12inch and 17inch Powerbooks Released

[MacRumors]

As you all know, in an (almost) surprise move, Apple introduced new Powerbooks at MacWorld Expo SF 2003:

12" Powerbook
867MHz PowerPC G4
256MB DDR 266 SDRAM
40GB Ultra ATA/100
NVidia GeForce 4 420 Go
32MB DDR video memory
Airport Extreme Ready
Bluetooth built-in

17" Powerbook
1 GHz PowerPC G4
512MB DDR333 SDRAM
60GB Ultra ATA/100
Superdrive
NVidia GeForce4 440 Go
64MB DDR video memory
Firewire 800
Airport Extreme Built-in
Bluetooth built-in

Identification of the laptops was revealed at the last minute Monday evening. Powerbook updates were not expected so soon after their recent update on November 6, 2002.

 

[arn]

yes... day old news... but felt it best for provide full story for historic purposes (links) and also for focused discussion.

arn

 

[bobindashadows]

DDR!!! Well half-assed DDR.

woo hoo! DDR RAM for all! Except the 15". Looks like an awesome setup, i can't wait to see the sales these things generate!
Oh yeah... first post possibly?

 

[mattfelsen]

correction

The 17" PowerBooks have Airport Extreme built-in

 

[mcrain]

As a purchaser of a 15" with superdrive on the day it came out, I'm a little upset that that model didn't have the lit keyboard, airport extreme, aluminum and firewire 2, but oh well.

I got what I wanted.

 

[puffmarvin]

wow arn... good job this site is the best... keep up the good work and i hope to see more soon!!!

 

[AndrewMT]

Is anyone else dissapointed that the 12.1" G4 powerbook doesn't include 64mb vram or firewire 800? How much more room would an extra 32mb of memory take up in the notebook? If firewire 800 is going to be the new fast i/o standard, why isn't it included in this notebook?

 

[MacKid]

Well,

Originally posted by AndrewMT
Is anyone else dissapointed that the 12.1" G4 powerbook doesn't include 64mb vram or firewire 800? How much more room would an extra 32mb of memory take up in the notebook? If firewire 800 is going to be the new fast i/o standard, why isn't it included in this notebook?

First of all, not many devices fully utilize the bandwidth of FireWire 800, and then again, you must remember that it's $1,799. It's supposed to be the semi-pro G4. Add a 64mb card and a FW 800 port and you might as well get a 17".

 

[NitroPye]

Excitement / disappointment

I am very ecited about the 12" models with Al frame and airport extreme. BUT its too bad that the 15" wasnt updated (even though so soon) because right now their is no updated middle option. Its either 12" 867mhz or 17" models. I am really going to have to goto an apple store to see them all inperson side by side before i can decide 15" 1ghz superdrive or 12" superdrive w/ airport extreme and shall i mentino it again Al case. Ack I would also like to see option for 64vram update but ohh well. Plus lit keyboardo on 17" only. ack Im just bitching, I am still really psyched no matter what , I shall be getting mine soon as i get college acceptance

 

[idkew]

As a designer, i am very interested in the 17 incher. Portability is important to me, but so is screen size. I think this is a great compromise between a desktop and a laptop. I will definitly be purchasing revision b or c. I hate to see my custom tibook go away; maybe my gf will want it. Convert her.

 

[kmac]

Originally posted by AndrewMT
Is anyone else dissapointed that the 12.1" G4 powerbook doesn't include 64mb vram or firewire 800? How much more room would an extra 32mb of memory take up in the notebook? If firewire 800 is going to be the new fast i/o standard, why isn't it included in this notebook?

I'm most disappointed that the 12" doesn't have DVI, I was hoping I could connect to a great new apple display when I'm not mobile.

The 17" is super but it's too big for my need. Now I'm just lost, new 15" with bluetooth and keyboard lighting would be awesome. Just when I was ready to buy, it's a waiting game all over again.

 

[Over Achiever]

Don't forget, the 12" don't have L3 cache either, another performance hit.

The new powerbooks are no longer tibooks, but they are now made up unpainted, anodized aluminium.

Another performance hit on the alubooks (yes, that's what i'm calling them dammit) is the graphic cards. Apple took a step back when they went from the ATI Mobility Radeon 9000 to the NVIDIA GeForce4 420/440 Go. Granted the NVIDIA GeForce4 Go are not bad, they are older tech, and they do not preform better than the Radeon 9000. The GeForce4 4200 Go might have been a better choice (although more power hungry).

The performance is aided by the upgrade to DDR2100/2700 (266/333 MHz) SDRAM. Also bluetooth is now built in, and the airport reception is improved by moving the antennae to the screen. As for the 17" model, Firewire800 has been included.

A new feature in the 17" model...the ambient light sensor. When the lights dim, the keyboard automatically lights up thanks to fiber optics. Also the screen brightness is adjusted, easing eye-strain.

Even tho' the 17" is big...its still only an inch thick. It's dimensions are 15.4 x 10.2 x 1.0", 6.8 lbs., which to some may seem too big, but I don't mind. I'm buying the 17" model.

 

[NitroPye]

Yes I forgot to include DVI but that was one of the downpoints, then again the day i can afford one is probably the day when we have the G17 processor in a 2" model and a 27" model (obviously not practical or ever going to happen )

But due to needing now .. arg I cant decide 15 or 12!!

 

[NHMac]

Was psyched to see that even the Mini Al can support 1600x1200 on an external monitor... May need to rethink that 17" iMac purchase.

You gotta asumme that the 15"Ti model will be standardized to the Al form factor/maufacturing process in the next 6 months. Wonder if they will trickle down the keyboard technology? Found in Big Al? Does not sound unreasonable.

 

[Sun Baked]

Looks like Internet Explorer is still the default browser right now.

Putting QuickBooks on the HD of a pro machine is a nice touch.

Mac OS X, QuickTime, iCal, iChat, iDVD, iMovie, iPhoto, iTunes, DVD Player, Mac OS X Mail, Microsoft Internet Explorer, EarthLink (includes 30 days of free service), Acrobat Reader, Art Directors Toolkit, FAXstf, FileMaker Pro Trial, GraphicConverter, Microsoft Office v. X Test Drive, OmniGraffle, OmniOutliner, QuickBooks for Mac New User Edition, Developer Tools, Apple Hardware Test

 

[Xapplimatic]

Re: Well,

Originally posted by MacKid


First of all, not many devices fully utilize the bandwidth of FireWire 800, and then again, you must remember that it's $1,799. It's supposed to be the semi-pro G4. Add a 64mb card and a FW 800 port and you might as well get a 17".

Not all FireWire 400 devices fully utilize the bandwidth even. For me, it's a non concern. so is the lack of DVI.. My first concern in a portable is performance as a portable.. not a desktop replacement.. I'm buying the 12 " iBook as soon as it's shipping. It's sexy, it's much faster than any iBook in ever area (especially buss-speed!), but has the same cuddly profile as the iBook. I'm really happy. Thanks Apple!

(I can't believe they didn't trumpet the 2-3 clockspeed increse in buss perfomance with the first DDR PowerBooks! Hmm.. suspicious.. Perhaps this is only a speed bump for the buss, maybe the next version has IBM 970 PPCs with an 800 MHz fully utilized Hyper Transport buss? Maybe that's why they held off on updating the 15 "ers)

 

[iSmell]

15" updated soon?

It seems to me like the TiBook should be updated soon just to simplify the line up. I think the 17 inch book is too big for a lot of people and I know the G4 iBook (am I the only one that sees it?) is too small for me personally because the iBook was too small for me. The 15 incher is the sweet spot in the line up as far as size, but you have to give up the nifty stuff like the glowing keyboard, aluminum case, airport extreme, ddr etc... It just doesn't make sense.

One other thing: Is it just me, or is the TiBook's screen not quite as bright and nice as the iBook's and the iMac's screens? The 17" iMac has a beautiful screen, but I wonder if they sacrificed anything squeezing it into the AlBook.

Any word on whether these things have shown up in the retail stores yet or when they're expected to? I'm going to be near a few stores over the next few days and would love to check these puppies out. Not that I'm going to buy any of them.
Ever.

I'm sad now.


At least there are still monkeys....

 

[kmac]

Originally posted by NitroPye


But due to needing now .. arg I cant decide 15 or 12!!

Yes, same here. I was ready to buy the 15" and now the new Albooks comes out but 12" has no DVI and 17" is little too big.

I would absolutely love the updated 15" with Al, keyboard backlighting, bluetooth, and new port arrangements (usb on the right side for mouse).

What do I do!?!

 

[rjstanford]

What do I do!?!

Wait.

 

[Melior1]

12" Powerbook vs. iBook

Originally posted by AndrewMT
Is anyone else dissapointed that the 12.1" G4 powerbook doesn't include 64mb vram or firewire 800? How much more room would an extra 32mb of memory take up in the notebook? If firewire 800 is going to be the new fast i/o standard, why isn't it included in this notebook?

At first, yes, but upon closer inspection, I have to say the 12" Powerbook is worth a long look. Sure, I'd like the backlit keyboard, 64MB Vram, etc. that the 17" has (including all 17" of screen), but when I compare the iBook and 12"Powerbook specs side by side, I like what I see. To summarize, the Powerbook's 32Mb Vram is DDR, it has a Superdrive available, built in bluetooth, Airport extreme capabilities, a (faster) G4 chip, a third (midrange) speaker, support for dual monitor, DDR ram, supports higher resolution. That's a lot of added features. Maybe those don't add up to the higher pricetag for serious Pro Users. I'm a ProSumer. I've taken a 15" laptop on an airplane and found it too big for the tray and too hot for my lap - P3). I like what the 12" Powerbook can do, and I'm willing to spend the money on it because: I can't afford a 17", it will handle Prosumer video editing better than the iBook, it is future-proof (at least for a while), I'm not likely to buy a Firewire800 device anytime soon since I've never bought a Firewire 400 device for my 3+yr old Powermac, and as for the no DVI, well, I was planning to buy a 17" flatpanel VGA monitor for the iBook anyway. At least with this I can go dual monitor to the projector I use weekly.

Sorry for the rant. For me this is the Apple I want/can afford now, and I'd be darn proud to open it up anywhere.

 

[mcrain]

Originally posted by kmac



Yes, same here. I was ready to buy the 15" and now the new Albooks comes out but 12" has no DVI and 17" is little too big.

I would absolutely love the updated 15" with Al, keyboard backlighting, bluetooth, and new port arrangements (usb on the right side for mouse).

What do I do!?!

Buy my 15 so I can get a 17

 

[julzmon]

powerbook g4 400 rev a

I have the first 400mgz Ti PB. And I think its great and all but I am not happy with the LCD display. The color varies so much from top to bottom. I can never get the right colors and it's always a surprise to me how much better things look when I get on my Desktop with a CRT monitor.
I just don't think that LCD's are ready for designing.
I make Flash sites and Graphic work.

Julz

 

[dguisinger]

MWNY 2003

Well, I know no one wants to hear my projections for MWNY ..... but here it goes:

Software:
iCal and iSync Upgrades
Apple branded word processor and spreadsheet, each at $99
(Watch the registering of trademarks)
word processor, spreadsheet, and Keynote(tm) are bundled for somewhere between $200 and $250.
OS X 10.3 is both 32 and 64 bit
iChat adds ICQ and MSN support.

Hardware:
With Apple's splits between their laptop lines, Apple may or may not release new notebooks all at once. My guess is the 17" PowerBook will be upgraded to a 1.4GHz IBM 970 chip, which is known to have lower power consumtion than the G4.

Apple will release new 970 based towers. Prices will come down, as only a single CPU will be needed and IBM has better production (and more uses) for the chip than Motorola.

Top iMac may see the jump to the same lower-power 1.4GHz 970 chip...reducing the heat in the iMac and leaving a performance gap between consumer and pro.

Expect FireWire 800 to filter down to the iMacs, as it probably will not be in the february update as FW800 is more of a pro technology.

Apple will also adopt Serial ATA over IDE, for 150MB/sec transfers.


Anyways, thats my thoughts. I could easily be wrong, but hoping I'm right.

 

[lmalave]

Re: MWNY 2003

Originally posted by dguisinger

With Apple's splits between their laptop lines, Apple may or may not release new notebooks all at once. My guess is the 17" PowerBook will be upgraded to a 1.4GHz IBM 970 chip, which is known to have lower power consumtion than the G4.

Apple will release new 970 based towers. Prices will come down, as only a single CPU will be needed and IBM has better production (and more uses) for the chip than Motorola.

Top iMac may see the jump to the same lower-power 1.4GHz 970 chip...reducing the heat in the iMac and leaving a performance gap between consumer and pro.

Too soon I think for the 970. G4s are supposed to go up to 1.8GHz by that time, though, so maybe we'll see 1.4GHz and higher G4s. IBM has delivered early before, though, so who knows?

 

[MUrhino]

Re: 15" updated soon?

Originally posted by iSmell

Is it just me, or is the TiBook's screen not quite as bright and nice as the iBook's and the iMac's screens? The 17" iMac has a beautiful screen, but I wonder if they sacrificed anything squeezing it into the AlBook.

I think you're right on target here. I was comparing an iBook to a TiBook at my Bookstore and I did notice a difference between the two. The iBook was brighter, but not by much. The resolutions both looked equal though. One reason for the brightness is most likely the space behind the screen. The iBook has more space for the inner-components of the actual screen as opposed to the TiBook. With the new line being even thinner I think we can expect it to be about the same as the old TiBooks.