Apple Releases New PowerBooks

[Abstract]

At least they lowered the prices. A similarly equipped 15in powerbook would go for $2700, thats a big drop today, and the specs are slightly better. So Apple did one good thing by lowering the price.

In Australia, the bottom of the line 12" model with Combo drive costs $25 MORE than it did yesterday. 🙄

 

[Salty Pirate]

I remeber seeing a laptop drive comparo at Tom's Hardware™ putting the 100GB 7200 vs the 120GB 5400, and they picked the 120GB based on tighter areal density providing as much throughput as the 7200 rpm drive.

Not sure if this is true or not, but I bought the 17" with the 120GB 5400 rpm drive and the thing feels fast. I need to get the RAM back up to 2 GB though....

Disappointed we did not see the 7448. 1MB L2 and 90nm coolness would have rocked!

So now we wait for Intel. 😱

 

[mddharma]

😱 After months of waiting and hoping, I just ordered a 12" PB. Thanks to the post by Powerbook911, I went to Amazon and purchased it for $1499 PLUS, Amazon is giving a $150 mail in rebate! With no taxes and free shipping this is a GREAT deal, all things considered. With the extra savings I ordered an Apple wireless keyboard and mouse. 😀

Now, 😕 I have to find a 1 Gb memory stick that has great performance and is a great deal to put in myself.

 

[RichardCarletta]

If Powerbook doesn't switch to Mactel until the fall

Maybe the last G4 speedbump will occur around April . Apple will have no excuse to not push Powerbooks to 2 GHZ by then. As for the new better screens , they were needed.

 

[BWhaler]

Good for you and congrats on the purchase.

Merom is the bomb but that's a long wait. Tough call what to do. Not sure a rev A Intel (Yonah) is a good thing as Merom really kicks it. Perhaps these updates are the thing to do and wait for Merom. That timing would be ok anyway as that's when all the apps should be universal (e.g. Adobe).

I think your point is the reason to wait for Rev B of the Intel PowerBooks.

The bottom line is this:

1. Apple has mixed results on Rev A. Some work fine, but when there are problems, they can be nasty and Apple does little to nothing other than fix them in Rev B

2. Point 1 really doesn't matter here. Wait for Merom because it is the true advance, a Rev B+, of the Intel chip. Intel fell way behind and are scrambling to catch-up. They have done some great work in the past year, but it will be Merom where Intel really hits their stride.

3. Adobe and others have already said they will not have universal binaries until 2007. Others will have a Rev B. of the software by then.

So, while it will be hard to wait, I think the smart move is to wait for "Rev B." in 2007 of the Intel chips, software, and yes, the Apple hardware. 2006 is really going to be for the early adopters.

I generally think of myself as one, an early adopter, but I don't see much point honestly. Merom is where the big advances are....speed. 9+ hour battery life, etc.

Amazing, my powerbook (15", 1.5Ghz, 1GB, 128MB) is almost 1.5 years old and still totally up to date!! 🙂

Sorry for the guys who have been waiting for good updates though.. 😱

LOL 🙂

 

[cplusd]

Picked up my new 17 inch PowerBook today 🙂

I was shocked but the store I bought it from, they were delivered today.
I will say this (maybe it's from excitement) but with the new DDR2 ram
it sort of feels a little faster. The screen is absolutely stunning, it's way
better than my previous 17". It's also super bright, and to be totally
honest it looks of the same qaulity of my late 20 Apple LCD (aluminum).

I've just reinstalled OSX and it comes with 2 OSX discs and I didn't notice
a OS9 disc. Wireless seems to get better reception also. I haven't tried
burning a DL DVD so I can't comment on that. And it does seem to have a little better battery life also. I will benchmark that a little more. Tomorrow I will try running xbench and see my results.

All in all I'm so excited... Sure it's the same processor but I wil tell you
the screen alone is outstanding. I noticed they offer a 7200rpm 120gb BTO on the website, unfortunately that's not an option at the Apple store. There are 2 little minor issues. One, the hinge of the LCD makes a little squeak when fully open (pretty loud). Two, as same as my last 17, the latches sort of stick/grind. I'm sure I can bend them out.

Other than that I'm super happy with my purchase... It's like walking around with a 20" Apple display... TOO COOL...

P.S. Please excuse any typos or bad grammer I'm to excited to type lol...

 

[neutrino23]

I guess no one can answer the question about the 7200 drives? ;(

Hard to answer. Yes, the 7200 RPM drive will be faster. $200 faster? That is up to you. Hitachi says the drive is 25% faster than other drives. So for a task that is bound by the HD speed things will be quicker. Example, if you copy or duplicate a huge file that takes 100s with a 5400RPM drive it may take 75s with this drive. I think going from a 4200RPM drive to a 7200RPM drive would be a tasty jump. 5400RPM to 7200RPM may not be such a big step.

 

[kenstee]

I think your point is the reason to wait for Rev B of the Intel PowerBooks.

The bottom line is this:

1. Apple has mixed results on Rev A. Some work fine, but when there are problems, they can be nasty and Apple does little to nothing other than fix them in Rev B

2. Point 1 really doesn't matter here. Wait for Merom because it is the true advance, a Rev B+, of the Intel chip. Intel fell way behind and are scrambling to catch-up. They have done some great work in the past year, but it will be Merom where Intel really hits their stride.

3. Adobe and others have already said they will not have universal binaries until 2007. Others will have a Rev B. of the software by then.

So, while it will be hard to wait, I think the smart move is to wait for "Rev B." in 2007 of the Intel chips, software, and yes, the Apple hardware. 2006 is really going to be for the early adopters.

I generally think of myself as one, an early adopter, but I don't see much point honestly. Merom is where the big advances are....speed. 9+ hour battery life, etc.

Good advice!

http://www.digitimes.com/mobos/a20051018PR201.html

 

[RHMMMM]

Can you go into the System Profiler and double check that it's the 512k cache on the processor?

Picked up my new 17 inch PowerBook today 🙂

I was shocked but the store I bought it from, they were delivered today.
I will say this (maybe it's from excitement) but with the new DDR2 ram
it sort of feels a little faster. The screen is absolutely stunning, it's way
better than my previous 17". It's also super bright, and to be totally
honest it looks of the same qaulity of my late 20 Apple LCD (aluminum).

I've just reinstalled OSX and it comes with 2 OSX discs and I didn't notice
a OS9 disc. Wireless seems to get better reception also. I haven't tried
burning a DL DVD so I can't comment on that. And it does seem to have a little better battery life also. I will benchmark that a little more. Tomorrow I will try running xbench and see my results.

All in all I'm so excited... Sure it's the same processor but I wil tell you
the screen alone is outstanding. I noticed they offer a 7200rpm 120gb BTO on the website, unfortunately that's not an option at the Apple store. There are 2 little minor issues. One, the hinge of the LCD makes a little squeak when fully open (pretty loud). Two, as same as my last 17, the latches sort of stick/grind. I'm sure I can bend them out.

Other than that I'm super happy with my purchase... It's like walking around with a 20" Apple display... TOO COOL...

P.S. Please excuse any typos or bad grammer I'm to excited to type lol...

 

[Jay42]

Very cool. That's a great computer. I'm still not convinced to go and eBay my current 1.5 ghz PowerBook for a new one. Frankly, I think I'll wait until some nice intels with blu-ray burners com out. 😉

 

[BWhaler]

I too am disappointed.

Since I will not buy the Rev A Intel Mac, no matter how tempting it is going to be at the time, I WILL buy the new 17" PowerBook.

I currently have the Rev B. 17" PowerBook, and it's been banged about a bit. I skipped two upgrade cycles, but I think it is time to upgrade to hold me over for 12 to 18 months until the Merom Powerbooks are here.

Oh well, I am sure I will be excited to place the order, then disappointed when I don't notice much difference. Such is life...

 

[cplusd]

Here you go

 

[iGary]

Lame.

Most overpriced underpowered laptops on the market, bar none.

 

[Mac Me Up]

Ouch! They basically stripped $AUD400 from the model of powerbook that I bought about a few weeks ago (15" with superdrive)! And they updated the resolution and battery life 😱 . Luckily I didn't buy from the Apple store and saved a few hundred anyway...but still...oh well such is iLife. 😉

I agree that it's a pretty lame upgrade, but it still leaves me thinking that maybe I should have waited a few more weeks.

 

[cplusd]

Lame.

Most overpriced underpowered laptops on the market, bar none.

Oh come on, don't go spoiling it for everyone lol...

I was sort of let down with the same processor speed, but The DL Superdrive and the new screen alone make me one happy camper. I'm sure the DDR2 ram will hold some performance gains. Sure not even close to as impressive (speed wise) as the new dual dual-core Powermac G5 but this should hold me over till the Intels come out for sure 🙂.

I like how they give the whole PowerBook line a Superdrive 🙂 and the 15 it a nice deal at 1999.00. Much better than the last top 15 model.

 

[artifex]

That's better than 64MB in the current 12" isn't it?
Oooooops, Apple skimps on the onboard RAM.
My bad. 🙄
It's for the mobile space, smartguy.
If you want hardcore performance, you'd buy a desktop, and put an aftermarket card in it.
Now wouldn't you?

Sorry, I didn't know the Intel 900 was just for mobile use. I guess that makes it okay. On the other hand, I haven't bought a laptop recently, but I remember consumer grade laptops used to have separate memory for the video. Anyway, I still think it's eww, ick. I'm about to buy my sister a $500 laptop for use at school, which by necessity will be shared memory (and non-Apple), but that doesn't mean I should be happy with this part of the design.

 

[~Shard~]

Not the best update they could have done, but if nothing else, at least this might be a sign that Intel PowerBooks are coming sooner rather than later...

 

[powerbook911]

So you work for Apple now?

Consider the following.

1.Consumer level models will ship with Intel first

2.They won't release a PRO machine with not all the Pro software that people need. Then you're just better off getting a PPC.

3.It will be a transition...meaning not overnight.

I respect your opinions, but I strongly disagree.

I believe they will release a pro machine, before the Adobe Creative Suite is available, for Intel. I believe the Powerbooks will go Intel in first half of 2006. They are so behind. If someone can't use the Intel machines, they can buy a PowerPC used, or from the refurb store. Adobe says they may not have Intel CS until late 2006 or early 2007. Apple will not wait that long, for an Intel Powerbook. The current update was ok, if you're a professional needing a Powerbook, but otherwise, these machines have hit a wall.

I am confident Apple will have their own professional software ready, for the Intel Powerbooks. The video software, and their new photo application. There will be enough sales, from this at first. Furthermore, lots of consumers will buy them, since they'll just *want* an intel mac.

Yes, it will be a transition. It is not overnight because it was already announced 4+ months ago. Furthermore, I don't expect the Powermac to move to Intel, until 2007. The Powerbook is a very different story indeed.

These are just my thoughts. I know many are going to disagree. However, the lack of serious updates to Powerbooks today, shows to me that the Intel Powerbooks are nearing ever closer.

 

[RHMMMM]

Thanks, the Apple Store dude lied to me then. I'll end up getting the 17" anyways. The bright LCD sounds really nice and I think the 120gig 5400/8meg HDD will probably offer similar performance to the 100gig 7200rpm/8meg so I'll just get the default config like you.

Congrats on your purchase, I can't wait to get mine!

Here you go

 

[neutrino23]

Picked up my new 17 inch PowerBook today 🙂

...

Can you check "about this mac" under the Apple icon and tell us the version and build of the OS?

Currently it reports "Mac OS X 10.4.2 (8C46)".

 

[digitalbiker]

I think your point is the reason to wait for Rev B of the Intel PowerBooks.

The bottom line is this:

1. Apple has mixed results on Rev A. Some work fine, but when there are problems, they can be nasty and Apple does little to nothing other than fix them in Rev B

2. Point 1 really doesn't matter here. Wait for Merom because it is the true advance, a Rev B+, of the Intel chip. Intel fell way behind and are scrambling to catch-up. They have done some great work in the past year, but it will be Merom where Intel really hits their stride.

3. Adobe and others have already said they will not have universal binaries until 2007. Others will have a Rev B. of the software by then.

So, while it will be hard to wait, I think the smart move is to wait for "Rev B." in 2007 of the Intel chips, software, and yes, the Apple hardware. 2006 is really going to be for the early adopters.

I generally think of myself as one, an early adopter, but I don't see much point honestly. Merom is where the big advances are....speed. 9+ hour battery life, etc.

I agree with this as well. I think there are going to be a lot of disappointed people when Yonah PB show up because they are expecting too much. These transitions are always a pain. Apple will do their best but it will be their first attempt at a completely new chipset for them. New OS, new drivers for various components, new compilers, new hardware, the works!

In addition it will be at least 4th Qtr 2006 before we see a lot of universal binaries, and then probably late 2007 before we see software specifically optimized for x86 64 bit.

It just doesn't make any sense to purchase 1st gen Yonah based laptop when the substantally better hardware, OS, software, etc won't be available until early 2007.

 

[Monsanto-Man]

Suprise Suprise

It's all about processing power, and the single core G4 just isn't cutting it. A faster airport extreme card is needed as well (108 mps). 2GB of RAM is just not enough. Apple needs to stop putting all of there efforts towards a new ipod of the month and realize that they are a "computer" company. Roll over some of the research and development money away from itunes/ipod sector, and put it towards the powerbook.

 

[cplusd]

Version 10.4.2
Build 8E45

 

[digitalbiker]

I respect your opinions, but I strongly disagree.

I am confident Apple will have their own professional software ready, for the Intel Powerbooks. The video software, and their new photo application. There will be enough sales, from this at first. Furthermore, lots of consumers will buy them, since they'll just *want* an intel mac.

Yes, it will be a transition. It is not overnight because it was already announced 4+ months ago. Furthermore, I don't expect the Powermac to move to Intel, until 2007. The Powerbook is a very different story indeed.

These are just my thoughts. I know many are going to disagree. However, the lack of serious updates to Powerbooks today, shows to me that the Intel Powerbooks are nearing ever closer.

I think Apple will have a Yonah based laptop out by the summer of 2006 but I just don't think it will be a worthwhile buy.

Why not wait 6 months to Jan 07 when there most likely will be a rev.b Merom based laptop with much more software and many OS/driver bugs worked out. Merom will run faster, cooler, and 64 bit.

 

[nospleen]

Not the best update they could have done, but if nothing else, at least this might be a sign that Intel PowerBooks are coming sooner rather than later...

I can hardly wait for the intel Powerbooks. But, the price drop, nicer screen in regards to res and brightness, superdrive standard, made the 15" a pretty attractive buy.