Honestly- I'm happy about this... I need a 12" PB right now & I'm comfortable with this price range... It's probably silly on my part, but I expect G5 PB's to have, at the very least, minor issues... I don't feel like being bothered with that, that's why I use macs afterall- to me this PB will most likely have all the past minor issues worked out, be affordable , & get me well into G5 Revision B or maybe C... It's not the end of the world...
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ThinkSecret predicts new Powerbooks & Specs
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All I have to say is
BT 2.0, I am glad I didn't get version 1.1. That would explain why the keyboard and mouse have seen price drops.
BT 2.0, I am glad I didn't get version 1.1. That would explain why the keyboard and mouse have seen price drops.
I'm happy, sort of. I need to keep my PB until at least November of 2005. That's my 2 year mark with a rev B(?) 12" PB @ 1Ghz. Only after November will I start to eye up new Powerbooks again. I usually drool on most PB updates, but if this is undroolworthy, so be it. I can..... wait.
andiwm2003 said:
I don't think you're correct here: My Powerbook is less than 3 years old and was definitely top of the line that time with... 800 MHz (and it did cost a fortune).
So the CPU frequence has doubled within 3 years or increase by just over 100%.
On the other hand I also thought that Apple, Motorola or IBM could do better.
[Edit]Short comment on "fortune": For the same amount of money you can get nowadays also the top of the line 15" Powerbook including Superdrive, 1GB Ram (Apple), all other "extras"... and you still have enough money for a 20" Apple Cinema Display!
Don't go overboard
Clock speed is NOT a good indicator of how quickly a given computer can perform a task. There are a LOT of other variables (not counting the fact that Intel's increase in clock speed came at great price to true performance). I bought a powermac dual 1.8 g5 about a year ago and couldn't be happier. I think a lot of people lose their heads over insignificant things. I use my computers for a living and to be honest, nothing I do on a mac is any slower than what I did on a windows machine. This is the case for most people. The other important factor about laptops is that increased clock speed also tends to lead to decreased battery time. I don't know about you but I use my laptop on the move. I don't use it to replace a desktop. I want something that's nicely portable and a good battery life to get me through any work I may have during transportation. As for market share, Apple's market share is it's own. Apple is a niche player (even though they are working to get out of that) and does quite well at it.
andiwm2003 said:
Clock speed is NOT a good indicator of how quickly a given computer can perform a task. There are a LOT of other variables (not counting the fact that Intel's increase in clock speed came at great price to true performance). I bought a powermac dual 1.8 g5 about a year ago and couldn't be happier. I think a lot of people lose their heads over insignificant things. I use my computers for a living and to be honest, nothing I do on a mac is any slower than what I did on a windows machine. This is the case for most people. The other important factor about laptops is that increased clock speed also tends to lead to decreased battery time. I don't know about you but I use my laptop on the move. I don't use it to replace a desktop. I want something that's nicely portable and a good battery life to get me through any work I may have during transportation. As for market share, Apple's market share is it's own. Apple is a niche player (even though they are working to get out of that) and does quite well at it.
Metatron said:
So, you'd rather have an underclocked G5 than a high-clocked G4? Isn't the G5 about the same power as a G4 at about the same clock speeds?
I do wish the PowerBooks used the new Freescale CPUs (seeing as how many people have waited for the PowerBook upgrades), but if nothing else is available, this is the best Apple can do right now.
Yvan256 said:
Are you forgetting about the FSB and Ram speed.
G5 has an advantage over the G4 in that regard. I thought that was obvious.
yeah new pb
I am glad they are going to update the pb. It may not be a g5 but its still an update. My girlfriend has the money in the bank for a new pb. We have been waiting for an update to the line before buying.
I am glad they are going to update the pb. It may not be a g5 but its still an update. My girlfriend has the money in the bank for a new pb. We have been waiting for an update to the line before buying.
If TS's specs are correct...
If TS's specs are correct, I gotta figure that they'll "make up the difference" by dropping the prices--perhaps even simplifying the lineup by eliminating the Combo Drive models completely, so that it would end up something like:
12" PowerBook w/SuperDrive: $1,599 ($200 drop)
15" PowerBook w/SuperDrive: $1,999 ($500 drop)
17" PowerBook w/SuperDrive: $2,399 ($400 drop)
Nice, even price spread ($400 between each), good marketing slogan ("SuperDrives across the board!") and makes up for the otherwise somewhat anemic improvements.
If TS's specs are correct, I gotta figure that they'll "make up the difference" by dropping the prices--perhaps even simplifying the lineup by eliminating the Combo Drive models completely, so that it would end up something like:
12" PowerBook w/SuperDrive: $1,599 ($200 drop)
15" PowerBook w/SuperDrive: $1,999 ($500 drop)
17" PowerBook w/SuperDrive: $2,399 ($400 drop)
Nice, even price spread ($400 between each), good marketing slogan ("SuperDrives across the board!") and makes up for the otherwise somewhat anemic improvements.
m a y a said:Are you forgetting about the FSB and Ram speed.
G5 has an advantage over the G4 in that regard. I thought that was obvious.
The FSB is what they really need to improve on. I love my PB for carrying around and doing stuff with on the go, but it really is lacking in power.
Once there is a decent upgrade to the 15", I'll be all over it (have 1GHz 12" now). The Freescale G4's would be a welcome improvement because of the FSB.
Stella said:
Geeez, it's not about the cpus only. It's the rest. 12" should get the Rad9700, PC-Card slot, FW800 too. The 15" and the 17" should get a better card than the 9700 and a new display for all of them would be needed too.
I don't care for the processor that much but at least let Apple step up to the game where they can.
m a y a said:
Bluetooth 2.0 doesn't explain the keyboard and mouse price drops. If you read about what Bluetooth 2.0 is you'd see the benefit of the newer Bluetooth is 3x faster file transfers. That does not apply to the keyboard and mouse because the bandwidth required for their signals doesn't test the limits of BT 1.1. BT 2.0 is backwards compatible so the wireless keyboard and mouse from Apple won't need to be revised. If you have a lot of BT devices, BT 2.0 will make a difference.
Where have you been. The FSB is already faster than 133MHz on the current Powerbooks. It's 167MHz. If you're going to whine, at least get your facts correct.Metatron said:
Also, as was stated by someone else, a G4 at a higher clock speed than a G5 will in a lot of applications have a higher performance.
Wait until the G5 Powerbook can be done right. Or do you just want to see the G5 now so you can whine about how underpowered it is?
Wow...... clearly show how Apple is in portable trouble.....
No G5 in a PowerBook "for some time", and the G4 is ageing, and ageing and ageing.
Going from 1.5 GHz to a 1.67 GHz in 9 months time....
BUT if they drop the prices significantly then all could be saved.
OK, so the improvements are minimal. Make 'em cheap, then you'll still get a good buy.
No G5 in a PowerBook "for some time", and the G4 is ageing, and ageing and ageing.
Going from 1.5 GHz to a 1.67 GHz in 9 months time....
BUT if they drop the prices significantly then all could be saved.
OK, so the improvements are minimal. Make 'em cheap, then you'll still get a good buy.
The ideal laptop has: a) Mac OS X and b) a G5.
Sadly, only one of those is possible at the moment.
* If you can wait until you can have both, definitely wait!
* If you can't wait, you can at least get a very nice G4 laptop with Mac OS X.
* If you don't care about usability, security, and features squeezed into a slim package, but want a laptop for sheer number-crunching muscle, Intel has some nice mobile chips to consider.
I'd also like to see the best GPU possible in a PowerBook. But if cooling it, and supplying it with battery power, meant a PowerBook is thick and heavy as many of the latest PC laptops... then no thank you.
The PowerBook is in a bit of limbo, it's true--like the pro towers were for a while--as G5 technology develops. This will pass in a matter of months. Meanwhile, it's still a great machine--and now faster than before.
I wouldn't trade my first-gen 15" AlBook for any other laptop! Well... maybe a 12" or a 17"...
Sadly, only one of those is possible at the moment.
* If you can wait until you can have both, definitely wait!
* If you can't wait, you can at least get a very nice G4 laptop with Mac OS X.
* If you don't care about usability, security, and features squeezed into a slim package, but want a laptop for sheer number-crunching muscle, Intel has some nice mobile chips to consider.
I'd also like to see the best GPU possible in a PowerBook. But if cooling it, and supplying it with battery power, meant a PowerBook is thick and heavy as many of the latest PC laptops... then no thank you.
The PowerBook is in a bit of limbo, it's true--like the pro towers were for a while--as G5 technology develops. This will pass in a matter of months. Meanwhile, it's still a great machine--and now faster than before.
I wouldn't trade my first-gen 15" AlBook for any other laptop! Well... maybe a 12" or a 17"...
munkle said:
I got a Rev. C eight months ago, and I couldn't care less about a simple update like this. Woop dee freakin' do! I whole 167 MHz upgrade to the 12". No graphics card... and I have the 5400 RPM HD in my current PB. This was a great purchase, I must say!
Hey, the XServe is only 1.67" thick.Yvan256 said:
As for the update, yes, I think it is disappointing. However, with big price drops and if the updates use the new ultra bright screens, this might do until the g5 arrives. Here's hoping!
god i hope this isnt true... 9 months later for .17 mhz? Ive been waiting since last january to update my rev. A 1 ghz 17" powerbook... its been having an insane amount of problems, and I am very affraid it will die soon. I just can't justify buying another G4 though. I told myself when i bought this thing it would be my last one until i could get a g5 in one. Boo apple.
I wasn't expecting much so i'm not disappointed. I keep waiting for Apple to make a laptop that will appeal to the masses, but it's been a waste of time. An eight month wait for this? There are other things that Apple should at least address, but i know they will not. Can we at least start with better batteries? These do not last as long as other laptop batteries. I've seen other makes take way more abuse than my Powerbook G4's. At least give us something semi-rugged and powerful. It's been so long since i've checked, but do PB's have (quickly) removable hard drives yet? At least give us a color option of black so we don't have to carry our laptops around like they were made out of gold. Yes i know black plastic is old-tech and heavy, but how old is your PB and how many scratches do you have on it? If it were made out of plastic it may be cheaper also.
