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ThinkSecret predicts new Powerbooks & Specs
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Could not agree more with you 2, the 12" PBrev2 was a phenomenal buy for how much use i have gotten from it. The 64mb is the only thing i wish i had.blueBomber said:
Maxx Power said:
The Pentium M is damn impressive. The Pentium M is stealing much (all?) of the prescott's thunder, much to Intel's chagrin.
I'm going to research laptop batteries tonight. I'm on my second going on third PBG4 battery. Yes i know how to take care of my battery. I babied the thing while my coworkers abused their Dells and Panasonic Toughbooks. I babied my second battery for a year until it began to bahave like my first battery. Now it can barely store 1 1/2 hour charge. Why did Apple reduce the total energy capacity on their batteries when they expanded their PB line? Faster cpu, faster gpu... and weaker battery? HTF does that work?
Here, Here!
I wholly agree. So many people seem to have forgotten this very important fact. As for a G5 in a laptop, it may be that getting a ppc970 into a laptop isn't feasible. I mean sure if you want a 2.5" laptop like my worthless p4 1.7Ghz pile of junk but, if you want something you can actually carry around without pulling a muscle or getting sore then it's possible it can't be done. Maybe the status is more of a waiting on the scaled down version of the power5. I don't know, I don't care. I'm buying my first apple laptop in the next 2 weeks and I couldn't care less about having a laptop that could replace my desktop. That's rather silly in my mind. I want (more like need) portability and battery life. I must agree with another's comment about pcmia slot and better video on the 12" powerbook though. If the 12" had that, it'd be my choice due to it's utter portability. It'd be perfect. As it is, I'll probably get a 15" and spend more than I'd like to on a laptop. But, such is life. Making money with my equipment far outweighs initial cost.
greenstork said:
I wholly agree. So many people seem to have forgotten this very important fact. As for a G5 in a laptop, it may be that getting a ppc970 into a laptop isn't feasible. I mean sure if you want a 2.5" laptop like my worthless p4 1.7Ghz pile of junk but, if you want something you can actually carry around without pulling a muscle or getting sore then it's possible it can't be done. Maybe the status is more of a waiting on the scaled down version of the power5. I don't know, I don't care. I'm buying my first apple laptop in the next 2 weeks and I couldn't care less about having a laptop that could replace my desktop. That's rather silly in my mind. I want (more like need) portability and battery life. I must agree with another's comment about pcmia slot and better video on the 12" powerbook though. If the 12" had that, it'd be my choice due to it's utter portability. It'd be perfect. As it is, I'll probably get a 15" and spend more than I'd like to on a laptop. But, such is life. Making money with my equipment far outweighs initial cost.
Still Happy
So this is the same as the 15" 1.5 I have now almost aside from the bluetooth 2.0 and 20GB more hard drive space. Oh, and the whopping 170Mhz increase!!! I already have the 128MB GPU and the 5400rpm drive. I guess I am happy mine isn't made massively out of date by this update, but at the same time I wish they would come out with the G5 now so when I wanna get a new computer it can be rev B. I am completely happy with the G4 though, more than enough power for the things I use this thing for.
So this is the same as the 15" 1.5 I have now almost aside from the bluetooth 2.0 and 20GB more hard drive space. Oh, and the whopping 170Mhz increase!!! I already have the 128MB GPU and the 5400rpm drive. I guess I am happy mine isn't made massively out of date by this update, but at the same time I wish they would come out with the G5 now so when I wanna get a new computer it can be rev B. I am completely happy with the G4 though, more than enough power for the things I use this thing for.
The speed bump is lame, but it's the FSB, and the out of date display that bums me out. This is supposed to be part of the professional line. Might as well get an ibook.
As for the thickness issue, if, according to some, apple doesn't make a desktop replacement, why do they have the 17pb? Try fitting it in any normal backpack.
Apple can do better. We've come to expect greatness.
As for the thickness issue, if, according to some, apple doesn't make a desktop replacement, why do they have the 17pb? Try fitting it in any normal backpack.
Apple can do better. We've come to expect greatness.
"Laptops are about portability first and foremost"
If that were the case then Apple should design their laptops with a more durable finish. I need something that i can throw in a backpack and not worry about it getting scratched up. The dog of a laptop that is the iBook does not count.
If that were the case then Apple should design their laptops with a more durable finish. I need something that i can throw in a backpack and not worry about it getting scratched up. The dog of a laptop that is the iBook does not count.
I think apple should come out with a 15" Widescreen 1.5" to 1.75" thick laptop called a _____book. It would be a faster processor than the powerbooks. It would attract to people who nead power and portability than ultra portability. It would still be the same size as many dells, compaqs, hps, and gateways. It bigger size could accomdate better cooling and room for a bigger battery.
nagromme said:Did anyone actually think there was even a CHANCE of a G5 PowerBook in January?
Shoehorning a G5 into an iMac was a feat--and that's many times the volume of a laptop.
I'd love one today--for $399 if possible!--but September wouldn't shock me.
Actually if you look at the guts of a G5 iMac a lot of the space is dedicated to the full size hard drive along with the power brick that is physically inside the case not to mention the full blown video card, combo drive...basically they stuck desktop components in the thing which == a desktop sized device. I'm not saying that it doesn't give off heat but at a 90nm process and a lower speed its not an impossible chore. I think. OK I'm guessing the biggest deal at this point is power consumption. A G5 is prob a pretty big power hog. Even if its comparable to a G4 its a whole new ballgame with Intel's Pentium M. The 1.4Ghz IBM T31 I have gets about 5 hours playing Civ III. It gets slightly better then that simply doing standard tasks like web/word processing/e-mail/etc. I'm sure Apple is taking this all into consideration. I'm still peeved though that I'm prob going to have to wait almost another year to get a PowerBook but if the headless, relativly cheap iMac does come true tomorrow I can at least tide my Mac lust over with a 1.25Ghz headless iMac in a few months. (Even if it came out tomorrow I'm not going to purchase one this close to the release of Tiger.)
m a y a said:
You mean how FireWire 800 (and, indeed, 400) is without reservation better than USB2.0? You mean how USB2.0 is a worthless product? Hell, why not send data over ADB or PS/2 while you're at it? Ooh ooh ooh, or we can come up with an external hard drive that gets data over a VGA connector! Stereo minijack?
Never mention USB 2.0 again.
~J
SiliconAddict said:
What do you people think of the chance of a free upgrade coupon to tiger for all these new macs? I'm sure a lot of people have your same idea and will wait (like me prob). THat will prob cut into sales b\c people will wait to buy after all the hype is over and may change their minds..............
Meh, it's ok I guess. I was planning on getting a PB anyway and a small speed bump along with other things is OK..
I want a 1.67GHZ G4 15", SuperDrive, 128MB Video Card, 100GB 5400 RPM drive - how much will that cost me? Just need a guess.. hope they drop prices.
I want a 1.67GHZ G4 15", SuperDrive, 128MB Video Card, 100GB 5400 RPM drive - how much will that cost me? Just need a guess.. hope they drop prices.
FW400 is dying, FW800 was still-born
It may be "worthless" IYO, but it's good enough that it's pushing 1394 (a and b) off the shelves.
Even Apple is "knifing the 1394b baby" by keeping 1394b off of most of their systems. How are you going to push a technology if you're selling desktops and laptops that don't have it (and for most *can't* be upgraded or extended)?
Kagetenshi said:
It may be "worthless" IYO, but it's good enough that it's pushing 1394 (a and b) off the shelves.
Even Apple is "knifing the 1394b baby" by keeping 1394b off of most of their systems. How are you going to push a technology if you're selling desktops and laptops that don't have it (and for most *can't* be upgraded or extended)?
I want a G5 laptop but if these need to tie us over I would think that price drops would help comfort those who need a powerbook now.
So far so bad, yes, but hopefully they'll start packing FW800 soon. Then again, it isn't at this point needed by most people. Even FireWire 400 is acceptable for most video editing/capture purposes (and much better than USB2.0), and the people going for iMacs/iBooks right now probably aren't gunning for much more.
Regarding USB2.0 pushing FireWire off the shelves, I'm not worried. Anyone who tries to use USB2.0 for any serious task will quickly have it demonstrated to them why you don't try that.
~J
Regarding USB2.0 pushing FireWire off the shelves, I'm not worried. Anyone who tries to use USB2.0 for any serious task will quickly have it demonstrated to them why you don't try that.
~J
I just sold my 12' PB 1.33 on ebay for what I paid for it (I used the student discount so even though I got less then what they sell for new I was still 100% covered) I was hoping for a better videocard in the 12' and the 1.5ghz anyway it does not matter I have the money for a 15'..... 1.67GHZ G4 15", SuperDrive, 128MB Video Card, 100GB 5400 RPM drive... that actually sounds good, even if it's choking on it's own FSB! I was happy with the speed of my 12' I just want that better videocard!
Thats not even an upgrade
if they only upgrade the top model by .17 will it be noticible. they better keep the prices very very low, and offer something very good on them or else people will by refurbs for a lot cheeper, and its just a 1.5 over 1.667
if they only upgrade the top model by .17 will it be noticible. they better keep the prices very very low, and offer something very good on them or else people will by refurbs for a lot cheeper, and its just a 1.5 over 1.667
Wow, Mac users really are jaded and bitter these days aren't they, judging from the comments in this thread.
First of all, look at the main competitor to PowerBooks - Pentium M based laptops. They cost a little more, they're thinner than P4 based behemoths, and the processor is around the same speed as the G4 used in the PowerBooks and iBooks.
Sure, the new 533MHz bus Dothan Pentium M has a lot more system bandwidth, but that is the only real failing of the PowerBook's processor. That extra bandwidth does come at the cost of higher power consumption however - IIRC the 533MHz bus Pentium M's are 27W parts. The 1.67GHz G4 is lower than that, I don't know the exact figure however.
The Pentium M is derived from the PIII, which is ultimately derived from the Pentium Pro. So what if the G4 is 6 or 7 years old? The Pentium M by the same logic is 8 or 9 years old! It is still a good design, and it runs cool, so it might as well be used. Sure, next year you'll want 64-bit capability in your laptop, but by then the G5 will be in a laptop.
The real places that the PowerBook needs updating is in cost, and features. The FX5200 in the 12" is abysmal, as the earlier post showed. Apple should put a 6200 into the design. 800MB/s Firewire in all models. Up the 12" Powerbook to a 13" widescreen at 1280x720 or thereabouts. And all the other things that are important. Not having a G5 isn't a problem at the moment, especially if a G5 laptop now would have to run at 1.4GHz because of heat. Why diss a 1.67GHz laptop? It's better than a 1.5GHz laptop, and can compete more against the high end Pentium M / Centrino offerings.
First of all, look at the main competitor to PowerBooks - Pentium M based laptops. They cost a little more, they're thinner than P4 based behemoths, and the processor is around the same speed as the G4 used in the PowerBooks and iBooks.
Sure, the new 533MHz bus Dothan Pentium M has a lot more system bandwidth, but that is the only real failing of the PowerBook's processor. That extra bandwidth does come at the cost of higher power consumption however - IIRC the 533MHz bus Pentium M's are 27W parts. The 1.67GHz G4 is lower than that, I don't know the exact figure however.
The Pentium M is derived from the PIII, which is ultimately derived from the Pentium Pro. So what if the G4 is 6 or 7 years old? The Pentium M by the same logic is 8 or 9 years old! It is still a good design, and it runs cool, so it might as well be used. Sure, next year you'll want 64-bit capability in your laptop, but by then the G5 will be in a laptop.
The real places that the PowerBook needs updating is in cost, and features. The FX5200 in the 12" is abysmal, as the earlier post showed. Apple should put a 6200 into the design. 800MB/s Firewire in all models. Up the 12" Powerbook to a 13" widescreen at 1280x720 or thereabouts. And all the other things that are important. Not having a G5 isn't a problem at the moment, especially if a G5 laptop now would have to run at 1.4GHz because of heat. Why diss a 1.67GHz laptop? It's better than a 1.5GHz laptop, and can compete more against the high end Pentium M / Centrino offerings.
My question is, if these upgrade are announced, does anyone think I'll be able to get a stock version of the 15" by January 24th? I'm on a dead line for Thailand. 