. :)

ROFL -

I sincerely hope that all of us who have been bi....ng about this and that now whip our collective credit cards and turn this update into a sales success for our most favored company.

[uv23]

Wow are those specs/prices ever nice. I paid $2400CDN for a 1 GHz 12" w/ 40 gig HD, 32mb video, and no AE in November 03. Now for $2100CDN you get 1.33GHz, a 64mb video card, 60 gig HD, and AE built in. Those are *huge* price drops. Nice work, apple.

[.pixr]

I finally can order my NEW 15" PB now, i had a appointment to buy a second hand 15" 1,25Ghz tomorrow..... yeah i cancelled it :D

[Nny]

now where are those iMacs and Powermacs?

[Spagolli94]

Nice to see a speed bump, but hardly worth an upgrade. All in all, a pretty minor update, which was expected. Doubt anyone is going to be lining up, clamoring for the new laptops. What was the previous top speed? 1.33? 1.42? Of course the super drive is nice...

[Trekkie]

Hmm. I'm going to look really hard at the 15" 1.5GHz. I think that's my next machine to replace the wife's iMac.

[Dippo]

I guess this means no Powerbook G5 today? :(

[cubist]

Very impressive updates. The whole Apple line is now at or above 1GHz. A 1.5GHz G4 ought to be a pretty fast machine. The new graphics card is good news too. (edit) also note the iBook gets a Mob Radeon 9200.

[MattG]

You can also upgrade an iBook now with a superdrive!!!Yes, but only on the 14" model it seems.

[slooksterPSV]

now where are those iMacs and Powermacs?
I bet they'll be coming along in a week or two. Wow with other PC's its boring its like... ok Pentium is @ 4 GHz (not yet but an example)... hmm... pc is gonna cost alot.., but I feel with Apple its like - Wait are they going to upgrade, are they, yes they are yes I'm getting that ALRIGHT!!! :D because apple is the only seller of apple products mainly.

[tristan]

A monday morning update! Wow! And AppleInsider called it! I'm amazed.

I'm also pretty impressed at how Apple manages to coordinate EIGHT different product releases on the same day. I personally think their notebook product line is too wide, but I guess more choices is good for me and my fellow consumers.

[CmdrLaForge]

You can also upgrade an iBook now with a superdrive!!!

:D Yes - thats really great !!!

Good Job Apple ! Very good updated overall (except some stuff like the graphics card in the 12" Powerbook)

Well done !

[Brandon Sharitt]

I wish they didn't do away with the $999 iBook. At least they got everything above that symbolic 1GHz mark.

[Windowlicker]

the updates are ok, but i have to complain about the ram. as i said before, i was hoping them to put there 512mb. i can live with 256 though and upgrading is luckily possible - yet a bit expensive.

...i didn't pay attention to the fact that all pbs have now min 64mb display cards! that's cool because it was the other thing i was asking for :)) jolly good.

[AirUncleP]

I wonder how Apple will tell the world about these new laptops?

TV ads.....Not.
Radio ads.....Not.
Print ads.....some.

Word of mouth from Mac users......of course.

[eSnow]

I don't know about you, but this update does absolutely nothing to me. It is neither good nor bad. It is solid, but quite lackluster. The very high end is better with 1.5Ghz for the 15", and the 9700 is quite impressive.
On the other hand, this is squarely a hold-over to milk the line. No better display-resolution, no new features.

Whoever needs to buy now should be happy. As for me - Powerbook G5 in September, here I come.

[wrldwzrd89]

Alright! It's about time we saw updates to the PowerBooks and iBooks; the rumor sites got everything right, too. I'm slightly surprised that the high-end PowerBooks are using the 1.5 GHz G4 processor, which never appeared in PowerMacs, but I'm not surprised if this revision turns out to be the last G4-based revision, at least for the PowerBooks. Next up - iMac and PowerMac updates! I'm not in the market for a computer now, but I ALWAYS like to see updates to Apple's products (even if I happen to buy just before an update :( ).

[mxpiazza]

i'm actually REALLY impressed with the update... seeing that i am typing on a 1.25 ghz 15" and i just ordered a new one, i guess that's kinda obvious :)

i think it's nice that they are only charging $50 to upgrade to the 128 graphics card, they really coulda opened our wallets with that one. i now have owned one of the past 3 notebook revisions, and i am telling myself that i won't sell this new one until the rev. B of the G5 powerbook... we'll see how that goes though.

[CmdrLaForge]

These PBs have been out for a few hours now, way too long. I'm gonna wait for the next updates, they've gotta be just a few weeks away. :)


Good idea ! Wait - and you wait forever ! :eek: I think these are very powerful updated and I would love to have one of those powerbooks ! These are the fastest G4 chips ever ! It took awhile before they finally got faster then 1.42 GHz. I thought it takes forever.

[Dippo]

the updates are ok, but i have to complain about the ram. as i said before, i was hoping them to put there 512mb. i can live with 256 though and upgrading is luckily possible - yet a bit expensive.


You would think that at least the powerbooks would come with 512MB.
I can understand 256Mb in the ibook though

[CmdrLaForge]

I'd like to have your opinion on the 12 incher (Powerbook) graphic card.

Thanks

It sucks. Thanks
:mad: :eek:

[dcollierp]

Does this mean I can find a sub-onethousand dollar 15" 800 dvi powerbook on e-bay today?

[Trimix]

AAPL is down premarket - now where are all those moronic analysts ?
Are they not paying attention ? Gawd, they go out and slam AAPL for this and that and then we have a really nice upgrade and they are marking the stock down ? I know I know buy the rumor, sell the news - I am still miffed :p , but I love the upgrades - I am really tempted if they are not soon coming out with a new i-mac.

[Torajima]

Very impressive updates. The whole Apple line is now at or above 1GHz. A 1.5GHz G4 ought to be a pretty fast machine. The new graphics card is good news too.

I'm excited about the updates, because I figure places like Macwarehouse will be blowing out the old models at some very nice prices...

[Dippo]

The site says shipping time is 1-3 days!!!

[Griffindor73]

UK store is up, but weird! Only thing you can see and buy at the mo are eMacs.

[Snarf]

Just ordered a 15" w/ Superdrive at the Educational discount, which didn't get a price drop, unfortunately, but I upgraded the graphics to 128 and the hard drive to the 5400rpm version. This will be my first Mac as well as my first laptop! I'm extremely excited, but now I should probably banish myself from rumor sites. :p

[CmdrLaForge]

now where are those iMacs and Powermacs?


I guess you need to wait until tomorrow.

Cheers

[dongmin]

According to whispers, this should be the last G4 PowerBook revision. the best part about this update. so is september (around seybold) overly optimistic? or mwsf 05?

[Bear]

Nice to see a speed bump, but hardly worth an upgrade. All in all, a pretty minor update, which was expected. Doubt anyone is going to be lining up, clamoring for the new laptops. What was the previous top speed? 1.33? 1.42? Of course the super drive is nice...Previous top speed on thge 15" was 1.25GHz and 1.33GHz on the 17".

And yes, there are people lined up to buy. Some people didn't buy at the last update. For those that don't neeed the extras of the Powerbook, they can not get a Superdrive iBook which some people have been asking for.

[StealthRider]

12 Inch PowerBook GFx are a bit disappointing but if that's all they can cram in there...anyway, which is faster, the Go5200 or the Radeon 9200 Mobility?
Also, no keyboard backlight options on the 12".

AND NO G5's!!! :-D

[johnnyjibbs]

New affordable 5200 RPM hard drive option (80GB) for 12" PowerBook!

[mxpiazza]

The site says shipping time is 1-3 days!!!

yeah, i ordered on the EDU site, the 1.5 ghz 15", 512 ram in one so-dimm, upgraded 128 MB graphics and the 5400 rpm hard drive, and ship time was 3-5 days. i was hoping it would be 1-2 weeks.

at least give them credit for being ready to ship the product in quantity.

[slooksterPSV]

A monday morning update! Wow! And AppleInsider called it! I'm amazed.

I'm also pretty impressed at how Apple manages to coordinate EIGHT different product releases on the same day. I personally think their notebook product line is too wide, but I guess more choices is good for me and my fellow consumers.
Their notebook line is for the user, these are the cheapest, fastest, supercomputer type notebooks I've seen. I mean yeah pentium and amd have notebooks and AMD has a 64-bit, but still they are quite expensive. I love how Apple keeps the same great price for upgraded products. Every company should do that with upgrades.

[drlunanerd]

Hey Shard, calm down buddy. And... relax. All this waiting has got you a little highly strung, no? :-)

The 12" is looking pretty sweet, only downside in my opinion is the graphics card. I have a pleasurable dilemma now - whether to buy a 1.5GHz 15" or 17" for work. Unfortunately I'll be passing it on to a colleague soon after I get my grubby mitts on one, but I do enjoy seeing their eyes light up when I drop new hardware on their desks, so everyone's a winner baby.

I just texted my mate who has a 1GHz 17". He's sprinting back to his office to check it all out, ha ha.

[teksmex69]

could not wait for my brother, we ordered him a 1.7ghz pentium-m based sys w/1 gig of ram, dvd-writer, radeon 9700, 7200rpm drive. (under $2k)

but, I'm still in the market, and I already have a PC notebook, and I'm ready to have a mac again (it's been a while since I've had one in the apartment).

time to order a new powerbook!!!

t

[Bear]

iBook is DDR 266 and the Powerbook is DDR 333, so the front side bus is just one of the faster things in the Powerbook,

Apple has managed to keep enough differences between the 2 lines even adding the Superdrive to the 14" iBook that getting the Powerbook can be worth it to those that need what the Powerbook offers.

[LaMerVipere]

How FABULEUX is this???

12" PowerBook G4 here I come! :)

AE pre-installed is the kicker, and the bigger HD's standard, it's a GRRREAT day :D

[Diatribe]

After thoroughly examining the offer... :D
I must say there are some nice things:
a) 5400rpm drives for the 12"pb
b) 128mb for the graphics card on the 15"/17"
c) superdrive in 14" iBook
d) AE included
e) better RAM for the 12" pb

and some bad things:
a) no backlit keyboard for the 12" pb
b) no 128mb graphics card for the 12" pb
c) no superdrive for the 12" iBook
d) no better resolution
e) not more RAM standard

So I stick with my original post... kinda dissapointing although alright I guess.

[Trowaman]

Horray for the iBook superdrive option. The pieces are now set for G5 powerbook (I didn't expect this update to be it, but I don't need one anyways). Very nice Apple, well done.

[CrackedButter]

Anybody notice you can put 1.25Gb's of ram inside an iBook now?

[mxpiazza]

i would say MWSF 05... september just seems way too optimistic. remember, everything they announced yesterday is slated to ship in volume in the fall, and i'm sure that stuff will be their fall focus, along with PMG5 and display updates.

i'd put my money on MWSF 05.

the best part about this update. so is september (around seybold) overly optimistic? or mwsf 05?

[Bear]

yeah, i ordered on the EDU site, the 1.5 ghz 15", 512 ram in one so-dimm, upgraded 128 MB graphics and the 5400 rpm hard drive, and ship time was 3-5 days. i was hoping it would be 1-2 weeks.

at least give them credit for being ready to ship the product in quantity.That's the time being quoted for custom orders. Although I suspect it's a good thing you didn't wait to order, shipping times on custom orders tends to get longer as it gets later on the day of announcement.

[fistful]

darn, I'd get a 12" ibook if I could get a superdrive in the sucker...looks like I'm getting a 12" pb, but no backlit keyboard? ah well! :rolleyes:

[Lancetx]

How FABULEUX is this???

12" PowerBook G4 here I come! :)

AE pre-installed is the kicker, and the bigger HD's standard, it's a GRRREAT day :D

You're right, that is a great touch. AE standard now across the entire PowerBook line, that's worth $100 right there. Plus thankfully the 12" has 64MB of VRAM now too.

[hmg]

I just took delivery of a Powerbook 17" on Saturday 10 April, now it's been updated and it's a $1000 less!!!!

/me happy?

Now the gloss _IS_ gone.
:mad:

[CmdrLaForge]

UK store is up, but weird! Only thing you can see and buy at the mo are eMacs.

German store the same. Coompletly weird
:eek: Hope they fix it soon.

[centauratlas]

To me this looks like a stop-gap measure. I think when the moved to the iBook G4 in October 2003, they intended to go to a PB G5 within 6 months from then. And they intended to go higher on the mhz on the iBooks with a G4 at the same time they went to the PB G5.

For whatever reason (supply problems, heat from the bus (I doubt processor alone is enough with the fx), integration,<whatever> we've heard them ALL) they couldn't get a PB G5 into production when they had anticipated and so this is a quick update to keep things marginally current until they can fix the PB G5 issues.

For the people saying "no PB G5s until 2005" I can't see them waiting that long if there is any possible way to do so (and I bet we'll see one shipping by Sept/Oct). With the iBook where it is, there is not enough differentiation between the iBook and the PB G4 to keep them like this for long.

[mgargan1]

I wonder which G4 this is. At Chip Geek (http://geek.com/procspec/apple/g4.htm) they show the higher end G4 having 512k of L2 cache, and up to 2MB of L3 cache. If this is true, that would make this a very fast G4. But on Apple's website, it doesn't mention any L3 cache, so I guess it's only pipedreaming...

[ToddW]

Well I think the updates are great, eventhough I just got a 1.25" powerbook, oh well, so this one is probably 25% faster than mine. That's okay, if i would have bought one that was brand new (not a refurb) I probably would have been a little pissed.

[johnnyjibbs]

UK prices much chaepar! iBook 12" now £799 instead of £850 and PowerBook 12"£150 cheaper. 17" PB now £2000 instead of £2500+!

[gekko513]

Still the 12" ibooks and powerbooks are crippled!!
I think the 12" PowerBook was improved most. +33% clock and +100% VRAM.

[Grimace]

nice updates!

I REALLY want that GoldenGate Bridge background on the 17" PB from Apple's updated website. Does anyone know where I can get that?? It's sooooo sweet.

[mgargan1]

I just took delivery of a Powerbook 17" on Saturday 10 April, now it's been updated and it's a $1000 less!!!!

/me happy?

Now the gloss _IS_ gone.
:mad:


haven't you been reading any of the rumors, or were you thinking that this was gonna be like last week, and the week before that, and the week before that... where they would psyche us out?

[Griffindor73]

Uk store is up and 12" iBook is less than £800! Thats a good barrier to beat!

Nice to see Apple being a bit more competative on the old price front again!

[Trowaman]

G5 Powerbooks, place your bets on when!

I'm torn between the French expo where the released the 12" and 17" G5s and MWSF '05. Guesses from anyone else?

[mxpiazza]

I REALLY want that GoldenGate Bridge background on the 17" PB from Apple's updated website. Does anyone know where I can get that?? It's sooooo sweet.

check out MacDesktops at www.macdesktops.com, i'm guessing they'll have it within 24 hours, they are always on top of that crap.

[iChan]

at the end of the day... for me, there is no point in getting a new laptop, i am impressed with the X4 DVD burning, but the increase in CPU speed does nothing for me...

and the high-end PB's are still stuck with 5,400RPM HD's, which doesn't cut it for me. The 60GB HD's should all be Hitachi 7K60's without doubt.

I already have SD 1.25Ghz 15"-PowerBook and i told myself i was going to keep my rev-A 12-inch PB until a Rev-B G5 PB!! haha, that didn't last long.

my point is... I'm not going for this (minor) update, I'm going to use my money on 2x1GB sticks of RAM... then i think the speed of my Mac would scream past any one of the standard machines. Especially with the 7K60 in my PB - which is an absolute speed demon... bring on the G5's

[CrackedButter]

UK prices much chaepar! iBook 12" now £799 instead of £850 and PowerBook 12"£150 cheaper. 17" PB now £2000 instead of £2500+!

Apple are still milking a huge profit on those machines, we *could* get them cheaper... hmmm

[LaMerVipere]

I honestly don't know how Apple could make these portables more attractive spec wise (we all know they are the sexiest) and keep the same price point!

I am happy that Apple pretty much went all out (and for apple, that basically means giving you most of what you want, but not all) for the last of the honourable race of PB G4's :)

you're getting hundreds of dollars of perks that just weeks ago would have cost you extra, for the exact same price! *having multiple joygasms all morning*

(PS: I'm cutting orchestra so I can monitor the situation! :D)

I think its's hillarious that Apple shows garage band running on the 12" iBook in the promo photos, we all know how horribly sluggish that would be in the real world! lol

[CmdrLaForge]

I just took delivery of a Powerbook 17" on Saturday 10 April, now it's been updated and it's a $1000 less!!!!

/me happy?

Now the gloss _IS_ gone.
:mad:

What are you talking about with $1000 less ???
:confused:

[CmdrLaForge]

Interesting is, that the PB are now on the main page. Motion was only one day number one !?!? :rolleyes:

[MacMyDay]

Very impressive updates. The whole Apple line is now at or above 1GHz. A 1.5GHz G4 ought to be a pretty fast machine. The new graphics card is good news too. (edit) also note the iBook gets a Mob Radeon 9200.

Didn't it have that before?

[aswitcher]

Powerbooks in good old Aussie dollars

12" combo $400 drop to $2599
12" super $400 drop to $2999
15" combo $400 drop to $3299
15" super $800 drop to $3999
17" $1000! drop to $4499 ($300 cheaper than the old 15" super price.)

Apple Australia look like they have gotten it right!


Ok, technical analysis.



Excellent graphics card update +$76.38 for 128MB!

Ok speed hike

Superdrive up

NO improvement to screen resolution (For the 17" I can cope...just)

EXCELLENT PRICING (Compared to the last bunch of years)

17" comes with a single 512 RAM stick Cheap upgrade

HD to 5200 rpm for $76.40



OMG I am seriously thinking about the 17", and I thought it would always be out of my grasp

[jrv3034]

So... new PowerBooks next Tuesday? ;)

Seriously, looks great. I agree the 12" iBook should be $999.

We won't see PowerBook G5s until MWSF '05. September is too soon, I think. Anyone that needs a laptop should buy NOW!

EDIT: spelling

[Bear]

Interesting is, that the PB are now on the main page. Motion was only one day number one !?!? :rolleyes:It rotates between Motion and the new *Books.

[NicoMan]

UK prices much chaepar! iBook 12" now £799 instead of £850 and PowerBook 12"£150 cheaper. 17" PB now £2000 instead of £2500+!
Yes that's awesome. I was wondering if they would be applying the same exchange rate policy as with the new eMacs... They are!!! Boy that's massive!

[CrackedButter]

I still have my £20 discount coupon! + updates + edu price... hmmm on the 12 iBook... must wait till september... must... :mad:

[CmdrLaForge]

UK prices much chaepar! iBook 12" now £799 instead of £850 and PowerBook 12"£150 cheaper. 17" PB now £2000 instead of £2500+!

German store is down again. Think they fix the problem. I am very interested in the prices.

We will see.

Cheers

[MattG]

Interesting is, that the PB are now on the main page. Motion was only one day number one !?!? :rolleyes:It's randomizing between the two pages..hit refresh a couple times :)

[Mr Maui]

OK ... so ... when do we get the NEW new powerbooks. :D

Heh Heh. Someone was BOUND to do it. Might as well be me. :p

[aswitcher]

I just took delivery of a Powerbook 17" on Saturday 10 April, now it's been updated and it's a $1000 less!!!!

/me happy?

Now the gloss _IS_ gone.
:mad:


In the USA there is some sort of 10 day price protection/replacement. Apple Australia might have the same deal!

[MattG]

It's really too bad the Superdrives aren't available in the 12" iBooks. I've already got a 15" Powerbook, but the thought of a 12" iBook with Superdrive for < $1500 would be VERY tempting.

[James L]

I guess this means no Powerbook G5 today? :(


Nope, but Apple never said there would be... all the rumor people did! Apple has said that they would "like" to have a G5 PB by the end of 2004, and that they thought there was still a long life of the G4 in the PB (that was said in Nov 2003). So basically, I wouldn't expect a G5 PB until MW Paris in September or October, or more likely at MWSF in Jan 2005.... this is keeping more line with what Apple has always said.

Now, onto the new line:

Nicely done. Not only has the price dropped by several hundred dollars (in Canada), but almost every component was upgraded (and I am totally digging the 128 MB 9700 card). I will be buying today, and will enjoy my PB for the next two years (my average upgrade cycle).

[iChan]

the new homepage looks absolutely freakin' fantatic... every image there is of a new product announced in the last 7 days... this a mac zealots dream and what they live for. haha

[The Expatriate]

Ok - firstly, well done to Apple! These upgrades are pretty cool for getting the best out of the G4 and I'm soooo tempted to buy the top end 15" PB, but now that we can all breathe a little more easily as the rumors have been substantiated - What's the next rumor to entertain us and get anxious about? lol

Thing is, what does everyone reckon: Is it worth hanging on for G5 PB in July (@ something like 1.8GHz for £2300), or is the 1.5GHz G4 with 128Mb graphics going to be a sound investment @ £1800 (Plus spend the £500 difference on extras like iSight, LaCie ExHD etc)?

[tristan]

these are the cheapest, fastest, supercomputer type notebooks I've seen.

Supercomputer? A G4 notebook? I love Apple too, but let's not get carried away. :-)

You want to see a supercomputer, head down to VA Tech and see 2200 2ghz G5s in action.

[gekko513]

The norwegian store was up for a couple of minutes with the new specs but no price drop. It's down again ... I hope when it comes back up, we'll see som price drops as well. I would really like to see kr 9.999,00 iBook 12".

[jjmaximum]

The 17 is now only $300 more than the high-end 15...very compelling. I use my current 867/15 a lot at night on the couch and am afraid the 17 may be too big and or hot? I'm buying one or the other today and would love to hear comments from 17 owners as to their experience using it as an actual laptop...TIA

[iChan]

Interesting is, that the PB are now on the main page. Motion was only one day number one !?!? :rolleyes:

for me, i am actually getting a rotating graphic...

between motion, ibooks and Pb's

[djbahdow01]

Guess all we can do now is wait for the desktops to be upgrded and then we can start talking about the next revisions. The way the updates are going i wouldn't mind seeing things done next week, although if they keep updating products they aren't going to have any big things to annoumce at WWDC.

[James L]

Thing is, what does everyone reckon: Is it worth hanging on for G5 PB in July (@ something like 1.8GHz for £2300), or is the 1.5GHz G4 with 128Mb graphics going to be a sound investment @ £1800 (Plus spend the £500 difference on extras like iSight, LaCie ExHD etc)?


I think holding out for a G5 PB in the next two months is a pipedream... it ain't going to happen. Buy now and enjoy, or wait another 6 months or so (though I think it will be at MWSF Jan 2005).

Cheers!

[agentmouthwash]

I'm really glad I bought my Powerbook when they were released in the fall.
It's a great machine and I've been so productive with it.

I think these updates are pretty good.. not bad for the last G4 powerbook.
Not much of an upgrade from my 1.25ghz 15", but they seem solid.

If you are in the market for buying a powerbook, buy one now.
Don't wait. You're going to love it and they next time you
upgrade it will be a Rev. B G5 Powerbook which probably won't
come out until a few years from now.

I use Soundtrack, Final Cut Pro, & photoshop all the time and they all
run great on the G4 Powerbook.

[MacMyDay]

I was always looking at the updated 12", but now that it's lacking the backlit keyboard (yes, the damn thing means so much to me) I may have to ask nicely for a 15" SuperDrive

[seelab]

What a great year Steve ! This is a really BAD update. I'm really disapointed. Not even a bigger/better harddrive.
I'm not gonna spend my money for this. I'll wait for the powerbook G5.

[CrackedButter]

considering its 8 months for laptop updates, i'm guessing its january for the G5.

[iChan]

It's randomizing between the two pages..hit refresh a couple times :)
strange thing is that when it gets to the motions page, the 'books are nowhere to be seen!

[duklaprague]

the new models are up on the UK store - combo - £1399, superdrive £1749.

which were £1599 and £1999 before - so thats a pretty decent price drop to be honest, with a better specced PB to boot.

i knew i should have waited.....

Iain, happy with my PB bought in January.

PS on a side note to you guys saying its not a great update - do people really update their PBs that regularly anyway? having just bought mine in Jan, i'd hope to get a few years use out of it before upgrading. admittedly i'm no power user, but even so....

[jxyama]

pretty solid update - this is as much as we could have expected without new ship introduction, i'd say.

shrewed apple... SuperDrive option for 14" iBook only. makes sense, because otherwise, they would have had to merge 12" iBook and PBs together. nice cheaper option to get a SuperDrive than going all the way to PB... though i'm not sure if anyone would bother upgrading 1.2 GHz iBook with SD - it's just $100 less than SD 12" PB and specs are practically the same. all you get is more bulk of having a 14" screen...

[CmdrLaForge]

for me, i am actually getting a rotating graphic...

between motion, ibooks and Pb's


OK. Same here. But the german store is still down.

Cheers

[aswitcher]

considering its 8 months for laptop updates, i'm guessing its january for the G5.


I don't know. The ALs came out shortly after the final Titanium releases...

[iChan]

Supercomputer? A G4 notebook? I love Apple too, but let's not get carried away. :-)

You want to see a supercomputer, head down to VA Tech and see 2200 2ghz G5s in action.

I hope he actually meant super computer... because that would be correct, they are SUPER!

[mikeyredk]

i bought a 12" powerbook because i needed it

how long is the free update thing if you buy and the product is updated

[atari1356]

I was hoping this update was going to be something that made me want to whip out the credit card and update right away... but $2499 is still a lot of money for the 15" model. The faster processor and video card are nice, but I guess I was hoping for something more.

It still has both RAM slots filled with 256MB, so I'd need to spend an extra $100 just to make it 512MB in one slot (so I could add more RAM to the second slot later).

It still comes with the slower 4200RPM hard drive.

Maybe I'll just keep plugging away on this 500MHz Pismo for another 6-12 months. :o

[jxyama]

I think holding out for a G5 PB in the next two months is a pipedream... it ain't going to happen. Buy now and enjoy, or wait another 6 months or so (though I think it will be at MWSF Jan 2005).

Cheers!

it *may* still happen at WWDC, though i personally doubt it. (i just think they are having technical problems putting in G5.)

apple upgraded Ti to 1 GHz back in Nov. 2002. two months later, they introduced brand new form factor 12/17" Al PowerBooks. so if G5 PBs are ready, apple will not shy away from releasing them and pissing off a lot of people who buy these G4 PBs. :D

this is a good upgrade. if you've been waiting to get a PB, this is not a bad investment... hmm.. my AC adapter broke yesterday on my 1+ year old PB... time for a new PB for me? :p (yeah, right. :rolleyes: ) (i sure hope it's the AC adapter and not my PB... :eek: :( )

[cantwait]

what are the pros and cons of owning a powerbook over an ibook and vice versa (I don't do much digital stuff) and vice versa

[iChan]

Guess all we can do now is wait for the desktops to be upgrded and then we can start talking about the next revisions. The way the updates are going i wouldn't mind seeing things done next week, although if they keep updating products they aren't going to have any big things to annoumce at WWDC.

i am really really amazed and intruigued about the fate of the imac. they are now the least lauded of ALL Apple products in my opinion. a sorry state for what used to be the golden child...

Question... have the imacs ever been actually SLOWER than the Powerbooks in their current forms?

[jxyama]

i bought a 12" powerbook because i needed it

how long is the free update thing if you buy and the product is updated

either 10 days or 10 business days (which would be two weeks)

[iChan]

while it's all well and good that people are so happy about these updates... let's not forget the imac. they are apple's bread & butter!

[eSnow]

The 12" is really bad, imho.

- GeForce 5200Go
- 10/100 MBit Ethernet
- FireWire 400 only.
- 1.25GB RAM max.

[aswitcher]

it *may* still happen at WWDC, though i personally doubt it. (i just think they are having technical problems putting in G5.)

apple upgraded Ti to 1 GHz back in Nov. 2002. two months later, they introduced brand new form factor 12/17" Al PowerBooks. so if G5 PBs are ready, apple will not shy away from releasing them and pissing off a lot of people who buy these G4 PBs. :D



Yep. That's something I have to sleep on. How pissed would I be if G5s appeared at roughly the same price point in 2 months... probably pretty pissed... :( :confused:

[Mr Maui]

it *may* still happen at WWDC, though i personally doubt it. (i just think they are having technical problems putting in G5.)

apple upgraded Ti to 1 GHz back in Nov. 2002. two months later, they introduced brand new form factor 12/17" Al PowerBooks. so if G5 PBs are ready, apple will not shy away from releasing them and pissing off a lot of people who buy these G4 PBs. :D

this is a good upgrade. if you've been waiting to get a PB, this is not a bad investment... hmm.. my AC adapter broke yesterday on my 1+ year old PB... time for a new PB for me? :p (yeah, right. :rolleyes: ) (i sure hope it's the AC adapter and not my PB... :eek: :( )

It's true that the Aluminum line was introduced shortly after a final upgrade to the Ti Line, but ...

Keep in mind the following truth ...

Back then, they upgraded the processor to 1GHz in the 15" TiBook. Today, they upgraded the ENTIRE LINE of Powerbooks and iBooks. Two month update ain't gonna happen here. Sorry to be such a realist. ;)

[mxpiazza]

I was hoping this update was going to be something that made me want to whip out the credit card and update right away... but $2499 is still a lot of money for the 15" model. The faster processor and video card are nice, but I guess I was hoping for something more.

It still has both RAM slots filled with 256MB, so I'd need to spend an extra $100 just to make it 512MB in one slot (so I could add more RAM to the second slot later).

It still comes with the slower 4200RPM hard drive.

Maybe I'll just keep plugging away on this 500MHz Pismo for another 6-12 months. :o

lakewood, eh? i'm from cleveland as well. my advice to you is, if you're not going to feel comfortable buying a rev. A of the G5 powerbook, then i'd just upgrade this one to the specs you want it at and enjoy your new computer, because we most likely won't see rev. B G5 powerbooks until the Paris expo in fall 2005 if the G5 PB is released at MWSF 2005 as speculated.

this is a great update, and completley worth the money... especially from a pismo! and it might be your last chance to get a powerbook at these prices for a while, because who knows if the price will go up upon the g5 powerbook introduction.

[oingoboingo]

Powerbooks in good old Aussie dollars
OMG I am seriously thinking about the 17", and I thought it would always be out of my grasp

Yes, the Australian pricing changes are *VERY* welcome. The old 17" PowerBook price of $5499 was a joke...as many posters pointed out, it would have been approximately the same cost to fly yourself return from Sydney to Hawaii and buy a 17" PowerBook there, as it would be to walk down to the local Apple dealer and buy one from them. $4499 versus $5499 is much more reasonable, and puts the 17" PowerBook back in the comparison stakes with a lot of big screen desktop-replacements from the x86 vendors.

Of course the other pricing changes are excellent too...basically now I could get a 15" PowerBook for the same price as I paid for my 12" PowerBook + AirPort Extreme in October last year...and on top of that the 15" has been upgraded to 1.33GHz and has a faster GPU. These are the kind of pricing drops/speed updates that Apple's Australian lineup has desperately needed to keep the PowerBooks looking interesting amongst a sea of discount Dells, HPs and IBMs (much more so in the Australian market than in the US, I think, because of the pricing disparities).

Not G5 PowerBooks, but a really good update and some unexpectedly good pricing drops too :)

[eazyc10]

For the 15", how many extra memory slots do i have? Can I put two more sodimms in? I want to upgrade the memory but don't want to purchase from apple.

[blogo]

Supid store is donw, was up 15 mins ago, just when I was configuring my powerbook.

[PPC970FX]

Sweet :cool:

[iChan]

I don't know. The ALs came out shortly after the final Titanium releases...

i remember that too... much rapid advances... first 1ghz.. then superdrive... then ALU in rapid succession...

[tpjunkie]

heh, I called this about two weeks ago...

[mxpiazza]

i am really really amazed and intruigued about the fate of the imac. they are now the least lauded of ALL Apple products in my opinion. a sorry state for what used to be the golden child...

Question... have the imacs ever been actually SLOWER than the Powerbooks in their current forms?

great point... perhaps we'll see a speed bump next week, or realization of the rumored entirely new form factor at WWDC... with the laptops becoming price and feature competitive with the desktops, and the eMac so damn inexpensive, G5's in the Powermac... the new iMac better have a design or features that blow everyone away, or the cash cow of just a few years back could be dead.

[aswitcher]

Powerbooks in good old Aussie dollars

12" combo $400 drop to $2599
12" super $400 drop to $2999
15" combo $400 drop to $3299
15" super $800 drop to $3999
17" $1000! drop to $4499 ($300 cheaper than the old 15" super price.)

Apple Australia look like they have gotten it right!



So in Australia Powerbooks went from an average of 34% above USA prices down to 17%, just 1% more than the eMacs.
iBooks went from 26% to 13%.

A halving of the markup! EXCELLENT! Given GST and shipping I am much happier with Apple Australia. This seems pretty fair. :D

Now can they do something about Office X? ;)

[jxyama]

For the 15", how many extra memory slots do i have? Can I put two more sodimms in? I want to upgrade the memory but don't want to purchase from apple.

15" has two slots, both filled with 256 MB stick(s). (depends on which model you get.)

if you are going to get the 1.5 GHz version, the smart thing to do is pay apple a bit extra and get the 512 MB in one stick.

otherwise, just upgrade with 3rd party RAM later...

[twalkabout]

of course when they released the aluminum books, they didn't actually replace the 15" titanium superdrive powerbook that they had just came out with, so for them to actually replace the entire powerbook line with G5's two months later would be unusual. i agree that sometime this fall is the most likely scenario.

[Longey Nowze]

I know tech waits for no one, but I was just wondering if there is some sort of policy or something? she only got it last Monday bought from Micro Anvica (http://www.microanvika.com) she was excited when she got it, i want her enjoy it more than a week.

anyway THIS REALLY COOL! AND THEY CHEAPER TOO! WOOHOO!

GO GO APPLE!
MaT

P.S. isn't weird they did this on a Monday?

[Hattig]

I'm also pretty impressed at how Apple manages to coordinate EIGHT different product releases on the same day. I personally think their notebook product line is too wide, but I guess more choices is good for me and my fellow consumers.

I think it is too small. There are only two lines - consumer iBook, and professional Powerbook.

Where's the miniBook (sub notebook)? Where's the Deskbook?

:P

The 12" iBook now looks like a very nice choice, and so does the low-end 15" Powerbook (the 12" Powerbook doesn't offer that much more than an iBook, and the 14" iBook lacks a decent screen resolution).

[CmdrLaForge]

Yep. That's something I have to sleep on. How pissed would I be if G5s appeared at roughly the same price point in 2 months... probably pretty pissed... :( :confused:

Thats probably true ! But ont the other hand after the 12" and 17" was introduced everyone thought that the 15" update must be around the corner and everyone waited !! Really really long.
:( If you need one - get one now. It could be that it takes until January 05 easily. During all that time you will enjoy working with your Mac every day.

[a17inchFuture]

FOR THOSE HOPING TO TRADE-IN WITH THE 10-DAY DEAL:

The deal does NOT work the way most advertise on this site. Most say the ten days starts when you receive your computer, however, the 10 days starts before they even ship it, when the invoice number is assigned (usually just before shipping). I have just gotten off the phone with 1800my-apple, so this is 100 percent true.

Thus, for people like me, who received their PB's ten days ago exactly (apirl 9), still dont get the opportunity because their PB was in transit the first five days of the ten days. Seems like ************ to me- a way to not have to give back or trade in as much.

just like apple, if you ask me.

[gekko513]

Supid store is donw, was up 15 mins ago, just when I was configuring my powerbook.
If my hopes come true, you'll be happy when it comes up again with revised prices! :D

[Chip NoVaMac]

i am really really amazed and intruigued about the fate of the imac. they are now the least lauded of ALL Apple products in my opinion. a sorry state for what used to be the golden child...

Question... have the imacs ever been actually SLOWER than the Powerbooks in their current forms?

We can only hope for a G5 iMac next week....

[mxpiazza]

For the 15", how many extra memory slots do i have? Can I put two more sodimms in? I want to upgrade the memory but don't want to purchase from apple.

the stock 15" pbook has 2 total slots (both user accessible) which both contain 256 MB RAM, meaning if you bought a 512MB stick upgrade, you'd need to pitch 256, effectively only upgrading 256 to a total on 768MB RAM.

spend the extra $90 or whatever it is to put the 512 RAM in one slot, it's $90, but you'll be thanking yourself later, trust me.

[iChan]

what are the pros and cons of owning a powerbook over an ibook and vice versa (I don't do much digital stuff) and vice versa

better graphics card, fast processors... larger HD's, more RAM, PCMCIA Slot, monitor spanning(hack available)...

SuperDrive in the 12-inch models...

backlit keyboard. Alumium v. polycarbonate(plastic)

built-in Airport Extreme and Bluetooth in PB's.

larger screens in PB's. DVi Output...
there are many distinguishing features, all very well documented...

[eazyc10]

don't forget to add the hp5150 printer. it's 99 bucks w/ 99 rebate.

[Photorun]

To quote Chief Wiggam "not too shabby." Of course people will still b**** that these aren't G5s. Admittedly I think they're all about $100 too much and/or should have a bit more RAM in them. Just those two minor things would make them seems vaguely competitive to the other notebooks in the industry, but this is Apple after all. Looking competitive has never been their forte.

[blogo]

If my hopes come true, you'll be happy when it comes up again with revised prices! :D

Think they will change the price?

[Mr Maui]

i remember that too... much rapid advances... first 1ghz.. then superdrive... then ALU in rapid succession...

Reiterating previous quote ...

Today Apple updated the entire line. It is highly unlikely that they will REPLACE the line (or any portion of it) in just two months.

Back then, when they introduced the Aluminum, they added the 12" and 17" but left the 15" in Titanium format for some time, before upgrading it, so the upgrades in the 15" Ti were on the market for much longer than two months.

Updating in two months this time means something would have to be replaced, not updated. Not gonna happen. Not Steve's style to give a product a two month run. :rolleyes:

[iChan]

The 12" is really bad, imho.

- GeForce 5200Go
- 10/100 MBit Ethernet
- FireWire 400 only.
- 1.25GB RAM max.

i agree, it totally lacks any distinguishing features IMO. it should have gig enet, FW800 + 2GB RAM max... AND a BL Keyboard... those items don't seem too much to ask... what used to be a very attractive package for me seems positively lackluster in comparison to other PB's

[jxyama]

FOR THOSE HOPING TO TRADE-IN WITH THE 10-DAY DEAL:

The deal does NOT work the way most advertise on this site. Most say the ten days starts when you receive your computer, however, the 10 days starts before they even ship it, when the invoice number is assigned (usually just before shipping). I have just gotten off the phone with 1800my-apple, so this is 100 percent true.

Thus, for people like me, who received their PB's ten days ago exactly (apirl 9), still dont get the opportunity because their PB was in transit the first five days of the ten days. Seems like ************ to me- a way to not have to give back or trade in as much.

just like apple, if you ask me.

well, sorry to hear that. i'd call again and see if you might be able to catch someone more sympathetic on the phone. just make sure you don't go after their throat with an aura of entitlement - calmly explain your displeasure and remember that it's not meant to be personal - you or the rep.

[ihatehippies]

For an aspiring mac-owner, this is a great update. The 1.5 ghz 15-inch is mighty attractive right about now. And the 17 inch dropped $200 bucks.





Forecast for tomorrow: a few sprinkles of genius with a chance of doom!

[gopher]

d) no better resolution


Honestly, do you want more resolution? The higher the resolution, the more blurry the fonts on most PC notebooks that go higher. People think the existing lineup is blurry at the existing resolution. Wait till they see 2000 x 1024 on a 17" Powerbook, and only those with perfect vision will be able to read anything.

[hellocody]

Well I am in the position where I have a 17" Rev A and I am looking to switch to a 12" for portability. So, I'd like to get one of these... but I could wait.

I was one of the poor saps to buy an expensive 17 Rev A and then see the Rev Bs come out a few weeks later that were cheaper by $300 or so bucks and much more impressive. I just don't want it to happen again... and see a G5 pb this fall.

Too buy or not too buy?

[mxpiazza]

Forecast for tomorrow: a few sprinkles of genius with a chance of doom!

i bet stewie could put a g5 into a powerbook...

[gekko513]

Think they will change the price?
UK and Australia got a price drop because of the weak dollar, so we should expect the same. Unless the NOK is much "weaker" than GBP and AUD compared to USD.

[iChan]

i wonder what kind of G4 chips are in the high-end ibooks... 1.2Ghz is strange... typo?

[ihatehippies]

Can't wait for the iMac updates. Probably same speed bumps as PB's: 1.33 on 15 inch, 1.5 on higher ends. Oh joy!




Forecast for tomorrow: a few sprinkles of genius with a chance of doom![/QUOTE]

[CmdrLaForge]

Reiterating previous quote ...

Today Apple updated the entire line. It is highly unlikely that they will REPLACE the line (or any portion of it) in just two months.

Back then, when they introduced the Aluminum, they added the 12" and 17" but left the 15" in Titanium format for some time, before upgrading it, so the upgrades in the 15" Ti were on the market for much longer than two months.

Updating in two months this time means something would have to be replaced, not updated. Not gonna happen. Not Steve's style to give a product a two month run. :rolleyes:

Exactly - and as I recall - it took really loooooonnng before they updated the 15" !
:eek:

[oingoboingo]

So in Australia Powerbooks went from an average of 34% above USA prices down to 17%, just 1% more than the eMacs.
iBooks went from 26% to 13%.

A halving of the markup! EXCELLENT! Given GST and shipping I am much happier with Apple Australia. This seems pretty fair. :D

Now can they do something about Office X? ;)

When you are calculating the price drops on the 12" PowerBooks, also remember that AirPort Extreme is standard now...it used to be a $199 option. So the 'real' original price for the entry-level combo drive 12" with Airport was $3198. It's now $2599, with a 33% faster CPU and an extra 32MB of VRAM, and the AirPort card included. Bloody impressive.

Maybe Apple Australia does actually listen to what people are saying...they have been copping a fair amount of crap in both the newspapers and Australian Macworld (not to mention forums like this) for their pricing disparities with the US. Good to see that things like this can be addressed (eventually).

[gopher]

FOR THOSE HOPING TO TRADE-IN WITH THE 10-DAY DEAL:

The deal does NOT work the way most advertise on this site. Most say the ten days starts when you receive your computer, however, the 10 days starts before they even ship it, when the invoice number is assigned (usually just before shipping). I have just gotten off the phone with 1800my-apple, so this is 100 percent true.

Thus, for people like me, who received their PB's ten days ago exactly (apirl 9), still dont get the opportunity because their PB was in transit the first five days of the ten days. Seems like ************ to me- a way to not have to give back or trade in as much.

just like apple, if you ask me.

Don't give up hope. Call the Apple Store and ask to speak to a manager. People right on the borderline of 10 days might be able to get a break.

[iChan]

We can only hope for a G5 iMac next week....

that would be freakin' sweet, however, i don't know if apple will ever gain back the mass market with the imac as it is just too darn expensive! you could call the emac the imac...

the imac is more a midMac now and it should show it!

[Mr Maui]

Exactly - and as I recall - it took really loooooonnng before they updated the 15" !
:eek:

YES IT DID!! So ... everyone who wants a new Book, buy now, enjoy, and be happy! G5s will be available eventually, and you'll love them as much when you get one. Waiting until you can get the best means you'll never buy ANYTHING, because something better is ALWAYS just around the corner. ;)

[James L]

it *may* still happen at WWDC, though i personally doubt it. (i just think they are having technical problems putting in G5.)

apple upgraded Ti to 1 GHz back in Nov. 2002. two months later, they introduced brand new form factor 12/17" Al PowerBooks. so if G5 PBs are ready, apple will not shy away from releasing them and pissing off a lot of people who buy these G4 PBs. :D

this is a good upgrade. if you've been waiting to get a PB, this is not a bad investment... hmm.. my AC adapter broke yesterday on my 1+ year old PB... time for a new PB for me? :p (yeah, right. :rolleyes: ) (i sure hope it's the AC adapter and not my PB... :eek: :( )


People bring this up as an example, but to me it is not accurate. Here's why (imho),

Apple udated the 15" Ti PB in November to 1GHZ, then released the 12" and 17" Al PB in January at 867 and 1GHZ speeds.

So, really, all apple did in January 2003 is to add to the line. There was no faster PB in January 2003 than there was in November 2002, there were just 3 options in sizes. It wasn't until 9 months later (almost 11 months since the 15" 1GHZ Ti PB) that the processor speeds were upgraded. If they had also come out with the 15" Al Book in Jan 2003 then I would agree with you.

Now, having said that, what the hell do I know? :p

[singletrack]

I wonder which G4 this is. At Chip Geek (http://geek.com/procspec/apple/g4.htm) they show the higher end G4 having 512k of L2 cache, and up to 2MB of L3 cache. If this is true, that would make this a very fast G4. But on Apple's website, it doesn't mention any L3 cache, so I guess it's only pipedreaming...

I'd suspect they are using the newer Motorola G4 7447A which is the only chip they do at 1.5Ghz. The previous generation had the 7447 which also had 512K L2. Apple didn't put L3 in the AlBooks as they reckon the 512K L2 is a match for the old 256K L2 and 1MB L3 cache in the old TiBooks. Mostly this is true.

The 7447A also gets more advanced power management so if you're not doing much on the laptop it'll step down the CPU speed to get longer battery life and run cooler.

Read more about the 7447A at http://e-www.motorola.com/webapp/sps/site/prod_summary.jsp?code=MPC7447A

[iChan]

the book has 2 slots, one stick is soldered in to one slot, so only 1 slot accessible, which in the stock book has 256 already in it, meaning if you bough a 512MB stick upgrade, you'd need to pitch 256, effectively only upgrading 256 to a total on 768MB RAM.

spend the extra $90 or whatever it is to put the 512 RAM in one slot, it's $90, but you'll be thanking yourself later, trust me.

you are in fact incorrect about this... the 15" PB has two slots, none of them are soldered... if you ever changed RAM in a 15-inch PB, you'd know. they are stacked one on top of the other... and both of them can be changed.

[FinnishFlash]

600 euro price drop on the 17" Powerbook.

I'm starting to drool.

[RedEric]

My 15" Combo will be with me in a few days.

£1286 with Education discount is wicked.

I just sold my 17" 1GHZ for £1700 with some software ;)

Smile all the way to the bank :D

[oingoboingo]

better graphics card, fast processors... larger HD's, more RAM, PCMCIA Slot, monitor spanning(hack available)...

SuperDrive in the 12-inch models...

backlit keyboard. Alumium v. polycarbonate(plastic)

built-in Airport Extreme and Bluetooth in PB's.

larger screens in PB's. DVi Output...
there are many distinguishing features, all very well documented...

It's trickier than that if you are considering the 12" PowerBook. It does NOT have a PCMCIA slot, no backlit keyboard and after this update, supports the same amount of RAM as the iBooks do. Also, a Superdrive is now available as an option in the 14" iBook. It is also arguable which graphics chip is faster...the Radeon 9200 Mobility or the GeForce FX5200 Go. From my reading, I'd say the Radeon 9200 Mobility actually wins, making the graphics potentially faster in the iBook than in the 12" PowerBook.

Of course, if you're not looking at the perennial 12" enigma of the PowerBook family, just go with what the original poster said...it's pretty much correct.

[iChan]

The irish store is now up and the stock SuperDrive 15-incher went from €3024 to €2781 - a €243 saving!!! at todays exchange rates, that is over $290... there's an ipod mini right there...

[Mr Maui]

600 euro price drop on the 17" Powerbook.

I'm starting to drool.

Well get the drooling out of the way before you order. Don't want to mess up your new toy. :D

[aswitcher]

Ok, I must go to bed but before I do for those interested what's your opinion on the following.

So my dream 17" (ignoring fears of G5 anytime soon)

Views...

Value of 5400rpm drive over 4200rpm ($76.40AUD) ??? DV Video, Games

Value of 128Meg over 64Meg VRAM ($76.38AUD) ??? Games, DV Video, iPhoto

1 Gig ram...all I think I can afford, 1Gig sticks are far to exy here

[mxpiazza]

you are in fact incorrect about this... the 15" PB has two slots, none of them are soldered... if you ever changed RAM in a 15-inch PB, you'd know. they are stacked one on top of the other... and both of them can be changed.

well then, i stand corrected, i'll edit my post. as for the rest of it, logic still applies, the soldered thing still dosen't change anything, if you buy a 512MB upgrade of ram, basically the biggest affordable RAM upgrade availiable (unless you want to buy a RAM upgrade that costs more than an iBook), you're still going to have to chuck 256 MB RAM unless you get the 512 into one slot.

[iChan]

i bet stewie could put a g5 into a powerbook...

is there anything stewie can't do?

[iChan]

i bet stewie could put a g5 into a powerbook...

lets be honest here,
is there anything stewie can't do?

edit: sorry, double post.

[mateybob]

kudos to apple for finally doing some realistic pricing in australia... powerbooks still seem a little overpriced when compared to the ibooks though..
i mean AUS$950 difference between 12" ibook and 12" powerbook?

[DominicusG]

The iBooks now have 512K of Level 2 cache.

[uzombie]

Just in time for CMU grad gift! (I hope).

(I think the 12" ibook with SD is ideal)

BTW- Where are the new G5 Desktops???

I suppose the ipodMini(pad) will drop in price before we see Dual 2.6ghz G5?

[teksmex69]

i am really really amazed and intruigued about the fate of the imac. they are now the least lauded of ALL Apple products in my opinion. a sorry state for what used to be the golden child...

Question... have the imacs ever been actually SLOWER than the Powerbooks in their current forms?


people who want a sleek looking system with an integrated display get an ibook or powerbook.

the imac/emac need to die. now.

it was a fad revisited, to have all in one desktop system. notebook sales will completely dominate all desktop sales in less then 4 years. (pcs, mac, whatever)

[Mr Maui]

is there anything stewie can't do?

Yep ... He can't make a Dell.

But then ... That's like asking Maserati to make a Yugo. :D

[takao]

ahh nice updates of the Notebooks (i know know no g5 but i'm looking more at the iBooks)

thankfully they dropped the 128 mb soldered in on the ibooks and it now comes with an 256 instead of 2 128 memory sticks ... now you can isntall more ram for the money same money
384 ->512
640 ->768

and the superdrive upgrade on the 14" and those extra 200mhz are nice too...

ahh the EU Stores just gone back online.... somebody saw some price adjustments ?

[James L]

a17inchFuture,

didn't you just buy your new PB recently, knowing there were rumors all over the place about updates? If this is the case, don't whine about it now. You are an adult (I am assuming), you made a choice, live with it. You could have waited to buy if you wanted too.

Though, considering how much you whined on the new eMac thread I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

Mods, I apologize for a completely off-topic post... it just amazes me that a consumer, who constantly reads these boards and was aware of the updates just like the rest of us, now somehow says Apple is in the wrong here.

Faster, more powerful, machines at a lower cost.... those bastards! How could they do that to you? :eek:

[Twisted T]

YESSSSS!!!!


Going to order my new Powerbook 15" 1.5 now!!!!!!!



:D :D

[iChan]

It's trickier than that if you are considering the 12" PowerBook. It does NOT have a PCMCIA slot, no backlit keyboard and after this update, supports the same amount of RAM as the iBooks do. Also, a Superdrive is now available as an option in the 14" iBook. It is also arguable which graphics chip is faster...the Radeon 9200 Mobility or the GeForce FX5200 Go. From my reading, I'd say the Radeon 9200 Mobility actually wins, making the graphics potentially faster in the iBook than in the 12" PowerBook.

Of course, if you're not looking at the perennial 12" enigma of the PowerBook family, just go with what the original poster said...it's pretty much correct.

you are right, the 12-pb is quite an anomaly in the grand scheme of all things PB... i find it hard to recommend now, other than it's looks, which is what my GF was attracted to.

[floyd_gadget]

Not sure if anyone else has mentioned that the powerbooks also have updated batteries. The 12" & 15" now have a 50W battery. Apple claims 5hrs for 12" and still 4.5hrs for 15".

[gopher]

I looked on all Apple's pages including the spec pages, store pages, and ibook pages it is indeed 1.2 Ghz.

http://www.apple.com/hardware/

took me for a spin, but then I realized that's a 1.25 GB of RAM you can put in an iBook now, and still 1.2 Ghz. So it would seem that it can't be a typo unless all those pages got it wrong.

[oingoboingo]

Honestly, do you want more resolution? The higher the resolution, the more blurry the fonts on most PC notebooks that go higher. People think the existing lineup is blurry at the existing resolution. Wait till they see 2000 x 1024 on a 17" Powerbook, and only those with perfect vision will be able to read anything.

Huh? I thought fonts generally looked crisper at higher resolutions...more pixels available to draw the same fonts. If people are having trouble seeing things on high-res screens, you can scale the font and icon size up to the same physical size as on a lower-res screen...but now you have more pixels being used to draw them, so they are sharper.

[tex210]

Many Apple users out there, myself included, are running 600 mhz or slower. Yes faster is great every product cycle, but many of us are on last leg hard ware. People like me will see significant benefit in new hardware.
These are very impressive machines! In a portable! I wanna upgrade! But the office would have to get it before me. :cool:

[hellocody]

How come NVIDIA always seems to suck when compared with ATI? Is there that much of a difference? I want a 12"PB... but I'm not excited about the comments on the graphic card.

[jefhatfield]

Apple released new PowerBook (Press Release (http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040419/sfm095_1.html)) and iBooks (press release (http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040419/sfm094_1.html)) today as was widely rumored (http://www.macrumors.com/pages/2004/04/20040419003915.shtml).

The new models come in the following configurations (See Apple Store (http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=9eASk0x48lo&subid=1&offerid=13301.1&type=10&tmpid=80&RD_PARM1=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.apple.com%2Feducation%2Fk12%2Filifeandkeynote%2F&u1=macrumors)):


Price comparisons will be available on http://macrumors.pricegrabber.com (http://macrumors.pricegrabber.com)

Notes: All PowerBooks come with Airport Extreme PreInstalled. The 1.5GHz PowerBooks can be upgraded to 128MB graphics memory in the built in ATI Mobility Radeon 9700.

According to whispers, this should be the last G4 PowerBook revision.


GREAT

[hmg]

haven't you been reading any of the rumors, or were you thinking that this was gonna be like last week, and the week before that, and the week before that... where they would psyche us out?

I expected a SMALL price drop and the specification updates rumoured. It's a $1000, that's a hell of a lot. A few hundered would not have bothered me (up to $300). I still want to buy another machine soon (updated 15"). The 17" is mostly for my partner and her publishing work, the future 15" would be for my code work. I specifically bought hers first (at the start of a salary sacrifice year) because I wanted the update! ;)

Oh well. It's still a bloody good computer, better than my Thinkpads.

Have fun!

[Bhennies]

The 12" iBooks have 1.25 Gigs of RAM capability! That's amazing! Same as the 12" powerbook!

[DrGruv1]

These are ed. prices...

Use mostly logic pro and adobe cs
12" Ibook
256MB DDR266 SDRAM built-in
• 60GB Ultra ATA drive
• Combo drive (DVD/CD-R)
• AirPort Extreme Card
• Bluetooth Module
• Keyboard/Mac OS X - U.S. English
• 12-inch TFT XGA display
• 1GHz PowerPC G4
• ATI Mobility Radeon 9200 w/ 32MB DDR video memory
Subtotal $1,200.00

12" Powerbook
• 256MB DDR333 (256MB built-in)
• 80GB Ultra ATA drive @ 5400rpm
• Combo Drive (DVD-ROM/CD-RW)
• AirPort Extreme Card
• Keyboard/Mac OS - U.S. English
• 1.33GHz PowerPC G4
• NVIDIA GeForce FX GO 5200 with 64MB DDR Video Memory
• 12.1-inch TFT Display
Subtotal $1,512.0

Would the drive speed, ram speed, .33hz G4 difference and 64mb video card MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE?

thanx
-mike

[klanda]

people who want a sleek looking system with an integrated display get an ibook or powerbook.

the imac/emac need to die. now.

it was a fad revisited, to have all in one desktop system. notebook sales will completely dominate all desktop sales in less then 4 years. (pcs, mac, whatever)

That is nonsense. Desktop machines have their place -- on the desk! The price savings from not having to massively engineer electronics into the tight space of a laptop is why the iMac/eMac prices (particularly the eMac) prices are so much lower than a laptop. Unless you need portability (and the vast majority of non-student home computer users don't), the savings for a desktop is worthwhile. You typically get far better performance for the money.

Lower prices, detached keyboard, mouse etc. screen distance from user all support the purchase of desktops where appropriate.

Desktops will die only when 1. true docking stations exist, and 2. component prices drop so that there is negligible price difference between comparably performing notebooks and desktops.

Not sure whether Apple is interested in #1, and doubtful that #2 will ever happen.

K

[CrackedButter]

These are ed. prices...
Would the drive speed, ram speed, .33hz G4 difference and 64mb video card MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE?

thanx
-mike

.33hz would not make a difference no, but 333Mhz difference might..might. I'm debating on this one as well. Prefering the iBook or PBook on Deve discount.

[root-2]

I've been waiting for this for a while now. Anyone want to buy a G4 400 desktop? :)

I have a couple configuration questions now that I'm looking at the options:

1. I assume it would be a better idea to get one 512 RAM chip rather than two 256 chips. Since I'll probably want to get more down the line, is this the best option?

2. Hard drive @ 4200 rpm Vs. Hard drive at 5400rpm for a bit more cash? Will I notice a difference?

Any advice is much appreciated.

[singletrack]

The 12" iBooks have 1.25 Gigs of RAM capability! That's amazing! Same as the 12" powerbook!

It's still only 1 slot though so you'd have to do it with very expensive 1GB modules. 256MB as standard in the iBook is good news though.

[zuzu]

I have doubts of what 15'' powerbook to buy.
Saying it quick: would you pay 312 extra dolars for:
(conversion from euros to $ from the education store of spain)

* 128 MB video (vs. 64 MB)
(I will use the 40% of the time attached to a 16'' sony flat display as a second monitor)

* 1.5 MHZ vs 1.33 MHZ

* Backlight keyboard (I don't take planes or trains often. Is there any other more common situation?)


# I will use it to program websites, so I use simultanously a lot of open apps: bbedit, netfinder, safari, explorer, sometimes also netscape to test, eudora, photoshop, itunes...

Thanks!
a.

[mxpiazza]

These are ed. prices...

Use mostly logic pro and adobe cs

....

Would the drive speed, ram speed, .33hz G4 difference and 64mb video card MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE?

thanx
-mike

if you intend on doing anything creative professional wise, get the creative PRO laptop. especially for adobe, the video ram will be a ton of help. incresed processer speed always helps, faster ram (which helps a ton with memory intensive applications such as the ones you intend on using), and if i'm not mistaken, the powerbook g4 has a faster proc. bus speed, 167 mhz vs. 133 mhz on the iBook.

bottom line, if you are using it for professional work, get the PowerBook. iBooks can run the programs you want to run, but certainly weren't intended to be used for creative professionals, that's why the PowerBook line exists.

[Hattig]

So in Australia Powerbooks went from an average of 34% above USA prices down to 17%, just 1% more than the eMacs.
iBooks went from 26% to 13%.

A halving of the markup! EXCELLENT! Given GST and shipping I am much happier with Apple Australia. This seems pretty fair. :D

Now can they do something about Office X? ;)

They ship the damn things from Taiwan or similar. It must be cheaper to ship to Australia than the US even. There is no excuse for any markup above the standard prices except to generate a nice round number for the pricing, and maybe if different plugs / power adapters are required that cost more than the US adapters.

£799 in the UK is a nice price for the 12" iBook ... but that is US$1244 even taking VAT into consideration - nearly a $150 markup on the normal price. Yeah, this is a lot better than the previous pricing, but it is still disgusting. £749 would be a more reasonable price, and still higher than the dollar equivalent.

[hellocody]

Why do the Go5200 suck so much? Is it just with videogames, or would it also apply to light photoshop work and video-editing, and how about just using the web?

[mxpiazza]

I've been waiting for this for a while now. Anyone want to buy a G4 400 desktop? :)

I have a couple configuration questions now that I'm looking at the options:

1. I assume it would be a better idea to get one 512 RAM chip rather than two 256 chips. Since I'll probably want to get more down the line, is this the best option?

2. Hard drive @ 4200 rpm Vs. Hard drive at 5400rpm for a bit more cash? Will I notice a difference?

Any advice is much appreciated.

1. definitley get the RAM in one chip, unless you enjoy throwing RAM away when you upgrade. it will save you money in the long run.

2. hard drive speed is one of the least talked about yet one of the most noticeable upgrades when it comes to computers. $50 for the upgrade is well worth it.

3. while you're at it, assuming you're getting the high end 15" or 17", upgrade the graphics to 128 for the extra $50 as well, that's the icing on the cake.

[Dippo]

Why do the Go5200 suck so much? Is it just with videogames, or would it also apply to light photoshop work and video-editing, and how about just using the web?


I would say that the 5200 is about the same as a Radeon 9000.

Not good for games but fine for photoshop and surfing.

Here's a VERY ROUGH comparison
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.html?i=1797&p=6

[RedEric]

Why do the Go5200 suck so much? Is it just with videogames, or would it also apply to light photoshop work and video-editing, and how about just using the web?

I found a quote about a comparison between a 9700 and Go5700:-

“The 9700 produced a framerate of 30.4fps in Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory benchmark, which is stunning on a 2.4GHZ machine.
“Even more impressive ,though, is the comparison with the Go5700 Ultra, which only managed 24.3fps in the same benchmark.”
Ben Handwidge, February 2004

Bear in mind that that is a Go5700 (and PC stats) so the performance of the Go5200 would be less I guess.

[MacSA]

The latest iBooks look like great deals now. I think it was just over 6 months ago Apple were selling the 700mhz G3 Ibook, 128 MB RAM, Optical drive for the same price as the new low end 12" iBook :) :)

[Wuddel]

Nice. The mid iBook-model is a little expensive. I really like the new 12"-PB, since I think it will be able to run World of Warcraft with the new 64 MB card.

15" still a little overpriced.

[numediaman]

YESSSSS!!!!


Going to order my new Powerbook 15" 1.5 now!!!!!!!



:D :D

Smart move. Watch, there will be those that are convinced there will be G5 PBs by WWDC and will be back on this forum complaining about a lack of updates.

Now for those who want an updated G5 PowerMac (like me) . . . I think we have a while to wait.

[iReilly]

:) Good news for everyone waiting for the updates. Now I have a question for you all. I want to surprise my son with a new 17" tricked out PB. He needs it for school. How can I, as a parent, take advantage of the educational discount without a student ID card. And I don't want to spoil the surprise and I won't rifle through his wallet for his student ID.

thanks in advance...

---------------------------------
Dell 3.2 (Still waiting for Rev B PM) ;)

[oingoboingo]

How come NVIDIA always seems to suck when compared with ATI? Is there that much of a difference? I want a 12"PB... but I'm not excited about the comments on the graphic card.

From the small amount of information I can find on the net where the GeForce FX 5200Go and the Radeon 9200 Mobility are tested in a notebook system of the same specificiation, the Radeon 9200 appears to be faster. Sometimes by a small amount, sometimes by a lot. In the Windows world, the main advantage of the GeForce chip is that it is DirectX 9 compliant, while the Radeon 9200 is not. However, many people have commented (quite fairly IMHO) that DirectX 9 compliance isn't really worth that much when it's implemented in a GPU which will most likely be too slow to run any newer DirectX 9 games!

It's a bit of a moot point anyway...if you want to do some serious 3D gaming, then neither the iBook with its Radeon 9200 or the PowerBook with the GeForce FX5200 is probably going to fit the bill. I only get around 10-15 fps on the full retail version of Unreal Tournament 2004 on my 1GHz 12" PowerBook at 1024x768 at default levels of detail in Onslaught mode. If I reduce detail settings across the board to 'Low', then I can raise FPS to about 20-25. It's playable, but obviously the 12" PowerBook is no gaming monster, and I suspect that the iBooks aren't either. The faster 1.33GHz G4 in the 12" PowerBook will certainly help...the G4 isn't really what's considered a 'fast' CPU these days, and every MHz helps.

If 3D performance is important to you, and you're seriously considering the 12" PowerBook, definitely wait a few weeks and check out some gaming benchmarks for the new 1.33GHz 12" PowerBook as they trickle in. Maybe the faster CPU helps a lot. Maybe the whole system is hamstrung by the GeForce FX 5200. Hell, maybe the 14" iBook will be faster at Unreal Tournament 2004 than the 12" PowerBook! Just don't expect anything shy of the 15" or 17" PowerBooks to be a killer 3D games performer.

Whoops, almost forgot. Here are some links to reviews comparing the FX5200 to the 9200. Take what you will from them :)

http://www.gamers-depot.com/hardware/video_cards/ati_vs_nvidia/9200_geforcefx/001.htm

http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=8836

[Zaty]

It's really a nice update!

Especially the 12" PB got a huge bump with a faster cpu, twice as much VRAM and faster RAM bigger HD, not the mention AE that comes preinstalled.

Those are deciding between the 12" iBook and the 12" PB, go for the PB. I'm sure the performance gap has widened.

[Mokona]

I would say that the 5200 is about the same as a Radeon 9000.

Not good for games but fine for photoshop and surfing.

I would say that the Radeon 9000 is fine for games, or was that six months ago? :) How many new games for the mac are there, really, we're still playing the same games... You want to play games, get a pc. The mac is a professional tool (or hobby tool), just not a game platform, even though the potential is there.

[Dippo]

From the small amount of information I can find on the net where the GeForce FX 5200Go and the Radeon 9200 Mobility are tested in a notebook system of the same specificiation, the Radeon 9200 appears to be faster. Sometimes by a small amount, sometimes by a lot. In the Windows world, the main advantage of the GeForce chip is that it is DirectX 9 compliant, while the Radeon 9200 is not. However, many people have commented (quite fairly IMHO) that DirectX 9 compliance isn't really worth that much when it's implemented in a GPU which will most likely be too slow to run any newer DirectX 9 games!


Of course DirectX 9 doesn't mean anything for the mac :D

[Dippo]

I would say that the Radeon 9000 is fine for games, or was that six months ago? :) How many new games for the mac are there, really, we're still playing the same games... You want to play games, get a pc. The mac is a professional tool (or hobby tool), just not a game platform, even though the potential is there.


More like 3 years ago :D

The 9700 was released summer 2002...
http://www.ati.com/companyinfo/press/2002/4512.html

[Mr Maui]

So ...

When do we get the new 22" Apple Laptop?? (Only two laps required ... great gift for couples on the run). :D

[agreenster]

How can I, as a parent, take advantage of the educational discount without a student ID card. And I don't want to spoil the surprise and I won't rifle through his wallet for his student ID.

thanks in advance...


You really dont need one. Just select the school he's attending (online) or tell the sales person over the phone. They take your word for it. Reason being, you can only buy one mac a year on that deal.

[Zaty]

From the small amount of information I can find on the net where the GeForce FX 5200Go and the Radeon 9200 Mobility are tested in a notebook system of the same specificiation, the Radeon 9200 appears to be faster. Sometimes by a small amount, sometimes by a lot. In the Windows world, the main advantage of the GeForce chip is that it is DirectX 9 compliant, while the Radeon 9200 is not. However, many people have commented (quite fairly IMHO) that DirectX 9 compliance isn't really worth that much when it's implemented in a GPU which will most likely be too slow to run any newer DirectX 9 games!

It's a bit of a moot point anyway...if you want to do some serious 3D gaming, then neither the iBook with its Radeon 9200 or the PowerBook with the GeForce FX5200 is probably going to fit the bill. I only get around 10-15 fps on the full retail version of Unreal Tournament 2004 on my 1GHz 12" PowerBook at 1024x768 at default levels of detail in Onslaught mode. If I reduce detail settings across the board to 'Low', then I can raise FPS to about 20-25. It's playable, but obviously the 12" PowerBook is no gaming monster, and I suspect that the iBooks aren't either. The faster 1.33GHz G4 in the 12" PowerBook will certainly help...the G4 isn't really what's considered a 'fast' CPU these days, and every MHz helps.

If 3D performance is important to you, and you're seriously considering the 12" PowerBook, definitely wait a few weeks and check out some gaming benchmarks for the new 1.33GHz 12" PowerBook as they trickle in. Maybe the faster CPU helps a lot. Maybe the whole system is hamstrung by the GeForce FX 5200. Hell, maybe the 14" iBook will be faster at Unreal Tournament 2004 than the 12" PowerBook! Just don't expect anything shy of the 15" or 17" PowerBooks to be a killer 3D games performer.

Whoops, almost forgot. Here are some links to reviews comparing the FX5200 to the 9200. Take what you will from them :)

http://www.gamers-depot.com/hardware/video_cards/ati_vs_nvidia/9200_geforcefx/001.htm

http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=8836

Um, just one little thing to consider, the PB now comes with 64 MB VRAM vs. 32 MB on the iBook that should give the PB a clear advantage even if the graphics chips is slightly slower! I seriously doubt the iBook will score better at UT 2004.

[CrackedButter]

:) Good news for everyone waiting for the updates. Now I have a question for you all. I want to surprise my son with a new 17" tricked out PB. He needs it for school. How can I, as a parent, take advantage of the educational discount without a student ID card. And I don't want to spoil the surprise and I won't rifle through his wallet for his student ID.

thanks in advance...

---------------------------------
Dell 3.2 (Still waiting for Rev B PM) ;)

Ring the apple store in advance, okay with them first, bring your son to the store without telling him, ask him what he thinks about said machine and ask him for his student card and take him to the till.

1. Jaw Drops
2. Profit (for apple)
3. Look on your sons face... priceless

[fishtank22]

I've been doggin' on a G4/450 for a while now and have been waiting for the Rev2 G5. I can't deal with this slow machine anymore and want to get SOMETHING.

A powerbook would be a nice interim machine. It would work nicely with my 20 Cinema display (I already have the ADC-DVI Connector). If the 3GHz PM come out in the fall, it may be worth it to get a 15" PB to hold me over.

OR

Do I just wait for June to see whats coming. (Though I have been waiting so so so long...with the rest of you.)

Note: I do a quite a bit of video work..and I don't travel that much so the portability isn't necessary...

any thoughts...

[cantwait]

so if i'm not a professional, and just a typical consumer, no point of getting the powerbook? Is it worth paying 1800 for an ibook (500 dollars less than a powerbook)

[klaus]

:) Good news for everyone waiting for the updates. Now I have a question for you all. I want to surprise my son with a new 17" tricked out PB. He needs it for school. How can I, as a parent, take advantage of the educational discount without a student ID card. And I don't want to spoil the surprise and I won't rifle through his wallet for his student ID.

thanks in advance...

---------------------------------
Dell 3.2 (Still waiting for Rev B PM) ;)

Can't help you with ur question, but i'd like to be your kid now :-), would you adopt me by any chance? ;)

[Dippo]

Ring the apple store in advance, okay with them first, bring your son to the store without telling him, ask him what he thinks about said machine and ask him for his student card and take him to the till.

1. Jaw Drops
2. Profit (for apple)
3. Look on your sons face... priceless


You don't need a student ID if you order online do you?

[Gianrico]

I'm happy to see the release of the Apple notebook but I'm very disappointed to see anything in the PRO desktop line. I'm without MAc by 4 weeks.

:(

[CrackedButter]

You don't need a student ID if you order online do you?

Nope...i don't think so.

[Mr Maui]

I'm happy to see the release of the Apple notebook but I'm very disappointed to see anything in the PRO desktop line. I'm without MAc by 4 weeks.

:(

3GHz G5 PowerMacs just around the corner ...

Now if only I could figure out where that corner is!! :eek:

[rog]

Very impressive updates. The whole Apple line is now at or above 1GHz.

Would have been impressive in 2001. In 2004, not so much.

[patriotn11]

PLEASE HELP , :confused:

Which is the best of the 2, and should I get the extra 512 ram or the extended warrenty. or can I get the extended warrenty within 30 days.

PowerBook 1.5GHz (15.2" TFT) $2,389.00 1.5GHz PowerPC G4 with 128MB Graphics Memory
80GB Ultra ATA drive @ 5400 rpm
SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW)
Backlit Keyboard/Mac OS - U.S. English
512MB DDR333 SDRAM - 2x256 SO-DIMMs
AirPort Extreme Card

PowerBook 1.5GHz (17" TFT) $2,589.00 1.5GHz PowerPC G4 with 128MB Graphics Memory
80GB Ultra ATA drive @ 5400rpm
SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW)
AirPort Extreme Card
512MB DDR333 SDRAM - 1 SO-DIMM
Backlit Keyboard/Mac OS - U.S. Englis

The 14" ibook with superdrive looks good as well :eek:
iBook 14"/1.2GHz/256/60G/Combo/APX $1,759.00 Office 2004 for Mac - Student and Teacher Edition $149.95 768MB DDR266 (256MB built-in & 512MB SO-DIMM) AirPort Extreme Card
SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW)
60GB Ultra ATA drive
Keyboard/Mac OS X - U.S. English
APP for iBook - Enrollment Kit $183.00 .Mac Promotional Bundle $69.95 TOTAL $2,311.85 :D

[mxpiazza]

:) Good news for everyone waiting for the updates. Now I have a question for you all. I want to surprise my son with a new 17" tricked out PB. He needs it for school. How can I, as a parent, take advantage of the educational discount without a student ID card. And I don't want to spoil the surprise and I won't rifle through his wallet for his student ID.

just order online. go to the apple store and navigate to the education store, select the college he is going to, and you're off. nothing else required, no ID, no verification, you're set.

[mxpiazza]

PLEASE HELP , :confused:

Which is the best of the 2, and should I get the extra 512 ram or the extended warrenty. or can I get the extended warrenty within 30 days.

The 14" ibook with superdrive looks good as well :eek:



PowerBook 1.5GHz (15.2" TFT) $2,389.00 1.5GHz PowerPC G4 with 128MB Graphics Memory
80GB Ultra ATA drive @ 5400 rpm
SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW)
Backlit Keyboard/Mac OS - U.S. English
512MB DDR333 SDRAM - 2x256 SO-DIMMs
AirPort Extreme Card

PowerBook 1.5GHz (17" TFT) $2,589.00 1.5GHz PowerPC G4 with 128MB Graphics Memory
80GB Ultra ATA drive @ 5400rpm
SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW)
AirPort Extreme Card
512MB DDR333 SDRAM - 1 SO-DIMM
Backlit Keyboard/Mac OS - U.S. English

i think the 17" is too big, but if you prefer larger screen size, go for that. if i were you, i'd save some money, get the 15" (more bang for your buck, increased portability), buy another 512 RAM as well as the extended warranty. either way, get the 512 RAM in ONE so-dimm, otherwise you'll regret it, bigtime.

and for the love of god, other than having them put the 512 in the one slot, order your RAM from crucial, or get it from a place like MicroCenter that always has sweet RAM deals and rebates, because Apple RAM is the most overpriced component that they consistently sucker people to pay for when it's just as easy, and a ton cheaper, to purchase and upgrade yourself. not saying that you didn't think of that already, just a rant in general :)

[iomar]

Great! But I was hoping for something better.

[Zaty]

What a nice front page!

[macdong]

is it just me, or do iBook and PowerBook's specs seem quite close?
guess i'll keep on waiting...

[oingoboingo]

Um, just one little thing to consider, the PB now comes with 64 MB VRAM vs. 32 MB on the iBook that should give the PB a clear advantage even if the graphics chips is slightly slower! I seriously doubt the iBook will score better at UT 2004.

Only if the game is demanding more memory than is available and textures are being having to be dragged in across AGP. I'm not sure if that is the case in an average game of UT2004 with 'Low' texture details at 1024x768...I think there is a tool in the CHUD suite which will tell you which caches/busses/memory is being used. That could be useful to determine if VRAM size was the limiting factor. It's not automatic that more VRAM == faster performance.

[Bendit]

just order online. go to the apple store and navigate to the education store, select the college he is going to, and you're off. nothing else required, no ID, no verification, you're set.

I've purchased through the education store many times and it always asks for my Student ID. Maybe this is just in Canada?

Anyway they don't actually check the number, I am fairly certain you can put anything.

To be safe why not just his school email address as the student id? or atleast the prefix of the email. like jdoe

[Brandon Sharitt]

I guess the 12" PowerBook's redeming qualities over the iBook are a faster proccessor, more video memory, and AirPort extreme built in, but more would have been nice(or at least 64MB VRAM as a top of the line option in iBooks).

If IBM can get 2 PowerPC 970's in one little blade sever, why can't Apple get one in a laptop? The G4 bus speed is horrible.

[Tvar']

Just ordered 12" 1GHz iBook with airport and a 60 GB HD!! I've been wanting an iBook for over a year, the faster processor sealed the deal for me. About the new processors - I noticed they were advertised with 512 kB L2 cache, which should give quite a bit of performance over the old 256 kB version. However, when I went to order, the Apple store reported 256 kB in the little string describing the iBook (iBook 12"/1GHz/256/30G/Combo) even though the store told me I was ordering one with 512 kB cache. Hopefully this is a typo with the new iBook specs.
Also, I heard a rumor that the new G4 version supports better power conservation by dynamic frequency switching, hopefully improving battery life. Any confirmation?

[redAPPLE]

The way the updates are going i wouldn't mind seeing things done next week, although if they keep updating products they aren't going to have any big things to annoumce at WWDC.

how about os x.4 beta..?

[SlowX]

Got mine ordered (15" w/ extra RAM, Video memory and faster hard drive).

They even claim it should ship w/in 3-5 days, go figure!

[AppleMatt]

I don't know if this has been posted in this thread already...but the screens in the 12" PowerBook are now proper TFT instead of TFT XGA!!!
:D

AppleMatt

[Macmaniac]

Horray an update! Its nice to see the graphics cards upgraded! Also they finally let the iBook past 640 RAM, you can now got to 1.25 GB!!
Luckily by the time I got to college they will be making G5 PBs:) Next year Apple, next Year!

[dcollierp]

These are great specs for new portables even though there was no bump in screen resolution. As long as you can have an external monitor/projector at a higher resolution, what does it matter?

[CmdrLaForge]

:) Good news for everyone waiting for the updates. Now I have a question for you all. I want to surprise my son with a new 17" tricked out PB. He needs it for school. How can I, as a parent, take advantage of the educational discount without a student ID card. And I don't want to spoil the surprise and I won't rifle through his wallet for his student ID.

thanks in advance...

---------------------------------
Dell 3.2 (Still waiting for Rev B PM) ;)

Call Apple - they will help you !

[Mr Maui]

The way the updates are going i wouldn't mind seeing things done next week, although if they keep updating products they aren't going to have any big things to annoumce at WWDC.

Dual 3GHz G5s are being saved for WWDC. Steve to keep his word. ;)

[srobert]

Ok. Now I'll race all of you to the "my-order-has-shipped-mail-finish-line". Last one there does the dishes for a whole month.

[SlowX]

and for the love of god, other than having them put the 512 in the one slot, order your RAM from crucial, or get it from a place like MicroCenter that always has sweet RAM deals and rebates, because Apple RAM is the most overpriced component that they consistently sucker people to pay for when it's just as easy, and a ton cheaper, to purchase and upgrade yourself. not saying that you didn't think of that already, just a rant in general :)

Actually, w/ the education discount the RAM prices are pretty close for a 1GB chip (w/in about $40, less if you include Crucial's shipping). Although I guess you'd get 1,256MB vs. 1GB...

[hellocody]

I don't know if this has been posted in this thread already...but the screens in the 12" PowerBook are now proper TFT instead of TFT XGA!!!
:D

AppleMatt

I noticed that about the screens. Maybe they won't be as faded looking anymore.

[nesbitt_a]

The speed bumps, and graphics improvement are nice in the new powerbooks. I've loved my 15.2" powerbook since day 1, and would reccommend anyone who is considering one of these new powerbooks to go for it - they are great machines!

However, I think I'll ignore these updates, wait for the Powerbook G5, and look foward to another year or so with my G4.

Personally, I don't think the updates are incentive enough for existing powerbook users to upgrade.

[adamfilip]

im impressed with the price reductions

check this out (in canadian prices)

old 17" PB (1.33,80gb, dvdRw, 512) was $4279 CDN
new 17" PB (1.5) is 3699.00

thats a great price drop for a even better laptop!
even the 15" pb drops $300 and is now faster

good job apple

[Mr Maui]

The speed bumps, and graphics improvement are nice in the new powerbooks. I've loved my 15.2" powerbook since day 1, and would reccommend anyone who is considering one of these new powerbooks to go for it - they are great machines!

However, I think I'll ignore these updates, wait for the Powerbook G5, and look foward to another year or so with my G4.

Personally, I don't think the updates are incentive enough for existing powerbook users to upgrade.

Unless perhaps you're working on a 667MHz G4 or older, and there are plenty of us out there still. It's all dependent on perspective. :rolleyes:

[Parikh1234]

Call Apple - they will help you !

You dont need a student ID. I have ordered a 12 and 15 inch before off the apple edu store and I havent had to send them a copy or anything. Before people start bitching, yes I am a student. Im not trying to looch off the edu discount, but you probably could if you wanted to.

[Palad1]

Ok. Now I'll race all of you to the "my-order-has-shipped-mail-finish-line". Last one there does the dishes for a whole month.
Let's see who's faster between Apple France & Apple us

BTO 15 powerbook SuperDrive + 128M VRam + 5400RPM HD

Gentlemen,
At your credit cards...

GO!
:D

[proglife]

I can vote positive or negative, but where is my "meh" vote option?

[gekko513]

However, when I went to order, the Apple store reported 256 kB in the little string describing the iBook (iBook 12"/1GHz/256/30G/Combo) even though the store told me I was ordering one with 512 kB cache.
That's 256MB of RAM not 256KB cache.

[()verBored]

YEEEEEE HA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just ordered a 12 inch iBook - maxed out (well, except for RAM):

12 iBook - 1 GHz (that's swingin!)
512 MB Ram
60 GB
BT
AXTREME


I had a hard time deciding between the iBook 12 inch and the PowerBook 12 inch, because the PB was only a few hundred more. But considering that the iBook was already pushing the limits of what I wanted to spend on a notebook, I stopped myself before I clicked to continue with the PB!!!

The iBook setup I purchased cost me about 50 bucks more than the same config I had 2 weeks ago with the 800 MHz iBook....BUT, I guess I am fine with that as the processor and mem are so much better!!!!!!

Things I noticed...

Cache has been bumped from 256 L2 to 512 L2! Not sure what this will mean for performance though.

Mem can be supported up to 1.25 GB!!!!

Of course, faster processors...the 1 GHz G4 is def faster than the 800 MHz (20-25%!) - this will be a slick machine, I am so pumped!

Hopefully I won't get stuck into some backorder, or supply shortage :(

[Azoblue]

I bet they'll be coming along in a week or two. Wow with other PC's its boring its like... ok Pentium is @ 4 GHz (not yet but an example)... hmm... pc is gonna cost alot.., but I feel with Apple its like - Wait are they going to upgrade, are they, yes they are yes I'm getting that ALRIGHT!!! :D because apple is the only seller of apple products mainly.

Decaf, my friend. Decaf. - And hooked on phonics.

Nice updates IMHO. I'm on the fence between being conservative with a 12" combo or a 15"" super. that 128MB Vram upgrade for 70$ is all too tempting.

[arimp]

UK prices much chaepar! iBook 12" now £799 instead of £850 and PowerBook 12"£150 cheaper. 17" PB now £2000 instead of £2500+!

And you can get a superdrive (DVD-R/CD-RW) for £40 on the 14" ibooks on the UK site compared $200 on the US site, must be a typo

Me thinks I'll get one before the price changes!

[remingtonhill]

haven't you been reading any of the rumors, or were you thinking that this was gonna be like last week, and the week before that, and the week before that... where they would psyche us out?


Return it, it's you're last day?

[Diatribe]

It's funny but I think it is the 12" iBook that got the worst upgrade. Just a little faster and a better bus speed. That's it. I am just wondering about all those people saying that the 12" iBook is such a great buy now. It always was, I think it has gotten a little worse now that they upped the 12" pb. Or am I missing sth.?

[dongmin]

These are ed. prices...

Use mostly logic pro and adobe cs
12" Ibook
256MB DDR266 SDRAM built-in
• 60GB Ultra ATA drive
• Combo drive (DVD/CD-R)
• AirPort Extreme Card
• Bluetooth Module
• Keyboard/Mac OS X - U.S. English
• 12-inch TFT XGA display
• 1GHz PowerPC G4
• ATI Mobility Radeon 9200 w/ 32MB DDR video memory
Subtotal $1,200.00

12" Powerbook
• 256MB DDR333 (256MB built-in)
• 80GB Ultra ATA drive @ 5400rpm
• Combo Drive (DVD-ROM/CD-RW)
• AirPort Extreme Card
• Keyboard/Mac OS - U.S. English
• 1.33GHz PowerPC G4
• NVIDIA GeForce FX GO 5200 with 64MB DDR Video Memory
• 12.1-inch TFT Display
Subtotal $1,512.0

Would the drive speed, ram speed, .33hz G4 difference and 64mb video card MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE?

thanx
-mike the only significant difference is the CPU speed and bus speed. I'd say you get around 30-35% faster performance with the PowerBook which seems worth it to me. Also, the Powerbooks have WAY nicer finish. Go for the PB, if you can afford it.

[dbauer]

Just ordered 12" 1GHz iBook with airport and a 60 GB HD!! I've been wanting an iBook for over a year, the faster processor sealed the deal for me. About the new processors - I noticed they were advertised with 512 kB L2 cache, which should give quite a bit of performance over the old 256 kB version. However, when I went to order, the Apple store reported 256 kB in the little string describing the iBook (iBook 12"/1GHz/256/30G/Combo) even though the store told me I was ordering one with 512 kB cache. Hopefully this is a typo with the new iBook specs.
Also, I heard a rumor that the new G4 version supports better power conservation by dynamic frequency switching, hopefully improving battery life. Any confirmation?


The 256 you see in that line is the amount of memory. 256 mb of RAM.

and about the gaming performance from an earlier post, I wouldn't put too much stock in those DirectX 9 gaming benchmarks since DirectX is a Microsoft gaming API and the Mac uses OpenGL as far as I know. Sometimes the difference between the two API's can be very large in terms of FPS and one processor that is fast in DirectX may not be as fast in OpenGL and vice versa.

[atari1356]

On the 17" PowerBook, the 512MB is in one chip (rather than both slots being filled with 256MB chips like it used to be).

That's starting to make me think this is a better update than I thought... (although the 15" still has both slots filled).

At the education price I can get the 17" configured like this:

• 1.5GHz PowerPC G4 with 128MB Graphics Memory
• 512MB DDR333 SDRAM - 1 SO-DIMM
• 80GB Ultra ATA drive @ 5400rpm
• SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW)
• AirPort Extreme Card
• Backlit Keyboard/Mac OS - U.S. English
• 17-inch TFT Display

Subtotal $2,589.00

That's a NICE savings over the older 17".

[nesbitt_a]

Unless perhaps you're working on a 667MHz G4 or older, and there are plenty of us out there still. It's all dependent on perspective. :rolleyes:

Definetly.

BTW - does anyone know where I can get my hands on that San Francisco wallpaper used on the updated powerbook website? hehe

[gekko513]

It's funny but I think it is the 12" iBook that got the worst upgrade. Just a little faster and a better bus speed. That's it. I am just wondering about all those people saying that the 12" iBook is such a great buy now. It always was, I think it has gotten a little worse now that they upped the 12" pb. Or am I missing sth.?
You have a point, but the 12" PowerBook was probably the least great buy before this update. Now it's more even, methinks. :)

[eSnow]

I don't know if this has been posted in this thread already...but the screens in the 12" PowerBook are now proper TFT instead of TFT XGA!!!


Argh, stop confusing the less tech savvy or else we here will have to listen to a lot of nonsense being regurgitated in the next weeks
:rolleyes: