PCs have centrino now, but we have always had good battery life-but what about power?

[jefhatfield]

our mac laptops keep on going on a single battery charge and finally, the pc world finds this important for a large number of their new laptops...whoop-dee-doo

now is our time for a dual G4 powerbook...even if it resides in just one model

 

[Abstract]

Honestly, I don't think that Apple can now claim any advantage over PC laptops other than that it uses OS X. At least in the past, Apple could claim that their laptops were more portable overall than most PC laptops. In a few months, that won't be true anymore.

The least Apple should do is include an Airport card into all their laptops as a standard item. If not, then PC makers can finally claim to be superior to Mac's in all aspects of the computer world: desktops, laptops, and tablets, the latter being something that Apple isn't even involved in. Its nice that Apple's OS is better, but now the 'value for money' aspect of an Apple laptop has lost some of its meaning in the eyes of competitors.

Jobs was right when he said it was the year of the laptop. Too bad he didn't mean for the Mac. At least Macs have a 17" incher, but I'm sure someone else is going to enter this market quite soon.

 

[medea]

Originally posted by Abstract
Honestly, I don't think that Apple can now claim any advantage over PC laptops other than that it uses OS X. At least in the past, Apple could claim that their laptops were more portable overall than most PC laptops. In a few months, that won't be true anymore.

The least Apple should do is include an Airport card into all their laptops as a standard item. If not, then PC makers can finally claim to be superior to Mac's in all aspects of the computer world: desktops, laptops, and tablets, the latter being something that Apple isn't even involved in. Its nice that Apple's OS is better, but now the 'value for money' aspect of an Apple laptop has lost some of its meaning in the eyes of competitors.

Jobs was right when he said it was the year of the laptop. Too bad he didn't mean for the Mac. At least Macs have a 17" incher, but I'm sure someone else is going to enter this market quite soon.

What are you talking about, did you forget about the 12" PB? I'm sorry but in my opinion laptops are the one category the PC industry can not claim, and right now tablets don't even matter.

 

[Abstract]

Since Fugitsu already made an 800GHz Intel laptop with a 5-8 hour battery life, no base-station and full CD-RW/DVD capabilities, the introduction of the Centrino doesn't help Apple's cause. The only reason Fugitsu used the 800Ghz Intel PIII was because of its low power consumption and heat production. With the Centrino, Fugitsu can now make a P1.8GHz laptop (much faster) with built-in 802.11. And maybe they'll even manage to get a longer battery life out of it. I'm not an expert or anything, but yes I DID think about the 12" PB for a second, although I don't actually know the exact specs of the absolute latest laptops using Centrino's. However, I can assume that they're better than before.

Oh wait: http://www.fujitsu.ca/products/notebooks/lifebook_s_series/s6000/specifications.html

I think they'll be competitive with the introduction of the 970, but they won't hold the crown anymore. I'm just saying that Apple used to clearly have the best laptops, and now they might not be able to say that anymore.

 

[FelixDerKater]

Originally posted by Abstract
Since Fugitsu already made an 800GHz Intel laptop with a 5-8 hour battery life, no base-station and full CD-RW/DVD capabilities, the introduction of the Centrino doesn't help Apple's cause. The only reason Fugitsu used the 800Ghz Intel PIII was because of its low power consumption and heat production. With the Centrino, Fugitsu can now make a P1.8GHz laptop (much faster) with built-in 802.11. And maybe they'll even manage to get a longer battery life out of it.

800GHz??

 

[cb911]

i'm glad that PC's are finally getting their act together, getting rid of all these bulky laptops. i don't really need a full-on laptop like my TiBook anymore, so i'm thinking about getting a iMac and a sub-notebook just for convenience. i was looking a the Sony Vaio C1, but it's going to be exciting to see what the PC laptop market will produce over the next couple of years.

because of financial constraints i was dreading the thought of having to use a 3" thick PC laptop, but finally hope is in sight!!

 

[mrjamin]

I don't think i've ever seen a pc laptop with firewire - for mobile professionals (i.e. digital photographers), firewire is pretty essential.

There are a few major design superiorities over pc laptops - i speak only of the ones i've seen/used, but their power supplies are big and clunky - the apple ones are amazing. They even provide you with clips for the cord from the supply => laptop.

 

[ewinemiller]

Originally posted by mrjamin
I don't think i've ever seen a pc laptop with firewire - for mobile professionals (i.e. digital photographers), firewire is pretty essential.

My year and half old Inspiron came with firewire. It's pretty standard on any PC laptop I've seen in the last year. Not every model I'm sure, but a large portion, and those that don't have it can pick up a pcmcia card for about $30.

 

[iJon]

Originally posted by mrjamin
I don't think i've ever seen a pc laptop with firewire - for mobile professionals (i.e. digital photographers), firewire is pretty essential.

There are a few major design superiorities over pc laptops - i speak only of the ones i've seen/used, but their power supplies are big and clunky - the apple ones are amazing. They even provide you with clips for the cord from the supply => laptop.

almost every new pc laptop comes with firewire. now what i dont see is a 6 pin firewire port, only a 4 pin, which is useless in most ocassions.

iJon

 

[rice_web]

One thing to look at when comparing the iBook battery life to Centrino systems' battery life: the size of the battery. The iBook uses a pathetic 47 watt-hour battery. If equipped with a decent battery, the iBook could double its battery life.

 

[mrjamin]

almost every new pc laptop comes with firewire. now what i dont see is a 6 pin firewire port, only a 4 pin, which is useless in most ocassions.

...and...

My year and half old Inspiron came with firewire. It's pretty standard on any PC laptop I've seen in the last year. Not every model I'm sure, but a large portion, and those that don't have it can pick up a pcmcia card for about $30.

oops

 

[ewinemiller]

Originally posted by iJon
almost every new pc laptop comes with firewire. now what i dont see is a 6 pin firewire port, only a 4 pin, which is useless in most ocassions.

iJon

Not sure I'd call it useless because it's only 4 pin. Most of the folks I know are just using firewire to pull from digital camcorders and all they need is 4 pin.

 

[-hh]

Originally posted by mrjamin
I don't think i've ever seen a pc laptop with firewire - for mobile professionals (i.e. digital photographers), firewire is pretty essential.

There's one on my Sony VAIO, which is now pushing 3 years old.


-hh

 

[benixau]

Originally posted by rice_web
One thing to look at when comparing the iBook battery life to Centrino systems' battery life: the size of the battery. The iBook uses a pathetic 47 watt-hour battery. If equipped with a decent battery, the iBook could double its battery life.

then what? have both the left and right side of the laptop heating up - great idea! really!

<new apple ad> with the new range of apple laptops you get
-superfast processor
-lots of RAM
-big HDD
-a nice screen and keyboard
-and another apple innvoation: you can now cook your breakfast on your laptop whilst your on the train. that is why apple is the leader in laptops. apple.com/wekickbutt

i think i have made my point ...

 

[idkew]

Originally posted by benixau
then what? have both the left and right side of the laptop heating up - great idea! really!

<new apple ad> with the new range of apple laptops you get
-superfast processor
-lots of RAM
-big HDD
-a nice screen and keyboard
-and another apple innvoation: you can now cook your breakfast on your laptop whilst your on the train. that is why apple is the leader in laptops. apple.com/wekickbutt

i think i have made my point ...

the battery is not your hot component. they operate relatively cool compared to the processor and other cpu type devices.

 

[FelixDerKater]

Originally posted by iJon
almost every new pc laptop comes with firewire. now what i dont see is a 6 pin firewire port, only a 4 pin, which is useless in most ocassions.

iJon

Just get an adapter. The extra two pins just provide power to devices. 4-pin is unpowered, so unless you want to use one of those bus-powered portable CD-RW drives or something of that nature, the extra pins are not useful. Also, if you really need the devices on the bus powered, you can just get a FireWire hub that is powered.

 

[trebblekicked]

don't presume too much about the centrino. they just had a silly little ad campaign that made it seem revolutionary, where as jeff pointed out, they just pulled even with apple. yeah pc's have clockspeed and price point, yeah apple has design and os, yeah yeah yeah blah blah blah. both platforms are going to be around for a while, and it will take a lot more than slightly increased battery life to change the market.

 

[patrick0brien]

The Centrino does just about "pull even" with Apple's offerings, but only just.

There are three basic components to the Centrino system (it's actually a chipset, not a new proc).

1) You get good battery time due to the ability of the microprocessor to 'nap'.

IMHO: Good! About time! Too bad my 12PB is the same chip as in desktops and I still get decent time.

2) The Centrino has the same performance as a Pentium 4M at twice the clock speed.

IMHO: Oh, gee. Be still my beating heart. You mean <choke> clock speed isn't everything??!?

Hey Intel! Welcome to the club! Maybe you'll help us dig out of the marketing hole you created!

3) Build-in Wireless

IMHO: Terrible idea. I'd like a choice. Especially since what Centrino supports is 802.11b. Looks like my 12PB is already ahead of you machine here, and it's "older".

What happens when a Centrino-owner wished to upgrade? Whoops! New machine!

Oh, and it looks like that upgrade is in the works - except it's 802.11a. So we need to buy equipment all over again at twice the price.

Hmm. Centrino = nice try, good effort, that's nice...

 

[iJon]

i was reading the cnet review of the new alienware 51 laptop. they battery life test was so funny. they said they couldnt even complete the test with the battery it came with. they had to use 2 alienware batteries just to see how long battery life would be with their program.

iJon

 

[G4scott]

If you don't think that Apple is ahead of the game in the PC market, go to CompUSA, and compare what you see in the Mac section with what you see in the PC section. It should be painfully obvious to see who makes the better laptops. (if you're not thinking Apple now, I should shoot you...)

There's no way you can say that a laptop with a 16" screen that's 2 inches thick, weighs 10 pounds, with 2 optical drives, and all the bells and whistles is better than a Mac laptop. The point of a laptop is to be portable. A laptop is something you can easily carry around with you (although the 17" PB might present a problem here...) Not something you have to lug around with you. I keep my 12" PB in my backpack, no problem. The weight is nothing, and the size is no problem. My power supply fits in a small pocket, and any other cables I need too. I have a friend with a toshiba laptop. Sure, it has a bigger screen, louder sound (it's got huge speakers!!!) a faster processor (not by much) and PCMCIA card slots, but because of it's size, he has to lug it around in a big heavy bag, that's just asking to be stolen. Besides, I get better battery life, I have built in 802.11g, I can burn DVD's, and I have built in FireWire. All of my ports are easily accessible, while his are scattered all over the machine. Mine is also made of anodized aluminum that doesn't scratch, while his plastic case still has the plastic cover over it to keep it from being scratched. His fans run all the time (yes, fans, not just 1), and mine only kicks in when plugged in to the power adapter.

But most importantly, mine gets chicks, and his doesn't

Not many companies understand the idea of portability these days.

The thing that I find ironic about the whole centrino thing, is that the commercials show people in different places with their desks!!! I thought the whole point of centrino was to get away from the desk. Oh well, I guess the guys at intel are still working hard at that one

 

[alphaq619]

I agree with you G4Scott. I have a 12PB also and I also have a friend with a Dell Inspiron, and I ALWAYS get the looks and questions. Good observation with the Centrino commercials, those idiots are still strapped to their desks. I never noticed that. I've used this thing in my car, standing up, walking around, etc...

I also agree with the opinion that PC manufacturers are still thinking "bigger is better". I'd choose mobility over speed ANY day when choosing a laptop. Desktop replacements weighing 10lbs?? My 12PB is 4.6lbs and is close to replacing my desktop in terms of what I use more. I'd say Apple laptops do have an edge over PC laptops. This is my first mac and I came over from a PC I built myself. A Windows laptop was NOT an option. I was interested when a friend had an iBook and was sold when the 12PB came out. So having experience from both sides of the PC/mac fence, I say Apple laptops win hands down with the points everyone has listed above. Slim/sexy power adapters, 802.11g, size, weight, etc...