What Mouse? + OTHER

[TheSith]

Hi all!

First off, I cannot wait for MWSF. I've been waiting for a month to get my Powerbook and am at my nerve's end! This where my first question(s) ties in:

MWSF is Jan. 10th-14th - do you know when the Powerbook upgrade (if it is going to be released) will be announced? I know we cannot foresee the future but maybe a guess for past releases?

Once the upgrade is released, how soon can I get one from the Apple store? I won't want to wait for an online one and would prefer to get it in the store because of my education discount (I am a high school student - there is no option for that on the online store but they say it is allowed..) Let us say it is released on the 10th - can I go in that day and get one ??

Second question, I want a two button mouse with a scroll. It is just a necessity for what I do. What is the best one? I have asked on the Apple discussion boards and got quite a few negative responses from non-Apple bluetooth mice! Any help here? Should I get a wired one to "play it safe"?

Any advice you have would be MOST appreciated!

 

[~Shard~]

MWSF is Jan. 10th-14th - do you know when the Powerbook upgrade (if it is going to be released) will be announced? I know we cannot foresee the future but maybe a guess for past releases?

If PowerBooks are indeed announced at MWSF, you can safely estimate a realistic shipping date of at least 1 month (if not longer) afterwards. The lead time shouldn't be too long on a minor rev, which is most likely, but if Apple does announce some sort of G5/ dual-core G4 major upgrade, expect shipping times of a few months afterwards. By the time Apple would announce it, release a shipping date, delay that date, then start shipping low numbers of units out on the revised date, you effectively wouldn't have anew PB in your hands for quite some time. 😉

Once the upgrade is released, how soon can I get one from the Apple store? I won't want to wait for an online one and would prefer to get it in the store because of my education discount (I am a high school student - there is no option for that on the online store but they say it is allowed..) Let us say it is released on the 10th - can I go in that day and get one ??

See my above comments. Unless Apple is REALLY good on its supply with this release, I would say you'd still have to wait a couple weeks, even if Jobs says, "Shipping Immediately".

Oh, and bear in mind, with the myriad of other rumored announcements for MWSF, it's going to be a pretty packed show if everything gets announced! No one knows what will and will not be announced and how it will all fit together (iLife '05, GarageBand 2, iWork '05, Sugar Crossbow, Slingshot, Asteroid, headless Mac, yadda yadda...), but there may simply not be room for PB announcements at all. Personally, I won't be surprised if Jobs doesn't even mention them.

That being said, they are definitely due for an update - whether it's minor or major is anyone's guess, but I don't believe we will see a major rev (G5/dual core G4) for several months yet by the time the consumer has it in his hands.

Second question, I want a two button mouse with a scroll. It is just a necessity for what I do. What is the best one? I have asked on the Apple discussion boards and got quite a few negative responses from non-Apple bluetooth mice! Any help here? Should I get a wired one to "play it safe"?

For starters, check out this recent thread which I participated in. As for myself, I don't really see the need for a wireless mouse, ergo I have a Logitech MX510 which I have absolutely no complaints with.

Hope this helps for now!

 

[TheSith]

Thank you for the quick response!

Does this mean even if the rumored 1.67GHZ bump is released, it will take me a MONTH to even get one? Wow, that is quite a while. I was expecting to walk into the Apple store and they would have them released and I could walk home with one - silly me, I guess!

As for the mouse, that one looks excellent. I am leaning towards a nice wired one as all the bluetooth wireless ones are problem-causing. I don't particularly want a little "dongle" (as I heard somebody on the Apple forums call it) sticking out of my USB port either, lol.

 

[TheSith]

OH!

And if the 1.67GHZ is released, and it DOES take a month, and it doesn't seem worth it to me, would there be a price drop on the "older" Pbs in the mean time? I wouldn't mind getting one for cheaper if it is only a .17GHZ upgrade..

What do you think?

 

[~Shard~]

Thank you for the quick response!

Does this mean even if the rumored 1.67GHZ bump is released, it will take me a MONTH to even get one? Wow, that is quite a while. I was expecting to walk into the Apple store and they would have them released and I could walk home with one - silly me, I guess!

Like I said, not necessarily. On more major upgrades, Apple seems to have shipping dates which are out from the actual announcement dates. That being said, Apple has announced products before which have been "shipping immediately" so it's tough to say. Again, if this 1.6 GHz upgrade, or whatever it is (relatively minimal in any case) is what in fact will be released, supply may not be an issue if Apple can churn them out quickly enough. Also keep in mind that sometimes you can order from the Apple Store online immediately, however physical stores do not receive their shipments for some time - so even though they might be available immediately, you may not necessarily be able to walk into a store right away and pick one up off the shelf. 😉

As for the mouse, that one looks excellent. I am leaning towards a nice wired one as all the bluetooth wireless ones are problem-causing. I don't particularly want a little "dongle" (as I heard somebody on the Apple forums call it) sticking out of my USB port either, lol.

Yah, I'm the same way - dongle, charger unit, receiver, batteries - all little thing which aren't major pains in the butt, but nonetheless I don't want cluttering my desktop. Especially since I never use my mouse away from my desk, I could care less if it's corded or not, so I love my MX510. 😎

 

[~Shard~]

OH!

And if the 1.67GHZ is released, and it DOES take a month, and it doesn't seem worth it to me, would there be a price drop on the "older" Pbs in the mean time? I wouldn't mind getting one for cheaper if it is only a .17GHZ upgrade..

What do you think?

Possibly, I've never paid much attention to that before. Normally when Apple announces a new product, the Apple Store online is immediately updated with the new item, regardless of the shipping dates, and the old product "goes away", implying you can't get it anymore. However, even if you can't get it through the Apple Store online, nothing says you wouldn't be able to pick up one from a physical store, and no doubt for a discount, depending on the pricing scheme of the new models...

I've also heard talk about "used" old models, "old" NIB models, refurbs, and all that, but again, I have never investigated those options much....