Obviously a couple people here and there will pay $3500 for a 6 month old product that has not seen even a price reduction let alone a spec improvement, but I can't believe that sales are going as well as they did the first 2 weeks after it's introduction...
I believe that at this point, it's silly to wait for inventory to clear before releasing the upgrade. I understand the business sense of it, but it seems like a better idea to have a ton of people buying the new machine and just take the loss on the old model as opposed to waiting 6-12 months while a very small amount of people very slowly buy up the remaining inventory of current revs.
Even if there is a lot of invetory left, Apple should release the new models, and continue selling the old models at reduced costs.
with the "power couple" deal and the "double your ram" deal (both ending Dec 31, 2002), does anyone still think new powerbooks will be coming out in Oct/Nov?
I'm kind of sick of waiting for new models to come out. If nothing comes out after Oct 15, I may just buy a Ti800 or look into a cheap/refurbished Powermac to hold me over. I need to start doing some serious work soon. It's a real shame Apple just doesn't get it. The current models are beyond stale, especially for the price. A simple refresh 1Ghz or 933 Mhz and ATi Radeon Mobility 9000 w/ 64 MB Ram, would have been great. I don't really need the mobile superdrive or bluetooth. Just want some extra raw speed in the processor and video card.
<strong>with the "power couple" deal and the "double your ram" deal (both ending Dec 31, 2002), does anyone still think new powerbooks will be coming out in Oct/Nov?
</strong><hr></blockquote>
I've given up on seeing new Powerbooks this year, but those two promotions apply for all Macs. The Power Couple is really just a rebate on the LCDs until they lower the price. If they introduce new Powerbooks, if they don't raise the amount of ram in them, the "double your ram" deal still works just the same as before.
Is it seriously as hot and slow as you all say? I'm getting nervous now that I ordered mine... <img src="graemlins/hmmm.gif" border="0" alt="[Hmmm]" />
Is it seriously as hot and slow as you all say? I'm getting nervous now that I ordered mine... <img src="graemlins/hmmm.gif" border="0" alt="[Hmmm]" /> </strong><hr></blockquote>
From what I've heard, the heat issue on the Powerbook is still nothing compared to many pc laptops....
Of course, this thread has been overshadowed by the other big announcement on the 15th, but I do hope we get new Powerbooks tomorrow, though somehow I doubt we will.
Based upon the new information we have on the 970, do any of you think that it will initially be launched in a Powerbook as well as the Powermacs, or do you think we'll need to wait for an even lighter low power version?
[quote] Of course, this thread has been overshadowed by the other big announcement on the 15th, but I do hope we get new Powerbooks tomorrow, though somehow I doubt we will.
Based upon the new information we have on the 970, do any of you think that it will initially be launched in a Powerbook as well as the Powermacs, or do you think we'll need to wait for an even lighter low power version? <hr></blockquote>
I think this is a great question. I do not know the answer but maybe history con be our guide. How much time passed between the G4 first appearing in a desktop Mac and it appearing in the Powerbook? I do know the answer but if memory serves me it seems like it was less than a year. I would guess though that we will be lucky to see it in a laptop before next Christmas.
<strong>Of course, this thread has been overshadowed by the other big announcement on the 15th, but I do hope we get new Powerbooks tomorrow, though somehow I doubt we will.
Based upon the new information we have on the 970, do any of you think that it will initially be launched in a Powerbook as well as the Powermacs, or do you think we'll need to wait for an even lighter low power version?</strong><hr></blockquote>
I doubt we will see the powerpc 970 in powerbooks in the initial rollout. I have a feeling these chips will be hot and consume lots of power. I think Apple and IBM will find a way to get a 64 bit PowerPC chip (a lighter variant of the PPC970) into a laptop. I'm pretty sure they will be among the first to do so (or the first to do so).
I have more faith in IBM than Motorola. Even though this news came out before the chips will actually be released, it kind of gives me some confidence that this future IBM and Apple relationship will blossom into something special. Even though they haven't gone into heavy production of the chips, I know that IBM will deliver the goods (unlike Motorola).
*cross fingers* Here's hoping Apple and IBM finally get things rolling and give Intel and AMD a run for its money. Also, here's hoping Apple releases new powerbooks tomorrow
With the revelations that the PPC970 is single cored and already at a .13 process, I suspect it will find its way to portables pretty quick. I am hoping that by Spring 2004 we'll have it in the PowerBooks, and I think that's a safe, conservative estimate.
A little history on Desktop to Portable CPU transitions:
For the G3: in Desktops by Nov 1997, and we saw it half a year later in a powerbook (May 1998)
For the G4 (7400): in desktops by Sept 1999, and we saw it one and a half years later in the TiBook (Jan 01) [OK, well it was really the 7410 in the PBs, but close enough]
For the G4 (7450): in desktops by Jan 01, and we saw it in the TiBook 10 months later (Oct 01)
And, just for reference, of course
For the P4: Introduced for desktops in Nov 00, for notebooks in March 02
Of course, this really means absolutely nothing, because it all depends on how much heat the chip creates. The P4 is a powerplant, whereas the G3 never created much heat or took much energy at all.
So, we'll just have to wait and see what the heat dissipation and power consumptions is like.
Do you suppose that if this is true they will update their website at midnight? I'll stay up for sure anyway since I want to be logged into my iTools account when they delete it. I heard somewhere that this will keep it open for free.
My 800Mhz PowerBook shipped today. If a new model is released tomorrow, I am going to go nuts. I will call Apple and DEMAND a $300 rebate at the very least. Imagine new models coming out before I even receive mine!
[ 10-14-2002: Message edited by: Jon Rubinstein ]</p>
I just spent the last hour reviewing "notebooks" (as they seemed to be called in the PC world) from Sony, Dell, Compaq, Winbook, and Acer. And by god, aside from Sony, who is really trying, the Apple "notebooks" still kick ass. They are the most light, streamline, and feature-loaded without clutter as any notebook out there.
The prices on notebooks are a little cheaper than the Mac (on the high end), but surprisingly not by much! All-in-all, there are feature sacrifices on the PC models which give the nod to the Mac in the end -- like 6-pin firewire, for example (and not the 4-pin Firewire). And in my opinion the clusmy scattered positioning of I/O ports on the PC is downright hideous.
I was thinking about a PC laptop just to fool around with, in case I need to someday need to know Win XP for a future job. But I just can't bring myself to blowing $1,399 + on a laptop that I won't really like, when I can put it into a more graceful, nice Mac. So with all this said, please Apple update the damn PowerBook line tomorrow!!!
Comments
<strong>
I am proof you're wrong.
My Ti800 was 2 weeks old yesterday.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Mine's a whole week older!
I got the stock config, and upped it to 1 GB of RAM and a 60 GB hard drive. I am Master of the portable Mac Universe!
Obviously a couple people here and there will pay $3500 for a 6 month old product that has not seen even a price reduction let alone a spec improvement, but I can't believe that sales are going as well as they did the first 2 weeks after it's introduction...
I believe that at this point, it's silly to wait for inventory to clear before releasing the upgrade. I understand the business sense of it, but it seems like a better idea to have a ton of people buying the new machine and just take the loss on the old model as opposed to waiting 6-12 months while a very small amount of people very slowly buy up the remaining inventory of current revs.
Even if there is a lot of invetory left, Apple should release the new models, and continue selling the old models at reduced costs.
-'pert
I'm kind of sick of waiting for new models to come out. If nothing comes out after Oct 15, I may just buy a Ti800 or look into a cheap/refurbished Powermac to hold me over. I need to start doing some serious work soon. It's a real shame Apple just doesn't get it. The current models are beyond stale, especially for the price. A simple refresh 1Ghz or 933 Mhz and ATi Radeon Mobility 9000 w/ 64 MB Ram, would have been great. I don't really need the mobile superdrive or bluetooth. Just want some extra raw speed in the processor and video card.
Hope Apple comes to its senses soon...
- trowa
doubt that will ever happen.....
i bought a 3rd gen ti800 & called support
with a few q's since i was surprised at how hot
it ran......i dont think ive ever met a bigger
bunch of arrogant a**holes in my life.
i love the form factor & stylng but its slightly
slow & badly overpriced....
that coupled with the above service experience
and i would never recomend a pbook to anyone
(btw this is my first & only mac)
an update would be nice & a willingness to
listen to customers who are keeping them afloat
companies with bad service deserve to go down
the tubes (& this applies to all companies)
keep the form factor..bump up the bus & faster
cpu & fix that stupid heating issue & people
will buy it...and lower the price....its ridiculous to expect people to shell out 3700$
in the current economic climate...
there end of rant
i also bought a sun u10 a year ago & their
follow up service was excellent
(i normally use pc's & bought the u10 & the mac
for specific projects)
sun has the most knowledgeble techs around
(next to oracle)
& the other company that really impressed me
was macwarehouse (the guys i bought the ti800 from)
so surprising that apple has bad service
while their resellers are pretty good
(nb: their store techs arent the brightest bulbs
either)
<strong>with the "power couple" deal and the "double your ram" deal (both ending Dec 31, 2002), does anyone still think new powerbooks will be coming out in Oct/Nov?
</strong><hr></blockquote>
I've given up on seeing new Powerbooks this year, but those two promotions apply for all Macs. The Power Couple is really just a rebate on the LCDs until they lower the price. If they introduce new Powerbooks, if they don't raise the amount of ram in them, the "double your ram" deal still works just the same as before.
<strong>
i bought a 3rd gen ti800 & called support
with a few q's since i was surprised at how hot
it ran......i dont think ive ever met a bigger
bunch of arrogant a**holes in my life.
i love the form factor & stylng but its slightly
slow & badly overpriced....
</strong><hr></blockquote>
Is it seriously as hot and slow as you all say? I'm getting nervous now that I ordered mine... <img src="graemlins/hmmm.gif" border="0" alt="[Hmmm]" />
<strong>
Is it seriously as hot and slow as you all say? I'm getting nervous now that I ordered mine... <img src="graemlins/hmmm.gif" border="0" alt="[Hmmm]" /> </strong><hr></blockquote>
From what I've heard, the heat issue on the Powerbook is still nothing compared to many pc laptops....
Based upon the new information we have on the 970, do any of you think that it will initially be launched in a Powerbook as well as the Powermacs, or do you think we'll need to wait for an even lighter low power version?
Based upon the new information we have on the 970, do any of you think that it will initially be launched in a Powerbook as well as the Powermacs, or do you think we'll need to wait for an even lighter low power version? <hr></blockquote>
I think this is a great question. I do not know the answer but maybe history con be our guide. How much time passed between the G4 first appearing in a desktop Mac and it appearing in the Powerbook? I do know the answer but if memory serves me it seems like it was less than a year. I would guess though that we will be lucky to see it in a laptop before next Christmas.
Good to know Captain Obvious is still alive and well! I thought it had been a while since he made an appearance.
<strong>Of course, this thread has been overshadowed by the other big announcement on the 15th, but I do hope we get new Powerbooks tomorrow, though somehow I doubt we will.
Based upon the new information we have on the 970, do any of you think that it will initially be launched in a Powerbook as well as the Powermacs, or do you think we'll need to wait for an even lighter low power version?</strong><hr></blockquote>
I doubt we will see the powerpc 970 in powerbooks in the initial rollout. I have a feeling these chips will be hot and consume lots of power. I think Apple and IBM will find a way to get a 64 bit PowerPC chip (a lighter variant of the PPC970) into a laptop. I'm pretty sure they will be among the first to do so (or the first to do so).
I have more faith in IBM than Motorola. Even though this news came out before the chips will actually be released, it kind of gives me some confidence that this future IBM and Apple relationship will blossom into something special. Even though they haven't gone into heavy production of the chips, I know that IBM will deliver the goods (unlike Motorola).
*cross fingers* Here's hoping Apple and IBM finally get things rolling and give Intel and AMD a run for its money. Also, here's hoping Apple releases new powerbooks tomorrow
- trowa
For the G3: in Desktops by Nov 1997, and we saw it half a year later in a powerbook (May 1998)
For the G4 (7400): in desktops by Sept 1999, and we saw it one and a half years later in the TiBook (Jan 01) [OK, well it was really the 7410 in the PBs, but close enough]
For the G4 (7450): in desktops by Jan 01, and we saw it in the TiBook 10 months later (Oct 01)
And, just for reference, of course
For the P4: Introduced for desktops in Nov 00, for notebooks in March 02
Of course, this really means absolutely nothing, because it all depends on how much heat the chip creates. The P4 is a powerplant, whereas the G3 never created much heat or took much energy at all.
So, we'll just have to wait and see what the heat dissipation and power consumptions is like.
[ 10-14-2002: Message edited by: Jon Rubinstein ]</p>
The prices on notebooks are a little cheaper than the Mac (on the high end), but surprisingly not by much! All-in-all, there are feature sacrifices on the PC models which give the nod to the Mac in the end -- like 6-pin firewire, for example (and not the 4-pin Firewire). And in my opinion the clusmy scattered positioning of I/O ports on the PC is downright hideous.
I was thinking about a PC laptop just to fool around with, in case I need to someday need to know Win XP for a future job. But I just can't bring myself to blowing $1,399 + on a laptop that I won't really like, when I can put it into a more graceful, nice Mac. So with all this said, please Apple update the damn PowerBook line tomorrow!!!
[ 10-14-2002: Message edited by: Dave Hagan ]</p>