Hmm. Did I buy an outdated Powerbook? (long)

[coolbreeze]

Okie dokie. Got a powerbook G4 800 off of eBay (and a 5gb ipod was included) for the great price of $1670. It will be delivered tomorrow (24 Jan).

After reading all the Apple propaganda on the web, I've experinced a few moments of "buyer remorse." I just feel as if I am buying old technology...

Quick background:
I am switching from the Windows XP world, ala AMD 1.6ghz, 512DDR RAM, GeForce3 64DDR blablabla. I don't want to get into the whole megahertz war, blablabla, but I do have some concerns about my purchase/switch.

The Powerbook I bought has 768 MB RAM, 40 gig, Radeon 7500 w/32MB video RAM, (and whatever Apple sold them with, spec-wise, about 8 months ago).

And now for my questions:

1. Since this powerbook is a bit dated, did I make a mistake by getting it instead of the new generations i.e. 12" (which is roughly the same price)?

2. Is there a HUGE difference between the G4 800 and G4 1Gig?

3. Is the screen on the 15 inchers as bright and crisp as the new models (i.e. 12 and 17" books)? (hmm, guess noone really knows yet, huh?)

4. Will this powerbook need replacing (because of technological gaps) in 2 years? (given it is taken care of-which I take VERY good care of my stuff). I know this is a very general question, but it seems Apple users seem to keep their equipment much longer than PC users.

5. Is the airport reception THAT bad on the 15 inchers?

6. Should I get Apple Care with this mug (honestly, not "yeah, it's a good idea....blabla)? I am very technically inclined (from a mechanical standpoint) and would have no problem fixing minor things. Does Apple Care cover things such as if you drop it on the floor and it breaks all to pieces?

7. 8x CD-R? Why so slow? My PC was (is) 24x...

8. Is the DVD player as good a quality as watching a DVD on TV? When watching on my 16x PC, DVD quality really was kind of grainy and not that great-looking (with a GeForce 3 and a 15" KDS-Rad5 flat panel).

9. Finally. Can someone tell me why the heck UPS is taking SOOO long?? I can't stand it. Where is that stupid brown truck anyhow??????? What can "Brown" do for me??? HURRY UP!!

9-and-a-half. Oh, by the way. Wanna know what pushed me over the fence (I was on the fence for awhile between Mac/Windows)...when I watched the Keynote via the web (while at work...badbadbad). Guess it worked, for me at least...

Thanks for reading this far and possibly offering your viewpoints for a mac newbie. Rest assured I'll be posting "how do I" subjects after I get my G4!!

 

[vniow]

Originally posted by coolbreeze


7. 8x CD-R? Why so slow? My PC was (is) 24x...

Notebook optical drives are always slower than desktop drives, both in reading and writing to discs. No suprise here, they just got up to 24x CD-R recently, it costs more to get the mechanism small enough to burn faster reliably, that's why the firmware on the new slot-loading DVD burners limits it to 1x when it is capable of higher.

You give up speed, but you gain in portability, that's always been the case with notebooks although it's becoming less and less of a schism.

 

[janey]

Re: Hmm. Did I buy an outdated Powerbook? (long)

Originally posted by coolbreeze
5. Is the airport reception THAT bad on the 15 inchers?

Yeah. You'd better believe it! The 15" TiBooks have the worst reception ever. That's why the new 12" and 17" PowerBooks have antennae (for Airport Extreme) on the side of the computer.
The 15" inchers are "deaf".

You shoulda gotten an AluBook. Those things are much nicer but if you insist on a 15" TiBook...

 

[Choppaface]

i dunno why people say that about the reception, I get better reception than my lombard w/ SkyLine card, which gets better reception than most ibooks.

over the next two years, it seems that apps will be modified to utilize new 64 bit processors, so a new computer now might not last you as long as if you bought the first equivalent model that had a 64 bit processor. either way, a newer powerbook would have probably been a better deal though....

applecare might not be a horrible idea. so far my 800mhz has yet to show signs of the infamous paint chipping problem, but in the case that you get a lemon applecare might be handy, though apple has been pretty nasty about taking responsibility for their actions and only a few customers I believe have had their PB's repaired for free under warranty. though those were the 667's and 550's I think, I'm not sure if there were many 800s that had the paint chipping problem.

try having your comp fedex'ed next time, ups is horrible. it once took two weeks for me (in cali) to get something from the east coast by ground. unacceptable....

 

[chibianh]

Re: Hmm. Did I buy an outdated Powerbook? (long)

I have a Powerbook G4 w/ 768MB ram, 800mhz and the radeon 7500 w/ 32mb VRAM. so i'll try to answer some of your questions.




1. Since this powerbook is a bit dated, did I make a mistake by getting it instead of the new generations i.e. 12" (which is roughly the same price)?

Maybe. If i were to spend $1700 now, i'd probably shell out another couple hundred and get the 12". I see the only disadvantages with buying the 12" is that you get smaller screen size, less maximum ram, no pc card slot, no dvi, no L3 cache, and no sound in (i may be wrong on this one).

2. Is there a HUGE difference between the G4 800 and G4 1Gig?

The 12" powerbook comes with an 867mhz G4. The 15.2" Tibook comes with 867 and 1ghz and run for 2299 and 2799, respectively. The 17" comes with a 1ghz G4, for 3299. If you're going to compare the 800mhz Ti with the 867mhz 12" pb, then the 12" will be slightly faster in almost everything, but not by much because of the lack of an L3 cache.


3. Is the screen on the 15 inchers as bright and crisp as the new models (i.e. 12 and 17" books)? (hmm, guess noone really knows yet, huh?)

I think the screen should be fine. i was in the apple store today checking out the 12' model which was right next to a 15.2" model. I personally liked the 15.2" better, which is the same screen as the ones on the Ti800.


4. Will this powerbook need replacing (because of technological gaps) in 2 years? (given it is taken care of-which I take VERY good care of my stuff). I know this is a very general question, but it seems Apple users seem to keep their equipment much longer than PC users.

Need replacing? It depends on what you need to do with it. I know people with Apple laptops over two years old and it still satisfies their needs.


5. Is the airport reception THAT bad on the 15 inchers?

THAT bad is how bad? If you're comparing it to the ibook, it is worse.. but not THAT worse. I have a compaq laptop with a cisco aeronet pc wireless card and it does just about as well as my Ti around the house.


6. Should I get Apple Care with this mug (honestly, not "yeah, it's a good idea....blabla)? I am very technically inclined (from a mechanical standpoint) and would have no problem fixing minor things. Does Apple Care cover things such as if you drop it on the floor and it breaks all to pieces?

I'm not sure. I don't have Applecare, but I bought mine back in May so I have a couple months left for my warranty.


7. 8x CD-R? Why so slow? My PC was (is) 24x...

Like vniow said, laptop burners will always be slower than desktops... especially in apple powerbooks cuz they're so thin. If you need to burn anything faster, burn it on your pc. The 8x burn speed is sufficient for what I use it for.

8. Is the DVD player as good a quality as watching a DVD on TV? When watching on my 16x PC, DVD quality really was kind of grainy and not that great-looking (with a GeForce 3 and a 15" KDS-Rad5 flat panel).

I watch DVDs on my laptop all the time. It looks great! However, it still doesn't match the 53" plasma tv that i have!!


9. Finally. Can someone tell me why the heck UPS is taking SOOO long?? I can't stand it. Where is that stupid brown truck anyhow??????? What can "Brown" do for me??? HURRY UP!!

Can you track it online?


9-and-a-half. Oh, by the way. Wanna know what pushed me over the fence (I was on the fence for awhile between Mac/Windows)...when I watched the Keynote via the web (while at work...badbadbad). Guess it worked, for me at least...

I'm presuming it was this past Keynote?


Thanks for reading this far and possibly offering your viewpoints for a mac newbie. Rest assured I'll be posting "how do I" subjects after I get my G4!!

You're welcome. You post questions, we're here to help.

 

[jaykk]

Airport reception is not that bad at all

I have a TiBook 550 Mhz, i am quiet happy with the aiport reception. And i got better reception at Starbucks(T-Mobile Service).

And 15 inch seems perfect, its not that small, its not that big either. If I am planning to buy an Al Book, i will probably wait till they upgrade Tibook to 15.4 AlBook.

I think u got a great deal..
Will it get outdated in couple of years? Ofcourse, if IBM processors are coming in next few months, or end ot this year, we may need to upgrade again. I am going to hold off till IBM processor, which i am not seeing this year.

 

[coolbreeze]

Re: Re: Hmm. Did I buy an outdated Powerbook? (long)

Originally posted by chibianh


I watch DVDs on my laptop all the time. It looks great! However, it still doesn't match the 53" plasma tv that i have!!

Jeez man! What a tube you have (er, should I call it a "panel" or "picture frame"....I have "TV envy" now!!! (and I thought my Sony Wega was cool....)

Can you track it online?

Haha. Yes, it is set for delivery to my work tomorrow...but I'm sooo impatient!

I'm presuming it was this past Keynote?

Yes, it was. Been fishin' on eBay for about three months for an Apple, but pulled the trigger after the 2003 Keynote!

You're welcome. You post questions, we're here to help.

Thanks so much for answering all my questions. Looks like I've found a great board for my needs!

 

[JSRockit]

You paid a good price for a 800mhz TiBook. I wouldn't feel bad about it. Sure, the 12" pBook is just a little more...but that doesn't offer a significant upgrade to the one you just bought.

 

[technocoy]

i agree

people are tripping,

I just bought my 1 ghz in december and it is beautiful!! I have a friend with the 800 and it is not that much slower than my mine. If you are a power user or game player you may notice a slight difference, but not much. I am a graphics professional, and a power user and i bought my powerbook to replace a long outdated BW G3, and i have a dual MDD at work. I love my 15in, and other than the lighted keyboard, have no envy. Unless you are a on-site video editor there really is no need for the 17in and i'm willing to bet that the 12in isn't really that much faster than yours at all. You also have a digital monitor spanning output which the 12in lacks, as well as the level 3 cache. AND you can buy a DVD 2x CDRW 16x for the Ti now... it was on macnn. I promise you that you made a good decision. Unless you are a power user, i think your PB will be a great companion for quite sometime. Not to mention the iPOD you got with it!!

P.S. I could be wrong about how much screen real estate you may need, but i just got the 22in cinema and run it in dual mode with my Ti, and it is more than enough space. In my opinion, anyway.

Hope that helps,
Technocoy

 

[benixau]

you worry too much. i wish i could afford an apple notebook period.

i am saving for a 15" TiBook though. why?

cause i dont need airport. i dont need bluetooth. i dont need a lighted kb as i have a USB light. i dont need fwire 800. i dont need 17" but i need more than 12". i do need a pc card slot. i do it to have a G4.

in the current line up that leaves me withj one option - 15" model. hey, by the time i have enough cash the 15.4" AlumiBook will probably be around but i dont care. if you want to sell yours then .....

 

[JSRockit]

Originally posted by benixau
you worry too much. i wish i could afford an apple notebook period.

i am saving for a 15" TiBook though. why?

cause i dont need airport. i dont need bluetooth. i dont need a lighted kb as i have a USB light. i dont need fwire 800. i dont need 17" but i need more than 12". i do need a pc card slot. i do it to have a G4.

in the current line up that leaves me withj one option - 15" model. hey, by the time i have enough cash the 15.4" AlumiBook will probably be around but i dont care. if you want to sell yours then .....

Yes...it is a good time to buy a TiBook. That said, I'm grabbing a 12" pBook... but once the 15" alumibook comes out, I may buy a Ti cheap.