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Updates from New York Media Event

Promising for the Future

If I was looking to buy a new PowerBook right now then I'd have been disappointed at the announcement for the same reasons that everyone else has mentioned (processor lacks poke and the GPU could use a real boost). Thankfully, however, I'm not planning to enter the market for a new PowerBook until around this time next year when I'm hoping that a second revision of the Intel-based systems might not be far off. The updates that were announced for the PowerBooks (primarily the display and updated RAM) should be something to look forwards to.

PowerMacs look OK to me but I'm in need of a mobile system so a PowerMac isn't a practical proposition unless I could persuade my wife to let me have both. And on the day that happens Satan will be seen skating to work...
 
myca said:
Ok the PMs got some nice updates but I have to say I'm slightly annoyed, I've just got the funds together to get a PM for my home studio, but the plan was to buy a Powercore and UAD1 card, only problem is these cards are PCI and wont work in a PCI express slot, bugger! well I guess I'm gonna have to go to the refurb store :(
Click to expand...

yea, PCI Xpress are great but what about my old PCI cards...
Times, they are a changing :(
 
fred_garvin said:
Yes it is Apple's fault. Give me the iMac without the monitor/iSight in a Shuttle PC sized case. They could easily offer 2 models for $999 and $1299. Give it optical audio out and front row. Then it makes a good desktop with a cinema display or a good media PC to use with my HDTV. Make it BYOKDM as the mini.

I'd buy that in a sec.
Click to expand...

Fred makes a direct hit. That is exactly the system that I am waiting for. I have several very nice large CRT monitors that I want to use for several more years. I understand that the iMac is a wonderful PC for some peoples usage, but I don't want the limitations.

The Shuttle reference is perfect. I have a Shuttle system (for applications that require Windows) that sits next to my dual 867 and I really wish that there was a G5 option in a similar size case in the $999 to 1299 range.
 
Spanky Deluxe said:
I'm so disappointed with Apple with this upgrade to the screen resolutions. Its still pretty poor. At the very least there should be the ability to custom spec a 15" or 17" powerbook to have a 1920x1200 screen.
Click to expand...
The problem I see with this is that since the current G4 CPUs are unable to play back 1080i in realtime, there wouldn't be much point in it (current G4s can't even play back 720p in realtime either -- Apple recommends at least a 1.8 GHz G5 for this). The extra pixels would still be nice for more palette space and so forth, but there is no playing back 1080i HD for now, and the screens would undoubtedly command a premium price (and probably have a higher chance of dead pixels because of the higher pixel density).

DrGruv1 said:
prices are out of line...

$3299

someone fill me in on why?
Click to expand...
Because if you are using apps that can take advantage of it, you can get 40%-70% faster performance for ~30% more money? Remember that for many pro users, time is also money. Seems a perfectly decent deal to me.
 
Widescreen displays not so HD

Spanky Deluxe said:
If I could buy a Dell 15.4" screened laptop over two years ago that has a resolution of 1920x1200 then I really don't see why Apple, who are meant to be HD this, HD that, cannot manage to make a laptop that can actually display 1080i HD video. You can get a Dell with a 1920x1200 resolution on a 15.4" screen for £738. Its a £94 upgrade over the default spec of 1280x800.
Click to expand...

Yes, that Dell 1920x1200 panel is indeed available on their fairly low-end laptops (someone earlier in this thread disputed that possibility of WUXGA+ at 15" form-factor.)

I think it comes back to what someone else pointed out - that Tiger doesn't quite have the ppi-independence yet, so a display too far away from 98ppi would not work out very well. By my calculation, the new 15.2" panel is about 113ppi. Here's Dell's LCD panel options for comparison (written in 2003!). You can see that WUXGA+ at 15" is 147ppi.

Some of it may be down to LCD panel suppliers, but nowadays other PC manufacturers than Dell are offering those panels.
 
The updates are not earth shattering but...........

I stole this from another post

Apple
PowerMac G5 Quad

2 x 2.5 G5 Dual Core
1mb per core
2gb 533 DDR2 ECC
2 x 500GB SATA HDD 7200
Nvidia Quadra FX4500 512mb
16x DVD writer dual layer
Apple Cinema Display 23" DVI

$7,623
--------------------------------------
Dell
Dell Precision 670 x64

2 x Xeon 2.8 Dual Core
2 mb per core
2gb 400mhz DDR2 ECC
2 x 500GB SATA HDD 7200
Nvidia Quadra FX4500 512mb
16x DVD writer dual layer
Dell 24 inch UltraSharp™ 2405FP Widescreen

$8,354


so I dont see the new PM as overpriced, also I think it makes the current iMac a GREAT value. I would buy the current iMac but my Mini with its outdated, worthless processor and graphics card ;) is doing me JUST FINE!
 
Trout74 said:
The updates are not earth shattering but...........

I stole this from another post

Apple
PowerMac G5 Quad

2 x 2.5 G5 Dual Core
1mb per core
2gb 533 DDR2 ECC
2 x 500GB SATA HDD 7200
Nvidia Quadra FX4500 512mb
16x DVD writer dual layer
Apple Cinema Display 23" DVI

$7,623
--------------------------------------
Dell
Dell Precision 670 x64

2 x Xeon 2.8 Dual Core
2 mb per core
2gb 400mhz DDR2 ECC
2 x 500GB SATA HDD 7200
Nvidia Quadra FX4500 512mb
16x DVD writer dual layer
Dell 24 inch UltraSharp™ 2405FP Widescreen

$8,354


so I dont see the new PM as overpriced, also I think it makes the current iMac a GREAT value. I would buy the current iMac but my Mini with its outdated, worthless processor and graphics card ;) is doing me JUST FINE!
Click to expand...



Might be easier if you look at it this way. The Dell is overpriced too.
 
greenstork said:
This is complete BS. You can find older systems still available new (or refurbished) and this is exactly what you're looking for. It's not the latest cutting edge technology, which you don't really want or can afford. But it's a G5, decent video card, and I hate to break it to you but that is all that exists in your price range. That's not Apple's fault. Cutting edge tech costs $$$. Here is a whole range of older machines, being sold new, in the box, over at Small Dog electronics:

http://www.smalldog.com/category/x/x/G5+Minitowers/G5+Minitowers/wag100/wag10000
Click to expand...

So, we're supposed to buy used stuff with obsolete technologies, mortgage our house for a PowerMac, or buy an AIO iMac that doesn't meet our needs just because the infallible Apple can't deliver the goods. Speaking of complete BS...

By the way, that cutting edge tech just cost my uncle $800 with a Radeon X600, a gig of RAM, and a 200gb hard drive.
 
baleensavage said:
But from what Adobe has been updating, it looks like Adobe was headed this way already. CS2 revamped the RAW support and File/Broswer/Version Cue is headed in the direction of being an alternative to Portfolio.
Click to expand...

CS2's Bridge software is really clunky when it comes to manipulating and managing meta-data though, indeed just managing digital photograph files and the variations of them (I only have PhotoShop CS2 so I don't get all the Version Cue features, but I'm not convinced it would automatically manage variations anyway.)

(it's a nice start, mind, but it could be so much more - even little things like syncing colour labels with the Finder's would be nice.)

So Aperture does interest me. Once it ships it'll definitely be worth experimenting with in an Apple Store. But it's pitched quite expensive compared to some of the other programs that Photographers have already invested in.
 
shoffmueller said:
Don't listen to them - they're just a bunch of complainers who wouldn't be happy with anything. After every product announcement, this macrumors forum is filled with a all these losers who feel they should have been consulted by Apple prior to the product launch. Never mind that a kazillion of these powerbooks will be sold the first month.
Click to expand...

This will change when Intel is in them. You will be getting MAJOR speed improvements every few months. The reason most complain about the Macs now are because PowerPC is so slow. I don't find the G5 to be a slow processor, but many who have experienced Intel processors find it to be slower. The G4 was good in it's day, but it just needed more done to keep it up with the times. I think once Apple is on Intel the computer speeds will be increasing so fast that most won't complain anymore.
 
After looking through all the Aperture information, I'm convinced that it's by far the most important thing Apple announced today. This has the potential to revolutionize pro photography, sell more pro hardware for Apple, and open up new markets for them as well (it's not a Photoshop competitor right now...but it could be someday if Apple wanted that). It looks surprisingly rich for a 1.0 release and I'd be surprised if in a few years most pro photographers aren't using Aperture and Macintoshes (the ones who have the budget to do so anyway). Another thing I thought of is, what if Apple started designing the OS and interfaces that are used inside the high-end cameras? They could do a lot of integration.
 
Mr Maui said:
My 15" is already ordered ... have to put my 500 MHz Titanium to rest finally. It's been a good machine, except for ... no writable CD/DVD drive, 512 MB RAM, 20GB hard drive (updated to 40GB), and lower res display.
Click to expand...

Likewise. Mine has served me well, from OS9 through to Panther, upgraded along the way with a 60GB drive, but ever-increasing amounts of Photoshop really call for something faster!
 
jayb2000 said:
I was curious how far out of line the pricing was for this system.
So I went to Dull and configured a system as closely as I could. I made sure I got rid of the monitor, it is XP pro, etc.
It came out as $5,549.

If anyone sees any glaring mistakes I made, please feel free to correct it, but otherwise, I don't see any system coming close to this for price/performance, not even taking into account OS X, iLife, etc.
Click to expand...

Well, Dell is a poor comparison, since they are Intel's bitches. I would like a comparison to dual-core Opterons/A64's. And your Dell-machine has superior vid-card than the Apple has.
 
ok, opterons

Evangelion said:
Well, Dell is a poor comparison, since they are Intel's bitches. I would like a comparison to dual-core Opterons/A64's. And your Dell-machine has superior vid-card than the Apple has.
Click to expand...

I did a search on Google for "dual opteron" went to the first sponsored ad at the top, thinkmate.com.
I configured a dual opteron system with dual cores. Similar specs, again, correct me if I am wrong. I removed the $159 dollar heat sinks that allow "silent" operation, I did the cheapest keyboard and optical mouse, I even did a 200 gig drive instead of apples 250 by accident.
I had to go back to Apple's page and update with apple care and 4gig of ECC ram, because Thinkmate had a better warranty, and I wanted to up the systems to have 1gig/core.

This time the gap was even bigger, Thinkmate's $7,824 versus Apple's $4,648.

I just fail to see for a PROFESSIONAL workstation, these prices are high. Are they $2000? No, but neither are any other systems of this caliber. Heck, its way more than I need. I need a system that will handle 5k digital photos without iPhoto taking 5 min to load. I am still on my 400mhz G3 with 576 MB of RAM. :( I would love to have one of the PMacs, but I just cant spend the money on it.

I agree with several other posters about the desire for a mid-size tower with a 2.5 G5, 4 RAM slots, a couple of expansion slots, and space for 4 hard drives (OS and then a raid array). If they took the 20" iMac, stripped the display, and folded the case in half, that would be about right. Say $1299-1799 depending on processor speed, wireless, NIC, etc. I would buy that tomorrow as I have a nice 21" CRT just sitting in my office.


EDITS:
ok, I realized I had 8x512 instead of 4x1 for the Apple ram. That bumped $400 more over what I had, so $5,048.
Then I fixed the thnkmate system's hard drive, and put in the cheapest 256mb video card, because I was not sure if the one I picked was right.
Those two changes made it $6,854

So, for $1800 LESS than the opterons, you get a screamingly fast system that does not run Windows. Still sounds like a bargain to me.
Not to mention that if you get the RAM from Crucial or newegg, you can save even more on the Apple.

No sir, I don't agree.
If anyone wants to put together a system, including USB, Firewire, ECC DDR2 RAM, SATA, etc. and can show the prices from a vendor, not going to the local geek store and building it yourself, and can get the price within $500 of the Powermac, great. Then again, for $500, wouldn't you rather use the one that just works? :D
 

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jayb2000 said:
So, for $1800 LESS than the opterons, you get a screamingly fast system that does not run Windows. Still sounds like a bargain to me.
Not to mention that if you get the RAM from Crucial or newegg, you can save even more on the Apple.
Click to expand...

Yep, the Quad is a goo deal :). But then again, the Opteron-boxes have some benefits over the Quad. For example, they have better expandability, they support SLI, and they have lots more HD-space (workstations from BOXX for example, support up to 5TB of internal storage, whereas the Quad is limited to 1TB).

That said, the Quad IS a good deal, and worth the money!
 
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