Apple Releases New PowerBooks

[MacViolinist]

It's already been said, but I'll say it again. Why is there no love for the 12" PB? Trust me, it's not because I'm cheap. I only want some of the bells and whistles of the 15/17 inchers and I'm willing to pay for them. FW 800? 128MB Vram? Gigabit ethernet? Top speed proc as BTO? I would pay 3 grand just to have that packed into a 12-inch, because I like my portables portable! Good grief. I think it would be almost passé to mention the friggin' FSB speed on all the PB's right now.

Another upgrade put off. There's just not enough difference b/t my 12" iBook 800 G3 and the current 12" G4 PB's. I've got an eMac for audio work, but I'd rather have it on the road with me. It's just not worth the money.

Here's hoping for a discontinued 12" PB and a 13.x" widescreen Mactel around Jan, maybe this time an actual pro machine.

 

[deitytay]

Powerbook Hard Drives

So can some one please explain to me the difference in the 100GB 7200 and the 120GB 5200??? Like i know the 7200 is suppose to be better, but if the 120GB is standard in the 17in powerbook. Is it ok to video edit off a 120GB on the 15in powerbook? or should i get the 100GB 7200? , the extra hard drive space would be nice in addition to my 200GB 16mb cache 7200 firewire 800 external hard drive which i soley use for video editing. I really would like to work off my internal hard drive rather than always having to relie on my external. Right now i have a 80GB 15in 1.67.

thanks.

 

[PCMacUser]

So can some one please explain to me the difference in the 100GB 7200 and the 120GB 5200??? Like i know the 7200 is suppose to be better, but if the 120GB is standard in the 17in powerbook. Is it ok to video edit off a 120GB on the 15in powerbook? or should i get the 100GB 7200? , the extra hard drive space would be nice in addition to my 200GB 16mb cache 7200 firewire 800 external hard drive which i soley use for video editing. I really would like to work off my internal hard drive rather than always having to relie on my external. Right now i have a 80GB 15in 1.67.

thanks.

Simply put, a 7200rpm hard drive will increase the performance of your system whenever it is dependant on hard drive usage. Video editing is largely HDD dependant so you will see a boost by getting a 7200rpm. The more memory you have, the less HDD dependant most other apps become.

If I were buying, and had the choice, I'd go for the 7200.

 

[HasanDaddy]

I'm a sucker for screen brightness - thinking about an upgrade here

can anyone attest just to how much better the brightness is on a 17"??

THANK YOU

 

[deitytay]

Hard Drives

Simply put, a 7200rpm hard drive will increase the performance of your system whenever it is dependant on hard drive usage. Video editing is largely HDD dependant so you will see a boost by getting a 7200rpm. The more memory you have, the less HDD dependant most other apps become.

If I were buying, and had the choice, I'd go for the 7200.

So 2GB of DDR2 ram+ 7200 harddrive is better than 2GB of ram and 5400 hard drive? I plan to keep this last powerbook for about 2 years, so hard drive space is important to me since i got a decent external for editing.


Does anyone know if the 15inch screen is also brighter as well?

 

[BWhaler]

Simply put, a 7200rpm hard drive will increase the performance of your system whenever it is dependant on hard drive usage. Video editing is largely HDD dependant so you will see a boost by getting a 7200rpm. The more memory you have, the less HDD dependant most other apps become.

If I were buying, and had the choice, I'd go for the 7200.

Thanks for the helpful post.

What will the battery life impact be with the 7200? I want the speed and can spare the 20 gigs (or so I hope), but I travel on international flights, so I cannot afford less battery life.

 

[deanwaterman]

Testimony of Brightness

I'm a sucker for screen brightness - thinking about an upgrade here

can anyone attest just to how much better the brightness is on a 17"??

THANK YOU

hey, look up a few quotes and you will see a guy who said he got a new 17" and it makes the old screen look dark and pukey. I believe him. That being said I am going today to pick up my 15". For once Apple HAS a product ready to be picked up when they announce it.

 

[deanwaterman]

12" or 15" PB

I have seen a few people wonder about the real difference of going with a 15" over the 12". i am typing on a 12" Rev C right now. It is nice. I bought it last week before reading about the new updates coming. I like it well enough, but when they announced the new ones yesterday, I saw how much improved they were. The 15" with SD dropped in price, so I only pay $300 more for a heck of alot of features. The addition of Digital Audio in/out, Gigabit Ethernet, Backlit Keyboard, Brighter Screen, 128MB VRAM, PCM Card Slot, DL Layer SD. Not bad for $300 more. I think it is really even worth $500 more for it with the new pricing.

But is it worth another $500 to go the 17" What do you guys think?

 

[cplusd]

I know a lot of people are somewhat upset because Apple didn't up the speed. But how can you honestly compare a Dell XPS nuclear plant to a PowerBook (17). The 17 is in no class to compete with it, their just different breeds. How many laptops can/do you think of that have this extact form factor. With these few upgrades it's defiantly a nice polished PowerBook.

At work I have a dual G5 at work and when I take work home I don't have any complains about speed. Sure it may be a little weird that they didn't try to squeeze more power into this current upgrade. But let's appreciate the upgrades they did do. If you don't like the new PowerBook specs you don't have to buy one. Just wait for intel.....

P.S. Would you guys be happy if they went nuts on the speed and gave us a 2 inch 12lb PowerBook? Look at IBM's x40 thinkpads (not much thinner than a 17" PowerBook and they have no CD/DVD drives and have slower processors than say their T series line)...

 

[PCMacUser]

So 2GB of DDR2 ram+ 7200 harddrive is better than 2GB of ram and 5400 hard drive? I plan to keep this last powerbook for about 2 years, so hard drive space is important to me since i got a decent external for editing.


Does anyone know if the 15inch screen is also brighter as well?

Yep, I really think that the performance increase of the 7200rpm drive is worth more than the 20Gb capacity increase offered by the 5400rpm drive.

Although 7200rpm drives have been available for a long time to PC laptop users, they still are not the 'norm', so you will have something really up to date with the 100gb drive.

Thanks for the helpful post.

What will the battery life impact be with the 7200? I want the speed and can spare the 20 gigs (or so I hope), but I travel on international flights, so I cannot afford less battery life.

I think it is fair to make the assumption that battery life will be reduced in a system running a 7200rpm drive rather than a 5400rpm drive. To what extent, I couldn't tell you for sure - but I expect it to be minimal (by this I mean a few minutes).

Another thing to expect as a possible side effect of having the 7200rpm drive, is increased noise from the drive (although fluid bearings have pretty much eliminated this in most cases), and increased temperature of the unit. Once again, I couldn't give accurate figures on this without proper testing.

I know a lot of people are somewhat upset because Apple didn't up the speed. But how can you honestly compare a Dell XPS nuclear plant to a PowerBook (17). The 17 is in no class to compete with it, their just different breeds. How many laptops can/do you think of that have this extact form factor. With these few upgrades it's defiantly a nice polished PowerBook.

You are right - they are indeed different breeds. However, Asus (who actually make some Sony and Apple Powerbooks) and Sony offer notebook computers aimed at the same market at similar price points, but with considerably more performance.

 

[Piarco]

I'm going to upgrade my current BTO 1.67ghz PB, as I've always said I would upgrade for a higher res screen. Dual layer burning is a bonus, but I was disappointed with the upgrades.
I'll not in a rush to upgrade though! Normally when something new comes from Apple I've already sold its predessesor and I'm ready with credit card in hand... this time I'll put the PB on ebay in a couple of weeks. I'll have a play with the new PB's in store on Saturday to see the difference the screen really makes...
Any opinions on the 15" screen from new owners?

 

[Salty Pirate]

My appologies if this has been posted already, these threads go so fast and my wife is always bitching about a powerbook in my lap all the time....


clicky

This is the hard drive comparo from Tom's Hardware talking about seagate 120GB shipping in the 17. At the end, they say performance is comparable to the Hitachi 60GB 7200 rpm drive. I feel better about getting the 120 over waiting for a 100 GB 7200 rpm build to order.

Would Apple not put its best performing disk in the standard 17 offering? Id the 100GB 7200 rpm is better, why would that not be standard and the 120GB a BTO option?

 

[AidenShaw]

where does it say that 10.5 will be true 64-bit ??

You don't think OS X 10.5 will be out by Jan. 2007.

AFAIK, Apple has said nothing about when the 64-bit transition for Intel will be made. Do you have proof that it will be in 10.5?

The lame attempt at 64-bit that's in 10.4 won't cut it for the x64 transition. Everything will need to be 64-bit on x64 to get the performance increase. 10.4 doesn't support GUI or Cocoa 64-bit apps.

While 32-bit apps should run on OSX64, they'll run at 32-bit speed without the benefits of the 64-bit ISA changes.

 

[revjay]

I Don't Buy It!

I know a lot of people are somewhat upset because Apple didn't up the speed. But how can you honestly compare a Dell XPS nuclear plant to a PowerBook (17). The 17 is in no class to compete with it, their just different breeds. How many laptops can/do you think of that have this extact form factor. With these few upgrades it's defiantly a nice polished PowerBook.

At work I have a dual G5 at work and when I take work home I don't have any complains about speed. Sure it may be a little weird that they didn't try to squeeze more power into this current upgrade. But let's appreciate the upgrades they did do. If you don't like the new PowerBook specs you don't have to buy one. Just wait for intel.....

P.S. Would you guys be happy if they went nuts on the speed and gave us a 2 inch 12lb PowerBook? Look at IBM's x40 thinkpads (not much thinner than a 17" PowerBook and they have no CD/DVD drives and have slower processors than say their T series line)...

I don't buy it...

Is is possible that the only reason that you are happy with this upgrade is that your 17" PB has not yet been fully been deemed "last years model."

That's how I would feel if I was in your shoes.

 

[macam]

OK, So I have a question...

I was desperately waiting for the updates for the 12" Powerbook, and as we ALL know that didn't happen. I was also hoping for the an update on the Apple Displays as I was going to get a 20" to go with the Powerbook (Actually to hook up to my G4! but you get the picture!) and so now I am in the biggest quandery...

Do I get a fully loaded 12" with 1.25GB RAM & 100Gig HDD with 20" or is the 15" 512k RAM with 100Gig HDD (7200rpm) with 20" a better choice. I do photoshop/indesign/quark etc work on my G4 at the mo and would be looking to do a scaled down version of that on my Powerbook (With the addition of doing ALOT of Garageband work)? The price difference in the UK is about £200. I had saved just under the amount of the 12" just before the upgrade but I am not sure what to do as the little bit extra for the 15" will just sit on my credit card for an extra month, so that's not the problem - I just want to know what you guys think? What do think? I love the size of the 12" but I love the features of the 15" just as much!?

Damn if Apple had upgraded the 12" I wouldn't be sitting here staring at the Apple Store all the live long day waying up options!... Do you think I can charge Steve for a day of inactivity/unproductivity at work!?

macam

 

[igetbanned]

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.

For non-video intensive activities, shared memory works perfectly fine.
(I'd dare someone to tell me they'd be able to spot when a system is using shared vs. dedicated video memory doing basic office related tasks)

So in lower priced laptops/desktops, it makes perfect sense.

1.) low heat
2.) low price
3.) slim form factor.

Max out to 2GB, and you won't miss that 128MB.

Unless you're a human benchmark.

And at least all of the whiz-bang gui effects will work.

 

[ShnikeJSB]

Another thing to expect as a possible side effect of having the 7200rpm drive, is increased noise from the drive (although fluid bearings have pretty much eliminated this in most cases), and increased temperature of the unit. Once again, I couldn't give accurate figures on this without proper testing.

I am not sure if this helps at all, but I have a Dell Inspiron XPS Gen 2 that I bought back in May, and it has a 100GB 7200RPM hard drive in it. Not only does the thing ABSOLUTELY RIP, but it is EXTREMELY quiet (quieter than the stock 48GB in my old Titanium/667 as well as it's 80GB replacement Maxtor). According to i9kfangui (controls fans and shows temperatures), the HD stays at a constant 36 degrees celsius most of the time. As a comparison, right now as I type this, my RAM is at about 46 degrees, my CPU at 30 degrees, and my 6800 Ultra Go is at 53 degrees (it's overclocked, what can I say?). There is no noticeable vibration of the HD either.

Just thought I'd let you know! Hope this helps some. -JB

 

[metrocon]

clicky

This is the hard drive comparo from Tom's Hardware talking about seagate 120GB shipping in the 17. At the end, they say performance is comparable to the Hitachi 60GB 7200 rpm drive. I feel better about getting the 120 over waiting for a 100 GB 7200 rpm build to order.

Would Apple not put its best performing disk in the standard 17 offering? Id the 100GB 7200 rpm is better, why would that not be standard and the 120GB a BTO option?

According to barefeats the Seagate 100 GB 7200 rpm is significantly faster than the Hitachi 60 GB 7200 rpm.

 

[ShnikeJSB]

This is the hard drive comparo from Tom's Hardware talking about seagate 120GB shipping in the 17. At the end, they say performance is comparable to the Hitachi 60GB 7200 rpm drive. I feel better about getting the 120 over waiting for a 100 GB 7200 rpm build to order.

Would Apple not put its best performing disk in the standard 17 offering? Id the 100GB 7200 rpm is better, why would that not be standard and the 120GB a BTO option?

Because that 60GB Hitachi is ancient now, and the new higher capacity drivers are denser, quicker, and better in EVERY respect (ESPECIALLY heat and noise output). It isn't standard because they are still expensive hard drives, because 7200RPM laptop drives aren't the standard yet, so they can charge a premium for them. I'd say get one, it is well worth it. Hell, they recommend the 7200RPM hard drives for Battlefield 2, LOL!

 

[Alexs45]

just bought a new powerbook.question

i just ordered a new 15 inch. 1 GB ram 5400 rpm HD, 100GB...anyways i have an old 12 inch powerbook and lacie hard drive..what is the best way to transfer all my data


thanks

 

[Salty Pirate]

According to barefeats the Seagate 100 GB 7200 rpm is significantly faster than the Hitachi 60 GB 7200 rpm.

well that is just great. Now I am pissed. The faster drive should be the standard configuration, especially with no 7448. WTF????

 

[projectle]

I just purchased this 17" powerbook 2.5 weeks ago, and now that this new one is out, the only thing on my mind is "Is there any way to trade-up or get the $300 refund from them changing the price on me?"

Needless to say, I will be calling up my local apple store as soon as they open in 1.5h.

 

[emotion]

OK, So I have a question...

I was desperately waiting for the updates for the 12" Powerbook, and as we ALL know that didn't happen. I was also hoping for the an update on the Apple Displays as I was going to get a 20" to go with the Powerbook (Actually to hook up to my G4! but you get the picture!) and so now I am in the biggest quandery...

Do I get a fully loaded 12" with 1.25GB RAM & 100Gig HDD with 20" or is the 15" 512k RAM with 100Gig HDD (7200rpm) with 20" a better choice. I do photoshop/indesign/quark etc work on my G4 at the mo and would be looking to do a scaled down version of that on my Powerbook (With the addition of doing ALOT of Garageband work)? The price difference in the UK is about £200. I had saved just under the amount of the 12" just before the upgrade but I am not sure what to do as the little bit extra for the 15" will just sit on my credit card for an extra month, so that's not the problem - I just want to know what you guys think? What do think? I love the size of the 12" but I love the features of the 15" just as much!?

Damn if Apple had upgraded the 12" I wouldn't be sitting here staring at the Apple Store all the live long day waying up options!... Do you think I can charge Steve for a day of inactivity/unproductivity at work!?

macam

as a 12" owner (rev.a and rev.c) and now the dust has settled on the upgrades i'd be very tempted by the new 15" given the price. the fact it's a real powerbook (gige, pcmcia, good gfx card, better screen, digital audio, more mem slots) will dawn on you a couple of months into owning it.

i love the portability of the 12 etc etc but for the better spec i'd put up with a bigger machine.

 

[macam]

as a 12" owner ....

i love the portability of the 12 etc etc but for the better spec i'd put up with a bigger machine.

Thanks for your response - was beginning to think that no one out there cared!

Yeah i am starting to sway towards the 15"... Plus it does have the backlit keyboard (Never understood why they have never put this on the 12")

are there any 15" users out there that think that the 15" is not very portable!? I mean I have used a 12" PB and I think they're great for portability but does anyone have an opinion on the 15"?


macam

 

[plinden]

I know a lot of people are somewhat upset because Apple didn't up the speed. But how can you honestly compare a Dell XPS nuclear plant to a PowerBook (17). The 17 is in no class to compete with it, their just different breeds. How many laptops can/do you think of that have this extact form factor. With these few upgrades it's defiantly a nice polished PowerBook.

Well, this is the first time I haven't been able to wholeheartedly defend the PowerBooks. There has been some crazy bitching here about irrelevant stuff like the video cards and hard disk, but the fact is, in general (forgetting for the moment about the CPU and FSB, as difficult as that is to do) the hardware is fine, as good as any laptop PC out there, and better than any with a similar slim form factor.

But the lack of CPU upgrades kills this for me. Although I wasn't expecting anything, I was still disappointed they didn't pull anything out of the hat. The previous upgrades disappointed many other people, but they were good enough for new buyers, not those who wanted to upgrade from e.g. a rev B to a rev C, etc. But I can't recommend these to anyone, even those who not replacing an existing PB.

Perhaps they'll do a Mini-like silent upgrade in a couple of months, dropping in a 1.8GHz 7448?

Still, looking at the rest of the Mac line-up, the Minis, iBooks, iMacs, PowerMacs, this is the best lineup I've ever seen. It's just a pity the PBs have hit a deadend. Whatever the difficulties may be with the future Intel Macs, at least it's potentially a way out for the PBs.