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.......Something BIG is coming........
I still am not loosing hope for something BIG! Just think this past year, notebooks out-sold desktops, after all this is the "year of the notebook". I don't believe Apple would introduce such an amazing product at the beginning of the year, just to let it die off and be trampled by the tower at the end. The delay of the 15" AL is a huge mystery, but I think we are on the verge of understanding why Apple has held back the 15" (possibly 15.4") AlPowerbook.
Apple has shocked the world in the past and they will do it again.
You might think I am too optimistic and naive, but apple is well aware of the fact that notebooks will take over.
(All this coming from a windows user [soon to be Apple user after the 15"al is unleashed], that has never owned a Mac product in his life.
I still am not loosing hope for something BIG! Just think this past year, notebooks out-sold desktops, after all this is the "year of the notebook". I don't believe Apple would introduce such an amazing product at the beginning of the year, just to let it die off and be trampled by the tower at the end. The delay of the 15" AL is a huge mystery, but I think we are on the verge of understanding why Apple has held back the 15" (possibly 15.4") AlPowerbook.
Apple has shocked the world in the past and they will do it again.
You might think I am too optimistic and naive, but apple is well aware of the fact that notebooks will take over.
(All this coming from a windows user [soon to be Apple user after the 15"al is unleashed], that has never owned a Mac product in his life.
- No Als until the surplus Ti Casings are all used up.
Well everybody with paint peeled Ti's could send them in for warranty replacement. Maybe that would use them up!
We bought a hell of a lot of Dells last month after Apple failed to release a decent 15" system. Most people seem to be OK with them.
BTW--Has anyone checked out the new Medion 15.4" laptop at Aldi? Amazing specs, cheap and it has a superdrive! (Cool little A/V control pad, too.) And--why hasn't Apple thought of this--you can play your CDs without booting the computer and hard drive! Coooool.
Well everybody with paint peeled Ti's could send them in for warranty replacement. Maybe that would use them up!
We bought a hell of a lot of Dells last month after Apple failed to release a decent 15" system. Most people seem to be OK with them.
BTW--Has anyone checked out the new Medion 15.4" laptop at Aldi? Amazing specs, cheap and it has a superdrive! (Cool little A/V control pad, too.) And--why hasn't Apple thought of this--you can play your CDs without booting the computer and hard drive! Coooool.
Sorry, the Medion is a 15.2, not 15.4. Here are the details:
Up the road from the cavernous Micro Center is an outlet for the cut-rate ALDI grocery chain that plans a door-buster laptop sale starting Monday, offering laptops for $1,499 that have got to be the most powerful mobile PCs for the money on earth.
These MD 2900 models from Germany's Medion AG come with 512 megabytes of RAM, 2.4 gigahertz Pentium 4 processors, 40-gigabyte hard drives, DVD-RW/CD-RW burners, 802.11b wireless networking and gloriously sharp 15.2-inch WXGA screens.
GeForce 440 video cards run the hottest advanced games and S-Video ports connect to TV sets or VCRs to display anything created on the computers. With high-speed IEEE 1394 or FireWire inputs and that large hard drive, the Medions worked great in a recent test where I created home movies from a digital camcorder. Medion's DVD-R recorder let me save the movies to 4.7-gigabyte DVDs.
Derek Newsom, CEO of the Medion USA Inc. branch of the German tech marketing giant, said this laptop offering will be the first of a series of "burst" laptop sales campaigns in which Medion manufactures a shipment of high-powered and low-cost merchandise on a one-time basis.
This saves such costs as inventory maintenance and lets Medion make one-time buys of parts at optimal prices versus keeping permanent supply lines open as conventional computer companies like Dell or HP must do. Every corner is cut to save costs, right up to the point that buyers must pay cash or use ATM debit cards on the spot to save Medion credit card charges.
Up the road from the cavernous Micro Center is an outlet for the cut-rate ALDI grocery chain that plans a door-buster laptop sale starting Monday, offering laptops for $1,499 that have got to be the most powerful mobile PCs for the money on earth.
These MD 2900 models from Germany's Medion AG come with 512 megabytes of RAM, 2.4 gigahertz Pentium 4 processors, 40-gigabyte hard drives, DVD-RW/CD-RW burners, 802.11b wireless networking and gloriously sharp 15.2-inch WXGA screens.
GeForce 440 video cards run the hottest advanced games and S-Video ports connect to TV sets or VCRs to display anything created on the computers. With high-speed IEEE 1394 or FireWire inputs and that large hard drive, the Medions worked great in a recent test where I created home movies from a digital camcorder. Medion's DVD-R recorder let me save the movies to 4.7-gigabyte DVDs.
Derek Newsom, CEO of the Medion USA Inc. branch of the German tech marketing giant, said this laptop offering will be the first of a series of "burst" laptop sales campaigns in which Medion manufactures a shipment of high-powered and low-cost merchandise on a one-time basis.
This saves such costs as inventory maintenance and lets Medion make one-time buys of parts at optimal prices versus keeping permanent supply lines open as conventional computer companies like Dell or HP must do. Every corner is cut to save costs, right up to the point that buyers must pay cash or use ATM debit cards on the spot to save Medion credit card charges.
No sh*t man... Apple is literally asleep at the switch here. I don't know how many people I've talked to that would love to buy a 15" PowerBook if they would just update it to Aluminum. 12" is too small and 17" is too big.Originally posted by beefcake
If Apple doesn't update the 15" before the fall semester, then dude, I'm gettin' a Dell
Now with Dell offering P4 2.6 Ghz. notebooks for only $700-$800 it's getting more and more tempting to just say "hell with it" and get the Dell. Even if the Dell will only give you 2.5 hours of battery life and weighs 8 or 9 pounds, who cares, it cost 1/3rd the price and is actually available right now...
oh it is coming...and it will be sweet!
You do not want to buy a 700-$800 Dell - you'll kick yourself for it. Well you should kick yourself for just thinking about it...Naughty Naughty.
I am thinking something big is happening, they missed the time for the last update so obviously there is some good things in the crockpot (el tablito mac- I wanna use inkwell on the screen- dig?). Patience is a virtue.
You do not want to buy a 700-$800 Dell - you'll kick yourself for it. Well you should kick yourself for just thinking about it...Naughty Naughty.
I am thinking something big is happening, they missed the time for the last update so obviously there is some good things in the crockpot (el tablito mac- I wanna use inkwell on the screen- dig?). Patience is a virtue.
Interesting theory. i can see Apple doing that actually. "Joz" will do the dog and pony show for the G5 and people will be happy about that but disappointed that Macworld NY yielded nothing new.
Hopefully this won't blow up in apple's face. A lot of people, myself included, will be very upset if yet another week passes with no new powerbooks. People don't want the current Ti enclosures. Period. They're terribly flawed and for god's sake, painted metal? what the hell is that all about?
If apple keeps holding off on this stuff, a lot of people in the market for a midsized pro-level laptop will start to look elsewhere. Just look at these boards- MacRumors is a pro-mac site, and half the people waiting for a new Powerbook are actually contemplating SWITCHING to PC. What about all the computer users on the fence? If they do a little research and see that Apple's dragging their feet on product releases, they might just head on over to Dell or Gateway...
Apple needs to stand up and take notice. If they don't replace their outdated system with what the people are looking for, somebody else will.
Originally posted by beefcake
If Apple doesn't update the 15" before the fall semester, then dude, I'm gettin' a Dell
Fine Dude, enjoy your cell.
Originally posted by illumin8
No sh*t man... Apple is literally asleep at the switch here. I don't know how many people I've talked to that would love to buy a 15" PowerBook if they would just update it to Aluminum. 12" is too small and 17" is too big.
Now with Dell offering P4 2.6 Ghz. notebooks for only $700-$800 it's getting more and more tempting to just say "hell with it" and get the Dell. Even if the Dell will only give you 2.5 hours of battery life and weighs 8 or 9 pounds, who cares, it cost 1/3rd the price and is actually available right now...
Available now with a 10% DOA rate. That means one in ten chance you'll get a lemon and not a Dell.
Assuming the powerbooks are ready, they'll be missing on an opportunity to introduce it to a large audience. Sure the mac community will be just as aware of a 'quiet' update, but passing up on a large forum like MacWorld (politics aside) is a bad move. It's a platform where there will be thousands of the mac-faithful, potential switchers, and members of the press. If Apple holds back simply to spite IDG, they'll both lose big.
Best move for Apple would be to release any new pbooks tomorrow (Tuesday) which takes some of the wind out of IDG's sails, but keeps them in good standing with their faithful, and thus far, patient fans.
How long have people been saying this? Since Feb of 03. Enough of this ti surplus. It would be stupid of apple to keep a surplus of over 6-7 months of laptops. Where the **** are they going to put them all?
and might I add the waste of money to keep such a surplus.
I agree, any further delay in the introduction of an updated 15" PowerBook would seem very odd. If they don't update the G4 PowerBook line pretty soon it places into question the entire "year of the notebook" proclamation that Steve Jobs made in January. It could also produce a rather awkward timeline for the transition to the PowerBook G5. Can Apple really wait very much longer for updated G4 PowerBooks when the G5 is waiting in the wings? I mean, if G5 PowerBooks are going to ship in the first quarter of 2004 (still anyone's guess) then they don't have very many months left to introduce new G4s. I guess they could wait until September or October, but that might allow only a few months before there would be another turnover in the product line.
Thus, if we don't see speed-bumped or updated G4 PowerBooks in the next month or two I've got to believe one of the following (IMO, starting with most likely and ending with least likely):
1.) Apple is waiting for faster G4s from Motorola. I believe that the last reports I heard on this is that Motorola will be entering into volume production on a die-shrunk and improved G4 in the 4th quarter of this year. This could mean that new G4 PowerBooks might be delayed until October (but by then we might be getting fairly close to a G5 PowerBook, makes the timeline a little difficult).
2.) Apple's PowerBook line is in serious trouble because G4 development at Motorola has completely stalled. That is, there are no G4s faster than 1GHz that can be put into a notebook computer (heat and power concerns) and speed-bumped G4s won't be coming. Therefore, Apple will have to wait for the G5 (whenever that can be done).
3.) And least likely (IMO), the G5 PowerBook is closer than most expect. Perhaps we will see a G5 PowerBook this fall instead of next year. This would seem to go against Apple's public statements on both the future use of the G4 and the availability of a new G5 PowerBook (Apple says, "not anytime soon").
Thus, if we don't see speed-bumped or updated G4 PowerBooks in the next month or two I've got to believe one of the following (IMO, starting with most likely and ending with least likely):
1.) Apple is waiting for faster G4s from Motorola. I believe that the last reports I heard on this is that Motorola will be entering into volume production on a die-shrunk and improved G4 in the 4th quarter of this year. This could mean that new G4 PowerBooks might be delayed until October (but by then we might be getting fairly close to a G5 PowerBook, makes the timeline a little difficult).
2.) Apple's PowerBook line is in serious trouble because G4 development at Motorola has completely stalled. That is, there are no G4s faster than 1GHz that can be put into a notebook computer (heat and power concerns) and speed-bumped G4s won't be coming. Therefore, Apple will have to wait for the G5 (whenever that can be done).
3.) And least likely (IMO), the G5 PowerBook is closer than most expect. Perhaps we will see a G5 PowerBook this fall instead of next year. This would seem to go against Apple's public statements on both the future use of the G4 and the availability of a new G5 PowerBook (Apple says, "not anytime soon").
They may skip the back to school rush since that's what the ibooks are marketed for. Plus they already have the back to school educational ipod coupon... my guess is if the PBs don't hit this week or next week, they'll hit the week after the coupon expires.
I feel fairly certain that we'll see a G5-based PowerBook well before another year has passed. As far as Apple knowing "when and where...new products need to be released." Well, I don't think that explains the near disaster that has occurred with the PowerMac G4 products. For much of the last year Apple has been between a rock and a hard place as far as their pro desktop line is concerned. Motorola was slow to improve and the G5 wasn't ready, the result was that the PowerMac fell well behind the PC competition. Could we be entering a phase where the same will happen with the PowerBooks?
Again, isn't this just what happened with the G4 PowerMac? Also, if Motorola is stalled who else could Apple turn to? Their only choice would be IBM's PPC970. Which leads to...PowerBook G5 availability...
I agree that the G5 PowerBook isn't likely to be available this year, but I do expect it sometime in 1st quarter 2004.
In any case, I do believe (or hope) that we'll see updated G4 PowerBooks fairly soon. But if it doesn't happen you've got to ask yourself, "Why?" So, if it doesn't happen soon, what would you give as an explanation? Apparently you don't agree with any of my suggestions (opinions, SWAGs, etc.). I guess your counter proposal is simply that Apple must ship updated PowerBooks ASAP and that it will happen because it must.
we know from experience now that Apple is very much in the business of shooting their load way too early
last summer, when they annouced the Dual 1.25's in July, they said that they wouldn't be shipped out until November
Same story on the 17" PB
If there was a G5 PB coming out anytime soon (or within the next 4 months) apple would've announced it
So if a G5 PB is coming out, I really don't see it happening until January at the earliest
plus - we know that Moto's new chip is almost ready
I'm usually optmistic about this, but I really don't think that apple would want to delay the annoucement, at all, of a G5 Powerbook
last summer, when they annouced the Dual 1.25's in July, they said that they wouldn't be shipped out until November
Same story on the 17" PB
If there was a G5 PB coming out anytime soon (or within the next 4 months) apple would've announced it
So if a G5 PB is coming out, I really don't see it happening until January at the earliest
plus - we know that Moto's new chip is almost ready
I'm usually optmistic about this, but I really don't think that apple would want to delay the annoucement, at all, of a G5 Powerbook
I think the very fact that Apple spent a year in virtual developmental limbo with the desktop line is reason enough to suspect that they'd learned enough to prevent that from happening again with the powerbook line. Especially if the max speed was sitting dead in the water.
Not necessarily. The 970 is available in extremely limited quantities as it is right now, and I doubt it'll be available in mass quantities AND running in a manner which allows it to be integrated into a laptop for quite some time. If the outlook from Motorola was 'nothing new, no advances whatsoever for a year', Apple would DEFINITELY have pursued other avenues to get chips. No one can even dream of sitting on the same maxed out processor for an entire year and expect to maintain, let alone gain marketshare.
In all likelihood, Apple would have had the more flexible G3 re-examined, repurposed, and renamed as the go-to processor. I think that most people will agree that the chip offered better all-around performance than the G4.
I think that's highly unlikely, all things considered. It seems like there's just way too much work to do before it's a remote possibility. For G5s to make their way into powerbooks for Q1 they'd have to have figured out the heating/power/etc issues rather quickly, and looking at the G5 desktop, you can tell that's quite a ways off.
Well, if Apple wants to continue to see the sales slump miserably, they'll continue along without making any changes. But with the large number of pro users sitting on their hands waiting for an update- Apple has to release a new book sooner rather than later. Take the 15" Tibook for example. Sales have slowed to a crawl. It's terribly flawed and the consumer is waiting for it to be revamed. It's not getting any more attractive as it gathers dust, and apart from drastically slashing the prices, Apple can't expect to see many more units moved.
Between the beleaugered consumers waiting for a new machine, the back-to-school set, and the potential switchers, Apple has to come through for them or risk losing them to other laptop makers. Everyone who wants the current iteration of the powerbook line has already bought and the sales reflect that. It's time to update.
Apple has to ship updated powerbooks ASAP because otherwise they'll lose the foothold they had just begun to establish in the mobile computing world. If they don't satisfy the needs of the consumer, believe me, someone else will.
Re: There'll be NEW stuff
Can we take all of our aggression built up over then past 6 months or so out on you if there are no updates??? j/k...
Can we take all of our aggression built up over then past 6 months or so out on you if there are no updates??? j/k...
Originally posted by beefcake
If Apple doesn't update the 15" before the fall semester, then dude, I'm gettin' a Dell
Dude, at UGA EVERYTHING is Dell, and (not that you are serious or anything) it's not worth it. You can save money, yes, but they will keep you coming back and spending and spending and spending as it breaks and breaks and breaks. However, pretty much any mass PC maker is like that. I think everyone is in agreement that the ONLY way to buy a PC IF you are going to use one is to build it yourself or pay someone else to do it...of course, that gets tough when you are dealing with notebooks...
I dont think there will be a G5 powerbook anytime soon. the first G4 powermac was out for a year and a half before the powerbook went G4