PowerBook Updates Imminent?

[losung]

Some Advice

Hello to you all out there in Macland. I have a question that seems to crop up rather frequently on this site, but I want to give you the specifics of my situation so that I can get some more specific feedback - in particular from those of you how have had some experience in digital video editing.

Here goes:

I'm a graduate of a film school and I'm currently in the process of equiping myself to make short films and music videos. Ideally I would go out and purchase a powerful desktop system to edit my footage, however, I'll be moving around quite a bit in the next few years and having built and owned my own desktop systems in the past, I have decided that it makes far more sense to purchase a laptop.

One would think that this would be rather a straight forward decision to make. However, I had the misfortune to meet someone working in the industry who was using a mac and who couldn't recommend apple laptops highly enough. This put a cat amongst the pigeons so to speak.

To cut a long story short, I have spent the past six weeks in anguish. I have saved enough money to purchase a top of the line laptop and I have been holding out for a powerbook for the last month. Now I have no experience of editing with powerbooks, in fact, I only have a limited amount of experience editing on any platform - AVID. I have trawelled the internet to find alternatives to the powerbook and have been tempted by a Sony Vaio A-Series, a Dell XPS M170 and an Acer Ferrari, all of which offer superior specs at competitive prices.

Now, I understand that I will be sacrificing performance by choosing a laptop computer. And I also understand that I will be paying a premium for cutting edge technology. My question is two-fold. First, will a powerbook meet my editing needs, in terms of speed. And is there any significant advantage to using a mac in this field?

I would very much appreciate any advice I can get. I've decided to wait until mid-October before purchasing, on the off-chance that the Powerbook will get an update. Is it worth the wait? I would sincerly like to purchase a mac, however I can't countenance purchasing a laptop that was released in January.

Also, can anyone give me advice on what editing suite to purchase in the Final Cut series

Thanks.

 

[Evangelion]

partly off-topic:

Problems on the PowerBook (and iBook, to lesser extent) are numerous, with CPU being merely one of them. Yes, Apple should move to a G4 with 200Mhz bus and 1MB of L2-cache. That would nicely improve on the CPU-front. But there are other things that need improving as well.

a) The battery. IIRC, TiBooks had more powerful batteries. If PB's battery was bumbed up in specs, and combined with more economic G4, we could get a nice boost in battery-life.

b) The screens! 1024x768 on the base model? 2001 called, they want their screen back! I think the 12" model should be 1280x1024, and go up from there. The resolutions really need to be improved across the board!

c) Video-cards. This problem is tied to the fact that Apple is still on AGP, whereas PC's have moved to PCI-Express. All the good chips are for PCI-E. Ati's top-model for AGP is Mobility Radeon 9800 (which would also be an improvement when compared to current situation). But if Apple moved to PCI-E, they could have something like X800 in there. Yes, AGP vs. PCI-E does matter, even on laptops.

d) Memory. 512MB is OK for OS X, but these are pro-machines right? Why not put 1GB as default? 512MB is the minimium amount you could have with OS X.

e) Why not move the mighty-mouse technology to PB? One mouse-button masquerading as two buttons.

As you can see, PB's have not been stagnating solely because Apple can't get fast enough CPU's. There are numerous areas in PB that are not directly related to the CPU and which could have been improved if Apple just invested some time and energy in to them. Yes, even with it's shortcomings, PB is still propably the finest laptop on the planet. But it could be SO much better!

 

[BGil]

My question is two-fold. First, will a powerbook meet my editing needs, in terms of speed. And is there any significant advantage to using a mac in this field?

In terms of speed, yes it should meet your needs although PC's are without a doubt faster. If you want to use Avid then you might want to take a second look at the PC because Avid has been letting their Mac products lag sorely behind.

For your second question, yes Macs are a significant advantage. Not really for any technical reason but because it's what people in the industry expect. It's sad but people in this industry are very caught up with petty things.
But technologically there are some nice advantages to the Mac platform:

1. Final Cut Pro. You should learn to use it because many post houses and jobs are adopting it now. It only runs on Macs.
2. The Powerbook has powered 6-pin firewire ports. I don't know why PC manufacturers are still not providing powered firewire ports but they keep dropping the ball on this one. Without a 6-pin firewire port you have to plug your external drive into the wall as opposed to powering it off the laptop with a single firewire cable. You could use what's called a "ps/2 tap" for your PC but it's just a hassle.

There's only one choice for Final Cut... Final Cut Pro. Don't bother with Final Cut Express. Just go to Apple's website and buy the academic version of Final Cut Pro or Final Cut Studio. FYI, Final Cut Studio is Final Cut Pro, Soundtrack Pro, Motion 2 and a few otehr apps. It costs a little bit more than Final Cut Pro by itself but it's totally worth it.

 

[BGil]

I beg to differ on that comment... unless i get a kick ass PC my photoshop/illustrator/quark will run almost as good, if not just terrible compared to a "comparably" slow G4 computer. Now i have a Dell computer with Windows XP SP2. i admit stability...much improved.

That's interesting because Photoshop has never crashed on me on any platform. It's probably the most stable app I've ever used. Granted I haven't used every version that's come down the pipe but I have both CS and CS2 and neither will hang or crash on Mac or PC.

Now to your comment on innovativity... i guess it's relative to say so, i admit. In terms of technology advancement, yes Apple is slow? But maybe efficient is the word i'm looking for. If apple was a production whore like dell and hp... apple would have easily jumped on the bandwagon, sport Windows, and blast nice ass computers at an affordable price.

I don't see it as efficient in any way. It's just slow IMO. Apple's quality control has never been very good in the years since I've been old enough to afford one. They do more warranty extensions due to ******** problems than any other company I've heard of. It seems like they don't test anything coming off the line. That's not what I expect out of a company that charges as much as they do. If you want efficient then order a Boxxtech, a Falcon-NW, a Hypersonic, Acer, or IBM.
Or any line of any computers that shows up in Maximum PC. There's a reason why most business people love IBM, Acer, HP/Compaq business, and Dell business or why gamers love Alienware, ABSPC, or iBuyPower. Those are great efficient computers with amazing warranties. great prices, and no ********.

Don't get sucked into thinking the entire computing world outside of Apple is all Pavilions and Dimensions. Even HP and Dell offer other lines of computers for people who demand more and don't want AOL icons preinstalled in their system tray. I guess Apple fans don't see much outside of e-Machines and Dimensions but there are more than a few companies making better more reliable machines than Apple and you'd be surprised how well Windows runs when there's no pre-installed ********.

 

[Raidersmojo]

I don't care if the powerbooks go up .03 Mhz (I don't really like 1.67 for some reason it just bugs me....so make fun of me for that ) if they did this I would be a happy panda

1.7 Ghz G4
DDR2 333 Ram
200 FSB 1 MB L2 Cache
Higher Screen resolution
Longer battery life
Better graphics card

what I want

2.0 Ghz G4
1 GB DDR2 333 Ram
200 FSB 1 MB L2 Cache
Higher Screen resolution
Longer battery life
Better graphics card


That alone would give me the reason to buy a powerbook, right now I just can't justify the price.

come on apple upgrade your powerbooks and I'll buy one right away. I've been looking to score one for months now. I just can't fathom 2k for a old book

 

[visualanté]

i agree

I need a laptop for my studio. My pizmo is slowly dieing...no CD/DVD it died and a bloodshot washed out screen.....the only thing detering me back from a dell laptop is virus and spyware issues.

I don't care if the powerbooks go up .03 Mhz (I don't really like 1.67 for some reason it just bugs me....so make fun of me for that ) if they did this I would be a happy panda

1.7 Ghz G4
DDR2 333 Ram
200 FSB 1 MB L2 Cache
Higher Screen resolution
Longer battery life
Better graphics card

what I want

2.0 Ghz G4
1 GB DDR2 333 Ram
200 FSB 1 MB L2 Cache
Higher Screen resolution
Longer battery life
Better graphics card


That alone would give me the reason to buy a powerbook, right now I just can't justify the price.

come on apple upgrade your powerbooks and I'll buy one right away. I've been looking to score one for months now. I just can't fathom 2k for a old book

 

[KA2357]

What's going to be the kicker this round? ...Here are some ideas maybe:

1. Black Powerbook?
2. Finger Print Reader
3. 9 hour battery
4. Dockable?
5. Titanium comebacK?

Sorry, but I don't think any of those are even close to being realistic, given that Apple engineers are focusing on the switch to Intel. I think it would be far more logical to expect the 7448, a dual-layer SuperDrive, upgraded graphics, perhaps a larger/faster hard drive, maybe even a new HD display.

 

[wahit]

Sorry, but I don't think any of those are even close to being realistic, given that Apple engineers are focusing on the switch to Intel. I think it would be far more logical to expect the 7448, a dual-layer SuperDrive, upgraded graphics, perhaps a larger/faster hard drive, maybe even a new HD display.

You mean... designers!!!!?

 

[mddharma]

Sorry, but I don't think any of those are even close to being realistic, given that Apple engineers are focusing on the switch to Intel. I think it would be far more logical to expect the 7448, a dual-layer SuperDrive, upgraded graphics, perhaps a larger/faster hard drive, maybe even a new HD display.

I would have to agree.

It's been REAL QUIET on the rumor front concerning the powerbooks, has anybody heard ANYTHING NEW that sounds plausible in the last week?

 

[KA2357]

You mean... designers!!!!?

Sorry, but I don't know what you mean by designers. However, looking at JoeBeCrazy's list, Apple isn't going to make a major aesthetic change to the PowerBooks right now; they're going to wait for the MacTel units to be unveiled before they do that (if they do that)... so we can strike black and titanium Pbooks off his list quickly. As for the other items (fingerprint reader, dockable, 9-hour battery), while desirable, they all would require significantly more engineering time... time that I'm sure Apple would rather put into the MacTel transition. My suggestions (7448, dual-layer SD, bigger/faster hard drive, improved graphics, new HD display) for the most part wouldn't require as much re-engineering, so are more likely to happen in a last PPC-gen PowerBook.

 

[Alexs45]

i thank the powerbooks will come out on 10.3 Hence the name of the operating system that we are in..any ideas


I NEEED A NEW POWERBOOK IM DYING HEREEEE

 

[Toe]

Found them but still can't find it. I even did an etymological search on "innovativity"... nothing.

Ah wait, I get it... it's just like how we're "conversating". *heh heh*

Now why did you have to go and bring President Bush into the discussitation?

 

[wahit]

Oh man.. you bet!
I'm like.. waiting for about 4 months! I really need a new 17" laptop as soon as possible!

It would be REALLY great if Apple introduces the new PB in about 2-3 weeks max!

 

[ZorPrime]

lol

Now why did you have to go and bring President Bush into the discussitation?

It wasn't me... I saw some meathead dude on one of the Blind Date shows use the term to try to get some chick who had a Masters in English.

as far as GW... I'm not touching that one.

 

[JoeBeCrazy]

huh???? I looked up "innovativity", couldn't find it in the Oxford or American English Unabridged dictionaries...

Ok so innovativity isn't a word... but doesn't it sound smart though?... wait not really... my bad.

 

[maddav]

i thank the powerbooks will come out on 10.3 Hence the name of the operating system that we are in..any ideas

Shouldn't that really be 10.4. Or even 10.4.2 (I'm not sure how that one works!!)

 

[lalcan]

Shouldn't that really be 10.4. Or even 10.4.2 (I'm not sure how that one works!!)

I believe he was trying to say 10/3 as in October the 3rd related to OSX 10.3 which -i can only imagine- he is running right now... Confuse post nonetheless

This wait is getting on my nerves, i'm really considering getting an iBook 12in and upgrade it with a 80Gb hd, last night i was even thinking about buying a macmini (one of the new 1.5Ghz) and a brandless 19in LCD display...

 

[fklehman]

Now Amazon.com has new rebates on 15 different Mac models, including PowerBooks...here is the dealmac.com link as well as the Amazon.com link for the 1.67 mHz 15" PowerBook:

http://dealmac.com/deals/Mail-in-re...-from-Amazon-com-150-from-Mac-Mall/96737.html

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...bate-info/104-8300832-1463120?m=ATVPDKIKX0DER

So it looks like there's a new $150 rebate on PBs through October 18. TELL US APPLE WHAT DOES IT MEAN?! Is 10/18 (a Tuesday) the day? Is the goalpost moving again? Or does it mean nothing at all? The PB blackout is driving me nuts. Stop the madness...

 

[djkny]

No New Powerbooks for 2005

Now Amazon.com has new rebates on 15 different Mac models, including PowerBooks...here is the dealmac.com link as well as the Amazon.com link for the 1.67 mHz 15" PowerBook:

http://dealmac.com/deals/Mail-in-re...-from-Amazon-com-150-from-Mac-Mall/96737.html

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...bate-info/104-8300832-1463120?m=ATVPDKIKX0DER

So it looks like there's a new $150 rebate on PBs through October 18. TELL US APPLE WHAT DOES IT MEAN?! Is 10/18 (a Tuesday) the day? Is the goalpost moving again? Or does it mean nothing at all? The PB blackout is driving me nuts. Stop the madness...

This will keep going on --- combing Amazon for clues. Their rebates expired mid Aug, then Sept6, then Sept 24, etc. now October, then Nov.

They are obviously in on it.

There won't be any updates and I'm buying a sony.

 

[KA2357]

There won't be any updates and I'm buying a sony.

Ka-ching! As I've said before, Apple's slowness in updating the PowerBook will result in losing customers and sales... ka-ching!

 

[ZorPrime]

Ok so innovativity isn't a word... but doesn't it sound smart though?... wait not really... my bad.

Just playin' around.

I by far am no one to give a credible critique of language use.

 

[Sun Baked]

Sorry to be so sceptic, but how do you know that Freescale is starting their full production of the MPC7448 this week?
Hope you're right anyway

You might now like the news especially since Freescale announced a delay of dual core til 2nd half of 2006.

So this 7448 is likely it, should be interesting to see if we ever find out what the problem was.

 

[digitalbiker]

Want to really suffer!

If you want to really be depressed, search the Macrumors archives for past PB rumors. One year ago, an ibook update was released and members were speculating on the next release of the PB being imminent in October. Of course this aggravation was alleviated somewhat by an announcemen from Apple that there would be no further updates prior to Christmas.

The funny thing is people were speculating on the same chipsets, the same improvements that msot are today.

Dual core G4 PB by Jan. with delivery in March 05., Freescale 7448 low-power G4 PB available by MWSF 2005, and the ever popular PB G5 possibly as early as MWSF 2005.

Others insisted that we would only see moderate speed bumps of 1.8 to 2 Ghz with 200 mhz FSB, improved screens, bigger faster HDD, better GPU, and possibly new form factor.

Funny how things stay the same in the world of Apple.

 

[NewbieNerd]

I still want a powerbook.

 

[c2104338]

Of course this aggravation was alleviated somewhat by an announcemen from Apple that there would be no further updates prior to Christmas.

How hard can it be for them to do this???? Lots of people have said that they are after the last revision of the PB before it goes to intel. I don't care if the current PB IS the last revision, i just want to know that i have the best possible PPC PB. If Apple came out tomorrow and said that there will be no PB updates before they go intel I would go out and buy one straight away. I don't want the best most up to date technology, just the product that will tie me over the best until rev. C of the intels.

Anyone else like me??? i.e doesn't think that current PB is *****, just that they are waiting incase there is one last update before switch to intel.