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Apple Releases PowerBooks and iBooks

So ...

When do we get the new 22" Apple Laptop?? (Only two laps required ... great gift for couples on the run). :D
 
iReilly said:
How can I, as a parent, take advantage of the educational discount without a student ID card. And I don't want to spoil the surprise and I won't rifle through his wallet for his student ID.

thanks in advance...
Click to expand...

You really dont need one. Just select the school he's attending (online) or tell the sales person over the phone. They take your word for it. Reason being, you can only buy one mac a year on that deal.
 
oingoboingo said:
From the small amount of information I can find on the net where the GeForce FX 5200Go and the Radeon 9200 Mobility are tested in a notebook system of the same specificiation, the Radeon 9200 appears to be faster. Sometimes by a small amount, sometimes by a lot. In the Windows world, the main advantage of the GeForce chip is that it is DirectX 9 compliant, while the Radeon 9200 is not. However, many people have commented (quite fairly IMHO) that DirectX 9 compliance isn't really worth that much when it's implemented in a GPU which will most likely be too slow to run any newer DirectX 9 games!

It's a bit of a moot point anyway...if you want to do some serious 3D gaming, then neither the iBook with its Radeon 9200 or the PowerBook with the GeForce FX5200 is probably going to fit the bill. I only get around 10-15 fps on the full retail version of Unreal Tournament 2004 on my 1GHz 12" PowerBook at 1024x768 at default levels of detail in Onslaught mode. If I reduce detail settings across the board to 'Low', then I can raise FPS to about 20-25. It's playable, but obviously the 12" PowerBook is no gaming monster, and I suspect that the iBooks aren't either. The faster 1.33GHz G4 in the 12" PowerBook will certainly help...the G4 isn't really what's considered a 'fast' CPU these days, and every MHz helps.

If 3D performance is important to you, and you're seriously considering the 12" PowerBook, definitely wait a few weeks and check out some gaming benchmarks for the new 1.33GHz 12" PowerBook as they trickle in. Maybe the faster CPU helps a lot. Maybe the whole system is hamstrung by the GeForce FX 5200. Hell, maybe the 14" iBook will be faster at Unreal Tournament 2004 than the 12" PowerBook! Just don't expect anything shy of the 15" or 17" PowerBooks to be a killer 3D games performer.

Whoops, almost forgot. Here are some links to reviews comparing the FX5200 to the 9200. Take what you will from them :)

http://www.gamers-depot.com/hardware/video_cards/ati_vs_nvidia/9200_geforcefx/001.htm

http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=8836
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Um, just one little thing to consider, the PB now comes with 64 MB VRAM vs. 32 MB on the iBook that should give the PB a clear advantage even if the graphics chips is slightly slower! I seriously doubt the iBook will score better at UT 2004.
 
iReilly said:
:) Good news for everyone waiting for the updates. Now I have a question for you all. I want to surprise my son with a new 17" tricked out PB. He needs it for school. How can I, as a parent, take advantage of the educational discount without a student ID card. And I don't want to spoil the surprise and I won't rifle through his wallet for his student ID.

thanks in advance...

---------------------------------
Dell 3.2 (Still waiting for Rev B PM) ;)
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Ring the apple store in advance, okay with them first, bring your son to the store without telling him, ask him what he thinks about said machine and ask him for his student card and take him to the till.

1. Jaw Drops
2. Profit (for apple)
3. Look on your sons face... priceless
 
What to do...What to do!!!

I've been doggin' on a G4/450 for a while now and have been waiting for the Rev2 G5. I can't deal with this slow machine anymore and want to get SOMETHING.

A powerbook would be a nice interim machine. It would work nicely with my 20 Cinema display (I already have the ADC-DVI Connector). If the 3GHz PM come out in the fall, it may be worth it to get a 15" PB to hold me over.

OR

Do I just wait for June to see whats coming. (Though I have been waiting so so so long...with the rest of you.)

Note: I do a quite a bit of video work..and I don't travel that much so the portability isn't necessary...

any thoughts...
 
so if i'm not a professional, and just a typical consumer, no point of getting the powerbook? Is it worth paying 1800 for an ibook (500 dollars less than a powerbook)
 
iReilly said:
:) Good news for everyone waiting for the updates. Now I have a question for you all. I want to surprise my son with a new 17" tricked out PB. He needs it for school. How can I, as a parent, take advantage of the educational discount without a student ID card. And I don't want to spoil the surprise and I won't rifle through his wallet for his student ID.

thanks in advance...

---------------------------------
Dell 3.2 (Still waiting for Rev B PM) ;)
Click to expand...

Can't help you with ur question, but i'd like to be your kid now :), would you adopt me by any chance? ;)
 
CrackedButter said:
Ring the apple store in advance, okay with them first, bring your son to the store without telling him, ask him what he thinks about said machine and ask him for his student card and take him to the till.

1. Jaw Drops
2. Profit (for apple)
3. Look on your sons face... priceless
Click to expand...


You don't need a student ID if you order online do you?
 
I'm happy to see the release of the Apple notebook but I'm very disappointed to see anything in the PRO desktop line. I'm without MAc by 4 weeks.

:(
 
Gianrico said:
I'm happy to see the release of the Apple notebook but I'm very disappointed to see anything in the PRO desktop line. I'm without MAc by 4 weeks.

:(
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3GHz G5 PowerMacs just around the corner ...

Now if only I could figure out where that corner is!! :eek:
 
S.O.S. PLEASE HELP

PLEASE HELP , :confused:

Which is the best of the 2, and should I get the extra 512 ram or the extended warrenty. or can I get the extended warrenty within 30 days.

PowerBook 1.5GHz (15.2" TFT) $2,389.00 1.5GHz PowerPC G4 with 128MB Graphics Memory
80GB Ultra ATA drive @ 5400 rpm
SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW)
Backlit Keyboard/Mac OS - U.S. English
512MB DDR333 SDRAM - 2x256 SO-DIMMs
AirPort Extreme Card

PowerBook 1.5GHz (17" TFT) $2,589.00 1.5GHz PowerPC G4 with 128MB Graphics Memory
80GB Ultra ATA drive @ 5400rpm
SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW)
AirPort Extreme Card
512MB DDR333 SDRAM - 1 SO-DIMM
Backlit Keyboard/Mac OS - U.S. Englis

The 14" ibook with superdrive looks good as well :eek:
iBook 14"/1.2GHz/256/60G/Combo/APX $1,759.00 Office 2004 for Mac - Student and Teacher Edition $149.95 768MB DDR266 (256MB built-in & 512MB SO-DIMM) AirPort Extreme Card
SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW)
60GB Ultra ATA drive
Keyboard/Mac OS X - U.S. English
APP for iBook - Enrollment Kit $183.00 .Mac Promotional Bundle $69.95 TOTAL $2,311.85 :D
 
iReilly said:
:) Good news for everyone waiting for the updates. Now I have a question for you all. I want to surprise my son with a new 17" tricked out PB. He needs it for school. How can I, as a parent, take advantage of the educational discount without a student ID card. And I don't want to spoil the surprise and I won't rifle through his wallet for his student ID.
Click to expand...

just order online. go to the apple store and navigate to the education store, select the college he is going to, and you're off. nothing else required, no ID, no verification, you're set.
 
patriotn11 said:
PLEASE HELP , :confused:

Which is the best of the 2, and should I get the extra 512 ram or the extended warrenty. or can I get the extended warrenty within 30 days.

The 14" ibook with superdrive looks good as well :eek:



PowerBook 1.5GHz (15.2" TFT) $2,389.00 1.5GHz PowerPC G4 with 128MB Graphics Memory
80GB Ultra ATA drive @ 5400 rpm
SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW)
Backlit Keyboard/Mac OS - U.S. English
512MB DDR333 SDRAM - 2x256 SO-DIMMs
AirPort Extreme Card

PowerBook 1.5GHz (17" TFT) $2,589.00 1.5GHz PowerPC G4 with 128MB Graphics Memory
80GB Ultra ATA drive @ 5400rpm
SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW)
AirPort Extreme Card
512MB DDR333 SDRAM - 1 SO-DIMM
Backlit Keyboard/Mac OS - U.S. English
Click to expand...

i think the 17" is too big, but if you prefer larger screen size, go for that. if i were you, i'd save some money, get the 15" (more bang for your buck, increased portability), buy another 512 RAM as well as the extended warranty. either way, get the 512 RAM in ONE so-dimm, otherwise you'll regret it, bigtime.

and for the love of god, other than having them put the 512 in the one slot, order your RAM from crucial, or get it from a place like MicroCenter that always has sweet RAM deals and rebates, because Apple RAM is the most overpriced component that they consistently sucker people to pay for when it's just as easy, and a ton cheaper, to purchase and upgrade yourself. not saying that you didn't think of that already, just a rant in general :)
 
What a nice front page!
 

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Zaty said:
Um, just one little thing to consider, the PB now comes with 64 MB VRAM vs. 32 MB on the iBook that should give the PB a clear advantage even if the graphics chips is slightly slower! I seriously doubt the iBook will score better at UT 2004.
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Only if the game is demanding more memory than is available and textures are being having to be dragged in across AGP. I'm not sure if that is the case in an average game of UT2004 with 'Low' texture details at 1024x768...I think there is a tool in the CHUD suite which will tell you which caches/busses/memory is being used. That could be useful to determine if VRAM size was the limiting factor. It's not automatic that more VRAM == faster performance.
 
mxpiazza said:
just order online. go to the apple store and navigate to the education store, select the college he is going to, and you're off. nothing else required, no ID, no verification, you're set.
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I've purchased through the education store many times and it always asks for my Student ID. Maybe this is just in Canada?

Anyway they don't actually check the number, I am fairly certain you can put anything.

To be safe why not just his school email address as the student id? or atleast the prefix of the email. like jdoe
 
I guess the 12" PowerBook's redeming qualities over the iBook are a faster proccessor, more video memory, and AirPort extreme built in, but more would have been nice(or at least 64MB VRAM as a top of the line option in iBooks).

If IBM can get 2 PowerPC 970's in one little blade sever, why can't Apple get one in a laptop? The G4 bus speed is horrible.
 
I'm switching!

Just ordered 12" 1GHz iBook with airport and a 60 GB HD!! I've been wanting an iBook for over a year, the faster processor sealed the deal for me. About the new processors - I noticed they were advertised with 512 kB L2 cache, which should give quite a bit of performance over the old 256 kB version. However, when I went to order, the Apple store reported 256 kB in the little string describing the iBook (iBook 12"/1GHz/256/30G/Combo) even though the store told me I was ordering one with 512 kB cache. Hopefully this is a typo with the new iBook specs.
Also, I heard a rumor that the new G4 version supports better power conservation by dynamic frequency switching, hopefully improving battery life. Any confirmation?
 
I don't know if this has been posted in this thread already...but the screens in the 12" PowerBook are now proper TFT instead of TFT XGA!!!
:D

AppleMatt
 
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