<strong>I have just noticed something, which is probably nothing at all, however; if you go to Apple's hardware page, the only product not pictured at the top is - lo and behold - the PowerBook. Just some food for thought.</strong><hr></blockquote>
So what's the scoop at this point? I've sold my iBook 500, but there is no way no how I am going to buy the currently available models, as according to the upgrade cycle, the TiBooks are the next on deck for a refresh.
As well, there are some things I am unhappy with the current models. My main beef has to do with the combo drive. An 8x CD burner? I find that pretty underpowered. Of course, I am comparing this to the desktops, but I think that even 16x CD burning capability on the next PBG4 is not too much to ask for. I'd be interested to know what others think of this
So at this point, will there be a new form factor? Or will Apple continue to attempt to milk this one for at least one more generation?
1.2 ghz on the top end would be nice, but is this realistic? A more conservative guess is the one that's been brought up many times - 1 ghz for the top end, with 800 mhz on the base model. Even better woudl be an 867 mhz on the base model.
Will the refresh include a Superdrive? Would be nice, but based on Apple's past "use year old parts and charge state of the art prices" policy, seems highly unlikely.
Price - assuming 1 ghz at the top end, with the Radeon 9000 card, 512 megs of RAM, 40 gig HD (would nice if Apple would FINALLY put in 5200 rpm drives standard), I think that current pricing of $3199 is too high, especially in light of what you can get in terms of price/performance on the WinTel side, but also compared to the current line of G4 Towers, which have dual processors. And especially in this weak economy here consumers (even the most loyal of Mac users) are price-sensitive, let alone potential Switchers(tm). Could Apple do better than $2499 on the low end and $3199 on the high end?
Finally, the big $3200 dollar question can be summarized in one word:
When?
So when will this happen? On Monday, a whole bunch of rebates/specials will expire. Also there are expiries of specials on October 15th. It would be like an early Christmas if two days from now Apple were to announce new TiBooks. Or how about on October 16th? There has been talk about a refresh not happening until next year.
Oh yes, One More Thing(tm), the issue of OS X boot-only machines. For me (and many musicians), this would be a huge issue. Despite Logic finally being available in OS X, problem is, Pro Tools is not. And no, you can *not* run digital audio/MIDI programs in OS X using Classic. It just plain does not work. I use Logic Audio, but the problem is, two plug-in sets (Waves and Autotune) are not available as native OS X VST, let alone Audio Units. As a result, I can not run OS X full time as I'd like to. So I'd prefer that a new Powerbook could be dual-bootable. A lot of pro musicians use the TiBook. Moby, BT, and countless others. I can't wait until the day that Waves, Autotune, T-Racks are OS X native so I don't have to dual boot to do music, but until then, dual boot is necessary for some of us pro guys.
In any case, speculate away, let's have some fun with this to pass the time from now until the next revision TiBooks are finally released!
I know that patience is a virtue. But I feel like I'm stuck in purgatory, while the world passes me by. I want a new PowerBook tomorrow or Tuesday! Please, Apple! Thanks, your loyal friend, Dave.
Seriously this is like Christmas eve when you are twelve but it has lasted since July when the first report of a new Powerbook was released. I check every morning to my dismay and find another day has passed with no new Pbook. The anticipation is killing me. It has to be this Tuesday, if not we may be waiting till MWSF. If I have to wait this long the damn thing better be f-ing UNBELIEVABLE.
<strong>Seriously this is like Christmas eve when you are twelve but it has lasted since July when the first report of a new Powerbook was released. I check every morning to my dismay and find another day has passed with no new Pbook. The anticipation is killing me. It has to be this Tuesday, if not we may be waiting till MWSF. If I have to wait this long the damn thing better be f-ing UNBELIEVABLE.</strong><hr></blockquote>
at the risk of sounding like a big baby, I am seriously going to cry if something doesn't happen to the TiBook soon. I have been waiting since like June to get one because there were all those rumors that they were going to be updated at MW but they wern't. Then Seybold and Paris. Nothing. I am hoping I don't have to wait until the next MW in January. That would suck big time. I know what some will say...you should buy when you need it. My response to that is it sucks when you buy a brand new, top of the line computer and the next week it is out dated. I would like it to be top of the line for like oh, I don't know, a couple of months! Thanks for listening to me vent.
Audio is in real trouble on the Mac. Probably since audio software had to be so tightly integrated into Mac OS, with many hacks and workarounds....correct me if I'm wrong but I suspect that carbonizing something like Pro-tools is much more difficult than carbonizing Office. Anyways that's probably why Apple bought emagic, to push an audio app onto OS X and to light a fire under the asses of Pro-tools and cubase.
<strong>Audio is in real trouble on the Mac. Probably since audio software had to be so tightly integrated into Mac OS, with many hacks and workarounds....correct me if I'm wrong but I suspect that carbonizing something like Pro-tools is much more difficult than carbonizing Office. Anyways that's probably why Apple bought emagic, to push an audio app onto OS X and to light a fire under the asses of Pro-tools and cubase.</strong><hr></blockquote>
It's funny you say that. I'm sitting here, taking a short break from work reading AppleInsider. While I'm working on a project (in Logic 5.3 X) with a deadline tomorrow. For the first time I'm doing serious work 100% in Mac OS X and with a deadline so close!
Call me crazy, call me misfit...Actually Logic seems to run very stable in OS X and now I can have explorer running in the background without worries about system freezes. nice.
Anyway, to answer your question, yes, I do believe it's more diffult carbonizing the major audio apps compared to Office apps. Logic, for example, is a HUGE program, that has to run extremely stable to be of any use. But after running Logic in X I disagree that Audio is in trouble on the mac. on the contrary.
ProTools and Cubase are coming this year and most plugins will be converted soon enough. The transition will take some time, but that's not really a problem since most musicians don't buy the latest and greatest in computers and operating systems right away. stability and workflow is more important. So they won't suddenly switch over to Windows either.
Back to the PowerBook topic: Waiting for the new PBs to arrive is a torture. I share the same sentiment as some of the other posters here, please Apple, give us new PowerBooks this week
Does anybody know anything about the Radeon 9000 mobile? I'm not talking performance. What I'm wondering is physically, could it just be dropped into the current powerbook enclosure? Or, in order to put this card into the pb is a modification/redesign of the powerbook enclosure required?
I'm curious because it seems that if there is any redesign of the powerbook case then the rest of the revision is going to be more dramatic. Not just a speed bump to 1ghz. I know that the current crop of rumors suggest a mild update soon and a major update at MWSF, but even a mild update would seem to need the Radeon 9000. ? I know I'm not buying one until that card is in there.
Wow, lots of great replies! Oh well, even if it take this baby a little while longer to come out of the oven, at least we're having some fun in the meantime
Power Apple - I'd be curious to know, how do you find working without Waves Platinum Bundle and Autotune? For me, those two packages are essential. Of course I can work without them, but that's like asking a Photoshop veteran to work without his favorite plug-ins.
Hook - from what I understand, the Radeon 9000 is just a chip, and it's almost as simple as slotting in the chip into the motherboard. Of course you'll have to confirm, but I remember reading something about that. Hope that's the case. But for someone like me who doesn't play games, I do prefer to have an ATI card over an NVDA card, since I've noticed that I prefer the color/2D on the ATI cards over the NVDAs. Also was told the ATI drivers are more solid.
Power Apple - I'd be curious to know, how do you find working without Waves Platinum Bundle and Autotune? For me, those two packages are essential. Of course I can work without them, but that's like asking a Photoshop veteran to work without his favorite plug-ins.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Internal DVD-R/DVD-RW drive now a possibility, since Toshiba is releasing an internal drive... writes DVD at 1x, Reads DVD 8x, Writes CD 16x, Reads Cd 24x.
Writes DVDs at 1X!!!!!!!!!!!!!! what a f***ing stupidly slow write speed!!!!!!! I can't believe it!!!! Now I'm depressed... where did I leave that gun?
Well all quiet on the powerbook front, not even a peep of a Oct. 1 release on any of the rumor or news sites. If they unveil the new one tomorrow it will be a surprise at least, because no certain info has been leaked. Here's hoping.
[quote]Anyway, to answer your question, yes, I do believe it's more diffult carbonizing the major audio apps compared to Office apps. Logic, for example, is a HUGE program, that has to run extremely stable to be of any use. But after running Logic in X I disagree that Audio is in trouble on the mac. on the contrary.
ProTools and Cubase are coming this year and most plugins will be converted soon enough. The transition will take some time, but that's not really a problem since most musicians don't buy the latest and greatest in computers and operating systems right away. stability and workflow is more important. So they won't suddenly switch over to Windows either.
<hr></blockquote>
Fine for logic users, but not for protools or cubase users, and even many logic users can't switch because they can't get the plug-ins they need. These issues are slowing the transition to OS X, and when macs only boot into OS X, these people won't even buy any new macs.
Apple didn't help things by waiting until 10.1 to finish the audio frameworks for OS X, and even now audio in OS X lags behind Windows by several years. Apple DVD player can't even do surround sound! What a joke.
Comments
<strong>I have just noticed something, which is probably nothing at all, however; if you go to Apple's hardware page, the only product not pictured at the top is - lo and behold - the PowerBook. Just some food for thought.</strong><hr></blockquote>
and the iMac CRT.
So what's the scoop at this point? I've sold my iBook 500, but there is no way no how I am going to buy the currently available models, as according to the upgrade cycle, the TiBooks are the next on deck for a refresh.
As well, there are some things I am unhappy with the current models. My main beef has to do with the combo drive. An 8x CD burner? I find that pretty underpowered. Of course, I am comparing this to the desktops, but I think that even 16x CD burning capability on the next PBG4 is not too much to ask for. I'd be interested to know what others think of this
So at this point, will there be a new form factor? Or will Apple continue to attempt to milk this one for at least one more generation?
1.2 ghz on the top end would be nice, but is this realistic? A more conservative guess is the one that's been brought up many times - 1 ghz for the top end, with 800 mhz on the base model. Even better woudl be an 867 mhz on the base model.
Will the refresh include a Superdrive? Would be nice, but based on Apple's past "use year old parts and charge state of the art prices" policy, seems highly unlikely.
Price - assuming 1 ghz at the top end, with the Radeon 9000 card, 512 megs of RAM, 40 gig HD (would nice if Apple would FINALLY put in 5200 rpm drives standard), I think that current pricing of $3199 is too high, especially in light of what you can get in terms of price/performance on the WinTel side, but also compared to the current line of G4 Towers, which have dual processors. And especially in this weak economy here consumers (even the most loyal of Mac users) are price-sensitive, let alone potential Switchers(tm). Could Apple do better than $2499 on the low end and $3199 on the high end?
Finally, the big $3200 dollar question can be summarized in one word:
When?
So when will this happen? On Monday, a whole bunch of rebates/specials will expire. Also there are expiries of specials on October 15th. It would be like an early Christmas if two days from now Apple were to announce new TiBooks. Or how about on October 16th? There has been talk about a refresh not happening until next year.
Oh yes, One More Thing(tm), the issue of OS X boot-only machines. For me (and many musicians), this would be a huge issue. Despite Logic finally being available in OS X, problem is, Pro Tools is not. And no, you can *not* run digital audio/MIDI programs in OS X using Classic. It just plain does not work. I use Logic Audio, but the problem is, two plug-in sets (Waves and Autotune) are not available as native OS X VST, let alone Audio Units. As a result, I can not run OS X full time as I'd like to. So I'd prefer that a new Powerbook could be dual-bootable. A lot of pro musicians use the TiBook. Moby, BT, and countless others. I can't wait until the day that Waves, Autotune, T-Racks are OS X native so I don't have to dual boot to do music, but until then, dual boot is necessary for some of us pro guys.
In any case, speculate away, let's have some fun with this to pass the time from now until the next revision TiBooks are finally released!
<strong>Seriously this is like Christmas eve when you are twelve but it has lasted since July when the first report of a new Powerbook was released. I check every morning to my dismay and find another day has passed with no new Pbook. The anticipation is killing me. It has to be this Tuesday, if not we may be waiting till MWSF. If I have to wait this long the damn thing better be f-ing UNBELIEVABLE.</strong><hr></blockquote>
AMEN!!!!
[ 09-30-2002: Message edited by: shagstlm ]</p>
<strong>Audio is in real trouble on the Mac. Probably since audio software had to be so tightly integrated into Mac OS, with many hacks and workarounds....correct me if I'm wrong but I suspect that carbonizing something like Pro-tools is much more difficult than carbonizing Office. Anyways that's probably why Apple bought emagic, to push an audio app onto OS X and to light a fire under the asses of Pro-tools and cubase.</strong><hr></blockquote>
It's funny you say that. I'm sitting here, taking a short break from work reading AppleInsider. While I'm working on a project (in Logic 5.3 X) with a deadline tomorrow. For the first time I'm doing serious work 100% in Mac OS X and with a deadline so close!
Call me crazy, call me misfit...Actually Logic seems to run very stable in OS X and now I can have explorer running in the background without worries about system freezes. nice.
Anyway, to answer your question, yes, I do believe it's more diffult carbonizing the major audio apps compared to Office apps. Logic, for example, is a HUGE program, that has to run extremely stable to be of any use. But after running Logic in X I disagree that Audio is in trouble on the mac. on the contrary.
ProTools and Cubase are coming this year and most plugins will be converted soon enough. The transition will take some time, but that's not really a problem since most musicians don't buy the latest and greatest in computers and operating systems right away. stability and workflow is more important. So they won't suddenly switch over to Windows either.
Back to the PowerBook topic: Waiting for the new PBs to arrive is a torture. I share the same sentiment as some of the other posters here, please Apple, give us new PowerBooks this week
I'm curious because it seems that if there is any redesign of the powerbook case then the rest of the revision is going to be more dramatic. Not just a speed bump to 1ghz. I know that the current crop of rumors suggest a mild update soon and a major update at MWSF, but even a mild update would seem to need the Radeon 9000. ? I know I'm not buying one until that card is in there.
Power Apple - I'd be curious to know, how do you find working without Waves Platinum Bundle and Autotune? For me, those two packages are essential. Of course I can work without them, but that's like asking a Photoshop veteran to work without his favorite plug-ins.
Hook - from what I understand, the Radeon 9000 is just a chip, and it's almost as simple as slotting in the chip into the motherboard. Of course you'll have to confirm, but I remember reading something about that. Hope that's the case. But for someone like me who doesn't play games, I do prefer to have an ATI card over an NVDA card, since I've noticed that I prefer the color/2D on the ATI cards over the NVDAs. Also was told the ATI drivers are more solid.
<strong>
Power Apple - I'd be curious to know, how do you find working without Waves Platinum Bundle and Autotune? For me, those two packages are essential. Of course I can work without them, but that's like asking a Photoshop veteran to work without his favorite plug-ins.</strong><hr></blockquote>
I don't use plug ins.
<a href="http://news.com.com/2100-1040-960077.html"; target="_blank">http://news.com.com/2100-1040-960077.html</a>;
<strong>
I don't use plug ins.</strong><hr></blockquote>
KidRed, the unplugged man? Is that why you want a new PowerBook? <img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laughing]" />
ProTools and Cubase are coming this year and most plugins will be converted soon enough. The transition will take some time, but that's not really a problem since most musicians don't buy the latest and greatest in computers and operating systems right away. stability and workflow is more important. So they won't suddenly switch over to Windows either.
<hr></blockquote>
Fine for logic users, but not for protools or cubase users, and even many logic users can't switch because they can't get the plug-ins they need. These issues are slowing the transition to OS X, and when macs only boot into OS X, these people won't even buy any new macs.
Apple didn't help things by waiting until 10.1 to finish the audio frameworks for OS X, and even now audio in OS X lags behind Windows by several years. Apple DVD player can't even do surround sound! What a joke.
<strong>(Shamelessly cross-posting from MacNN)
A lot of pro musicians use the TiBook. Moby, BT, and countless others.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Actually Moby uses an iBook, sorry to nitpick, just a detail freak
m
sounds pretty reliable ... give it maybe a month or two ...
anyways i am looking forward to logic for OSX...
m