they felt nice, rather sturdy, though felt the 12" more than the 17". the keyboard looks nice, though didn't get to see that backlight in action. i plan on checking it out more in depth tomorrow. i think the 17" is waaay to big. i was hesitant about my tibook purchase recently-- 15.2" is almost too big for me. the 17" would have no chance of fitting on my lap. now if i could only get jack to stop whining "will you buy me a 12" pb?"
<strong>they felt nice, rather sturdy, though felt the 12" more than the 17". the keyboard looks nice, though didn't get to see that backlight in action. i plan on checking it out more in depth tomorrow. i think the 17" is waaay to big. i was hesitant about my tibook purchase recently-- 15.2" is almost too big for me. the 17" would have no chance of fitting on my lap. now if i could only get jack to stop whining "will you buy me a 12" pb?"</strong><hr></blockquote>
how sturdy compared to the TiBook? (when you lift a Ti up grabbing only 1corner, the hole case twists..) and compared to my own 12"1 ibook?
and how is the keyboard feeling (touch&tap), is it as firm as Ti ? and is the trackpad like Ti or iBook?
and is it snappier in the finder & window-resizing?
king...i agree...i really think that towers will be for pros and geeks in the near future....all of us regular joe computer users will have portables that go as fast as most desktops, are biggish (like the 17" PB) but are used 90% of the time at home like a desktop, but then go portable about 10% of the time (to work or grandma's or a lecture or a whatever).....desktops are dying....notebooks, tablets, iPodDV and such will make them go the way of the dinosaur over the next generation...g
to clarify...we will have a large portable for home and a smaller portable (12 in or less) if we use our computers on the go alot...college kids, professionals, teachers etc....
Yeah, after I take a trip to Buffalo to the Apple store some time in the upcoming months to play with one, I have a feeling I'm gonna be hooking myself up with a 12" book.
Aerospace grade aluminum pretty much means "it's not made of the same stuff as your Coke can," but I'll bet the alloy is either Alcoa 6061, Easton 7075, or Easton 7005. Basically, the aluminum should be every bit as light as the titanium it replaced. It's probably stiffer than the titanium but more brittle and susceptible to fatigue. In real life situations, the aluminum should be a better fit. Less flex, and should still last you far into its obsolescence.
What do those mesh covers to the left and the right of the 17-inchers' keyboard hide? Speakers?
If so, what do they sound like?
They new PBs' keyboards seem silvery. Are they still translucent like the iBooks', are they painted silver from the outside or are they made of solid plastics?
How about the new PBs' scratch resistance? Do they scratch easily like the iBooks?
I wonder when Apple will include digital sound i/o and update the DVD player software...
I think that with the airline baggage weight/size restrictions becoming more prevalent it's possible they will watch Steve's Ad and charge you more for extra baggage or a second seat if you're traveling in coach class ;-)
17" is big but I want one for my work place to replace my SunBlade 100 Unix workstation.
Mac OS X w/17" PB has all the software I need to get my work done and be a good citizen with the PC crowd.
ok, <a href="http://www.mac3d.com/qr"; target="_blank">here</a> are some pics i took of mwsf stuff.
overall, i'm impresssed with the aluminum material, it feels much more robust than my tibook. The keyboard (on both 12" and 17") is not painted, but laser-etched. it does appear to have a slightly gold-ish tint, more of a "warm" silver than a "cool" silver, like the ti. note that the 12" does not have a backlit keyboard or firewire 800 (it has one USB and one firewire port). the speakers on the 17" sounded fine, didn't try on the 12". the trackpad felt the same as my tibook-- but i could be wrong, mine wasn't there for immediate comparison. oh, and i did not check to see how easily it scratched-- i'd probably be escorted out of the hall.
<strong>ok, <a href="http://www.mac3d.com/qr"; target="_blank">here</a> are some pics i took of mwsf stuff.
overall, i'm impresssed with the aluminum material, it feels much more robust than my tibook. The keyboard (on both 12" and 17") is not painted, but laser-etched. it does appear to have a slightly gold-ish tint, more of a "warm" silver than a "cool" silver, like the ti. note that the 12" does not have a backlit keyboard or firewire 800 (it has one USB and one firewire port). the speakers on the 17" sounded fine, didn't try on the 12". the trackpad felt the same as my tibook-- but i could be wrong, mine wasn't there for immediate comparison. oh, and i did not check to see how easily it scratched-- i'd probably be escorted out of the hall. </strong><hr></blockquote>
Who is that beautiful girl in Chevy's with Jack? Oh, the PowerBooks look cool too, thanks. And take more pics of, er....the, eh, oh damnit...the girl! :0)
Comments
<strong>they felt nice, rather sturdy, though felt the 12" more than the 17". the keyboard looks nice, though didn't get to see that backlight in action. i plan on checking it out more in depth tomorrow. i think the 17" is waaay to big. i was hesitant about my tibook purchase recently-- 15.2" is almost too big for me. the 17" would have no chance of fitting on my lap.
how sturdy compared to the TiBook? (when you lift a Ti up grabbing only 1corner, the hole case twists..) and compared to my own 12"1 ibook?
and how is the keyboard feeling (touch&tap), is it as firm as Ti ? and is the trackpad like Ti or iBook?
and is it snappier in the finder & window-resizing?
Personally ... I think I'll shell out for the 12" model soon.
... It's the exact same price I paid for this Clamshell SE (2+ years ago?), but so much more computer!!!!
Smaller is better (for my needs).
to clarify...we will have a large portable for home and a smaller portable (12 in or less) if we use our computers on the go alot...college kids, professionals, teachers etc....
[ 01-08-2003: Message edited by: thegelding ]</p>
the 17" in my next computer of choice. i think the next upgrade to portables will have the 12"-er becoming the iBooks.
If so, what do they sound like?
They new PBs' keyboards seem silvery. Are they still translucent like the iBooks', are they painted silver from the outside or are they made of solid plastics?
How about the new PBs' scratch resistance? Do they scratch easily like the iBooks?
I wonder when Apple will include digital sound i/o and update the DVD player software...
<strong>I wonder what the heat characteristics of the aluminum case are like.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Aluminum dispereses heat 10 times better than titanium...
heat syncs are made from aluminum...
titianium is one of the worst metals for heat dispersion...
MSKR
17" is big but I want one for my work place to replace my SunBlade 100 Unix workstation.
Mac OS X w/17" PB has all the software I need to get my work done and be a good citizen with the PC crowd.
Regards... Barry Sharp
are the color of the 12PB & 17PB a slightly golden finish ? and are they exact same color?
another point; are those keyboards in alu too, and are they the same ?(-backlighting)
overall, i'm impresssed with the aluminum material, it feels much more robust than my tibook. The keyboard (on both 12" and 17") is not painted, but laser-etched. it does appear to have a slightly gold-ish tint, more of a "warm" silver than a "cool" silver, like the ti. note that the 12" does not have a backlit keyboard or firewire 800 (it has one USB and one firewire port). the speakers on the 17" sounded fine, didn't try on the 12". the trackpad felt the same as my tibook-- but i could be wrong, mine wasn't there for immediate comparison. oh, and i did not check to see how easily it scratched-- i'd probably be escorted out of the hall.
<strong>ok, <a href="http://www.mac3d.com/qr"; target="_blank">here</a> are some pics i took of mwsf stuff.
overall, i'm impresssed with the aluminum material, it feels much more robust than my tibook. The keyboard (on both 12" and 17") is not painted, but laser-etched. it does appear to have a slightly gold-ish tint, more of a "warm" silver than a "cool" silver, like the ti. note that the 12" does not have a backlit keyboard or firewire 800 (it has one USB and one firewire port). the speakers on the 17" sounded fine, didn't try on the 12". the trackpad felt the same as my tibook-- but i could be wrong, mine wasn't there for immediate comparison. oh, and i did not check to see how easily it scratched-- i'd probably be escorted out of the hall.
Who is that beautiful girl in Chevy's with Jack? Oh, the PowerBooks look cool too, thanks. And take more pics of, er....the, eh, oh damnit...the girl! :0)
anyways, thanks for the photos...did you lift the 17" model...did it feel heavy? bend? fit under your coat so you can walk out with it? g