5G iPods, PowerBook Updates?

[quidire]

Virtual PC. Unless you have a secret edition of MS Office for the Mac that comes with Access, its going to be a requirement on any Apple laptop I have. And please people. Don't tell me to just get a cheap PC laptop. I do NOT want to carry two systems with me where ever I go. Beyond that I have over a grand in software invested on the PC side of things. Too much to simply give it up cold turkey. That and some of it is unique to Windows. MS MapPoint does not have a counterpart on OS X nor does, as far as I know, Visio. I need VPC. Period. End of story. It doesn’t have to be lightening fast but sure as heck faster then the 1.25Ghz system I tried MapPoint on at an Apple store last year. The folks at the Apple store were REALLY cool in that they allowed me to install MP on a PowerBook. Those guys rock.

I am not really following this thread, but to address a few of your needs:
• MS Visio -> OmniGraffle Professional (which I use, its brilliant, especially when used with OmniOutliner Professional's new version... I know Outliner apps are dime a dozen, but this one takes the outline model and transforms it for all sorts of applications.

• I can't find an equivalent to MS MapPoint, and there likely won't be one that is that functional until iWork includes a spreadsheet.

• Access - Filemaker? I've never tried to use Filemaker, but I do remember with horror just how bad a database system Access is. You _can_ install mysql or postgresql for free (everyone should look into "fink")
Commercial DB programs are available for Mac AFAIK, but if you were ok w/ Access you aren't looking for a real DBS anyway. This isn't meant to be an insult; often one needs rich data storage but neither performance (not enough data to care) nor complex SQL (data interrelationships are simple). A spreadsheet is not enough, but Informix etc would be too much.

Filemaker or mysql should be workable.

-RS

 

[attic salt]

Ha ha...it's so funny how this forum has slowly transformed into an online PB support group. ... then again I guess it's really not that funny...

 

[schubox]

just think how much happier you will be with a better machine. the PB's can only get better.

In 6 mos., we can all start prophethising (is that the right word?) about the liquid cooled G5 PB's. ANd how you will need a pull-start motor to keep it from melting through your desk or 3rd degree burns on your lap.

hahaha Yeah I know, the thing is I was in the process of ordering my PB when I was told of the bump coming. SO I was ready to get it, all of this waiting sucks. But if I would have gotten it and a few weeks later they would have bumped it, I wuld have regretted it down the road.

 

[attic salt]

okay, 'til next week then....

 

[Jonnie]

Well here on the apple site (Holland), Shipment for powerbooks was "1 day" then it said "5 days" and now it's "7 to 10 day's".

Next tuesday i hope the pb's will be updated. Was hoping for today, but next tuesday makes sense...

We'll see.

 

[zimtheinvader]

Hey....its Tuesday, so.... Oh well, ONE more week, then I go w/ whatever's hottest (Please be the new 2.5 G5 midrange!! ) Please please Apple, just don't be mean like last time and upgrade the line ONE DAY after I got my PM Quicksilver!!!


[You know...there probably won't be any PC upgrades for a while, and Doom 3 is already out on that...Damn you frustrating Windows!!!]

C'mon Apple, throw us fence-sitters a bone, and not just price-wise!!
(the macmini: $450@Target, tempting, but ultimately pointless...[why no PM upgrade at MWSF?])

 

[dnnx]

It is stil early, but no new powerbooks as of right now
I really need a new powerbook, and I have client that needs one too

 

[SiliconAddict]

But nowhere near as stable. Surely you've read about all the problems MS has had porting VPC to the G5.

What have you been smoking? Yes they had problems because of the little-endian issue. Everything I’ve read says VPC is working fine on the G5. Next.

My comparison was between Windows and OS X, not Windows on the x86 vs. Windows on the PowerPC via VPC. You're making my point for me. If the superior stability of OS X is not a factor, then what is?

No you said “That's shot to hell the minute you start Windows via VPC.” So basically you are telling me that running VPC on a Mac with the PPC makes Windows it less stable then on a x86 system in its native environment which is BS. I have a couple friends that use VPC on their iBooks. Its slow a hell but it runs perfectly fine. Next.

I hear you. Those are my reasons for switching as well. What you described all boils down to the superiority of the Macintosh's hardware and software design. But the best design in the world doesn't mean squat if it doesn't get the work done, and you either require, or refuse to relinquish, functionality that only comes with Windows. What good is making the case for switching to a Mac if you can't live without a fast-performing Windows implementation? Because when it's all said and done and you're loading up VPC, guess what? YOU'RE STILL RUNNING WINDOWS.

God you are dense aren't you? AGAIN (And again and again apparently.) I don't need VPC for everything I do. I simply need it to access a handful of apps that I use. It doesn't need to be uber fast. It does need to be fast enough to keep me productive. Can you comprehend this. Am I getting through?

Then why are you wasting so much air bitching about the fact that VPC doesn't run like a cheetah?

Why do I even bother. I've apparently hit the "special" section of Macrumors.

Are you serious? You just listed a complete system emulator, a high-end video editing suite, and the top-of-the-line photographic image editor. EVERYONE'S pro mobile solution sucks for those apps, in comparison to a desktop system.

You really think that don't you? I'm sorry.

And yet, every one of those apps will run, and run well, on the current G4 Powerbook.

I wouldn't define standing there twiddling your thumbs for around half a minute to load the app as running well. Running sluggishly might be more accurate.

I, too, am a sysadmin. But *my* creative department has no problem running the complete Adobe Creative Suite, as well as Quark XPress and Microsoft Office, on the current crop of Powerbook G4s.

Maybe its because that is all they are use to. Did that ever occur to you? A typical user can get use to the world’s crappiest systems if that is all that is available to them. They deal with what they have. And I'm assuming that those systems weren't purchased from their pocket. Big freaking diff between a personally purchased computer and one you use at work.

Frankly, if the blazing speed of a desktop is what you need, then you need to buy a desktop. If you require the mobility of a laptop, then you need to learn how to compromise, no matter what platform you're running. The G4 is not so behind the G5's capabilities that it doesn't deliver every bit as much as Intel's mobile solution does against an Intel desktop.

Wow. You haven't been drinking the kool aid you have been chugging it. A new Pentium M 2Ghz benchmarks out against a P4 to be about as fast as a 3Ghz system and that was before the new chipset that is going to be shipping in new systems in Feb. that supports DDR2 and a 533Mhz FSB. I'm pretty sure that when its all said and done the latest M will thrash the latest P4 but that's not saying a whole heck of a lot. It’s a P4 for god sake.
As for blazing speeds. God it’s like talking to lint. I will reiterate and bullet point for the ADDs in the crowd.

-Market competitive hardware.

-Performance enough that it doesn't feel like I'm waiting for the system to catch up to me. (And this has been the case every time I've go into an Apple store. Sit there drumming my fingers on the table top waiting for Word, FCP, VPC. Hell even iTunes on the PowerBook line takes something like 10 seconds to open. Its not by chance that every time I go into the Apple store just about EVERY app is running on the PowerBooks. Its to keep people from seeing the actual speed of the system. However reboot the system and start from scratch and see how damn slow opening up an app is on a PowerBook.

Do you understand now or do I have to make pretty pictures and get you your Ritalin?

Compared to what? The Pentium M/Centrino? Which is based on the Pentium 3 and represents a step BACKWARDS in chip evolution?

How do you define forward momentum? So a G4 has been stagnant over the last god knows how many years with speedbumps that hardly register any performance increaser. (A crippled FSB has a tendancy to do that to a system.) and you don’t complain but Intel uses the core of the P3 and revamps pretty much the entire chip with.. Oh god I’m not getting into this, go read:
http://www.anandtech.com/mobile/showdoc.html?i=1800
Ahh I love your reasoning. Lets throw away all BENCHMARKS that show the G4 getting thrashed by the M. Ooo it’s based on the P3 so its inferior. Now that was 2 years ago. Looking at barefeats benchmarks on subsequent PowerBook speedbumps and considering Intel not only release Dothan that contains a 2MB L2 cache along with additional tweaks to branch prediction along with several other buzz words that do help performance I'm certain that's the reason we haven't seen any other PC vs. Mac benchmarks on BF lately. Simply put: Apple is getting pounded into the ground by the competition's hardware. But go ahead. Ignore the facts.

Less than a year old is "aging?" I'd hate to see your girlfriend.

And it’s nice to see what your standards are. What do you dumpster dive for your hardware? I didn't say it’s obsolete. I said its aging. In the next couple months PCI Express laptops are going to start shipping. ATI has their X series of GPU's. The current card is good. Could stand to be updated though.

Yeah, because that 1280x854 widescreen resolution on Apple's 15" PowerBook doesn't even come close to the stock 1024x768 on most other laptops.

Oh way to be smart and snappy. I was talking the screen quality. It sucks compared to most PC systems. The contrast ratio just plain sucks. Have you even seen some of the new Dell 15"-17" systems? Or even a Sony laptop display? It makes the PowerBooks display look like ****. Oh but you obviously think that the only thing that matters on a display is resolution.

Stop being a whiny bitch. When the technology exists, Apple will have it. Me, I'm putting my money where my mouth is. I'll be buying a 15" PowerBook no matter what the next rev is.

Good for you. If it does what you want fine. As for me I'm not stupid enough to drop close to three grand on a laptop that gets an *** pounding by most PC laptops that are cheaper. Just as it was with the PowerMac pre-G5 you simply aren't getting ANY bang for your buck.
I'm not going to stop bitching because I point the finger directly at Apple for putting themselves in this position. Apple lacks the ability to see more then a handful of months in front of them. If they did they would have been working with IBM since day one on a mobile solution. (Even if that means a revamped G3 with AltiVec support.) I’m being whiny because Apple does this kind of crap over and over again. Comes out with a great product and subsequently lets it wither on the vine. Apple has the software I want but not the hardware. PC's have the hardware I want but not the software. There is a decision to be made in there and beyond your mind numbingly snide remarks, that really wasn’t needed in the first place so I’m assuming you are just an *****, I will say that I will wait until hell freezes over if necessary for a PowerBook that actually gets updated to current industry standards. The PowerBook was the **** 3 years ago. It isn't anymore and all the "well its good enough" crap in the world won't change that fact.

 

[qzak]

yeah it sucks nothings happening today, but just found this...

http://www.usemycomputer.com/indeximages/2005/January/evolution_apple.jpg

since nothing new is coming out, take a look back at everything apple has come out with in the past

 

[jbasil]

The iPod shape will probably follow the mini IMO.

I saw and liked what others were doing earlier and did a quick 3D model in Maya to see how it looked, shiny case/brushed metal click wheel. When I was done, I realized that I might like to try a more rounded back like the current iPod also like was done earlier in this thread, and a totally brushed aluminum finish. Then I was going to work on colors. Not enough time for all that though.

iPod concept

just a thought,
John

 

[Caiwyn]

I've played around with it enough at the Apple store to know its dog slow on a PowerBook. Hell it takes something like 30 seconds just to open the damn thing.

Yeah. You know what that's called? It's called "4200 rpm Hard Drive." It's called "Stock 512 MB of RAM." The latter is expandable to 2 GB, which you're going to need if you're serious about video editing. The former is already upgradeable to a 5400 rpm drive, which, if the speedbump rumors are true, will be standard in the next rev. ANY professional audio or video editor will tell you that the big bottleneck in performance is not processing power, but disk speed. That means you're at a disadvantage no matter what brand of laptop you use.

But if Apple does address that in the next rev, it'll make much more of a performance difference than you expect. They may even offer a 7200 rpm drive upgrade. Speaking as a musician, I'd MUCH rather have that than an underclocked G5. Any multitrack audio/video recording app worth its salt (Logic, Cubase, Tracktion) has a "freeze" function that lets you conserve CPU from real-time effects processing. But nothing can solve the disk bottleneck problem except faster disks.

 

[Caiwyn]

I am not really following this thread, but to address a few of your needs:
• MS Visio -> OmniGraffle Professional (which I use, its brilliant, especially when used with OmniOutliner Professional's new version... I know Outliner apps are dime a dozen, but this one takes the outline model and transforms it for all sorts of applications.

• I can't find an equivalent to MS MapPoint, and there likely won't be one that is that functional until iWork includes a spreadsheet.

• Access - Filemaker? I've never tried to use Filemaker, but I do remember with horror just how bad a database system Access is. You _can_ install mysql or postgresql for free (everyone should look into "fink")
Commercial DB programs are available for Mac AFAIK, but if you were ok w/ Access you aren't looking for a real DBS anyway. This isn't meant to be an insult; often one needs rich data storage but neither performance (not enough data to care) nor complex SQL (data interrelationships are simple). A spreadsheet is not enough, but Informix etc would be too much.

Filemaker or mysql should be workable.

-RS

No, that won't fly. OmniGraffle *might* be able to replace Visio, but that Visio import and export would have to be really good for him to work seamlessly with other Visio users.

Access programming won't be served with Filemaker, either. That's a pretty extensive market that isn't being served on the Mac platform. The entire point of programming in Access is to be able to get a db-enabled program that can be distributed to and used by anyone who has Access installed. If he's programming Access, then VPC really is his only option if he wants to do it on a Mac.

 

[matticus008]

matticus 008--
I have a question about your sig:

Windows XP Pro, OS X 10.3.3 (via PearPC), Linux-Mandrake 10.0

I suppose you are joking about the PearPC part, right?

Actually, no. Obviously the PearPC implementation is useless for anything video related (it takes about 5 seconds just to do the "fade in" effect for any of the preinstalled screen savers, for example), but it still works well as a development platform for minor projects. It is also helpful in helping friends to troubleshoot their Macs (I can take screen shots in PPC and email them) and it looks good, frame by frame, on my widescreen LCD. While I'm stuck with the PC for the moment, I feel it's important not to get out of touch with OS X for when I actually have the opportunity to switch back.

And Panther only cost me about $30 (academic license), with PPC being free, so it was a minor investment. If you have older licensed of OS X and want to dabble in it from your Windows machine, it can be worth it. Of course, install it under Linux, as it runs much more responsively. I run mine at 1280x768 and it looks good and even handles Expose pretty well. Video playback and 3D is just useless.

 

[matticus008]

Matticus,

Don't just look at screen/hd/graphics card/processor. Think about stability and ease of use.

I have a friend with a P-4 laptop that is a little over 2 years old and is already on its last legs. Spyware, malware, and the general awfulness of Windows has led to in being ridiculously slow and almost unusable. So please don't fall into the trap of only being concerned about specs.

The stability of the OS and longevity of each machine far outweighs any temporary speed gain in my opinion.

I think this a good tip for the forum at large, but not especially for me. I do, however, agree about the longevity of the machine. x86 notebooks especially have a much shorter life cycle than any Apple hardware.

Buying a PC notebook would never involve using the preinstalled version of XP. I have had exactly one virus-related issue in my 10 year history with PCs (and exactly zero with my 15 parallel years on the Mac). I've never had an issue with spyware or malware (I scan for both regularly), and if you configure the right services and restrict your software installation to good products, all the while keeping the registry clean, Windows can be quite stable. I haven't had a systemwide crash since building this PC six or seven months ago, and it runs 24/7 except when I'm gone for more than a day. It's no OS X and it involves much more effort, but it will get the job done (and with an Aqua-based theme, makes me a little less homesick).

Laptops are trickier in this regard, because much of the software that comes preinstalled has some sort of functionality. For example, with the HP I'm hesitantly considering, I'm worried that wiping the hard drive and doing things right will take away the no-boot multimedia features that I find really attractive. What it also has is a remote control (silly, but good for marketing), dual audio outputs (for having a girlfriend/friend watch a movie on a plane together), and front panel multimedia controls (in an unobtrusive and functional small strip), all of which (except remote) would be great to consider for the PowerBook updates. There are other solutions to all of this, but it would be inexpensive for Apple to do these things in the "year of HD" and their new position as a digital lifestyle company.

 

[geoffism]

This forum was a lot more fun when we were just wallowing in our grief that no PB came out today.

Mac vs. PC... interesting that there are people on this forum that are backing PC's. It almost sounds like your are suggesting that they are superior machines. Well, if all you need to do is run Microsoft Office, surf the web, and play computer games, then that would be my suggestion. Run with it. If you don't need a computer to run heavy graphics, edit music or video, or create a really dynamic flash movie, then you shouldn't WASTE your money on a Mac - let alone a $2500 PB. I don't want to take up too much time or even engage in this ludicris argument. (stepping down from the soapbox)

The time is near. Mac is here.

 

[Caiwyn]

No you said “That's shot to hell the minute you start Windows via VPC.” So basically you are telling me that running VPC on a Mac with the PPC makes Windows it less stable then on a x86 system in its native environment which is BS.

I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were a telepath, and that you understand my words better than I do. Try reading that sentence again (I realize it's a challenge) without putting so much emphasis on the words "via VPC." The point was that the advantages of OS X that you cited are completely lost the minute you start running Windows, be it natively or via VPC. If you're tired of maintaining a Windows install now, wait until you start trying to do it inside an emulator. VPC's stability isn't the issue -- Windows's is. As you yourself have stated. Or did you forget?

God you are dense aren't you? AGAIN (And again and again apparently.) I don't need VPC for everything I do. I simply need it to access a handful of apps that I use. It doesn't need to be uber fast. It does need to be fast enough to keep me productive.

Hey, why should I make a distinction if you won't? You're emulating an entirely different system architecture. That doesn't come cheap. If speed and mobility for Windows apps are a requirement for you, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize what it'll take to accomplish that. Unfortunately, logic doesn't seem to be one of your strong suits.

I wouldn't define standing there twiddling your thumbs for around half a minute to load the app as running well. Running sluggishly might be more accurate.

So an exaggerated 30-second load time for an application that emulates an entire separate system architecture is too much. No wonder you're doing your programming in Access.

Wow. You haven't been drinking the kool aid you have been chugging it. A new Pentium M 2Ghz benchmarks out against a P4 to be about as fast as a 3Ghz system and that was before the new chipset that is going to be shipping in new systems in Feb. that supports DDR2 and a 533Mhz FSB. I'm pretty sure that when its all said and done the latest M will thrash the latest P4 but that's not saying a whole heck of a lot. It’s a P4 for god sake.

Exactly. So who's drinking what Kool-Aid, again?

Hell even iTunes on the PowerBook line takes something like 10 seconds to open.

You know what? You're right. Let me just load up iTunes on this 2.5 Ghz P4 and that'll show Apple what real performance looks li... ... oh, wait, that took 10 seconds, and you're not right at all.

Its not by chance that every time I go into the Apple store just about EVERY app is running on the PowerBooks. Its to keep people from seeing the actual speed of the system.

Do they sell tinfoil hats at the Apple store, as well, or did you have to bring your own?

However reboot the system and start from scratch and see how damn slow opening up an app is on a PowerBook.

Done it. And on a PowerBook with the stock hard drive and 512MB of RAM, nearly everything comes up almost immediately, with the exception of memory-intensive apps like GarageBand and FCP. And that can be improved simply by adding RAM or upgrading to a faster hard drive.

How do you define forward momentum? So a G4 has been stagnant over the last god knows how many years with speedbumps that hardly register any performance increaser. (A crippled FSB has a tendancy to do that to a system.) and you don’t complain but Intel uses the core of the P3 and revamps pretty much the entire chip with.. Oh god I’m not getting into this

That's a good idea, because you apparently haven't done much reading into the vast improvements Freescale has made to the G4 core. The only way the G4 gets past 1.5 Ghz is with their 7448, which is due out NOW, and contains a lot more than just a clock speed increase. Guess what's going into the next PB?

Ahh I love your reasoning. Lets throw away all BENCHMARKS that show the G4 getting thrashed by the M.

You're using video game benchmarks of undefined system specs to prove your point? And people PAY you to maintain their computers? I guess employment programs for the mentally challenged really DO work.

What about all the benchmarks that show the G4 keeping up with the G5 clock-for-clock in 32-bit apps (which, btw, are all there are until Tiger's out)? If the G5 is so much more competitive, then your argument falls flat. It's Intel's hardware that's been stagnant. That my dual P3-S desktop still keeps up with the latest and greatest P4 is proof enough of that.

And it’s nice to see what your standards are. What do you dumpster dive for your hardware? I didn't say it’s obsolete. I said its aging. In the next couple months PCI Express laptops are going to start shipping. ATI has their X series of GPU's.

So Apple isn't competitive because the G4 powerbook isn't as good as other laptops that aren't even out yet? That's a real firm grip on temporal reality you have there.

The current card is good. Could stand to be updated though.

Sorry, I thought you said it was "aging." My mistake.

Oh way to be smart and snappy. I was talking the screen quality. It sucks compared to most PC systems. The contrast ratio just plain sucks. Have you even seen some of the new Dell 15"-17" systems? Or even a Sony laptop display? It makes the PowerBooks display look like ****. Oh but you obviously think that the only thing that matters on a display is resolution.

In what alternate universe does "most PC systems" refer to "a single line of laptop displays that Sony has a patent on?" What color is the sky in your world?

As for me I'm not stupid enough to drop close to three grand on a laptop that gets an *** pounding by most PC laptops that are cheaper.

Good! GET A PC! Thanks for making my point for me, you're a real sport!

Just as it was with the PowerMac pre-G5 you simply aren't getting ANY bang for your buck.

I'll be sure to send a memo to the folks still using dual G4 towers that the performance they're experiencing is just a figment of their imaginations.

I'm not going to stop bitching because I point the finger directly at Apple for putting themselves in this position. Apple lacks the ability to see more then a handful of months in front of them. If they did they would have been working with IBM since day one on a mobile solution. (Even if that means a revamped G3 with AltiVec support.)

If you actually believe they haven't been, you're more naive than I thought.

I’m being whiny because Apple does this kind of crap over and over again. Comes out with a great product and subsequently lets it wither on the vine.

No kidding. Lord knows OS X is really behind the times. Not like Windows. And those iPods have really been outpaced by the competition.

I will wait until hell freezes over if necessary for a PowerBook that actually gets updated to current industry standards.

With the way you define "current industry standards," you've got a long wait ahead of you. Meanwhile, the devil's enjoying his nice, cool Powerbook G4.

 

[geoffism]

solid.

I'm sure Apple's bottom line will be fine without SiliconAddict's "contribution" of close to three grand.

 

[Rower_CPU]

SiliconAddict and Caiwyn - chill out.

 

[rosalindavenue]

Actually, no. Obviously the PearPC implementation is useless for anything video related (it takes about 5 seconds just to do the "fade in" effect for any of the preinstalled screen savers, for example), but it still works well as a development platform for minor projects. It is also helpful in helping friends to troubleshoot their Macs (I can take screen shots in PPC and email them) and it looks good, frame by frame, on my widescreen LCD. While I'm stuck with the PC for the moment, I feel it's important not to get out of touch with OS X for when I actually have the opportunity to switch back.

And Panther only cost me about $30 (academic license), with PPC being free, so it was a minor investment. If you have older licensed of OS X and want to dabble in it from your Windows machine, it can be worth it. Of course, install it under Linux, as it runs much more responsively. I run mine at 1280x768 and it looks good and even handles Expose pretty well. Video playback and 3D is just useless.

Wow-- thanks for the reply. I had no idea that PearPC was usable at all by anyone. Last I heard (in the summer I guess) it was glacially slow. Very interesting-- I' m particularly shocked that it handles Expose.

 

[qzak]

PowerBook revisions imminent

Not only does Apple inventory data now clearly indicate an End-of-life to all current PowerBook offerings, but several tipsters tell AppleInsider that certain Apple retail stores have rid themselves all display models, leaving the PowerBook planograms vacant and awaiting fresh meat.

Patience.

says AppleInsider.com....hrmmm. like i've said i'm new to the mac world, waiting for this upgrades to switch. have retail stores "rid themselves of all display models" before minor upgrades before, or ??? (to those naysayers i'm not saying something big like a G5 or anything, i'm just curious as to what apple has done in the past)

 

[matticus008]

Wow-- thanks for the reply. I had no idea that PearPC was usable at all by anyone. Last I heard (in the summer I guess) it was glacially slow. Very interesting-- I' m particularly shocked that it handles Expose.

You're still looking at a performance factor of 1/12 to 1/15, so my 3500+ runs about par with a 266MHz G3. The video frame buffers are laughable though, so it's like a G3 running in some sort of remote desktop mode.

I'm actually doing a little work on improving graphics performance (trying to get a passthrough to the 3D-accelerated Radeon drivers I have under Linux), but I'm not very good at that, it seems. Anyone with decent skills in something like this might want to look into PearPC development.

 

[Caiwyn]

says AppleInsider.com....hrmmm. like i've said i'm new to the mac world, waiting for this upgrades to switch. have retail stores "rid themselves of all display models" before minor upgrades before, or ??? (to those naysayers i'm not saying something big like a G5 or anything, i'm just curious as to what apple has done in the past)

I'm waiting for this upgrade to switch, as well. I've committed to buying the next rev of the 15" PowerBook, regardless of whether it's a G4 or a G5. If it's a faster G4, I'll be happy to have the low power, improved battery life, and faster disk access. If it's a G5, I'll look forward to the future compatibility with 64-bit operating systems and applications, as well as whatever performance improvements such a chip might offer.

Is a G5 possible? I don't really think so. To keep acceptable heat and noise levels, it would require a new chip, something cooler and less power intensive than the PPC970FX. For that to happen, Apple would need to have been a lot better at keeping secrets for the past six months than they have.

Someone here did point out the possibility of IBM's Cell processor, currently slated for use in the PS3. I don't know a lot about it, but it is apparently a 64-bit PowerPC chip that's much cooler than the 970FX at the current 90nm process, so I guess it's a possibility. IBM is slated to release a lot of press on the chip in February. And though it seems unthinkable that Apple would drop a bomb like that so soon after MacWorld, some folks have pointed out that there's always the Super Bowl if they need a press event. After all, that's where the original Macintosh was announced. And a G5 Powerbook right now would make sense if DigiTimes's reports of manufacturers being contracted to ship G5 iBooks in Q2 were true.

Still, all of this is just speculation and rumor, with little to no substantial evidence to back it up. I still say a faster G4 is more likely. Freescale's MPC7448 is supposed to be available right about now, offering improved performance as well as reduced heat and increased battery life. That fits with the specs predicted by Think Secret, whose track record makes it hard to believe a G5 is coming right now.

And unless a new G5 chip that solves the heat problem is available, I think I would probably actually prefer a G4 speed bump. The lower power, reduced heat and excellent battery life are underrated advantages, and as I've said, the real bottleneck is in disk speed, so an improvement in that area would be extremely welcome.

Ultimately, I'll be happy with whatever new revision comes out. But the suspense is driving me INSANE.

 

[tomjleeds]

And those iPods have really been outpaced by the competition.

I agree with you on most points, but this one...

Well, it has. It has 12 hours battery life while Sony offer 35. It's not that small any more and its format support is lacking. The only areas it's winning in are usability and fashion.

 

[Caiwyn]

I agree with you on most points, but this one...

Well, it has. It has 12 hours battery life while Sony offer 35. It's not that small any more and its format support is lacking. The only areas it's winning in are usability and fashion.

Well, my point was simply that it has evolved quite a bit. The interface has consistently improved, as have features (iPhoto integration) and cross-platform support. Remember that the iPod didn't run on Windows, originally, and Apple went so far as to port iTunes to Windows to that end. As for battery life, 12 hours is less than much of the competition, true, but it's better than the original 8.

As far as format support goes, I have to disagree. AAC is miles ahead of the competition. Ogg Vorbis, much as I like it, really just isn't going anywhere. WMA is ubiquitous, but even if you ignore its inferior sound quality, it's now a security risk, thanks to its badly-implemented DRM. AAC, on the other hand, is part of MPEG-4. If anybody deserves to be criticized for lack of format support, it's Sony. Only now are they adding mp3 support to their players, and ATRAC-3 is neither widespread nor technologically superior. Also note that Sony's capacity and battery life are dependent on songs being encoded at half the quality of what Apple calculates for the iPod, so things are a little skewed. You couldn't get me to touch Sony's offerings with a ten-foot pole.

Feature-wise, it's all a matter of demand. Do you really need an FM tuner in your digital music player? One of the underlying premises of the iPod -- indeed, of the entire digital music revolution -- is that radio sucks now. At best, it's a feature that the vast majority of Apple's customer base doesn't care about. Same thing with voice recording. Me, I'd like it, because I'm a musician and I'd love to be able to throw down some ideas on a portable unit like that. But most people really just don't have that need.

Improvements can be made, sure, but the iPod still has it where it counts. I'm not saying millions of Elvis fans can't be wrong, because sometimes popular opinion really is undeserved. But this is not one of those times.

 

[musiclover137]

all this fighting on here reminds me of an old joke,
arguing on the internet (macrumors.com no less) is like competeing in the special olympics...win or lose you're still retarded.

let's all just chill out and look at some porn or something. isn't that what the internet is for anyway?