What to do?

[uh-oh]

I ordered a powerbook on Wednesday and I only found this forum Thursday. AFter reading the postings, I realized that it is a good idea to wait until January to buy a new Powerbook in case of upgrades. So, I called Apple Thursday but they were closed (Thanksgiving) so, I called today to cancel. It said on the order slip that it takes 3 to 5 business days to ship and that if on your order status form, if it says "Open", it means that you can still cancel. Mine said that so I called and they told me that it has been already shipped out and because it's upgraded, I can't return it. I was so surprised at their speed (which company works this fast??? I guess I'm used to Ikea hehe). The lady was nice enough to make an exception and told me that once I receive it, I can return it but the shipping will be at my cost. My question is, should I just keep it or should I return it and order another one in January?
What I got: PowerBook 15 inch, 1.33GHz PowerPC G4, 512MB DDR333 SDRAM 1, 60GB Ultra ATA Drive@4200rpm, Super Drive
My use: mostly Protools, film editing, and of course, DVD watching and the normal stuff.

Thanks!

 

[rozwell]

i would keep it. i mean i bet that those new PBs in january aren't going to be so great that the PB you ordered will wet itself next to it, so i would stick with it, and wait for the next major revision IE. geeefive

 

[wdlove]

If you are really in need of a machine now, I'd say keep your order. It should be very adequate for your needs. You will have the enjoyment of your PowerBook over the holidays. It seems that no matter when you purchase there is always something newer coming. There may not even be a major upgrade in January anyway. My thought is that sometimes you are better off waiting for the Rev. B or second generation model. That way any problems will be fixed.

Welcome to MacRumors uh-oh. Hope that you ill be a frequent visitor and poster.

 

[djkny]

return it, get a 12" 1.2 iBook instead; that'll hold you off until MWSF, when new PowerBooks arrive. by then, too, those PB's will be 10-15% cheaper across the board.

 

[uh-oh]

thanks Wdlove. I just wished that I had discovered this site before I ordered...
So, I guess there wouldn't be any major upgrades and the only thing I will regret is paying more since most probably, they will have a price drop according to djkny ... hmm... that should be around 3-400 $$ Even though the money right now is from a bursary, money is money... I hate having to choose. Somebody just tell me what to do!! hehe

Can any of you do an educated guess and tell me when the next major upgrades will be?

 

[slooksterPSV]

Well with the new low power G5's I'd say they'll have G5's in PBs probably near May. Since you bought it now, enjoy it, and then when the G5's come out, sell it on here for about 3/4 or 7/8 of what you paid for it. You'll be surprised what people will pay for things like that. I say to keep the one you have now, then when new ones with G5's come out, sell that one and get a new one.

Welcome to the Forums.

 

[Diatribe]

thanks Wdlove. I just wished that I had discovered this site before I ordered...
So, I guess there wouldn't be any major upgrades and the only thing I will regret is paying more since most probably, they will have a price drop according to djkny ... hmm... that should be around 3-400 $$ Even though the money right now is from a bursary, money is money... I hate having to choose. Somebody just tell me what to do!! hehe

Can any of you do an educated guess and tell me when the next major upgrades will be?

As I said in another thread:

Ati just announced the x300 and x800 mobility. The x800 has even 256MB RAM. I'm hoping for those in the PBs.
My thoughts for MWSF and the PBs:

- x300/x800/GeF6200 GPU
- announced G4 2,0 GHz CPU or G5 mobile
- 100 GB HD
- 8x DVD-R/4x DVD-RW/2x Dual-Layer DVD-R

I would definitely wait if you have the use for those. But you ordered the 60GB HD so you won't have a need for the 100 GB HD. You need to know if you'd use the other upgrades. If you do not then keep it.
For me, if they manage to get all of the above in I will buy a new PB the second it appears in the store.

 

[quackattack]

I'd say keep it. I have the 1.5 and its blazing fast. Plus having the very best obviously isn't super important to you, you ordered the 1.33. The only advantage of waiting is the cost. But if you have to pay to ship it back, your probably not looking at a huge difference. Tough call, but I'd just enjoy your new PB!

-quack

 

[James_C]

I would stick to the powerbook that you have ordered. While I do believe that the Powerbooks will get a new revision in January (simply because they are due one according to Apple's historical 9 month average life cycle for Powerbooks). Apple has now ironed out all the bugs in these PB's and are super reliable in my opinion. These powerbooks can handle just about anything that you throw at them, so unless you plan to do a lot of video editing, then I would stick to what you have and enjoy it. I would plan to upgrade the Powerbook when Apple release the 2nd Gen G5 Powerbook. I would only send back if you really don't need it until Feb next year. Also consider that even if Apple announce a new product in Jan, you might not actually get it for a couple of months, take a look at the 2.5 G5 shipping thread to see what I mean.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/79590/

 

[uh-oh]

Thanks!

HEy People!!
YOu've convinced me to keep it. It's very true that I won't be needing the upgrades.... for now. There will be a price drop... so what??!!! I don't think the money can compensate for joy I will have when playing with my baby during the holidays, right??!!!

Now, let's go to the sleeves ... I've ordered the zeroshock medium size sleeve. The customer service rep at shinza told me that some think it's too small for the aluminium version of PB but others are satisfied with it... what does that mean? Cause I think the larger size will be a bit too loose and won't protect my PB well. Is the medium size too small?? anybody has one?

 

[jared_kipe]

Because of the resale value on apples in general (especially laptops) I say keep it, and sell it right before the new ones should be out. Now nobody knows when that will be, but we will try our best to anticipate it for you.

 

[uh-oh]

it's coming...

My Powerbook is coming... it will arrive tomorrow (according to FedEx) .. I can't wait... it's like expecting a baby!!!!!! so exciting .... I'm just sad that the sleeve I ordered will only arrive a week later... which is strange cause it shouldn't have taken more than a week... but it's actually taken 2 weeks!!

 

[Yvan256]

return it, get a 12" 1.2 iBook instead; that'll hold you off until MWSF, when new PowerBooks arrive. by then, too, those PB's will be 10-15% cheaper across the board.

I agree. Then, when you buy your PowerBook, sell me your iBook at half the price.

 

[wdlove]

My Powerbook is coming... it will arrive tomorrow (according to FedEx) .. I can't wait... it's like expecting a baby!!!!!! so exciting .... I'm just sad that the sleeve I ordered will only arrive a week later... which is strange cause it shouldn't have taken more than a week... but it's actually taken 2 weeks!!

I think that your nervous anticipation will be well rewarded. Let us know your thoughts on the new arrival. Hopefully the sleeeve will arrive sooner than expected.

Is this what you ordered? The descriptions sounds as though you should be OK.

http://shinza.com/product_info.php?products_id=46

 

[uh-oh]

I got it!

I GOT IT I GOT IT I GOT IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now, I"mjust going to use it and test it... after I stop staring at it!! haha
Hey! i heard problems with the titanium version of the powerbook with the screen.. how the dirt gets on the screen... is it the same with the aluminum?? if so, where can I get a screen protection? OWC?

 

[advres]

I GOT IT I GOT IT I GOT IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now, I"mjust going to use it and test it... after I stop staring at it!! haha
Hey! i heard problems with the titanium version of the powerbook with the screen.. how the dirt gets on the screen... is it the same with the aluminum?? if so, where can I get a screen protection? OWC?

the dirt is from the oils on your fingers staying on the keys and the keys rubbing against the screen. The aluminums are a bit better in this respect then the Ti's (I have had many) but i would still get something. I used to use a piece of felt the size of the keyboard but it was thick and the top didn't sit nice and flush ( not like any of the aluminums do). I ended up buying a leather one from smalldog.com but OWC has great stuff as well. either or will suffice.

Congrats on the new baby... I'm sure you are gonna love it.

 

[uh-oh]

confused

As you all know, I got my baby.... but I'm a new mac convert. Sooo... first step... is text edit the equivalent of Word? Or do I have to buy Apple Office to get that?

ouhh.. and now, aside from waiting for my sleeve, I also just bought a screen protector at radtech .. it looks really cool. Anybody used it?

 

[advres]

As you all know, I got my baby.... but I'm a new mac convert. Sooo... first step... is text edit the equivalent of Word? Or do I have to buy Apple Office to get that?

ouhh.. and now, aside from waiting for my sleeve, I also just bought a screen protector at radtech .. it looks really cool. Anybody used it?

You can open word docs in text edit but it is by no means equivelent.

 

[StarbucksSam]

Text edit... oh BOY.

Please do yourself a favor - don't bother. AppleWorks should be included... that's like Apple's equivalent to Word but I'll be frank with you, MS Office is a hell of a lot better.

 

[uh-oh]

Text edit... oh BOY.

Please do yourself a favor - don't bother. AppleWorks should be included... that's like Apple's equivalent to Word but I'll be frank with you, MS Office is a hell of a lot better.

Nope... appleWorks isn't included.... so, that means that i have to go get it... it should've been included though since it's the most basic tool.

 

[iceTrX]

Nope... appleWorks isn't included.... so, that means that i have to go get it... it should've been included though since it's the most basic tool.

TextEdit is a simple text editor but it does a good job, it even supports opening and saving Word documents. AppleWorks only comes with consumer Macs like the iBook and iMac. Microsoft makes a version of Office for Mac.