My Next Mac

[AmbitiousLemon]

My current computer is a 1999 G3 333Mhz Powerbook. the computer came with 64Mb RAM and a 4Gb Hard drive. I have since bought a 32Gb 5400rpm Hard drive 256Mb RAM Firewire PCI card and Skyline Wireless PCI card. Even with these upgrades my computer is definitely on its last leg (especially considering the wonderful exploding logicboard 6 months ago).

I will be prepared to buy my next computer in Fall 2003, and will have approximately $6000 for the system. And this leads me to my point. What will my computer/s look like then?

I would like a good desktop laptop team (hence the $6000). I enjoy the portability of my laptop too much to go completely to a desktop system, but I really need the power and expandability of a desktop. It would also be nice to still have access to a computer when my desktop is working on a data set (takes about 3 weeks of processing time with dual 500s now)

Im also hoping to throw a pda into the mix maybe. ive used a newton before though... so im ruined for anything that doesnt have apple's handwriting tech.

I wasnt going to post this now, but here is my idea of a perfect laptop/desktop design (this will never happen). All the processing power is in the desktop. The laptop will essentially be a monitor, keyboard, optical drive, battery, wireless card. The laptop will recieve screen dumps from the desktop via its wireless connection. When in short range it will use an airport type connection, and when long range it will use a cell phone type wireless connection. The dektop will contain the major cpu, hard drive, and software. The laptop will essentially be a wireless terminal providing screen dumps from the desktops in real time.

But in 2003 im guessing I will be buying a G5 desktop system around 2.0 Ghz with firewire2 usb2 etc (basically the rumors weve been hearing for january but a small bump up later). The laptop will be a powerbook (need the video connections and largest possible monitor so no ibook). But im unsure if the powerbook will be G4 (with a speed increase and no more heat issues) or a G5. And then I must also wonder about the enclosures (because frankly I love the black cases of the G3 powerbooks and will greatly miss it).

 

[jefhatfield]

G3 laptop

with the ability to have a firewire card externally and with the hot swap bays and relatively light weight, your laptop you have had for over 2 years is one of the only laptops there is out there which can work well for a user for 3 years

unless word processing, internet, and e-mail is all you do, there is no laptop i have ever heard of being a tech that can go 4 years in these fast moving times of mobile computing

...and what seems fast moving now in the laptop world will be even faster 9 to 12 months from now

usb 2 and firewire 2 will most definitely be out by late next year as will a G5 laptop, perhaps an entirely new airport standard will be established, games will require more than your video card can handle, adobe and macromedia products will be too powerful, the RAM you have as an upper limit (384?) may not be satisfatory for what version of os x will be out there, and prices will come down on all computer hardware

i suggest get your setup sometime in 2002 with less than six grand because i am sure by the latter part of that year, you will be jonesing for a new machine and apple will have something you will really want

what you mention is not out of reach technically, but would such a system ever sell? wireless growth in the IT industry is dubious at best with different standards competing and desktops and laptops will most likely still be two separate entities with the desktop replacement laptops being the ideal, like the tibook

...but for word processing and database, i still have a 1996 pentium 150 running NT 4.0 and my dad has a 1991 Apple Performa he keeps around because it has a floppy drive

...and for old laptops, my old business partner (who is a pc laptop tech) has a black and white screen 386 or 486 running some version of DOS and it is one of the oldest running laptops anybody has ever heard of

so if you can be happy with your G3 laptop for the next 20 months and you only have modest computing needs, then go for it because your laptop will be there then

ps - logic board issues almost always hit in the first 30-90 days...did you by any chance spill anything on your laptop, bang it hard, drop it, or get a bad power surge? those would be the most likely causes for a logic board to blow out in the second year of a computer (sure other things can happen but are very rare in a laptop of your vintage)

 

[mymemory]

Mmmmm... aahhhh... mmmm...!

I guess I'm agree with you jefhatfield. Even I wish I could predict my future after this next week specially.

Next friday we may be in democracy or in a dictatorship.

Remember this post because next week Venezuela is gonna be in all CNN special coverage.

 

[jefhatfield]

democracy

i hope you are a democracy

if it's a dictatorship, the usa will find a way to get into the mess and it will make osama bin laden yesterday's news

 

[AmbitiousLemon]

jef i agree with 6grand as a very high figure, but im considering a very fast desktop system flat screen included and some sort of powerbook.

i was very dissappointed when i saw the Tibook. i guess just because i really like my g3powerbook (despite the constant hardware failures). like you said the expansion bays are great and the pc card slot has proven a great way to expand my computer's capabilities. the computer will definitely be good til 2003. o sure i cant run osx very well, and new games wont run either. but i'll stick to classic apps and i'll be fine.

after 2003 i suspect i'll have about $1500 a year to sink into my computer.

id really like to see a dual g5 2ghz with a powerbook with maybe a 1.4ghz processor. larger keyboard would be nice but it wont happen. but i could really use a faster airport if im going to be transferring lots of large files between the desktop and laptop. also im very dissappointed with the battery life, im sure apple will increase the battery life by 2003.

 

[Onyxx]

crystal ball

wow talk about pulling figures out of your as... I mean your head. No one knows a thing about 2003! Heck its not even 2002 yet. For all we know we will have an IBM built g6 in 2003! Come on guys lets stay realistic for now.

 

[jefhatfield]

for us techies, speculating about new hardware

...is better than chocolate

 

[AmbitiousLemon]

yes, have you heard that in 2063 there will be a 2 thz g12 that is made entirely of chocolate? mmmm edible super computer.

 

[mymemory]

Chocolate Swis made tetra processor

Originally posted by AmbitiousLemon
yes, have you heard that in 2063 there will be a 2 thz g12 that is made entirely of chocolate? mmmm edible super computer.

Man, do not be such a liar. If is made out of chocolate the would melt very fast. Imagine if you have ants around your house eating your computer. May be Apple would make iMobiles by then and an entire iCondo, with a iPool and a incredible iShoe.

 

[joey j]

Re: crystal ball

Onyxx> wow talk about pulling figures out of your as... I mean your head.
No one knows a thing about 2003!

It is hardly unreasonable to assume that 2 ghz G5s will be available ~1Q
2003.

 

[AmbitiousLemon]

mmmmmm chocolate ishoe...

anyway, like joey says its not that unreasonable to think about some thinks by 2003. 'sides its fun.

and if thats when im buying i should be thinking about it and looking at trends. im not saying hey guys tell me exactly whats up in 2003. im just trying to get everyone to extrapolate current trends and see where it gets us in the not too distant future.

the question really asks some interesting questions. will powerbooks see the g5s anytime soon? will the powerbook have to wait as long as it did for the g4? will the g5 be one speed increase up or will 2003 be the real unveiling of the g5? of course we dont know but its interesting to think about. and i dont think its so unreasonable to think about the pace at which apple moves its chips into various models.

 

[dantec]

Ambitions Lemon you have 2 choices... Either stop making the G5's clockspeed higher and have motorola concentrate on improving the G5's design or to have exactly identical specs of those in the portable line -or- you come into the situation we have now... High yield desktops, but too achieve the speed with low power consuptions you must wait longer. I think apple should stay with the G4 for another year or so. There is still quite a bit of power to be pushed out of the G4. My question is why don't they make a low power consuption chip in the first place. it might take longer, but that way both desktops and laptops would be launched at the same time with identical clock speeds.

You also have the choice PeeCee users have. Put a Pentium 4 1.6ghz in a laptop and survive with barely 15 minutes of battery life with all of Windoze battery saver options on!

 

[AmbitiousLemon]

good points. i do have one thought on the matter though. the g4 runs hot, very hot. many people have said how nice it was to get Tibooks. the Tibook was a result of apple having to completely redesign the powerbook to accomodate that heat. and even with an amazing (and beautiful) new design i dont know a single Tiuser who hasnt had their machine overheat and refuse to startup again. ive even seen a tibook that had the keyboard melted in (apple replaced this without explanation about what happened). having said all that, how could the g5 be much hotter? im kinda wondering if the g5 will find its way into powerbooks faster than the g4 ever did simply because the wonderful new design of the tibook allows apple to put some pretty hot chips in it, and the g5 may in fact be considerably less of a problem than the g4. just some wild speculation but hey maybe theres something to it (or maybe im just really trying to argue myself into a g5powerbook)

 

[oldMac]

trends...

Speaking of trends, they support jefhatfield. You likely won't be spending $6000 on that fast-a*s computer in 2003.

In fact, here's what I think you'll be able to get for $3000 in fall, 2003...

Dual G5 2.3Ghz (end-of-life discount)
2GB RAM
320GB Hard Drive
DVD-R
Gigawire (1.2 Ghz firewire)
Airport 3.5 (11/22/54Mbps auto-switching)
AppleSphere - Home Digital Interface
24" Cinema Display ($999 when sold separately)