i had the same plan, but then my powerbook's display broke and i'm now waiting for delivery. it would be very nice if apple bumped the 'books now. one can hope
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PowerBooks on Feb 2nd?
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i had the same plan, but then my powerbook's display broke and i'm now waiting for delivery. it would be very nice if apple bumped the 'books now. one can hope
Originally posted by JFreak
i had the same plan, but then my powerbook's display broke and i'm now waiting for delivery. it would be very nice if apple bumped the 'books now. one can hope
Just don't hold your breath...
I'm in the same position as JFreak. My 17in Powerbook has been shipped from Taiwan on Monday/Tuesday and will arrive either Friday or Monday.
My take on the Powerbook update is this: Apple has to release the interim models soon and not close to the date of G5 Powerbook release (est 3rd Q). But when could Apple release working models of Powerbook? Hastily put together improved parts may result in more lemons...and groans.
My take on the Powerbook update is this: Apple has to release the interim models soon and not close to the date of G5 Powerbook release (est 3rd Q). But when could Apple release working models of Powerbook? Hastily put together improved parts may result in more lemons...and groans.
I think that it wouldn't be hastily put together to put in the ATI9700 that consumes less energy and a 5400 rpm hd, which is already an option, in the PB as standard.
Beyond that, i am sure there are other parts that could end up being hastily put together if rushed, but thats what the applecare program is for, and buying any computer these days without one of those is the unsmart move. A slong as you buy your applecare, any long term negative effects of the new changes would be resolved by apple themselves.
As previously mentioned, Apple can:
1) Make x1 chip of 512mb on all basic pbook.
2) Update the ATI video card
3) Make 5400 RPM drive standard
4) change superdrive to x4
5) bump speed just a bit (1.25/1.33/1.42)
I will order this machine the second its out. It will serve me well for 1-2 years, at which point I will upgrade to a brand new G5.
I don't want to wait 5 more months for a G5, and I really don't want to buy 1st generation G5.
Oh and BTW, they can always follow the rumors and drop prices 200-300$.
Apple, prove us all wrong and announce the updates already.
1) Make x1 chip of 512mb on all basic pbook.
2) Update the ATI video card
3) Make 5400 RPM drive standard
4) change superdrive to x4
5) bump speed just a bit (1.25/1.33/1.42)
I will order this machine the second its out. It will serve me well for 1-2 years, at which point I will upgrade to a brand new G5.
I don't want to wait 5 more months for a G5, and I really don't want to buy 1st generation G5.
Oh and BTW, they can always follow the rumors and drop prices 200-300$.
Apple, prove us all wrong and announce the updates already.
G5 Powerbooks Are Closer Than You Think
From the UK Macworld site:
G5 PowerBook 'this year'?
By Jonny Evans
Microprocessor experts expect Apple to release new G5 Power Macs soon and posit the release of a G5 PowerBook "this year".
In-Stat/MDR's Microprocessor Watch editor-in-chief Peter Glaskowsky, who attended briefings with Apple at Macworld Expo San Francisco, writes: "In announcing the new Xserve G5 at MacWorld Expo, Apple CEO Steve Jobs glossed over what we consider the most interesting fact about the new system: it represents the debut of IBM's 90nm (nanometer) PowerPC 970FX, which Apple calls the G5."
This new generation processor offers one crucial advantage against the G5 currently used in Apple's desktop Macs. The latter processors were made using IBM's 130nm manufacturing process. This different manufacturing method means the new G5 has a, "maximum power consumption of 55W at 2GHz, down from the 90W" of the current Power Mac chip, Glaskowsky said.
"We expect to see new G5 desktops soon, with faster processors, and G5 laptops later in the year", he said.
In its brief 'Quick Reference' guide, IBM describes the typical working power consumption of the 970FX as: "12.3W@1.4GHz, or 24.5W@2.0GHz" potentially more impressive, and much less that the current processor's typical power needs of 51W@1.8GHz.
This difference means the Xserve G5 does not require as statuesque a series of fans to ensure the machine does not overheat. It also offers a glimpse of a road map of what Apple has called "the engineering challenge" of building a G5 PowerBook.
IBM has already revealed that the 970FX offers power-management features meaning a processor capable of speeds of 2GHz could be clocked down, in order that it generate less heat in use.
IBM has released some details pertaining to the new processor. They reveal that these processors can reach speeds from 1.4GHz to in excess of 2GHz, with a bus interface that's ten per cent faster then the current G5 1.1GHz from 1GHz.
All told, Apple and IBM appear set to deliver on Apple CEO Steve Jobs' promise that the Power Mac G5 would reach 3GHz in 2003.
From the UK Macworld site:
G5 PowerBook 'this year'?
By Jonny Evans
Microprocessor experts expect Apple to release new G5 Power Macs soon and posit the release of a G5 PowerBook "this year".
In-Stat/MDR's Microprocessor Watch editor-in-chief Peter Glaskowsky, who attended briefings with Apple at Macworld Expo San Francisco, writes: "In announcing the new Xserve G5 at MacWorld Expo, Apple CEO Steve Jobs glossed over what we consider the most interesting fact about the new system: it represents the debut of IBM's 90nm (nanometer) PowerPC 970FX, which Apple calls the G5."
This new generation processor offers one crucial advantage against the G5 currently used in Apple's desktop Macs. The latter processors were made using IBM's 130nm manufacturing process. This different manufacturing method means the new G5 has a, "maximum power consumption of 55W at 2GHz, down from the 90W" of the current Power Mac chip, Glaskowsky said.
"We expect to see new G5 desktops soon, with faster processors, and G5 laptops later in the year", he said.
In its brief 'Quick Reference' guide, IBM describes the typical working power consumption of the 970FX as: "12.3W@1.4GHz, or 24.5W@2.0GHz" potentially more impressive, and much less that the current processor's typical power needs of 51W@1.8GHz.
This difference means the Xserve G5 does not require as statuesque a series of fans to ensure the machine does not overheat. It also offers a glimpse of a road map of what Apple has called "the engineering challenge" of building a G5 PowerBook.
IBM has already revealed that the 970FX offers power-management features meaning a processor capable of speeds of 2GHz could be clocked down, in order that it generate less heat in use.
IBM has released some details pertaining to the new processor. They reveal that these processors can reach speeds from 1.4GHz to in excess of 2GHz, with a bus interface that's ten per cent faster then the current G5 1.1GHz from 1GHz.
All told, Apple and IBM appear set to deliver on Apple CEO Steve Jobs' promise that the Power Mac G5 would reach 3GHz in 2003.
Ok, nice to see previous discussions revisted in different media...shame he didn't have more info pointing to a likely release date...
I'm afraid, we have our speculation, but there is no real evidence that the PowerBooks will be updated for at least 2 more months. I'm not counting out there being updates soon, and there may well be, but if you consider the time gaps, it doesn't bode well. Prior to the previous update in September, there was an 8 month wait (10 on the 15"). We have only had approaching 5 months so far. The PowerBook line is not in dire need of updates, and I would expect a quiet bump with little or no annoucment and better graphics cards when they do come. But I think Power Macs will come first.
I'd kind of disagree with you regarding how dire the need is for new PowerBooks...see, when the PowerBooks got G4s, they became not just suitable but fantastic desktop replacements. Actually, I'd say that the Pismo (400Mhz G3 with FireWire) was the turning point in that regard, although I am admittedly a little biased as that was when I made the switch from desktop to laptop myself.
The thing is, PowerBooks really aren't desktop replacements for power-hungry professionals anymore. For the first time in a long time, I'm considering making my next computer a desktop rather than a laptop (if I stick with Macs -- which is in question).
BUT, I agree with you that I don't see PowerBook revisions coming immediately. April's my prediction for when we'll see them, with faster Power Mac G5s appearing before then.
I might even go as far to say that, IMO, the first round of PowerBook G5s may not actually be that much more powerful than the current line-up. From a market point of view they will be good, but unless they are at least 1.6 GHz, I can't see them being that much more powerful.
I think this because the G5 appears to be less powerful clock for clock than the G4, as shown in tests where the 1.42 GHz Dual G4 beats the 1.6 G5 hands down in a lot of tasks (true, two processors do help a lot).
I highly doubt a 1.2 GHz G5 would be faster than the current 15/17" PBs, even though it would have a 600MHz FSB and be 64-bit, faster RAM etc. Even a 1.4 would not be dramatically faster I wouldn't have thought. That means that, unless they get a 2.0 GHz chip in there, then there's no need to wait unless you really can afford to. All I'm saying is that I doubt the G5 PB will flatten the current G4 one as much as everyone thinks it will. I could be wrong though.
I don't know much about processors and internal architecture, but this is just my view based on what I don know and the facts that have been presented thus far.
I think this because the G5 appears to be less powerful clock for clock than the G4, as shown in tests where the 1.42 GHz Dual G4 beats the 1.6 G5 hands down in a lot of tasks (true, two processors do help a lot).
I highly doubt a 1.2 GHz G5 would be faster than the current 15/17" PBs, even though it would have a 600MHz FSB and be 64-bit, faster RAM etc. Even a 1.4 would not be dramatically faster I wouldn't have thought. That means that, unless they get a 2.0 GHz chip in there, then there's no need to wait unless you really can afford to. All I'm saying is that I doubt the G5 PB will flatten the current G4 one as much as everyone thinks it will. I could be wrong though.
I don't know much about processors and internal architecture, but this is just my view based on what I don know and the facts that have been presented thus far.
Most people are approaching this from the wrong vantage point again. Look from Apple's position, not your own. Last year, the need for another update was more dire than today. The lineup had a hole in it as far as 15" buyers were concerned. No one would buy an old TiBook, when the 12 and 17" showed the new design. Yet, Apple took 9 months from the 12/17 introduction, and 11 months from the last 15" update to revise the line.
Their current offerings are very nice. If you look at the history, it's typically 7-9 months before an update. Look for a revision April-June timeframe. The G5 Powerbook will probably be a MWSF 05 announcement. They never release in December because of the holiday shopping season.
Q3 04 starts July 1st. That is extremely optimistic to expect the G5 PB by then. Expect Jan 05, and if earlier it will be a nice suprise.
Their current offerings are very nice. If you look at the history, it's typically 7-9 months before an update. Look for a revision April-June timeframe. The G5 Powerbook will probably be a MWSF 05 announcement. They never release in December because of the holiday shopping season.
Q3 04 starts July 1st. That is extremely optimistic to expect the G5 PB by then. Expect Jan 05, and if earlier it will be a nice suprise.
I think we can all agree that Apple is going to revise their PB line sometime before summer. Why wait? As we all know, the technology for G4s has topped out, so why not put them in what they sell already? At least for ones tht are custom-made, not store-bought. It is annoying that everyone is talking about the new possibilities for updates, and how they have new ATI cards, etc, and this is why it makes me slightly preturbed that we are seemingly waiting for an arbitrary date for revision.
At least IBM, etc. put the tech out there as it comes. Apple is always trying to market themselves well, and therefore they hardly do anything to woo people besides "look at me" techniques. Technology is changing everyday, why should change only be able to affect us (the consumer) twice a year? and in sometimes 10 month intervals?
At least IBM, etc. put the tech out there as it comes. Apple is always trying to market themselves well, and therefore they hardly do anything to woo people besides "look at me" techniques. Technology is changing everyday, why should change only be able to affect us (the consumer) twice a year? and in sometimes 10 month intervals?
Can't take it any more.
I can not take it any more. I'm placing my order today for a 15". The update will fall within one week of when I get my Powerbook. I know this because that's what happened when I bought my PowerMac G4 733. Bigger better faster More was just one week after. AAAGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH.
I can not take it any more. I'm placing my order today for a 15". The update will fall within one week of when I get my Powerbook. I know this because that's what happened when I bought my PowerMac G4 733. Bigger better faster More was just one week after. AAAGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH.
"Why wait?"
Again, look from Apple's business perspective. Once a rev is released all inventory of the old model plummets in value. They like to clear out the channel of the old product as best they can in advance.
Also, the difference between them and an IBM is:
1. They are their own market, and are not trying to match a Dell, HP, Sony spec for spec. A 9700 vs a 9600 may be the tie breaker for a consumer between an IBM and Dell laptop, but surely not the difference between a PowerBook and an x86 laptop.
2. IBM can rely on the common drivers that everyone else uses. They supply the hardware end only, so if the 9700 works in windows they can throw in the card as fast as anyone else. For Apple, they need to worry about the driver being available, and testing it with OS X. Sometimes they need to put out a point release to the OS to support new hardware. Apple just doesn't have the size or the pressing need to push out small revisions frequently like the x86 makers.
It's far more cost effective for Apple to rev the lines every 7-9 months vs every 4-5 months. Unless Apple feels that the less frequent updates are hurting sales enough to cover the cost savings, they will continue the trend. Apple is profitable along with Dell. IBM's pc division, Sony, etc are all losing money these days.
Again, look from Apple's business perspective. Once a rev is released all inventory of the old model plummets in value. They like to clear out the channel of the old product as best they can in advance.
Also, the difference between them and an IBM is:
1. They are their own market, and are not trying to match a Dell, HP, Sony spec for spec. A 9700 vs a 9600 may be the tie breaker for a consumer between an IBM and Dell laptop, but surely not the difference between a PowerBook and an x86 laptop.
2. IBM can rely on the common drivers that everyone else uses. They supply the hardware end only, so if the 9700 works in windows they can throw in the card as fast as anyone else. For Apple, they need to worry about the driver being available, and testing it with OS X. Sometimes they need to put out a point release to the OS to support new hardware. Apple just doesn't have the size or the pressing need to push out small revisions frequently like the x86 makers.
It's far more cost effective for Apple to rev the lines every 7-9 months vs every 4-5 months. Unless Apple feels that the less frequent updates are hurting sales enough to cover the cost savings, they will continue the trend. Apple is profitable along with Dell. IBM's pc division, Sony, etc are all losing money these days.
Re: Can't take it any more.
Congrats. I believe its a good choice. The current PB is awesome and it will take a while before the G5 is out.
Congrats. I believe its a good choice. The current PB is awesome and it will take a while before the G5 is out.
The fact of the matter is, that if others are doing what I do, which is waiting until the newest revisions are released before purchasing (which for me has been an average of four months) then apple is losing a whole crop of those purchases, and if this practice is continued through multiple generations of hardware purchases( like i am doing it now, and will for the next ten times i buy a comp) then they ARE losing a HUGE amount fo business! Again, regardless of the facts about how much inventory they have, it doesnt seem true to me that they would need to wait to get rid of it.
What do you think is going to be in ibook's in a year? these G4's. For example, the procesor now in the ibooks low end was the top of the line G4 PM when I bought my present desktop, two years ago.
And even if they weren't going to do that in a year( in favor of G5's or something), they would stilll easily be able to get rid of their inventory,NOW, with profit-- which is the only thing they would and should care about when they have better processors, etc. just sitting on the shelf.
What do you think is going to be in ibook's in a year? these G4's. For example, the procesor now in the ibooks low end was the top of the line G4 PM when I bought my present desktop, two years ago.
And even if they weren't going to do that in a year( in favor of G5's or something), they would stilll easily be able to get rid of their inventory,NOW, with profit-- which is the only thing they would and should care about when they have better processors, etc. just sitting on the shelf.
You could argue that the earlier you buy your PowerBook G4 the more time you will have had with it (and the more value you get) before the PowerBook G5 inevitably comes out. I put that at any time from August to MWSF '05. Of course it's never nice to buy something a week before a better version comes out, even if it is still G4.
Exactly, getting my new comp four months earlier means that it'll be four months less until I buy a new one. Thus, I think that apple should try to at least, in this case of G4's, releae the new product sooner as opposed to later.
Not that I would ever want them to rush their products to release, but just that they shouldn't "sit" on any possible revisions.
Yeah, some people are waiting. But some people are always waiting. Remember when the G4 desktops were introduced? It was quite a while before the G4 made its way into the PowerBook line.
I say buy what you need when you need it. If you are a person who experinces "Buyers' Regret" when new products, then try to conceptualize your purchase differently: as a fixed sum paid in advance for "rental" of your machine. You pay $150 or so a month for the privilege of using the current state-of-the-art machine...something people who wait don't pay and also don't get.
I don't know about you all - I might be in the minority - but at this point, I really care more about the bells and whistles than the processor update. Apple could pretty easily standardize Airport Extreme, backlit keyboard, even memory and faster HD's wouldn't be difficult.
How about an update that doesn't even touch the processors?
I like to quantify how much each of these improvements is worth. Today's installed iLife is worth about $1. Perhaps next week we will see a little more.
How about an update that doesn't even touch the processors?
I like to quantify how much each of these improvements is worth. Today's installed iLife is worth about $1. Perhaps next week we will see a little more.
Re: Can't take it any more.
Chill, friend,
If the update comes within ten days of when your order shipped, you can return your computer and have it replaced with the updated unit...
What really sucks is when an update comes out twelve days after a purchase...
Enjoy your new machine. The current PBs are great little work-horses.
Chill, friend,
If the update comes within ten days of when your order shipped, you can return your computer and have it replaced with the updated unit...
What really sucks is when an update comes out twelve days after a purchase...
Enjoy your new machine. The current PBs are great little work-horses.
A couple of comments...
First, Apple is very much in competition with Dell, HP, Sony, etc. While it's true that they don't try to match spec for spec, they are still in competition, and, in that sense, they don't own the market.
Second, from the comments that we've been getting on this thread, it seems clear that people here have ordered PBs only to have them built, and shipped from Asia. How does that amount to stock in inventory? It seems to me that Apple's stock of PBs is somewhat low, based on the delivery delays that we've been seeing from our fellow forum dwellers...
Yes, but the frustration that people always try to avoid is the feeling that, if you get a machine just when it's announced, then you pay $60 per month for the use of it until the next model is released. Whereas, if you buy a machine a couple of weeks before the next model is released, you could be paying $60 a day for the use of that machine.
In general, I agree with you. Buy what you need when you need it. If you need a PowerBook now, then get one. If you don't need one now, but you know that you'll need one in the not too distant future, then wait for the new model.
Either way, don't fret over it...