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Powerbook/iBook Specs Roundup

as long as BTO options are available

Superdrive would be nice, being able to opt out of it on regardless of what other system specs you ask for is nicer.

I hate the fact that with Apple if I want a faster iBook, I am stuck with a combo drive.

It should be all about options. :rolleyes:
 
It is hard to believe Apple would not include Bluetooth with the new TiBook's especially since there are now mobile phones with Bluetooth. I would love to see this and think it would be a mistake for Apple not to include it at this point. What is the point of iSync if there is not bluetooth included? This seems like a simple easy addition - not sure why they would wait.

Also, I do not know why Apple is dragging it's heels with Firewire II - I believe if they wait much longer it may be a mistake. What will happen is that the pc's will all adopt usb 2 and support for firewire will dwindle and kill it like it killed scsi on the macs. Apple should put out Firewire II in the TiBooks - waiting any longer is simply a bad business move.

Apple needs to include a DVD-R and/or RW solution in this current round of laptops. Take a look at the new Sony laptops. Again if Apple waits much longer I fear people may abandon ship and go with the faster souped up DVD-R & RW models by pc manufacturers.
 
Originally posted by SPG
There is a slot load DVDR drive out there right now, (Panasonic? Sony?) but it's not a slam dunk that it will be in the powerbook, since it's not the standard vendor that Apple's been using. I know that's a minor detail, but don't underestimate Apple's commitment to Pioneer.
Click to expand...

Well, actually... like I said, it seems very likely.

arn
 
Originally posted by Awimoway
It's sad that Bluetooth is not considered a slam dunk. With iSync out there, I think it ought to be standard as of now on all Macs.
Click to expand...

I'm with you, I want my new PowerBook to last me a few years and I want to buy a BlueTooth phone next year some time.
 
Originally posted by cb911
i'm just wondering if the new TiBooks will have the SuperDrive available in both the low and high end models?
Click to expand...

I seriously doubt it due to expense and power consumption.
 
Re: as long as BTO options are available

Originally posted by iShater
Superdrive would be nice, being able to opt out of it on regardless of what other system specs you ask for is nicer.
Click to expand...

ya mon, i think it would be groovy to listen to Bachman Turner Overdrive on a Superdrive. Party on! :cool:
 
I love Mac but nothing is cooler than Alienware's Area 51m notebook (2.8GHz, Radeon 9000, 1600x1200 UXGA) - if weight is not a factor. :p
 
If Alienware's laptop was the size of the PowerBook, you can bet that I'd go without food, bathing, heat, etc. just to have one. Yes, I AM that much of a geek.
 
I think the possibility of a new 1 GHz PowerBook is fairly low at this time. One thing that may prevent this is the power consumption and heat generation of the current G4. A 1 GHz G4 using the same manufacturing process that is in the current DVI PowerBooks would consume about 50% more power and generate significantly more heat than the existing 800 MHz unit. So, given the relatively modest battery life and significant heat generation in the current 800 MHz DVI PowerBook I don't think a 1 GHz unit is likely unless: 1.) Motorola does a manufacturing process shrink on the G4 -- or -- 2.)Apple radically changes the cooling design in the Titanium enclosure and introduces a significantly more powerful battery.

There has been some talk about a die shrink in the G4, but I think that is more likely to occur in mid-to-late first quarter 2003 (not by Nov. 5, nor even in December). Also, I'm not certain that Apple could make enough improvements in the cooling design and battery capacity of the existing titanium enclosure without a significant change in the PowerBook's form factor (i.e. it might need to be bigger and heavier).

So, if there is going to be a new PowerBook on Nov. 5 I'm guessing something much more modest. Perhaps a new "high-end" 867 MHz with 64MB of video RAM and maybe a SuperDrive. The latter should be possible given a slot-loading DVD-R mechanism. Then they might move the "low end" to 800 MHz, without SuperDrive, and with the current 32MB of video RAM.

What I do expect on Nov. 5 is a new 19" LCD and (hopefully) an update to the display form factor on all of the Apple displays. I'd like something that offers height adjustment and better tilt and swing control. The latter (change in form factor) seems unlikely, as I expect Apple will retain the basic physical design simply because it looks cool (may not be ergonomically correct, but looks can sell).
 
next year's PowerBook.

I don't care about 1GHz G4. I want Firewire 2, 802.11g airport, bluetooth, brighter/higher contrast screen, cooler running G4 (<10 Watts) quieter fans, DVD-RW, stronger Titanium coating, Radeon Mobility 9000 and to a lesser degree DDR-RAM. Anything faster than 667 MHz (one I just sold) with the most of the above features will do me just fine.

Here is what my crystal ball tells me, remember you heard it here first.

Realistically, expect 933MHz or 1GHz G4, same airport, no bluetooth, same screen, hotter G4, no DVD-RW (at least right away), same casing, maybe Apple will throw in Firewire 2 as a bonus, MAYBE. I'm also tempted to say that you'll see Mobility 9000, definite no DDR-RAM.

Aug/Sept 03:
PBG4 1.2-1.4 GHz with Firewire 2, USB 2.0 802.11g, bluetooth, upgraded display, modified casing, DVD-RW, Mobility 9500 or something and definitely no DDR-RAM, expect faster MPX bus however.

Mar. 04:
PBG4 using G4+ 1.8-2.0 GHz plus DDR-RAM for sure. If casing not dramatically changed in '04, it will this time. 7 hrs. battery life.

Expect 64bit PB using 970 mobile derivatives in 2005 running MacOS XI.
 
Originally posted by fpnc
I think the possibility of a new 1 GHz PowerBook is fairly low at this time. One thing that may prevent this is the power consumption and heat generation of the current G4. A 1 GHz G4 using the same manufacturing process that is in the current DVI PowerBooks would consume about 50% more power and generate significantly more heat than the existing 800 MHz unit. So, given the relatively modest battery life and significant heat generation in the current 800 MHz DVI PowerBook I don't think a 1 GHz unit is likely unless: 1.) Motorola does a manufacturing process shrink on the G4 -- or -- 2.)Apple radically changes the cooling design in the Titanium enclosure and introduces a significantly more powerful battery.

There has been some talk about a die shrink in the G4, but I think that is more likely to occur in mid-to-late first quarter 2003 (not by Nov. 5, nor even in December). Also, I'm not certain that Apple could make enough improvements in the cooling design and battery capacity of the existing titanium enclosure without a significant change in the PowerBook's form factor (i.e. it might need to be bigger and heavier).

So, if there is going to be a new PowerBook on Nov. 5 I'm guessing something much more modest. Perhaps a new "high-end" 867 MHz with 64MB of video RAM and maybe a SuperDrive. The latter should be possible given a slot-loading DVD-R mechanism. Then they might move the "low end" to 800 MHz, without SuperDrive, and with the current 32MB of video RAM.

What I do expect on Nov. 5 is a new 19" LCD and (hopefully) an update to the display form factor on all of the Apple displays. I'd like something that offers height adjustment and better tilt and swing control. The latter (change in form factor) seems unlikely, as I expect Apple will retain the basic physical design simply because it looks cool (may not be ergonomically correct, but looks can sell).
Click to expand...

I really do not think that power of the G4 chip is a problem. While the power difference might be a lot comparitley speaking, it is really not that much power.

Heat, on the other hand, is a VERY important and VERY prominant problem. You can not throw Mirrored Drive Door cooling into a PowerBook.

I would not imagine there would be a release with 67MHz difference.... the extra expense of the high end machine could not be justified.
 
Re: Networking

Originally posted by rjstanford

The real win for me would be a better resolution (the Dell I'm typing this on does 1600x1200 for crying out loud), but I think that I'm just out of luck there. I guess its a tribute to the quality of the hardware/OS that I'm even buying one considering the 50% real estate reduction (and 30-40% DPI decrease) though.
Click to expand...

I had to work on one of those the other day with xpressDV from Avid. By far the most horrible laptop experience I have ever had. I can't even stand that resolution on a 20 inch monitor. Everytime I reach out and touch a PC I'm bewildered by the manufacturer's lack of vision.
 
Re: Re: Networking

Originally posted by bretm


I had to work on one of those the other day with xpressDV from Avid. By far the most horrible laptop experience I have ever had. I can't even stand that resolution on a 20 inch monitor. Everytime I reach out and touch a PC I'm bewildered by the manufacturer's lack of vision.
Click to expand...

How can a laptop have such a high resolution but a desktop monitor not??

The Apple 17" LCD can only reach 1280 x 1024 and the PowerBooks resolution is 1280 x something with a 15" monitor.
 
Re: Re: Re: Native res

Originally posted by Computer_Phreak



[think the movie 'Office Space'] Oohh, ya, ummm... I'm going to have to go ahead and sort of.... Disagree with you there... ya.. [/think the movie 'Office Space']

It would look good in 1/4 of the native resolution, 400x300, because then four pixels will emulate one pixel.
Click to expand...

No, 800x600 means 4 pixels for every pixel on an 1600x1200 screen. 400x300 would mean 16 native pixels / pixel.

By the way, I don't know if it is only my Powerbook, but if you change it to a non-native resolution it antialias it so you don't get unproportional pixels. I have a Compaq laptop as well that doesn't do this so I know what you mean by it looking ugly as hell but it's not the case with my mac.

/ nerm
 
Think secret says they have "confirmation" :
PowerBook AND iBook speed bumps Nov. 5, sources confirm

October 31, 2002 - November 5 will see more than just PowerBook speed-bumps from Apple. Sources confirm the consumer iBook will also get an update as well, and a much-needed price cut. Neither model will get a face lift this time around.
Exact pricing was not disclosed on any of the models, but Apple is clearly concerned iBooks need a competitive advantage and as such, will lower prices just a bit. Because of conflicting reports of the new processors' speeds in both lines, Think Secret has decided it best not to speculate. There is a "very good chance", as one source put it, that Bluetooth will be an added feature on all models.
There has been much speculation that at least the high-end models of both product lines might include a SuperDrive with DVD-RW/CD-RW capabilities. Let us put this issue to rest: There will be no Superdrive version(s) announced. Apple is facing no "difficulties" fitting the SuperDrive into a PowerBook enclosure, as many other sites have reported. Sources firmly report Apple never tried to accommodate tray-equipped drives into these laptops and that until a slot-loading SuperDrive is abundantly available, Apple laptops will not have SuperDrives. That is not to say Apple won't update the PowerBook design when SuperDrives are added. As sure as the sun rises everyday, a PowerBook re-design is a certainty next year.
Sources indicate Apple delayed the introduction of the new laptops in an effort to clear out existing inventory. This is not new practice for Apple, which is much more inventory-conscious than just two years ago. Over the past six weeks, inventory of existing 667MHz and 800MHz PowerBook G4 models has been slowly dwindling in both Europe and the United States with available weeks of inventory standing at 7 weeks and 2 weeks, respectively through the largest Mac distributor in the U.S., Ingram Micro. More importantly, no new inventory of either existing model is being shipped to Ingram Micro.

http://www.rumortracker.com/framesets/thinksecret/index.html
 
Re: Re: Re: Native res

Originally posted by Computer_Phreak


It would look good in 1/4 of the native resolution, 400x300, because then four pixels will emulate one pixel.
Click to expand...

At "half resolution", you get four pixels to one at full resolution (two horizontal, two vertical).

At "one-quarter", you'd have 16 pixels to 1 at full resolution (four horizontal by four vertical).
 
I'll wait for the face lift model

The more I use my TI 800 G4 the more I think that I would rather see the new PowerBook go to a sleek new plastic design like the iBook. I have several reasons.

1) I am tired of babying the TI for fear of scratching and denting.
2) Airport reception sucks in metal cases.
3) I hate having to remove my watch everytime I want to use the keyboard.
4) The case is too slick, it is hard to grasp without cmpressing the screen.
5)The case warps too much under pressure. (ie resting hands on top of drive bay, and opening screen by a corner)
6) I have seen numerous paint horror photos on the web of aging TI's.
7) Body chemistry apparently reacts with palmrest finish over time.
8) And did I mention how easily this think scratches.
9) Some people even get a regular static shock off of the case.

I for one will be happy to see a new design. Even if it has to be ".1" inches thicker for bullet-proof ABS plastic, I would appreciate a more robust design from Apple.
:cool:
 
Level 3 cache?

Just out of curiosity, for all you mega computer/engineer types, assuming Apple changed nothing else in the current 800M G4 Tibook, but added another meg of L3 cache (making it 2 instead of 1), what percentage speed improvement would you expect the computer to have? I'm curious, given the difference between the older and newest dual-gig powermacs' performance, wherein (according to what I've read here) the newer computers' bus-speed improvements were essentially neutralized by the reduction in L3 cache.

If the difference is significant, apple could probably get away with a 933 cpu with 2M of L3; that may result in an appreciable difference in performance beyond the mere 133M of raw horsepower.

Thoughts?
 
Airport reception sucks in metal cases.
Click to expand...
I recently came across this fix:

Making this quick, I just got off the phone with Apple tech support. I called to ask if there's anything I can do to improve my Ti's Airport range. After some questions about distance and interference like microwaves, cordless phones, and walls, the tech told me to shut down my powerbook and flip it over.
I was next instructed to eject the battery and look at the right side wall of the battery compartment where I was supposed to find an approximately 5 cm long plastic strip. (My particular powerbook doesn't have this visible -- instead, there is a plate with the serial number, etc...) Still, he told me to firmly press the side wall of the powerbook against the frame, just slowly and firmly pressing along its length several times for about 10 seconds. Next, he told me to replace the battery and start her back up.
I can't believe it, but my Airport's range is now like my iBook's!! I never could have done this from out here by the pool before, but here I am.
Click to expand...
(The above grabbed from http://www.macnet2.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=1095)

It sounds weird, and I haven't tried it myself, since I don't (yet) have a TiBook, but it seems to have worked well for a number of people.
 
Re: next year's PowerBook.

Originally posted by mariner77
I don't care about 1GHz G4. I want Firewire 2, 802.11g airport, bluetooth, brighter/higher contrast screen, cooler running G4 (<10 Watts) quieter fans, DVD-RW, stronger Titanium coating, Radeon Mobility 9000 and to a lesser degree DDR-RAM. Anything faster than 667 MHz (one I just sold) with the most of the above features will do me just fine.

Expect 64bit PB using 970 mobile derivatives in 2005 running MacOS XI.
Click to expand...

I agree with your Ti feature list. This Ti400 is nowhere near EOL as a practical matter and the featuritis is far more important than speed most of the time.

I/O is always a bottleneck as it directly impacts the user experience. higher capacity graphics, FW2, 802.11g are essentials ASAP. I would exchange better graphics and faster FSB for a slower processor anytime.

As for processor, I am willing to wait for the 970. The current mhz bumps in portable G4's are more for marketing than anything practical. In fact the computer has a 1/2 speed processor option that I leave on most of the time, unless doing something truly processor intensive. That's a measley 200mhz and its fine!

Rocketman
 
madamimadam said, "I really do not think that power of the G4 chip is a problem. While the power difference might be a lot comparitley speaking, it is really not that much power."

Well, without a significantly more powerful battery a 1 GHz TiBook would have pretty poor runtime. I have the 800 MHz unit and the batteries (I have two) generally run for only about two hours, so with a similar battery I guess you'd be lucky to get 90 minutes on a 1 GHz machine. This is why I said Apple is going to have to significantly improve their battery if they plan on using a 1 GHz G4. Given the continual improvements in batteries I'm fairly certain that Apple can find something better to fit the current form factor. However, can they really find something 50% better? So, if they do go to 1 GHz you can probably expect noticeably less runtime than you get with the current 800 MHz unit.

The heat is another matter. It's nice that the Titanium PowerBooks don't have to run their fans full-time. It seems that most PC notebooks have a fan running all the time, fairly slow at idle, but moving a reasonable amount of hot air out of the enclosure. However, has anyone noticed that the fans in the PowerBook do __not__ move air either in or out of the enclosure? They depend almost completely on heat transfer out through the metal case, the fan just moves the air over an internal heat "pipe" to improve the transfer into the metal case. This seems to be a fairly clever design, unless the heat makes the case too hot to handle. Well, IMO the 800 MHz unit is getting very close to this limit. When the TiBook is running at near idle, everything is fine, but run it at 50% and the fans come on and the case and the keyboard start to get warm. Then as you get nearer to full power the fan is running on high (fairly noisy), the top-back-side of the case is almost too hot to touch, and the keyboard gets uncomfortably warm. So, unless Apple can find a way keep more of the heat away from the case and the keyboard I don't think a 1 GHz PowerBook would be very comfortable to use.

In all fairness, I think the current PowerBooks are great machines. But, I'm afraid that given its form factor and the slow pace of processor improvements from Motorola the PowerBooks may be nearing the same speed "wall" that has affected the desktop units. Of course, if Apple can produce a really great battery and find a better cooling method then a 1 GHz might be possible. However, I'm not expecting much of a speed bump this November.
 
Originally posted by fpnc
madamimadam said, "I really do not think that power of the G4 chip is a problem. While the power difference might be a lot comparitley speaking, it is really not that much power."

Well, without a significantly more powerful battery a 1 GHz TiBook would have pretty poor runtime. I have the 800 MHz unit and the batteries (I have two) generally run for only about two hours, so with a similar battery I guess you'd be lucky to get 90 minutes on a 1 GHz machine. This is why I said Apple is going to have to significantly improve their battery if they plan on using a 1 GHz G4. Given the continual improvements in batteries I'm fairly certain that Apple can find something better to fit the current form factor. However, can they really find something 50% better? So, if they do go to 1 GHz you can probably expect noticeably less runtime than you get with the current 800 MHz unit.
Click to expand...

I have two points in reply:

1stly, there are new batteries coming out soon but I would doubt that they will be on the next PowerBooks; and
2ndly, just because the processor uses 50% more power does not mean the machine does. The processor is a VERY small portion of the total power used by the machine. The processor in your PowerBook takes about ask much power as the average light bulb and sometimes even less so it really is not creating a great strain on the battery.
 
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