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Frustrated, Giving up hope on iBook
- Thread starter 53399
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The Zen of Computer Purchasing
1. There will always be updates, always.
2. Those updates are more likely to come after you've purchased what was once the top-of-the-line.
3. There is always a faster machine.
4. There is always a cheaper machine.
5. A cheap, fast machine is suspect. Nothing can be cheap, fast, and reliable. Pick any two attributes.
6. Adding in the costs of your computer bag, etc. is like adding in the costs of your CDs for a new car.
7. You will always buy new software, because there is always something new and cool around the corner.
8. The time you spent waiting for a new machine is time you could have been producing something. Producing something is why we have computers, anything is else is pure techno-wankery.
9. Buy the best machine for you at that particular time, checking the rumor sites for imminent information is good, but waiting 6 months for a new machine is bad.
10. Buy the closest to the state-of-the-art you can afford, buy a machine for the future.
1. There will always be updates, always.
2. Those updates are more likely to come after you've purchased what was once the top-of-the-line.
3. There is always a faster machine.
4. There is always a cheaper machine.
5. A cheap, fast machine is suspect. Nothing can be cheap, fast, and reliable. Pick any two attributes.
6. Adding in the costs of your computer bag, etc. is like adding in the costs of your CDs for a new car.
7. You will always buy new software, because there is always something new and cool around the corner.
8. The time you spent waiting for a new machine is time you could have been producing something. Producing something is why we have computers, anything is else is pure techno-wankery.
9. Buy the best machine for you at that particular time, checking the rumor sites for imminent information is good, but waiting 6 months for a new machine is bad.
10. Buy the closest to the state-of-the-art you can afford, buy a machine for the future.
Great post, especially about producing stuff vs. techno-wankery.
Instead of doing work, you can spend all day surfing techno-wankery.com and looking for rumors and reports. Or spend all day here at MR...
Instead of doing work, you can spend all day surfing techno-wankery.com and looking for rumors and reports. Or spend all day here at MR...
hulugu said:
madmaxmedia said:
I wholly agree with your post, except for this:
Rule 11: Adding software to make Windows more palatable is like adding ketchup to wood and claiming it's a steak, or gluing feathers to a cat and then claiming it's a duck.
hulugu said:I wholly agree with your post, except for this:
Rule 11: Adding software to make Windows more palatable is like adding ketchup to wood and claiming it's a steak, or gluing feathers to a cat and then claiming it's a duck.
LOL, well you remember the old Bobby Knight quote (about being raped.) I won't repeat it, since it may offend someone.
I agree it's pretty superficial, but just having a cohesive windows design and font set, etc. makes it better. If you're going to choose some sort of desktop theme, you may as well choose Aqua...I don't fool around with programs like WindowsBlinds or whatever, but FlyaKite is a single download and install, and is free!
PS- What is really superficial is the little Spotlight icon that goes in the upper right corner (it doesn't do anything!)
tsk said:
But this was prior to the Powerbook updates which they had *room* to update from 1.33 to 1.5 and 1.67mhz. My point is there is no room for a Powerbook update since the G4 can't get any faster with the 167mhz FSB.
If they do I'll be very surprised. It will make the Powerbooks look even more stagnant than they already are until we get the Mactel updates a year or so from now. But I guess stranger things have happened.
interperet this anyway you would like
Ok, i just purchased an ibook about 3 weeks ago and, i could care less if they come out with a new ibook. you may think that i was cheated out of money but i wasnt. All i would get more in the updated version is a minor processor speed bump 512 ram and 64 vram. So waht i cant take FULL advantage of Core Image. i dont need the ripple effects and waht not. lets face it. an ibook is not meant to be top of the line for 5 yrs. Actually, i am replacing my new ibook with a Mactel as soon as there available. just remeber. if you buy an ibook now or when the update comes out there will only be a little computing power difference and your ibook will keep you hapyy until Leapord.
Ok, i just purchased an ibook about 3 weeks ago and, i could care less if they come out with a new ibook. you may think that i was cheated out of money but i wasnt. All i would get more in the updated version is a minor processor speed bump 512 ram and 64 vram. So waht i cant take FULL advantage of Core Image. i dont need the ripple effects and waht not. lets face it. an ibook is not meant to be top of the line for 5 yrs. Actually, i am replacing my new ibook with a Mactel as soon as there available. just remeber. if you buy an ibook now or when the update comes out there will only be a little computing power difference and your ibook will keep you hapyy until Leapord.
I'd tell you to stop whining... but you kinda have a point. They need some kind of update to the iBooks. Maybe this is why they're moving to Intels.
I'm guessing some specs here, just speculation and not actual rumors:
12"
Combo
Graphics Card Supported by CoreImage
1.33 GHz Processor
512 MB RAM
Maybe bump the HD to 40GB
Other than that, I don't see anything else happening.
14"
Combo
Graphics Card Supported by CoreImage
1.42 GHz Processor
512 MB RAM
14"
Super
Graphics Card Supported by CoreImage
1.42 GHz Processor
512 MB RAM
12"
Combo
Graphics Card Supported by CoreImage
1.33 GHz Processor
512 MB RAM
Maybe bump the HD to 40GB
Other than that, I don't see anything else happening.
14"
Combo
Graphics Card Supported by CoreImage
1.42 GHz Processor
512 MB RAM
14"
Super
Graphics Card Supported by CoreImage
1.42 GHz Processor
512 MB RAM
gog said:
We both know that Windows does not crash everyday. My 2ghz custom built gaming machine has NEVER CRASHED! (had it for 2 years now) And I have not gotten a single virus. I do have to deal with Spyware from time to time but there are programs to fix that, and in general i do fine. i am not saying Windows is great, just that it gets a bad wrap sometimes. I too am really tired of Apple's high prices for a plastic laptop that is underpowered and overated.
53399 said:
I too am looking more and more at Averatec. i just sold the powerbook in my sig, and wanted to upgrade. However, I am not going to spend all that money on an old, underpowered, overpriced iBook. When you can get a tablet with bigger HD, more Memory, and a kick #&* processor, the ibook looks really sad. Apple is making me mad.
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wordmunger said:
i have a dell d600 with 1gb of memory and a 1.8 pentium M with batteries that last for 4 horus and 1400x1050 screen resolution (from work), it is much faster than my PB12 with 640Mb of memory and a 1.33 G4 that has poor batery life, poor wifi reception, gets really hot and has a pathetic screen resolution.
however the dell is just an ugly piece of cheap plastic and the mac with mac osx just feels so much better
smharmon said:
The hard drive in the 12" is my pet peeve. Not only is it small, it also comes over half full of software and OS. If I bought a stock 12" today it could not hold my 15 G of itunes and 1 G of pictures, unless I formatted and reinstalled the OS. My 18 month old Toshiba laptop has an 80 gig HD.
javiercr said:
The heat, the wifi reception, and the fact that I am no power user all combine to make we want an ibook rather than a powerbook. That's why I'm always in these ibook threads, hoping for a bump.
hulugu said:
Yeah... well, I generally agree with all those points. But always stating that you should go out and 'just buy the most you can afford when you need it' is oversimplifying the situation. It's sort of like saying, well, you need to get from A to B, go buy a $40,000 SUV. There are other alternatives and other constraints - tradeoffs. If you're in the situation where your only computing platform is dead or dying, then fine, make a decision and go with it. I'm guessing there's a large number us here on MR who are looking down the road and trying to figure out what to do with our budgets: we can't afford to spend $3000 on a new machine only to find a more suitable one for our needs is only 8 months away. If the tradeoff is we have to live with an inferior but still serviceable machine and manage to be productive, then its a good economic compromise. In my case, I was all set to get a 17" PB a couple of months ago, along with Virtual PC for my Windows needs, when the Intel announcement comes through. Now I'm in a position where I frankly need more information to sift through the tradeoffs.
"Powerbook eating into iBook sales shocker"
I don't really need the capability of a Powerbook so I've been waiting for the ibook update, but this is getting ridiculous. so I made a little table taking all the information from summary and spec pages and found that I may as well buy a powerbook (unless the upgrade to ibook is going to do something with the resolution or make it widescreen).
Turns out that the 12inch PB and 14 inch iBook (both with BT and SD) differ in only speed, screen size (but not resolution), graphics card, base RAM and video output.
And the price differential is 99 EUR.
Makes it look like there won't/shouldn't be a laptop of any description before switch to intel. Unless it is to temporarily discontinue ibooks. (pure speculation btw).
I don't really need the capability of a Powerbook so I've been waiting for the ibook update, but this is getting ridiculous. so I made a little table taking all the information from summary and spec pages and found that I may as well buy a powerbook (unless the upgrade to ibook is going to do something with the resolution or make it widescreen).
Turns out that the 12inch PB and 14 inch iBook (both with BT and SD) differ in only speed, screen size (but not resolution), graphics card, base RAM and video output.
And the price differential is 99 EUR.
Makes it look like there won't/shouldn't be a laptop of any description before switch to intel. Unless it is to temporarily discontinue ibooks. (pure speculation btw).
As far as I can see, Core Image works everywhere, with the caveat that on some systems (including the iBook), Core Image will use the CPU rather than the GPU to render the results (because the CPU is typically faster on those models - Apple has a technote with the default rules).sbaishya said:
Apple have also disabled the Dashboard 'ripple' effect on the set of machines that run Core Image on the CPU, presumably because the combination of a CPU-heavy Dashboard and the ripple-effect-on-CPU impacted the CPU too much.
So,
- Core Image is supported everywhere, but
- Applications can decide not to use it; however
- Dashboard is the only example of that that anyone's noticed so far.
MalcolmR said:
Amen. And I don't see anyone complaining about the PB 12", even though it too uses the CPU to render most Core Image effects. People buying it instead of an iBook to get a "supported" GFC are in fact paying a lot of money only for a useless ripple effect.
I'm not sure why people are complaining about the "low speed" of the iBook. It was a badass machine a year ago, what new ultra-to-the-max software are you running that suddenly makes the computer unusable? I mean, it may be slow for hardcore Photoshop or highend video editing, but then, why would you be using a consumer laptop anyway?
To those worried about core image, I've used OS X since 10.1 and have lived without pretty ripple effects for quite awhile now. Not having core image does not make the computer any less usable no matter how many people on this board think so.
To those bashing Apple, because of a lack of an update, and declaring your switch to the "other side", go ahead and switch if that's what you want to do. Do you all really think that Apple likes to not be able to offer its customers an updated iBook?
When it comes down to it, if you want an iBook now then buy it. If you want to wait, then wait; knowing that it could be awhile till an update. If you don't feel that the iBook is a good value and would rather use a Linux or Windows based machine, feel free; no one is forcing you to get an Apple.
It's your money. Do with it what you wish.
To those worried about core image, I've used OS X since 10.1 and have lived without pretty ripple effects for quite awhile now. Not having core image does not make the computer any less usable no matter how many people on this board think so.
To those bashing Apple, because of a lack of an update, and declaring your switch to the "other side", go ahead and switch if that's what you want to do. Do you all really think that Apple likes to not be able to offer its customers an updated iBook?
When it comes down to it, if you want an iBook now then buy it. If you want to wait, then wait; knowing that it could be awhile till an update. If you don't feel that the iBook is a good value and would rather use a Linux or Windows based machine, feel free; no one is forcing you to get an Apple.
It's your money. Do with it what you wish.
53399 said:
Wow, that is cheap. I wonder how a 1.3GHz Celeron stacks up to a 1.2GHz G4?
After using a few PowerBooks and iBooks, though, I can't really imagine spending my own money on a PC laptop. They are just big and clunky and ugly and inelegant. If I did, I'd spend more money on something decent like a ThinkPad T42, but those cost almost as much as PowerBooks.
Isn't finding a laptop with Linux driver support for all its functionality pretty hit-and-miss?
Yes, an iBook is long in the tooth and doesn't meet Tiger's recommended specs, and that's a shame. I'm still thinking about getting one, based on what it is rather than what it isn't.
I'd much rather have a 1GHz or 1.2GHz iBook than the earliest G4s, though. I seem to recall there were some important specification upgrades in there.
Crikey
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53399 said:
I'm sure Apple realizes the loss they're having. I'm sure they're as frustrated as everyone else that they've been given poor offerings of CPU chips. I see this as a major reason for Apple moving to Intel; so that they can offer their customers what the customers want. Not the leftovers at Motorola or IBM.
If Apple made a public statement to the effect that they would have no iBook updates till September, you think that would help them? As of now, the "in-the-know" people will wait it out (or it seems, just switch altogether) while those not "in-the-know" will continue purchasing iBooks. If they made the public statement, do you think they'd sell many iBook at all this quarter?
I have a friend who will be heading off to college real soon. She needs a laptop and I've spec'd her out an iBook. Just because it hasn't been updated in awhile doesn't make it a bad computer. It will still do all of the things it did a year ago, which is all that she needs to do. Hell, it will do more with Tiger (save core image; although I've seen but one app that actually uses core image).
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