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PowerBook Rumor Summary - Still Waiting...

Agreeing, Apple is killing their customer base on this

Apple is taking their customer base for granted here.

With no meaningful powerbook updates for over 1 year, i mean really, the nov. release was a minor upgrade with Superdrive. The 12' and 17" upgrades were only minor new technology and not really faster.

Apple has been having their hands tied by motorola. And it is really disappointing.

Their leaving us, their customers in the dark is not unexpected, but honestly, their laptop product line in the "year of the laptop" sucks. 12" and 17" not really what i want. and the 15" model is just plain old and slow.

Give us the g5 or who the hell knows an ultra fast g3 ( with altivec?). we know the g3 has way faster speeds, perhaps it can go faster than a g4 in the end.

I am just getting sick of waiting for a laptop i can really use. this is getting fairly ridiculous. Stop making us wait, get the good stuff out. and i dont mean a stupid minor revision with 1.1 to 1.25 g4 chips. we have been waiting too long for that to mean anything. that at this point would be a minor revision.
 
Release History...

11/10/1997 PowerBook G3 14" 250Mhz (->intro<-)
05/06/1998 PowerBook G3 14" 233/250/292 Mhz (6 months)
09/01/1998 PowerBook G3 14" 233/266/300 Mhz (4 months)
05/10/1999 PowerBook G3 14" 333/400 Mhz (8 months)
02/16/2000 PowerBook G3 14" 400/500 Mhz (9 months)
01/09/2001 PowerBook G4 15" 400/500 Mhz (11 months)
10/16/2001 PowerBook G4 15" 550/667 Mhz (9 months)
04/29/2002 PowerBook G4 15" 667/800 Mhz (6.5 months)
11/06/2002 PowerBook G4 15" 867/1000 Mhz (6 months)

01/07/2003 PowerBook G4 12" 867 Mhz (->intro<-)
01/07/2003 PowerBook G4 17" 1000 Mhz (->intro<-)


I've separated out the 12" & 17" as they are considered new products in the lineup. I image that Apple will want to bump them when they bump the 15" line as to have the updates happen at the same time from now on.

It's now been over 9 months since the 15" has been updated and over 8 months since the 12" & 17" have been updated.

With regard to the 14"/15" line, Apple has averaged an update every 7.4 months. However, the longest wait was between the G3 and G4, and that was 11 months. It also appears as though many of the longer update wait periods were due, in part, to difficulty on Motorola's part to supply the chips. History, it seems, keeps repeating itself.
 
Re: Agreeing, Apple is killing their customer base on this

Originally posted by mdntcallr
With no meaningful powerbook updates for over 1 year, i mean really, the nov. release was a minor upgrade with Superdrive. The 12' and 17" upgrades were only minor new technology and not really faster.
Click to expand...

Your logic is a little confusing.

The 12" and 17" introductions were significant (Apple actually expanded thier laptop lineup), including many major new technologies, FireWire 800, 802.11g, built-in Bluetooth, faster video, illuminated keyboards and more.

Sure they really weren't faster and didn't provide faster dvd burning - than a laptop released just 2 months earlier.
 
I'm not sure about the G5 making an appearance, but it seems pretty likely that the new PowerBooks will be around 1.3 GHz, ship with 512 Megs RAM (please make it one DIMM and not two with an extra $100 to make it one in the 15", I'd like to upgrade and not spend an extra $100 for the priviledge), 2x superdrive, 60-80 gig HD, APE, BT, FW 800, backlighted keyboards, maybe a better graphics card (I see 64 megs, I just don't think we'd be so lucky to see 128 megs), and possibly 2 megs L3...I'd be happy with that config, especially at the current prices. I don't want to wait, but I can...and especially if Panther ends up preinstalled as a result. If I am going to wait, might as well save myself $129 in the process. I am anxious as hell to have a new PowerBook, but in all honestly, I can easily get by another semester with my current PowerBook G3 until then, since more often than not, Apple makes it worth the wait.
 
Originally posted by Powerbook G5
I am anxious as hell to have a new PowerBook, but in all honestly, I can easily get by another semester with my current PowerBook G3 until then, since more often than not, Apple makes it worth the wait.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, I do not have the luxury of an old computer to fall back on. I'll be at school with no computer until the new 15" comes out.
 
I'd either try borrowing my roommate's computer, get a current, or buy a cheap used one off of ebay to hold me over if needed. When it really comes down to it, I'd rather have any of the laptops that Apple offers than none at all since they are all good and each have their strong points.
 
Anything new!

If the new G4 chips are keeping the PB backed up, you would think they would try to milk a little out of other upgrades. Go with the new motherboards and old 1 Ghz chips. That might bring USB 2.0, FW 800, a faster 167 MHz bus, and maybe some other goodies.

That way you can get a 1 GHz TiBook with all the new additives. It would boost sales a little and make those who get caught with the slower CPU less grumpy.

Just a thought.
 
It would be nice, but perhaps Apple is just thinking that these updates will be coming asap so doing any extra work to the existing ones would be a waste of resources...I hope...
 
Release History...
11/10/1997 PowerBook G3 14" 250Mhz (->intro<-)
05/06/1998 PowerBook G3 14" 233/250/292 Mhz (6 months)
<...>

FWIW: I think you forgot that the original PB G3 had a 12" screen and there were also some 13" screen versions in the Wallstreet lineup.
 
Originally posted by Zuckuss
I strongly disagree. People that want a god-awful "luggable" are cubicle stiffs that work dreary desk jobs with the occasional boring holiday inn express stay. These 'business professionals' use peecees. Apple does not throw down a shoddy product that is a big, ugly, meltdown-hot "luggable" just to appease the blood-sniffing Wallstreet jerks. That is why we mac-heads love Apple and that is why you plod away on your dell p.o.s. Have fun "lugging" it around town while searching for ac power.
Click to expand...

I remind you, as I have some other poster, that Apple can have multiple lines. I'm not saying they should uglify and degrade their PowerBook line. I'm saying that there's room for at least one super killer speedo luggable notebook. I hope that Apple doesn't have the attitude that boring cubicle employees aren't worth selling computers to, because that's a guarrantee of never reaching any substantial marketshare.

Remember that Apple did once make thicker notebooks, and it was alright then. So it shouldn't be too bad to do that once again. If that was your only way of getting a 1.6GHz G5 in a notebook for the next 6 months to a year, wouldn't you buy it?
 
Sept. 1

Well thats my deadline for new computer and the PB is what I was waiting for. If its not out by then and I mean OUT not announced Im getting a Vaio, cause I just can't wait any longer. I will get a mac just not for another two years.
 
Originally posted by toes
Release History...
11/10/1997 PowerBook G3 14" 250Mhz (->intro<-)
05/06/1998 PowerBook G3 14" 233/250/292 Mhz (6 months)
<...>

FWIW: I think you forgot that the original PB G3 had a 12" screen and there were also some 13" screen versions in the Wallstreet lineup.
Click to expand...

You are correct, in my haste to get it published I forgot to edit that. The first G3 had a 12" screen and then 12",13", and 14". The release dates are correct, just the screen size is wrong.
 
More bang!

Originally posted by Powerbook G5
It would be nice, but perhaps Apple is just thinking that these updates will be coming asap so doing any extra work to the existing ones would be a waste of resources...I hope...
Click to expand...

By splitting the updates you do lose the BANG of a super release, but you keep your customers happy. Who would have thought that after updating the 15" PB in Nov that Apple would have come out with the 12" and 17" PBs so soon.

That sounds like a phased release process to me.
 
Re: Sept. 1

Originally posted by actripxl
Well thats my deadline for new computer and the PB is what I was waiting for. If its not out by then and I mean OUT not announced Im getting a Vaio, cause I just can't wait any longer. I will get a mac just not for another two years.
Click to expand...

The guy who sits next to me in class hates his Vaio. Not sure why but he says it crashes all the time and he is currently working on a kernal panic. (Uses Windows XP)

In my opinion, I would settle for the current 12" PB before going to Vaio.
 
Originally posted by MarkCollette
Apple did once make thicker notebooks...
Click to expand...

I know that its not in everyone's budget, but if you need both a portable and a super-computer... then you might want to consider getting a desktop AND a laptop.

I've been using this BORING 15" Dell P4 that pretty much takes my arm off every time I pack up... I for one cannot wait until I get a 12" PB.
 
Originally posted by MarkCollette
I hope that Apple doesn't have the attitude that boring cubicle employees aren't worth selling computers to, because that's a guarrantee of never reaching any substantial marketshare.

If that was your only way of getting a 1.6GHz G5 in a notebook for the next 6 months to a year, wouldn't you buy it?
Click to expand...

Well, actually, no I wouldn't buy a heavy, thick laptop just to get a G5 p-book. I would opt for a more compact, appealing G4 or wait for a trim G5 with acceptable battery life.

And, no, Apple probably doesn't have an anti-cubicle employee attitude. But I do, and I'm rather grumpy without a new p-book. :)
 
One point to consider...

I can't seem to find this mentioned anywhere, but it's worth stating...

These 18th/19th dates... well, don't forget that Apple have already announced that they are shipping DVD Studio Pro 2 on the 18th August...

Now, of course that doesn't make things certain one way or another - it could be that someone has confused the shipping of DSP2 with some other product release / announcement. Equally, they could be introducing Powerbooks to coincide. Although, I think it does more or less certainly rule out 19th August...
 
this has me thinking G5

I am really under the impression that the next PBs will be G5's. I just think that once IBM released the PPC 970s, All apple engineering has put energy into using these chips for all future pro products. They need to start sometime and if that meant that the PB line would get long in the tooth by a few months, so be it...Go Apple!
 
would it be against the rules to bring this stuff to Apple's attention?? It seems to me that everytime the mention of a new update crops up, people initally get anxious and then anger follows because they (myself included) are hoping for the Great Pumpkin to arrive??
 
Well you could but here is what I think about it:

Apple is a company that tries to make money. They tend to release product not when some people feel that they want a new product but when the company can and feels appropriate to do so. Dont take me wrong that does not mean that they are always right but if any time some people got and demanded a new product the company gave it to them then well i dont think that company would survive. On top of that I dont believe that if Apple could realistically introduce new machines now or could have a week ago or a month ago they didn't cause they wanted to torture some poor souls.

And of course the fact that people get dissappointed after each rumor does not materialise is not Apple's fault. The rumors do not come from Apple they come from other people Apple never came and said that in WWDC we will announce new laptops or that on the 19th of August we will announce new laptops. The expectations and consequent dissappointment comes from the same people. If you didn't hear the rumors you wouldnt get dissappointed.

In my opinion Apple is stuck somewhere. There are several points to where you can get stuck:

Moto issues
Heat issues (especially if they are trying to fit faster graphics cards bigger and faster HDs and higher frequency Processors)
Maybe they did not want to announce two major products together: G5 and a whole new series of laptops. They wanted the dust over the G5 to settle and they want people's attention to the G5.
Maybe they are waiting for some technologies to mature in order to be included.

I mean if you think about it it is better that it takes them some time and they dont rush. I would love a quality well made laptop a few months later than a loud hot unstable machine now. they had enough complains about their Ti G4 and the 12" G4 to not want another imperfect series of laptops.... I think time is not against us although I do sympathise with all those of you wanting to get ahold of a new machine....
 
Originally posted by Bruja
Any Questions??
Click to expand...

Yah!

What is me with a new really cool 8 month old 12" PB? :D

Honest, I would be happy with an old 15" PB (Pre Nov-2002) with a SuperDrive!
 
I agree, I would like a quality product and not have something super hot (like the 12") or something that would have paint flaking off and things breaking on it within the first week. I understand the value of patience and waiting, I just sometimes get super anxious and excited, much like a child's excitement around the end of November when Christmas is coming...I just can't help but be excited for the new PowerBooks to arrive.
 
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