New upcoming Powerbooks worth buying?

[Grokgod]

There is alot of talk about the new G4's being a great version of the powerbook and that the G5 powerbook if and when it comes out would be a REV A, obviously very dangerous!

But does anyone know if the problems with the current G4 powerbooks have been resolved?

I had one of those Alubooks 1.25 powerbook versions and IT was a NIGHTMARE!
All apple would say was that it was operating within specs.
LOL
Insanely boring apple diatribe and slogan talk.

Whitespots!
Bad video respose!
Overheated Palm Rest!
Poor case assembly!

Overall just plain irritating.
If that was operation within specs then this upcoming upgrade means nothing.
I am just curious if anyone has heard about these issues being resolved, especially the LCD problems they had at they new manufactoring plant or whatever the excuse was!

If the upgrades come out, which seems likely at some point soon.
Are they worth buying or is it better to get a new REV B powermac and
wait till the G5 powerbooks comes out but then that means a REV B wait till the ugly marks are ironed out of the G5 powerbooks.

Anyone have some ideas

 

[thirteen1031]

Problems resolved!

I would certainly caution anyone against buying a G5 laptop right off the assembly line--whenever they appear. This because whenever the G5's come out, they're going to have some new tech (probably a new cooling system) and that means they're bound to have bugs and problems.

The G4, however, has ironed out almost all previous problems. Not that there's any guarantee that you'll get a perfect laptop if you buy one now or in the future. Anyone can get a lemon at any time. HOWEVER, notable problems that were pervasive in a lot of the powerbooks are effectively gone. Including whitespots and hotspots.

The update that's going to be happening, presumably, this week is likely just a speedbump. That means the G4's, now rock solid, will just be made a bit better (faster--not different).

So, I would say, that buying a new G4 would be a good investment. Unless this ungrade includes something very new on the G4's, they're going to be pretty much the same only better. And right now, they're pretty darn good.

 

[Westside guy]

I had one of those Alubooks 1.25 powerbook versions and IT was a NIGHTMARE! ...

Whitespots!
Bad video respose!
Overheated Palm Rest!
Poor case assembly!

Huh, I know about the white spots (had to deal with them on my 15" AlPB, as a matter of fact) but never heard anything about the rest of these (or experienced anything remotely resembling them) - so it's hard to say if these other "problems" are resolved.

Supposedly the white spot issue has been fixed. I'm not 100% sure. My screen got replaced, and after ~ 5 months I've got a small patch I'm keeping my eye on - it may be the return of a white spot. Since I've got Apple Care I'm not stressing over it, but it is an annoyance.

I still prefer this PB over its predecessor, a Dell Inspiron laptop - which, incidentally, is on it's way back to me from Dell as we speak. Got a free repair (result of a class-action lawsuit) of some really irritating and recurring keyboard problems. Third time they've had to fix it.

Edit: Guess if it were me I'd probably buy. I'm a bit concerned that that G5 powerbooks may be a ways off still (especially with IBM's reported yield issues on the 90nm G5 chips), so waiting for Rev. B on those may mean you're looking at well over a year's wait.

 

[James_C]

Apple have fixed the problems with the 15" Al Powerbooks. I had to exchange my original Powerbook 1.25GHz 15" that I purchased because it developed the dreaded white spot problem. The new one that I have has been perfect, definitely the best lap-top that I have ever used (although all the others were Windows). After my experience I would certainly wait to see if the new G5 laptops develop any problems. Apple have already stated that it is an engineering challenge to cool the beast. Not only that, but I suspect that there will be some new battery technology involved as well as the cooling issues. Apple have not had a good track record recently on Rev A products. I also have Rev A MDD PowerMac that had the noisy fan issue (now fixed although probably still the loudest computer I have ever had)

 

[aswitcher]

If the upgrades come out, which seems likely at some point soon.
Are they worth buying or is it better to get a new REV B powermac and
wait till the G5 powerbooks comes out but then that means a REV B wait till the ugly marks are ironed out of the G5 powerbooks.

Anyone have some ideas

This is how I see things.

The G4 (if the rumor sites are right) high end machines, 15" super and 17", are getting very minor speed bumps.

They also might be cheaper, possibly signficantly cheaper.

They might get a faster DVD drive

They might get a better and even bigger Video card/ram

There's even a remote chance that they will get better resolution screens


But really, how much better is this than from Sept 03 or even Jan 03?


Is this all Apple will have on the market for this year for the PBs?


If the G5PBs come out in even January (shipping within a few months) how much better are they going to be? Are they going to be at the same price point, but with superior screens for the new OSX rev that allows better control over quartz and icon sizes to take maximuim advantage of the screens? Won;t the PBG5 be a huge leap forward?

And are we absolutley sure they wont do what they did last time and release a G5PB this year, at WWDC, only months after the G4PB latest revs have come out?

 

[_pb_boi]

If it's a G4 revision, I'd definately go for it.

Speaking of Powerbook updates though - I bought my Powerbook 12in w/ AE extreme from the Apple store Tuesday when I was in NYC (which was great ). A problem meant I found myself at the genius bar, which was a good opportunity to download all the software updates necessary. Has anybody been there recently and seen the paper covering advertising boards behind the genius bar? Wonder if they're for the new Powerbook. I have pictures if anyone is interested.

Of course, maybe it's just advertising in big writing the fact they have two genius bars rather than one. Who knows...

andy

 

[aswitcher]

If it's a G4 revision, I'd definately go for it.

Speaking of Powerbook updates though - I bought my Powerbook 12in w/ AE extreme from the Apple store Tuesday when I was in NYC

andy

How you gonna feel if the french site rumor comes true? Will you be price protected or allowed to switch?


Portable line general public
M9418LL/A iBook 14, Combo, 1.25 Ghz
M9419LL/A iBook 14, Superdrive, 1.33Ghz
M9426LL/A iBook 12, 1 Ghz

Portable line Pro
M9183LL/A Powerbook 12 Combo 1.33 Ghz
M9184LL/A Powerbook 12 Superdrive 1.33 Ghz
M9421LL/A Powerbook 15 Combo 1.42 Ghz
M9422LL/A Powerbook 15 Superdrive 1.42 Ghz
M9462LL/A Powerbook 17, 1.5 Ghz

 

[_pb_boi]

If they update within 10 days, yes I'm protected. I've got 14 days after that 10 days to actually organise the details of getting everything sorted. Can't remember the exact terms.

That said, if they update shortly after that 10 days - which I'm sure they will, just to spite me - I won't mind too much. I knew the situation when I bought the Powerbook. I saved 4000 UK pounds because of the exchange rate. So, I got a Powerbook 12in combo and AE card for circa 1000 UK pounds, rather than 1400 UK pounds. I can't really complain, can I? Also, as a high school student with a year to go after this one finishes - I've got all the power I need and then some

andy

 

[Grokgod]

I havent heard anything about the HEATED palm issues on the G4 powerbooks. I think that the new ALu material caused some books to get Very hot in the palm area.

I think that perhaps the LCD white spots have been dealt with, I mean how can they ignore that, although they certianly did, for a LONG time!

But the ALuminum really spread the heat out over the palm area,
I hated that! But i have seen units that didnt have this problem.

SO maybe there is a fix for this?

Maybe the new chip that is cooler, and has a version of step down on the processer will cure these problems?

Anyone out there with this version of Powerbook that doest overheat in the PALM area?

 

[aswitcher]

I havent heard anything about the HEATED palm issues on the G4 powerbooks.

SO maybe there is a fix for this?

Cloth driving gloves for your powerbook

I had heard that it was addressed but sorry I don't recall the source so someone else best speakup with actual experience.


I hope they have fixed the screen/lid problem with it touching the keys and/or not closing flat.

 

[Westside guy]

Anyone out there with this version of Powerbook that doest overheat in the PALM area?

Okay, this is confusing - is "doest" supposed to be "doesn't" minus one letter (and an apostrophe), or "does" plus one letter?

In any case I bought the AlPB 15" 1.25GHz w/superdrive about a week after they came out (late September 2003), and my palmrests aren't even warm.

 

[Nny]

Overheated Palm Rest!

That's not a problem, it's a feature. For those cold winter nights in Cupertino (are there cold winter nights in Cupertino?).

 

[512ke]

Is speed always a good thing in a 'book?

Wouldn't a higher processor mean a hotter powerbook with a shorter battery life? I'm about to buy either an ibook or a powerbook. I think that my iMac purchased last November (1.25) is _slightly_ noisier than the previous 1.0 model, simply because the fan has to kick on more frequently and for longer periods in order to dissipate increased heat. It doesn't bother me in a desktop, but in a laptop...? Is there a tradeoff between speed and "comfort" (heat/battery) in a mobile computer?

 

[0s and 1s]

My 1ghz PB is extremely quiet except for the occasional 'camera clicking' hard drive noise, so I don't expect any increased noticeable noise in the proposed .40ghz or .50ghz upgrade. Could any 1.33ghz PB user comment on this?

 

[Grokgod]

Hey westside guy~

Sorry if my poor spelling or is it grammer was confusing.

So, your PB doesnt heat up at all?
Wow, I am kinda stumped to hear that.
I mean why are some hot and others not?

To address what another person posted:

I don't think that the highest speed is always the best cpu.
It depends on if the CPU has been overclocked and what version it is and
obviously how much heat its putting out.

Its obviously the ratio of power vs heat output, etc.

If the new G4's put out less heat then it could be the sweet spot
on the ALubooks. Even at a higher speed.

 

[James_C]

Wouldn't a higher processor mean a hotter powerbook with a shorter battery life? I'm about to buy either an ibook or a powerbook. I think that my iMac purchased last November (1.25) is _slightly_ noisier than the previous 1.0 model, simply because the fan has to kick on more frequently and for longer periods in order to dissipate increased heat. It doesn't bother me in a desktop, but in a laptop...? Is there a tradeoff between speed and "comfort" (heat/battery) in a mobile computer?

In theory higher processor speed would result in more heat and or less battery life. However If Apple improve the cooling and use a more efficient processor (or other improvements) or improve the battery then this is not necessarily the case. The 12" Powerbook is a good example in the Rev A model the 867 MHz Processor had the reputation of getting hot, more so than the Rev B 1GHz version.

 

[Grokgod]

They're here!

Well the speed bumps have arrived.

I for one think that they look pretty damn good.
I think that the iBooks are at a good price point....

BUT are they workth buying considering the previous REV had so many problems

I wonder what chip these units are going to have?
and will it run cooler even though the chips are clocked at 1.5!

 

[Calvinatir]

my palmrests are actually cold to the touch..along with the left and right sides of the underpart...heh

 

[Grokgod]

ok then I have drawn a few conclusions here.

A: The LCD issues have been resolved, GOOD!
B: The heat under the palm rest is an issue that is not always there. WEIRD

I had an issue with the trackpad beng very sensitive and always jumping around, making it impossible to type,., was that only on my Alubook also?

anyone else have that PROB?

Also the new CPU 7447a if in the new Alubooks could run cooler.
But specs say
20w's @1.42

Does that mean the the 1.5 is overclocked?
and therefore hotter?