Apple Releases PowerBooks and iBooks

[Palad1]

The funny things is that on the official Swiss Apple page, it says "shipping in 3-5 days". I wonder if that's true or if they just write that so that people order (I guess less people order if they write "shipping in 6-8 weeks"....)

I live in France, ordered at about the same time as you guys april 19th @ 14.39 GMT, and the estimated shipping date for my bto pb15 is

On or before
26/04/2004

Where do you get your shipping date from? My source is https://store.apple.com/Your/WebObjects/OrderStatusEurope

Maybe the delay could be explained by the fact that switzerland not being part of the EU has some extra import policies...

I sure feel your pain Tomaz, waiting till next monday is hard enough. Hope the schedule gets revised.

Cheers,
Palad1

 

[Gurugrrrl]

Welll some good news for you guys that are still waiting.

I ordered my 15" BTO with AppleCare Monday morning with regular shipping (US - Alabama)

Tuesday around 11:45 I got the apple care.
Today I checked at the computer was shipped from Shanghai, China at 2:30p, 4/22 (it was like 9:00 am CST when I checked).

FedEx says it should arrive no later than 10:30 on Monday.

 

[mxpiazza]

i think it's hillarious that everyone's powerbook left shanghai at 2:30 on the same day. must have been quite a sight over there.

i am typing this on my 1.25 ghz 15" pb, and i am just as excited as anyone else to get my 15" 1.5/5400 RPM/ 128 VRAM / 512 one so-dimm powerbook... i kinda feel stupid, but one of my best friends is buying my 1.25 ghz for $2200, so it's about $400 to upgrade, i just had to do it!

monday will be a happy day for a lot of people.

 

[eazyc10]

i think it's hillarious that everyone's powerbook left shanghai at 2:30 on the same day. must have been quite a sight over there.

i am typing this on my 1.25 ghz 15" pb, and i am just as excited as anyone else to get my 15" 1.5/5400 RPM/ 128 VRAM / 512 one so-dimm powerbook... i kinda feel stupid, but one of my best friends is buying my 1.25 ghz for $2200, so it's about $400 to upgrade, i just had to do it!

monday will be a happy day for a lot of people.

$400? that is a nice upgrade!!

 

[mxpiazza]

$400? that is a nice upgrade!!

yeah, EDU prices rock my socks. upgrading processor speed, hard drive speed, RAM to one so-dimm, video card and video memory to 128, superdrive to 4x... worth the $400, for sure.

 

[jade]

Internal writers are significantly cheaper than external writers - no power supply, case or Firewire cable to pay for. Apple also take back the combo drive that was originally installed, worth about $40 perhaps, so you are actually paying $240 for the DVD-R drive. And lastly fitting an optical drive would take an Apple tech about three minutes. Also, keep in mind this is a point of purchase modification, not a returned to store upgrade.

Apple charge way to much for these BTO upgrades (memory is WAY overpriced too) - but as there's nowhere else to go I guess Apple can keep screwing us for every penny.

Don't get me wrong, I love Apple products and I do beleive they are worth more than PC's. But it pisses me off that they over charge for bulk generic components like optical drives and memory.

You are right to a point..but slot loading internal notebook DVD-burners are more expensive than regular ones so you rally aren't getting over charged by much. For comparison, at HP to upgrade to a DVD burner on a notebook it costs $150...and it is tray loading. So I do think the $200 upgrade is failry reasonable...RAM on the other hand is a big joke....paying apple prices is like getting stabbed in the heart.

 

[Watson]

More hardware changes to come on Powerbooks?

Does anyone think the backlit keyboard will turn up before long on the 12" Powerbook? That's the only thing stoppping me from jumping in.

 

[valkraider]

Shipping already?

Dang,

Some of yours are shipping fast.

I ordered the 15", 1.5Ghz, Superdrive, BTO with 128VRAM, 5400RPM drive, and one stick 512MB RAM.

My order time was 6:39AM PDT (GMT-7) on Monday the 19th.

Mine still shows as "Open" estimated 4/26 shipdate.

 

[Mac Dummy]

I'd like to have your opinion on the 12 incher (Powerbook) graphic card.

Thanks

Well, I've got the 12" that came out in September. Its got the Nvidia FX Go5200 32MB. The new 12" uses the same card but, Apple upped the on board memory from 32MB to 64MB. Might make a difference in rendering times and performance.

 

[Palad1]

Ain't gonna happen

Does anyone think the backlit keyboard will turn up before long on the 12" Powerbook? That's the only thing stoppping me from jumping in.

My guesstimate is that backlit keyboard will never make it to the 12'' as apple must know that the backlit keyboard is the extra something that will make potential 12'' buyers consider getting a 15''

 

[darkwing]

My guesstimate is that backlit keyboard will never make it to the 12'' as apple must know that the backlit keyboard is the extra something that will make potential 12'' buyers consider getting a 15''

I find it hilarious that people talk about backlit keyboards so much. I always leave mine off on my 17" because it's useless. Just learn to touch-type and you're fine.

I think people only want it so they get stared at while watching dvd movies on airplanes or something.

 

[DavidM]

Dang,

Some of yours are shipping fast.

I ordered the 15", 1.5Ghz, Superdrive, BTO with 128VRAM, 5400RPM drive, and one stick 512MB RAM.

My order time was 6:39AM PDT (GMT-7) on Monday the 19th.

Mine still shows as "Open" estimated 4/26 shipdate.

It must mean that Apple loves us more

 

[Parikh1234]

My guesstimate is that backlit keyboard will never make it to the 12'' as apple must know that the backlit keyboard is the extra something that will make potential 12'' buyers consider getting a 15''

The real reason in my opinion for apple not putting the backlit keyboard in the 12 is battery. The battery in the 12 is so small, the backlit keyboard would kill the battery when its on. You can see that the 12 inch's keyboard is all prepped and ready to go, they just need to add some LEDs or something, the keys have the proper cutouts and stuff.

 

[kbonnel]

I just know my powerbook is going to arrive in Denver Friday Evening, and I will have to wait all weekend knowing it is so close ...

Sometime I hate FedEx!!!!!

 

[dgoss]

anyone have their iBooks shipping from Tues. 21st?

I got in a bit later than most here - ordered my wife's 12" iBook that is BTO/CTO for larger 60GB hard drive. Ordered Tuesday at 11am PST. Still shows open... thinking it will ship tomorrow, maybe today for Monday/Tuesday 2-day FedEx...

will keep posted on this and on 17" BTO/CTO ordered through reseller (MacWarehouse) the same day...

d.

 

[skinEman23]

well everybody my new 12" powerbook shipped today and I am typing this on my first mac! Let me tell you this thing is sweet.

 

[Palad1]

well everybody my new 12" powerbook shipped today and I am typing this on my first mac! Let me tell you this thing is sweet.

Congratulations are in order then

Palad1,
Drooling with envy!

 

[markh]

I ordered my 12" via the apple store here in OZ. estimated ship date is on or before 5th May 2004 :| Was BTO, standard RAM, combo but with the 80gig harddrive

 

[thatwendigo]

You are right to a point..but slot loading internal notebook DVD-burners are more expensive than regular ones so you rally aren't getting over charged by much. For comparison, at HP to upgrade to a DVD burner on a notebook it costs $150...and it is tray loading. So I do think the $200 upgrade is failry reasonable...RAM on the other hand is a big joke....paying apple prices is like getting stabbed in the heart.

Wait... Are jade and I actually in agreement on something?

Alright!

Yes, one of the big differences in the PowerBook and most PC laptops is that Apple does use the slot-loading drives for reasons of stability and elegance of design. That tray, no matter how careful you are, is a breakage hazard.

 

[Twisted T]

Shipping to the UK?

 

[Twisted T]

Shipping to the UK

Sorry about previous blank post!

I ordered my BTO 15" / 1GB RAM / 128Mb VRAM / 80GB 5400 HD on Monday.

I ordered from a reseller so am not sure what the estimated shipping date is. Has anyone else ordered from the UK with an estimated shipping time? If not, have previous orders to the UK been speedy?

I'm really hoping I don't have to wait several weeks for my baby!!

 

[Rhyno]

I am keen to buy a 12"PB here in OZ but i cannot get it shipped to me directly as i have no secure address. I have to wait untill they become available in stores and none of them know when they are going to be getting them in stock! this is so frustrating as i have been waiting for the last month and then i have to wait another two possibly before i get my first mac! grrrr.

 

[markh]

I am keen to buy a 12"PB here in OZ but i cannot get it shipped to me directly as i have no secure address. I have to wait untill they become available in stores and none of them know when they are going to be getting them in stock! this is so frustrating as i have been waiting for the last month and then i have to wait another two possibly before i get my first mac! grrrr.

Why dont you get it shipped to say your work address? Thats what i'm having done with mine, as no one is home during the day

 

[jade]

Wait... Are jade and I actually in agreement on something?

Alright!

Yes, one of the big differences in the PowerBook and most PC laptops is that Apple does use the slot-loading drives for reasons of stability and elegance of design. That tray, no matter how careful you are, is a breakage hazard.

Hey I thik with this new revision, the powerbooks are very price competitve....and have very comparable specs. In gerneral all the laptops are.

 

[MacRAND]

Resale value & convenience

Hi folks, this my first post.
I've been lurking here doing some recon on a soon to be Powerbook purchase.
... I was on the road as a touring musician/tech. (YOU ARE GOING TO LOVE GARAGEBAND - LOADED FREE ON YOUR BOOK)

It's come time to jump back in and I've got a question regarding the back lit keyboard on the 15" PB.
How does it work for you folks that own it? WELL
If you didn't have this feature would it be a hinderance to your work flow? NO
I may use it on stage at some point but PERFECT USE FOR IT IN THE DARK!
I see there are bus powered lites that can be used that work similar to a reading lamp. EXTRA LIGHTING OUTSIDE, IT'S UP TO YOU.
Also, I've got dvd burners in the studio mac's, and dont really see the need to have a dvd burner (superdrive ) on board. CONVENIENCE.
I have to carry an external FW drive to do audio edit's anyway so being able to back up to dvd dosen't seem that necessary. OKAY?
Can some one make a case for it...perhaps something I'm missing?
thanks all.

¿Tiene mucho cajonezzz?
YES, resale value. Far fewer people would be interested in buying your PB if it does NOT have a SuperDrive.
Buying a 15" or 17" PowerBook with just a combo is like buying a new Corvette but insisting that Chevrolet put a V6 with automatic transmission in it, instead of a V8 with manual. What a waste.

I understand your situation, I had to buy a LaCie d2 SuperDrive 4x to burn DVDs because G3 iBooks do NOT come with SuperDrives. This is horribly inconvenient sometimes.

But, it's your money and your choice, I'm sure there are a few other "Combos rock, SuperDrives suck" people out there who would agree with you. Whatever?