Apple Releases New PowerBooks

[pubwvj]

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

No, it is logical for the standard configuration to be the base configuration, the least cost full-featured configuration. That way when people compare machines they can do so more easily. Then those of us who care can spend the extra to get significantly better machines with more VRAM, more RAM, larger and/or faster harddrives, etc. This works well for both Apple and consumer.

 

[Gauss]

@macam:

Hey, I was confronted with the same problem. I was thinking about either buying an ultra portable IBM/Lenovo Thinkpad X41 (since the Pbook12" didn't get any updates) or the Pbook15" which is A LOT bigger.
I decided to buy the Apple for the reason, that I use it mostly at home. I am a student and having to write my essays on a tiny 12" screen just wouldn't be the brightest idea and I don't want to have a second screen or a second bigger computer, since my room is tiny already! So big screen (compared to the 12") in a tiny piece makes sense
Hope that helps...but it was a hard decision to let go the IBM...

Gauss

 

[MRU]

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

Tried both and love both machines. The backlight keyboard is great on the 15" but it is noticbly bigger than the 12". Also the 12" doesnt have spare slots like the 15 & 17"...

I chose the 12 for portability and dont regret it. I upgraded to 1.25 ram but bought the extra ram third party as Apples prices for ram are crap..

However if your hooking up to a 20 cinema (like myself) alot of the time I dont even have the screen on the laptop on (i work with the lid closed) so the screen diffence isnt a practical difference.

Go for the 7200 rpm 100gb drive. Far better than the 5400 drive.

The extra ram will probably make more difference in your machine than the slight increase in processor speed between the two machines when working with indesign & photoshop.

I work with photoshop and Corel Painter IX most of the time.. The 12" works fine for me.

Do you have a relative at college etc.. If so try and go for the educational discount. Makes a good saving.

Enjoy either way

I'm gonna wait for the new Intel powerbooks before I upgrade myself.

 

[-hh]

Well, I've read this whole thread and can't believe how many people are biittching about "not even a price drop on the 12" again.....and again.....and again....??

Some of us did honestly miss the all-so-minor 'upgrades'. Sosume.

there IS a price drop on the 12", it has not been touched in any other way, but there IS a price drop.

True enough: last week, the 12" PB was a bloody horrible value in comparison to the 12" iBook.

Today, thanks to the price cut, it is a merely crappy value vs. same.

now heres the hard part, so concentrate..... they are not selling the combo one anymore, just the superdrive one with 80gig HD.

Before abusively pointing the finger about people who missed a few details, you should have checked the BTO options: the Combo is still available as a -$50 option (or -$46 on the discounted Apple BTO pages). Ditto for the 15" as well - it was arguably just a strategy to reduce the number of standard stock items, which also cleaned up the appearance of the Apple Store.

In looking at the 12" PB in more detail, its bump up in HD size is worth $20 retail, and with the SD/Combo at $46 and assuming a 100% markup in Retail vs. Apple's direct costs, Apple increased content by around $33 while lowering the price slightly.

Still, you're looking at a +$350 (30%) difference in price between an equally equipped (512MB/80GB/Combo) iBook vs PB, plus when you consider that they didn't fix the lame 256MB soldered on the motherboard, the differential costs for a RAM upgrade to a minimum of 1GB incurs an additional $75-$160 price handicap on the PB, so its not really a $350 premium, but a ~$425 price premium.

As such, the 12" PB costs out as roughly 40% more expensive than the 12" iBook. YMMV on if you think that 5 fewer ounces of total weight, and the "prestigue" of an AL case instead of white plastic is really worth that much.

YMMV, but I'd say that the current 12" PB shouldn't list for $1499, but should instead be $1299. But if they did do that, then the 15" and 17" price points wouldn't look particularly appealing by comparison.


-hh

 

[Salty Pirate]

No, it is logical for the standard configuration to be the base configuration, the least cost full-featured configuration. That way when people compare machines they can do so more easily. Then those of us who care can spend the extra to get significantly better machines with more VRAM, more RAM, larger and/or faster harddrives, etc. This works well for both Apple and consumer.

yes, but the 17 is the flagship product, and what are people really comparing? 15 inch screen vs. 17? Apple vs. Dell(*****)?

For the longest time, the 17 had the backlit keyboard and 128MB VRAM STANDARD. You could build to order on the 15, but the 17 had the best stuff.

Now, the 17 does not come standard with the best stuff, unless you think the added space is what people want and not better performance.

After all this freaking waiting, there is no way in hell I could have ordered one with a 7200 rpm and wait!!!!! I have been losing sleep over this upgrade.

By the way, the new screen is amazing. Battery life is improved for sure. Stayed up till 1:30 last night trying to run the thing dry.

Does anybody know for sure why they did not do the 7448?

 

[rolandf]

Will Apple change the form factor

Will Apple change the form factor for the Intel Macs? In particular, will they go from 15,2" to 15,4"? and will they then offer the higher resolution screens as some of the PCs do?

It would be nice to see a screen that sets the standard! So-far Apple was lazy on that.

Apple PB still offerspace to be improved!

 

[macam]

Thanks

Thanks for your responses... Still undecided... but swaying towards the 15"...

Dammit - I don't know.... I tend to always go for the more expensive option - just because if I went with the less expensive I would always think - damn, I wish I had spent that extra 200 sheets to get absolutely everything on the PB!!!!!!

YOu know things like this shouldn't be so hard - I think I am going to sleep on it and hopefully things will be a bit clearer in the morning - still reeling from the lack of upgrades to the 12" and dashing my already made up mind just 25hrs ago!!!!!!!

*pops sleeping pill*

I love you all!

macam

 

[dejo]

Will Apple change the form factor for the Intel Macs? In particular, will they go from 15,2" to 15,4"? and will they then offer the higher resolution screens as some of the PCs do?

I think until the OS becomes truly resolution-independent, Apple would be wise not to try and pack as many pixels into a display as humanly possible (which, so far, they haven't). Having higher resolution displays only for the sake of bigger numbers is the same lousy argument as "My d_ck is bigger than yours".

 

[mongoos150]

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

I have a 15 incher and it's HELLA portable!

I still can't decide between the 120GB @ 5400 or the 100GB @7200...I'm leaning towards the 7200rpm drive however...I wish they config'd a model at 120GB at 7200...

 

[iumeda]

3rd party memory suggestions

The 533 will run just fine. EXCEPT it will be running at 333 on your PB. Don't worry about it.

I'm looking to save money by going with 3rd party memory for the new 15" PB. I found this deal for Kingston RAM , which seems great as I would be saving roughly $300 over buying 2GB from Apple. I called Kingston to inquire about compatibility and the rep. said that that chip isn't designed specifically for the Powerbooks and I should buy their KTA-PB533/1G model chip instead. These are $188 each and thus not so great a savings over the Apple memory.

My question is: Is using this memory safe? Has anyone out there had experience using 3rd party memory that isn't specifically manufactured for Powerbooks?

Thanks in advance.

-ian

 

[kkrip]

I'm considering purchasing one of the new 15" PowerBooks. To upgrade the RAM from Apple is very expensive, but I want to make sure that my options are open in the future. Are both RAM slots user-accessible?

To buy a 1GB stick of RAM from Crucial is only $150.00. (To upgrade the 512MB stick to a 1GB stick from Apple is $180.00). I'm hoping that I can simply add this to the PowerBook and have a total of 1.5GB.

If I wanted to, in the future, would I be able to replace the 512MB that came with the computer with another 1GB stick, or is this soldered in?

Take a look at newegg, I got 1GB Kingston for $93 only

 

[mongoos150]

My question is: Is using this memory safe? Has anyone out there had experience using 3rd party memory that isn't specifically manufactured for Powerbooks?

Thanks in advance.

-ian

They're feeding you from the trough of BS. This memory will work perfectly with the PB - but I would suggest Crucial over Kensington. A bit more expensive, but worth the extra $20.

 

[igetbanned]

(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.

Repeat until believable.

 

[iumeda]

They're feeding you from the trough of BS. This memory will work perfectly with the PB - but I would suggest Crucial over Kensington. A bit more expensive, but worth the extra $20.

Thank you for your reply mongoos. I will try out the Crucial and report back on how/if it performs.

 

[reddelicious]

which to buy?

im a student debating between

- new 15in 1.67ghz 512mb powerbook 80gbhd dvdburner and applecare for
final price of $2160

- the 15in model that was just replaced (15 in, 512mb, 80gbhd 1.5ghz,
combodrive and applecare) for final price of $1860

[so is the $300 difference for better battery life(glad they upgraded this), better screeen, superdrive, and 1.67ghz, worth it?] also ill probably upgrade the ram for another $50-100 on either one. but i hate spending 2 grand on a
computer knowing theyre gonna upgrade it so much in the next 6months-1yr. and im worried about their resale value after the intel switch

-last option is to keep the hp dv1000 that i'm trying out. it has a pentium m
1.86processor, 80gbhd5400rpm, 728mb ram, bluetooth, wireless,
combodrive, 2yrs accidental damage protection(nice since i take it
everywhere with me) winxp pro (the build on the machine is not as good as
the apples but the sound on the hp is much better and the screen is really
bright) for a final price of $1300. and i'll buy an apple after the intel
switch.

I dont do any crazy graphic things or play games. I use the computer for web browsing, school work, playing with photos, watching movies occasionally, and listening to music. I'm on the computer for probably 8 hours a day tho so i'm taking the decision pretty seriously. let me know what you think. thanks.

 

[funkycheesywhit]

15" definitely portable

I have a 15 incher and it's HELLA portable!

I still can't decide between the 120GB @ 5400 or the 100GB @7200...I'm leaning towards the 7200rpm drive however...I wish they config'd a model at 120GB at 7200...

i have been using a 1GHz 15" TiBook for years and it is definitely no problem to carry around. befor that i had the 12" ibook which was great but the extra screen space alone makes up for the extra weight (no matter what program you are using on the go). if ya gotthe cash go forthe 15.

 

[nylon]

im a student debating between

- new 15in 1.67ghz 512mb powerbook 80gbhd dvdburner and applecare for
final price of $2160

- the 15in model that was just replaced (15 in, 512mb, 80gbhd 1.5ghz,
combodrive and applecare) for final price of $1860

[so is the $300 difference for better battery life(glad they upgraded this), better screeen, superdrive, and 1.67ghz, worth it?] also ill probably upgrade the ram for another $50-100 on either one. but i hate spending 2 grand on a
computer knowing theyre gonna upgrade it so much in the next 6months-1yr. and im worried about their resale value after the intel switch

-last option is to keep the hp dv1000 that i'm trying out. it has a pentium m
1.86processor, 80gbhd5400rpm, 728mb ram, bluetooth, wireless,
combodrive, 2yrs accidental damage protection(nice since i take it
everywhere with me) winxp pro (the build on the machine is not as good as
the apples but the sound on the hp is much better and the screen is really
bright) for a final price of $1300. and i'll buy an apple after the intel
switch.

I dont do any crazy graphic things or play games. I use the computer for web browsing, school work, playing with photos, watching movies occasionally, and listening to music. I'm on the computer for probably 8 hours a day tho so i'm taking the decision pretty seriously. let me know what you think. thanks.

Keep the PC and wait for the Intel switch. You'll regret it six months down the road if you shell out for the Powerbook now. Save your cash and pimp-out your purchase when the Intel PB comes around.

 

[reddelicious]

thanks

Keep the PC and wait for the Intel switch. You'll regret it six months down the road if you shell out for the Powerbook now. Save your cash and pimp-out your purchase when the Intel PB comes around.

yea. i think you're right. why do i have to want an apple so freakin bad! im just gonna wait and save up. sad about it now but i know ill be happy about it come next year

 

[AidenShaw]

and maybe

Keep the PC and wait for the Intel switch. You'll regret it six months down the road if you shell out for the Powerbook now. Save your cash and pimp-out your purchase when the Intel PB comes around.

...and maybe you'll be able to grab a cracked final version of OSX86 off the torrent and avoid buying new hardware at all !!

 

[efoto]

That's one way to look at it! See, there always is a bright side...

I try to stay positive, especially when it means justifying that my current technology has not been outdated. For once, it hasn't so the justification isn't all that hard.

 

[-hh]

15" not necessarily portable enough for everyone

I have a 15 incher and it's HELLA portable!

We're each going to have our own opinions for acceptability threshholds.

For example, I've been carrying an IBM T41p Laptop for business for the past ~18 months...the T41p is virtually identical to the 15" PB in regards to its size & weight (approx 10"x12"x1" and a bit over 5lbs). After carrying it on ~100K FF miles worth of airline flights and a hundred or so hotel room nights, I think I have a pretty good basis of opinion of its general portability.

I'd say that it is a "reasonably" portable laptop. Not "HELLA". Sorry.

Yeah, its a lot better than an 8 lb Dell Dinosaur(tm), but its still 5lbs on top of everything else you're carrying through the airport. Overall, at 3.1lb, the Sony VAIO 10" widescreen is tempting to me...if only my first VAIO hadn't been so fragile.

There's a saying that comes from the 82nd Airborne that applies here:

"85 lbs of lightweight equipment still weighs 85lbs"

What I see is that there's a good number of ~5lb laptops and, as technology continue to miniaturize, what we're doing is that instead of dropping the system weight, we're adding more features and keeping it at around 5lbs.


-hh

 

[deanwaterman]

Thanks for your responses... Still undecided... but swaying towards the 15"...

Dammit - I don't know.... I tend to always go for the more expensive option - just because if I went with the less expensive I would always think - damn, I wish I had spent that extra 200 sheets to get absolutely everything on the PB!!!!!!

YOu know things like this shouldn't be so hard - I think I am going to sleep on it and hopefully things will be a bit clearer in the morning - still reeling from the lack of upgrades to the 12" and dashing my already made up mind just 25hrs ago!!!!!!!

*pops sleeping pill*

I love you all!

macam

I know what you mean. When I went to the Apple Store today I was still undecided. But $500 more for just 40G HD & 2" wasn't worth the extra $500.00 Everything else being equal I went with the 15" WOW! i love it. I am on it right now and this is the first website I came to.

Save your money and do the 15". I think you will be pleased with your choice.

 

[Zoowatch]

i think that this is not a good time to buy a G4 computer

for a good investment, it has got to be either a G5 or a future model of Mactel...

G4 processors are simply too tired...

when Apple finally puts an intel processor into the PowerBook

the speed boost will be significant

 

[~Shard~]

I try to stay positive, especially when it means justifying that my current technology has not been outdated. For once, it hasn't so the justification isn't all that hard.

Yes, that's hard to do in this day and age. It will be interesting to see how this works when the Intel switch begins. Comparing Apples to Apples is one thing, and an easy way to see how outdated your machine might be, but throw brand new architectures into the mix, and it might not be as intuitive until people get their hands on some meaningful benchmarks.

 

[RazorD]

Well, i'm in the UK and My 17 inch has just shipped