Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Guesses on release dates? Powerbooks specifically/

A

a17inchFuture

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 6, 2004
195
0
Miami
When do people think they are gonna release the newest powerbook update? What do you guys think will be the changes? Ati card 9700? faster drive speeds? macosrumors posted a new article claiming early spring, and I believe spring is march 20-something ?

Don't we think we can expect an update before that date?

That would be more than a half a year. I think Apple should be producing more than two powerbook lines per year. They are the wave of the future, and will certainly be in high demand forever, as we as a society have proved we want everything smaller, more portable, more versatile, and more convenient
 
Heh. Seems like about half of MacRumors posters thought we'd see updated PowerBooks around the MacWorld Expo, then around the 20th anniversary, then the first week in February.

You can conclude that updates are due "any time now", or like me you can conclude that we're all wishful thinkers and really the last update was only a few months ago (well, 4 or 5).

Making computers is complicated work, especially if you're doing the kind of quality control testing Apple needs to get back into. I'd rather they shipped when they are ready.

April? May?


Crikey
 
Well we wait and wait... G5's seem like the only signifcant advance based upon rumors of a slightly improve G4 line sometime soon. G5's would blitz but don't think they will be out anytime soon.

I still wonder if Apple will oneday go bigger - 19" - specially for high end graphics users... maybe not this year:)
 
I don't think we'll see them soon. Powermacs are much more overdue, and the next gen. PMs are probably less work than a G5 PB to boot. They could update the PBs with more G4s, but the fastest G4 ever was 1.42 Ghz and that was overclocked. So there really isn't anywhere for the PB to go until it gets a G5, and I don't think we're all that close to that.

I would also really expect to see new imacs before new powerbooks because imac sales are absolutely in the toilet and powerbooks are selling fine. Maybe even emac updates at some point soon too because despite the price drops, they have not gotten bumped up specs in a very long time.

All just my opinion.
 
I don't think the new PB G5s will be released before autumn 2004. And even then, it will probably be slimmed-down versions of the G5 processor. I can't see Apple solving the heat issues differently.


Originally posted by aswitcher
I still wonder if Apple will oneday go bigger - 19" - specially for high end graphics users... maybe not this year:)
Click to expand...

Where's the sense in having a portable laptop of this size? It would be a real pain to take it on the road.
I doubt it. 17-inch is the max IMO.
 
A 19" Powerbook would have so much room! Apple could put in a full sized 105 key keyboard, multiple internal hard drives, big speakers and such. That would be interesting, but you'd have to wonder about how big the 'Book bag would have to be!
 
Originally posted by KC9AIC
A 19" Powerbook would have so much room! Apple could put in a full sized 105 key keyboard, multiple internal hard drives, big speakers and such. That would be interesting, but you'd have to wonder about how big the 'Book bag would have to be!
Click to expand...

you almost described a 20" imac :D
 
They took 10 months to update the 15". Based on that, I'd guess September.

Besides, what would they update them to? They already have the fastest G4s available. They could get a better graphics chip, higher resolution displays, bigger hard drives.
 
they could bring back the L3 cache, the G4 will benefit from it. they could also drop the 4200rpm drives, make 5400rpm the standard and 7200 as an option. laptop will benefit greatly from faster hd. they could also put in a faster superdrive.

and the 15" display could offer a little greater resolutions, but i guess we will see that only with a G5 introduction...

or... they could drop the international prices a lot :)
 
As far as the 8-months-before-update as the typical wait, that isn't really true at all.

The 15 inches came out in september, and the prior update was in January, thats eight months. The update before that took place 4 months before, and that cycle seems to repeat pretty consistently, 6-8 months to wait, then 4 months.

So, if this is the case, as has been for the last four or five updates (check the buyer's guide for specifics), then we should be expecting them soon, not september, especially if they are considering releasing G5's or underclocked g5's around fall 2004 as well.

My opinion is we will see something way before the end of summer, and my guess is the next month or two. But my gosh, could we hurry it up here . .. my computer is literally on its last legs, and that 17inch pb makes me salivate like Pavlov's dogs.

Say a little prayer for PB's . . . .
 
Also, when these somewhat modest updates come, do you think we can expect price drops too?

I know the rumors have said this before, but what do you guys think? Is the PB's technology so far behind that they would update AND drop the price in an effort to be more competetive?

I think they should. If what most message-posters on this site says is true, then the pb's are stilll much further behind non-apple laptops, and the non-apple laptops are MUCH cheaper than the PB's.

If all thsi si true, then I think we should, as smart consumers, expect a price drop too. And we should be disappointed if we don't get it.

Apple, don't let me down . . . .
 
Originally posted by KC9AIC
A 19" Powerbook would have so much room! Apple could put in a full sized 105 key keyboard, multiple internal hard drives, big speakers and such. That would be interesting, but you'd have to wonder about how big the 'Book bag would have to be!
Click to expand...

Again, where's the sense in having such a laptop. If you want all these features, get a desktop. A portable computer is defined by being portable.
Besides, multiple drives would make that thing awfully heavy!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back