What Do You Expect For The Next PowerBook? - Page 3

I would mortgage my house for a powerbook with those specs. What would you call it? Powerbook Titanium Valhalla? And why doesn't Apple, with all the functionality it has added to the iPod just come out with a PDA. Other than a graffiti pad and calendar the iPod is on its way.

RAM in 2004 will be running at 2Ghz.

May 6 2002 = 1066Mhz RDRAM

June/July 2002 = 1200Mhz RDRAM

January 2003 = 1600Mhz RAM

July 2003 = 2000Mhz RAM

Jan 2004 = 2000Mhz Magnetic RAM

Of course after the June/July 2002 I have no real info, just guesses.

[ 04-03-2002: Message edited by: JasonPP ]</p>

"And why doesn't Apple, with all the functionality it has added to the iPod just come out with a PDA"

PDAs are fiddly as and are pants.

They can be done better.

The ipod hints at this.

TV pod for streaming internet tv.

DVDpod for watching stamp sized movies.

rpod for streaming radio.

pdapod to keep the guy above happy.

But not done in the Palm crappy way.

Let's have an attachable pad to the iPod.

So...it can be a mini artpod er...writepad...

The PDA needs appelizing...

Lemon Bon Bon

As for Laptops. Hmm. They're an over rated experience. Especially Dell ones...

The ibook is cute. I don't use it. It's my wife's.


I'm waiting for the G5. Sod the Powerbook.

Nice though it is...

Can't they get better screens in laptops?

I think the screens are dithered crap.

<img src="graemlins/smokin.gif" border="0" alt="[Chilling]" />

[quote]Originally posted by Lemon Bon Bon:
<strong>
Can't they get better screens in laptops?

I think the screens are dithered crap.

<img src="graemlins/smokin.gif" border="0" alt="[Chilling]" /> </strong><hr></blockquote>

LCD's need to be run at the spec resolution, or else they use bicubic (I presume) algs and dithering.

So run your iBook at 1024x768

Spline,

I have a soft spot for the ibook. My wife's parents and myself bought it between ourselves for my wife. My intention was to help her overcome her computer phobia. She set it up all be herself...(with the odd mumble from me!) that's something!! Show's ibook and apple's appeal.

Appeal. People seem to love laptops. The kids in my school love laptops...(though they are stinky dell ones that fall over after about an hour...)

The screen aint too bad if you have it at the right angle. But it aint no crt or lcd...

But I dislike the trackpad idea. I find it fiddly for work. But my wife loves it. Get a mouse? It's not my ibook, I vowed not to use it (much...)

I'm after the G5 at the end of the rainbow...

Instead, I'm using a crummy PC tower. Sold my four year old Mac tower to my sister's kid so she could do some artwork on it...

Yes, I'm/she is running it at it's hightest res and in 32 bit colour...

I have to say I looked long and hard at the Powerbook but the ibook was what my wife wanted.

I think it appealed to her more.

Spec wise, I think that given Apollo chips, the Powerbook should be doing much better than 670mhz... Yeesh. And though the graphic card was improved...check out the latest from Nvidia...!

I'd like to see apple vary the 'colour' styling of the PB. I doubt they will. It looks good enough as it is.

1 gig apollo then for Mac New York?

Lemon Bon Bon

:cool:

Go check out Motorola's semiconductor web site. The listing for the MPC7445 processor -- their lowest wattage G4 chip -- has recently been updated to include 933MHz and 1GHz clock speeds. The 7445 dissipates 10.3 watts (typical) at 733MHz, versus 13.4 watts (typical) at 700MHz for the one I believe they're currently using in the PowerBook, the MPC7441. Not quite a G5, but definitely a substantial opportunity -- available for Apple to order right now -- for a speed bump. Or, for that matter, longer battery life and less fan noise.

What I'd like:

933MHz 7445 (or 7455...mmm)
Radeon 7500 64MB
A hot swappable bay...I know it's very, very hard to engineer this for a laptop as thin as the Titanium, but it would be nice if we had the option to choose a CD drive, a DVD drive, CDRW drive, or a combination drive.
A higher resolution screen. applenut's suggestion of 1440 x 960 sounded good...unfortunately, I seriously doubt there is such a screen available. Remember, Apple has to buy their screens, they don't design them themselves.

Another idea:

A brand new Titanium. Sort of a light version. I know, it's already light. But slightly smaller. With a 1400 x 1050 14.1" TFT. A DVD drive. And what would be super, super cool would be a CompactFlash and Memory Stick (or secure digital...whatever) slot. I also wouldn't mind a Radeon 7500 in it. Mmm...

What I expect:

Same thing as we have now, but with an 800MHz G4 and maybe some larger hard drives. Nothing else really. Oh, and maybe a price increase...

Oh -- and one other thing; Apple needs to keep focused on heat and on power usage, given that this is a laptop, after all, and that under heavy use the current model also does a fair impression of a hair drier. Everything I've seen indicates that ATI is continuing to beat Nvidia soundly when it comes to power usage on graphic chips; until that changes I would hope Apple continues to use Radeon products. (I hope the 7500 is as sparing with power as the standard Radeon.)

While I think the design has probably been or nearly finalized, I'd like to see these cosmetic changes.

1) A finished surface that does not scratch or scuff easily
2) A trackpad/button the same as the iBook's
3) Grey matching keyboard colour
4) Optional black matte exterior finish

As a college student i would love to see the TiBook reach the GHz level. It is hard to get descent food in the cafeteria and the heat generated from the Processor could more than make it double as a hot plate. Rice-a-roni anyone?

[ 04-05-2002: Message edited by: PowerMatt ]</p>

Well gee. If the 7445 runs at 1GHz with similar dissipation as the 7410, then it shouldn't be too bad.

About screens: I think raising the resultion would be counterproductive. Dell uses very high-resolution screens, and I have a great deal of trouble making out text on them. My eyes really begin to hurt after 30 minutes.

If the Quartz engine could scale everything so that it would behave the way it should, then high res is no problem, but I don't know if this is the case.

I'll have an 800 mgz with DVDR and a 48g drive please

[quote]Originally posted by satchmo:
<strong> I'd like to see these cosmetic changes.
3) Grey matching keyboard colour
4) Optional black matte exterior finish</strong><hr></blockquote>

Let's review:
You want a black laptop with a black keyboard and/or a gray laptop with a gray keyboard. This sounds like buying a black car and optioning it with black leather interior, black aftermarket side-windows tint, and blacked-out headlamps. BUT I think it's doable- I like it either way.

[quote]Originally posted by photoeditor:
<strong>Go check out Motorola's semiconductor web site. The listing for the MPC7445 processor -- their lowest wattage G4 chip -- has recently been updated to include 933MHz and 1GHz clock speeds. The 7445 dissipates 10.3 watts (typical) at 733MHz, versus 13.4 watts (typical) at 700MHz for the one I believe they're currently using in the PowerBook, the MPC7441. Not quite a G5, but definitely a substantial opportunity -- available for Apple to order right now -- for a speed bump. Or, for that matter, longer battery life and less fan noise.</strong><hr></blockquote>

Really? How interesting.....
If they come out with a 1Ghz Tibook, I'm laying the money down.

can you imagine: Comprable processor speeds in desktop and laptop machines! :eek:

It would be Apple's style to update the powerbooks to a comprable power to the powermacs for about a month. Think: PBG4 1GHz June, Powermac G4 (or even G5) 1.3 GHz MWNY.

&lt;back to reality&gt; Of course, there would never be a 1,000-667=333MHz speed bump or 150% bump, whichever you prefer.

[quote]Originally posted by bauman:
<strong>Of course, there would never be a 1,000-667=333MHz speed bump or 150% bump, whichever you prefer.</strong><hr></blockquote>

Ummm, I would prefer proper math.
That would be a 50% speed jump.
150% would be 1,667Mhz.
Wouldn't that be something!

I apologize, I meant 150% of the original speed.

[ 04-07-2002: Message edited by: bauman ]</p>

[quote]Originally posted by K.A.I.:
<strong>What I expect in next PowerBook:
\t-Ultra ATA 100
</strong><hr></blockquote>

Hehe, of course that's immensely important in a laptop, where you usually have rather slow 2.5" HDs, and can't even have more than one of them. That thing sure as hell is severely limited by ATA66...

Bye,
RazzFazz

[quote]Originally posted by RazzFazz:
<strong>

Hehe, of course that's immensely important in a laptop, where you usually have rather slow 2.5" HDs, and can't even have more than one of them. That thing sure as hell is severely limited by ATA66...

Bye,
RazzFazz</strong><hr></blockquote>

But the number 100 is bigger than 66, so 100 must be better, right?

Look's like Bozo's ready for a marketing job at Dell!

Best not to forget the flexibility of those swappable bays on the Pismo firewire G3 PB. I have used just about every combination frm one side of the Earth to the other, Australia to to Japan, to Manhattan, London, Edinburgh and Amsterdam: VST bay HardDrives for extra storage, SuperDisk drive for maximum flexibility in floppys from Japan and the US, to Zip250 (my current favorite storage medium), floppies, CDs to DVD (the original!) where I play mine and load new software. I have EVEN used cards! Two Batteries... etc. etc. :cool:

What I am getting at, is there was NO reason to go to the PB G4 until it really gave me major portable advantages and flexibiities. I WANT a G4, but I would lose much.

For me the thin G4 was attractive, but its dimensions and closed-box nature were BIG negatives at its current, and even updated speeds.

[quote]Originally posted by photoeditor:
<strong>Go check out Motorola's semiconductor web site. The listing for the MPC7445 processor -- their lowest wattage G4 chip -- has recently been updated to include 933MHz and 1GHz clock speeds. The 7445 dissipates 10.3 watts (typical) at 733MHz, versus 13.4 watts (typical) at 700MHz for the one I believe they're currently using in the PowerBook, the MPC7441. Not quite a G5, but definitely a substantial opportunity -- available for Apple to order right now -- for a speed bump. Or, for that matter, longer battery life and less fan noise.</strong><hr></blockquote>

Depending on battery technology then it looks more likely we'll see a 733/800 than a 933/1Ghz.

But then again, if a 7445 draws about 10 watts @ 733 I wonder what its like at 933? Not good I imagine as if Moto will be listing the best figures.

Pity we won't get a 7455 really!

Edit: Motos 7445 factsheet says it doesn't do 1Ghz at all but <a href="http://e-www.motorola.com/webapp/sps/site/prod_summary.jsp?code=MPC7445&nodeId=01M98653" target="_blank">this</a> says it does.

[ 04-12-2002: Message edited by: Blackcat ]</p>

learned to read. so much for that post.

[ 04-12-2002: Message edited by: cowerd ]</p>

Interestingly enough, the shipping wait on stock TiBooks at the Apple Store is now 10 days. So we find out the answers to our speculation sooner rather than later.

I never really have figured that one out. . . . Why do increased wait times mean a product update? <img src="confused.gif" border="0">

Its one of the seven signs. The other six involve barnyard animals, plagues and not hitting any traffic on the Hollywood Freeway at 8am on a weekday. When all these condition are met Apple updates a product. Which explains the long development cycles.

"Its one of the seven signs. The other six involve barnyard animals, plagues and not hitting any traffic on the Hollywood Freeway at 8am on a weekday. When all these condition are met Apple updates a product. Which explains the long development cycles. "

Ouch.



Lemon Bon Bon

[quote]Originally posted by agent302:
<strong>Interestingly enough, the shipping wait on stock TiBooks at the Apple Store is now 10 days. So we find out the answers to our speculation sooner rather than later.</strong><hr></blockquote>

That actually is quite interesting. Any word on why? Or has the wait gone back down to normal times yet?

[quote]Originally posted by PookJP:
<strong>

That actually is quite interesting. Any word on why? Or has the wait gone back down to normal times yet?</strong><hr></blockquote>

I check on it occasionaly and have for a while. it seems to fluctuate between 7 and 10 every now and then.

Could be due to LCD shortages or the fact that Powerbooks just always take longer to get to you

I only mentioned this because a week ago, ship times were only 5 days, and had been that way for almost a month, I think. So, I don't know what means, but I hope it means new powerbooks (but don't take my word for it).

Edit: Well, I just checked again, and it's back down to 5 days. So, I don't know what's happening at all.

[ 04-14-2002: Message edited by: agent302 ]</p>

What I expect from the new PB is that it will start out strong but quickly fall behind and stay there for the remainder of its term.

Usually Apple's problem is not what it releases, but rather its slow development cycle. It does not matter if Apple releases something that is slightly ahead of the technological curve. PC makers have a more vigorous development and release cycle. Therefore, they quickly overtake Apple's new release and leave it in the dust. Apple allows itself to fall years behind the competition. Years behind is where Apple products spend most of their life cycle.

Now we are starting to see an even worse trend. Apple is releasing products that are behind current PC specs. Besides the small size and the adjustable arm, the new iMac brings nothing new to the table. The 1GigDp barely holds its own against the Athlon 1.4Gig. With these new and improved products, the best Apple can do is run a close second. It will only get worse from there.

As far as portables go, their newest one, the 14" iBook is late to the table as well. PC notebooks have been shipping at that size in the budget class for some time now. $1800 will get you top of the line processing power in the PC universe with a 14.1 or 15" screen and in some cases, higher resolution. And in almost all cases, better graphics card.

The days of Apple playing leapfrog with PC's may be over. Now it is a monumental task just for them to play catch up. Therefore, I do not expect to be impressed with whatever they put out in the portable space. I'm sure that it will be impressive compared to previous Apple products, though. Should that be all they're concerned about, or should they care about surpassing PC specs?

(Trying very hard ti ignore that last post)

So -- a few questions that pop up often in my mind, what with the new developments (rumors) and all:

1) Slot-loading or tray-loading Superdrive (or none at all)?

2) Better graphics card? Which one?

3) Thicker?

4) What date in May? (May Day has a nice ring to it.)

5) Do any other notebook computers have DVD burners in them? Is this one way Apple may be able to "leapfrog" the "Dark Side"? (Okay, so I didn't try hard enough to ignore that last post.)

Regards,
PEte

More power, more sex.

That's what the PB should have next?

Go on then. Superdrive it.

Superdrive the lot. iBook as well.

...and while you're down there,...G4 the iBook as well...

Lemon Bon Bon

Believe it or not, Pete, I want to see Apple leapfrog the PC. I want to see the style and performance envelope pushed to the max. The train is going in reverse right now. PCs are defining power, performance, and price. The Mac is struggling to catch up. It used to be the other way around and I would like to see it that way again.

I haven't heard the issue of heat come up in quite a while conserning the Powerbooks. Personally I haven't had a chance to work with one more than a few minutes at the local Apple reseller so I can't really judge. I was thinking if this problem is as bad as everyone thinks, this could possibly be remedied by ribbing whole or part of the bottom side (maybe adding .15-.2 of an inch which would also leave the possiblity for venting in the crevases to draw air in as well as using the ribbing as a giant heat sink more than doubling the surface area. The ribb design could also strengthen the case from bending and twisting which also seems to be an issue from what I hear. Enlarging the screen to 16.1" or so and giving it a 16:10 widescreen ratio would add nearly 10 square inches to the display (106.8-&gt;116.4) possibly for a little larger battery as well. I would love to see it add DVI and the ATI Mobility FireGL 7800 with 64MB making it the true mobile workstation. I hope to post a few images of my rendition of a new casing within the next couple days hopefully. (Envision some of the styling cues from the PS2, IBM UNIX class desktop workstations and the Powerbook Ti combined in a sleek, black, robust mobile powerhouse.)

[quote] \t MacVoyeur\t posted 04-14-2002 12:26 PM Â*Â*Â* Â*Â* Â*Â* Â*Â* Â* Â* Â*Â*

What I expect from the new PB is that it will start out strong but quickly fall behind and stay there for the remainder of its term.

Usually Apple's problem is not what it releases, but rather its slow development cycle. It does not matter if Apple releases something that is slightly ahead of the technological curve. PC makers have a more vigorous development and release cycle. Therefore, they quickly overtake Apple's new release and leave it in the dust. Apple allows itself to fall years behind the competition. Years behind is where Apple products spend most of their life cycle.

Now we are starting to see an even worse trend. Apple is releasing products that are behind current PC specs. Besides the small size and the adjustable arm, the new iMac brings nothing new to the table. The 1GigDp barely holds its own against the Athlon 1.4Gig. With these new and improved products, the best Apple can do is run a close second. It will only get worse from there.

As far as portables go, their newest one, the 14" iBook is late to the table as well. PC notebooks have been shipping at that size in the budget class for some time now. $1800 will get you top of the line processing power in the PC universe with a 14.1 or 15" screen and in some cases, higher resolution. And in almost all cases, better graphics card.

The days of Apple playing leapfrog with PC's may be over. Now it is a monumental task just for them to play catch up. Therefore, I do not expect to be impressed with whatever they put out in the portable space. I'm sure that it will be impressive compared to previous Apple products, though. Should that be all they're concerned about, or should they care about surpassing PC specs? <hr></blockquote>

Maybe I got to this particular thread a little late, but MacV I cannot help but say this is one of silliest rants I have seen on these boards. To talk about the new iMac bringing nothing new to the table is total rubbish.

There seems to be a sadly inadequate element in the Mac community who cannot recognize what is right in front of their eyes!

Of course I would love to have everything on everything at low cost and never have anything on my Macs "fall behind" anything anyone else has, but this is not a foot race. What do you use your computer for? What are your computers doing for you in your life , work, business, enjoyment?

Do we sit over our Beige (or increasingly Black) Boxes and run speed tests long after the JOLT cola runs out in the Computer Center caf? Not anymore.

I happen to hate the 14" iBook because it is no better than the G3 Pismo and BECAUSE it is bigger than the little iBook, but that has to do with ease of use, not specs. What I want is G4 across the line so I can really enjoy running OS X. My Cubes and the Cinemas do everything on the desk top, my iMac 800 is my communication and fun machine (digital hub if you must), while I use the G3 Firewire PB for galavanting around the world! Each machine has its function, and its strengths. ALL are better than anything my colleagues have at university from design to function.

The MS Office that runs in multiple languages (my needs include English, Japanese, Chinese, and Korean--though I occasionally do a smatterng of British and Australian as well--) are integrated into the OS9.2 and OSX system!

OOps , forgive the rant <img src="graemlins/embarrassed.gif" border="0" alt="[Embarrassed]" />

This was about PowerBooks I suppose. Me? How about better screen resolution on the PB and up to a G? Or , give me a G4 on the little iBook that won't melt through, and I will abandon my Japanse-language iBook and go with that around the world.

[quote]Originally posted by sjpsu:
<strong>This is upsetting news (rumors) for me. I want to buy a PowerBook in early fall/ late summer, but I want it to last throughout my four years in college. If I buy in May, I have a laptop for the start of college but if i wait til October, I run the risk of Apple not even updating it then. I might even have to wait until MWSF 2003! I don;t think I could deal with buying a $3000 computer and then having it updated with a 25% increase in processor clock speed 5 months later (more importantly, only 1 month of actual use since college starts in september).</strong><hr></blockquote>

Computers get updated constantly, so don't sweat that. Really, do you expect any computer to still be current after 4 years?

Buy what you need. If I could get through college with an Apple //c (from 1986-89) you can probably scrape by with a TiBook. Obsolescence is determined by use: My mom bought Apple's bottom of the line notebook in 1992, and just retired it last summer. It still runs Word 5.1 as well as it did when she bought it, so she had no reason to replace it until it started getting a little flaky.

Sony VIAO computers have a shelf life of 90 days from Sony. Upgrades every 90 days!!!