Originally posted by Amorph ...I wouldn't be too surprised if the likes of...Andy Inahtko already have a pretty good idea of what the next PowerBook will be like.
I have been waiting for the PowerBook G4 15" Al but.....
A small piece of me died today, I cracked and bought a IBM ThinkPad T40. I have been waiting since May for an updated PowerBook, with $3,000 in my bank account. I need a laptop for school, and Apple could not deliver. I will always be a avid Mac user and will own a PowerBook G5 when they come out later next year, but Apple could have made an easy $3,000 sale today, even if it was just an updated G4 15" with built in Bluetooth.
I have been waiting for the PowerBook G4 15" Al but.....
A small piece of me died today, I cracked and bought a IBM ThinkPad T40. I have been waiting since May for an updated PowerBook, with $3,000 in my bank account. I need a laptop for school, and Apple could not deliver. I will always be a avid Mac user and will own a PowerBook G5 when they come out later next year, but Apple could have made an easy $3,000 sale today, even if it was just an updated G4 15" with built in Bluetooth.
Sad, very sad indeed.
I feel your pain *thumbs up and nods with fake sincerity*
I did the opposite, I finally bought a 15.2" TiBook today. But it was factory reconditioned from SmallDog, and with half a gig of RAM and an Airport and an already discounted price, I probably saved $300 or so. Thing is, I didn't want an iBook, and the PowerBooks right now really are not desirable enough to justify the prices (hell, some parts - slot loading optical drives, trackpads instead of trackpoints, I see as disadvantages over the competition.) The only thing that sells them, in my eyes, is Mac OS X. That's it. Apple should take note of this: Currently their competitors are Microsoft, who so far have been clumsy, and Linux, which for the most part is uncoordinated and generating some pretty silly UIs due to the constant desire to ape MS on the part of people like Miguel de Icaza. Apple's success is due in part to its competitors incompetence.
It's not even as if it hasn't happened before. In the late nineties, Apple's software offerings lagged behind the major Intel-based competitors. While I'm sure a few diehards will complain that there was nothing wrong with OS8 and OS9, for most of us the tuned GUIs of those OSes (which weren't always ideal anyway) were far outweighed by the instabilities and inflexibilities compared to the choices on the other side.
I guess the key thing is Apple really, really, must improve their hardware offerings. They're relying on their software offerings at the moment. The G5 is welcome relief, but one of the downsides is that the PowerMac G5 makes practically every other product Apple produces look obsolete. And whatever the views of the diehards, Apple is not the only company to make "good laptops", with IBM being the obvious alternative.
If the problems with Linux - the awful GNOME and KDE environments, the unstructured libraries and dependencies and constant upgrading that shoves these faults into the faces of those using it, etc - ever get reduced enough, I'd be tempted to switch right back if Apple's hardware remains as stale as it is now. Let's hope the low-power low-heat G5s are just around the corner.
I am going to major in both computer engineering and physics, so I can't wait around forever for a powerful laptop. Thoe ThinkPad has tons of really nices features, including a battery life of nearly 6 hours (not best case, almost 8 in a best case senerio). The whole laptop with 9cell battery and combo drive weights slightly less than 5 pounds. The screen resolution is also a nice 1400 x 1050. It is also solidly built and has some nice encryption features, and of course a 1.6Ghz Pentium M - Centrino based architecture.
It would take a PowerBook G5, and some advanced power management technology, to match this machine. It has also been out since early May. If we are lucky the PowerBook G5 will be out by May 2004! If only I could run OS X on my new ThinkPad....
Anyways again I have been a Mac user all of my life, and I felt sick purchasing the T40, even though it is a lot better. Powerbooks used to be able to compete on Power efficieny with relative speed. The new Centrino based PC laptops are now winning hands down in just about every department, except for the OS.
Call me crazy, but that's the thing that really matters IMO. Very telling statement.
Now Windows XP is not *that* bad, mabey Windows ME... XP is more than usable and does a nice job for most tasks. Remember I am majoring in both computer engineering and physics, I am not making family movies or doing heavy photoshop work. I know OS X has UNIX and all but I can get that by dual booting with Red Hat Linux.
Anyways, Panther will be awesome on my updated PowerBook G5 that I will buy next summer, too bad I couldn't buy that (or a updated G4 15") this summer.
My mother-in-law *knows* I prefer Mac. She *knows* I'm waiting for the new 15" powerbook. What does she do? She goes and buys this POS $800. Compaq laptop with a 15" display. (Its 1.8 MHz Celeron is no match for my 400 MHz iMac). Of course, she sets it up wireless and *flaunts* how sweet it is...
cetus lapedus Apple - your killing me! SHIP IT ALREADY.
For what it's worth, I've cracked too, and should be the proud owner of a 12" superdrive by the end of the weekend. I figure that it's more than I need, and new ones even if they are announced tomorrow will probably take weeks to ship to the UK. Also, if I buy one of the last books produced of a rev, I think that I am less likely to get a lemon. My current iBook (Graphite 466Mhz) was a brand new model when I bought it, and it had to be replaced.
Anyhow, I don't hold up much hope of an announcement before Paris.
My mother-in-law *knows* I prefer Mac. She *knows* I'm waiting for the new 15" powerbook. What does she do? She goes and buys this POS $800. Compaq laptop with a 15" display. (Its 1.8 MHz Celeron is no match for my 400 MHz iMac). Of course, she sets it up wireless and *flaunts* how sweet it is...
cetus lapedus Apple - your killing me! SHIP IT ALREADY.
If it's really killing you, you can by one now and sell it on eBay if and when a new model is released. The current 15" is still a hell of a lot nicer than some $800 PC notebook.
<<Anyhow, I don't hold up much hope of an announcement before Paris.>>
Someone please refresh my memory. When the iBook 900 and 867/1 GHz 15" TiBooks wereintroduced last November, was it part of some scheduled event or did it just occur out of the blue?
<<Anyhow, I don't hold up much hope of an announcement before Paris.>>
Someone please refresh my memory. When the iBook 900 and 867/1 GHz 15" TiBooks wereintroduced last November, was it part of some scheduled event or did it just occur out of the blue?
They were simply announced with a press release. Unless Apple plans on announcing a G5 PB at Macworld Paris, there's no need to wait for a big event to announce what amounts to a speedbump for the PBs.
Most rumors point to a Paris release but if that's true, it'll hurt Apple. PowerBook unit sales declined 3% last quarter and without a refresh, they'll continue to decline. Of course, if there's going to be a PBG5 sooner than we thought, that'd be great!
Just noticed that apple.com.au store has just changed from 1-2 days delivery for the ibook to 7-10 days!
iBook 12.1" 900MHz Combo (AP) Z07R 7-10 days
probably nothing but I think the whole portable range is getting an update in the next 7 days.
+ im sure the ibook is going G4 (altivec-G3)-
my reasoning is that the latest software from apple (soundtrack) needs a G4 to run.
I also think the ibook is going to get audio in.
First of all, Soundtrack is a professional app and not designed for the iBook line. Secondly, I don't believe the iBook will be going to a G4 processor soon. It appears as though the G3 still has a lot of life left to it in the iBook line given a new version of the G3 processor from IBM.
Secondly, I noticed the online Apple Store has slightly altered their format from simply saying "5-7 days" to "5-7 bus.days" or instead of "Same Day," it's now "Same Bus.Day" It is probably nothing, but could be an indication that they are closely tracking inventory and making it as accurate as possible in anticipation of new products.
I hate to rekindle this debate but I rewatched the David Coursey interview of Joswiak re: the Power Mac G5 on C|Net. I had seen this video before, but I wanted to watch it again. Something caught my ear the second time around. So I transcribed the interesting part verbatim:
Quote:
Coursey: Does the G5 get into a notebook anytime soon? When I see all of these fans, and the big heat sinks, and the enclosures, I wonder about managing that kind of a processor.
Joswiak: The Power Mac G5 is very high power processor and as you can see as this unit spins around it has fairly significant cooling system including heat sinks that mean it's probably not going into a PowerBook anytime soon.
What is wrong with that statement? Well, it's sounds as though Joswiak doesn't know for sure about a G5 PowerBook, but is speculating. Read Joz again: "It's probably not going into a PowerBook any time soon." Probably? What, Joz? You mean, you don't definitively know? That does leave a wee-bit of wiggle room, don't you think?
What is wrong with that statement? Well, it's sounds as though Joswiak doesn't know for sure about a G5 PowerBook, but is speculating. Read Joz again: "It's probably not going into a PowerBook any time soon." Probably? What, Joz? You mean, you don't definitively know? That does leave a wee-bit of wiggle room, don't you think?
I would interpret that to mean the engineers are working on it. They haven't found a solution yet and don't anticipate one real soon but if a miracle happens Apple would release a G5 PB. I don't mean to rag on the engineers. They are doing what they can with the materials at hand. One of the unknowns for them is how soon IBM can supply chips that consume less power.
Guys it's really obvious what's likely going on. Since there was no WWDC unveiling and no CreativePro announcement, my money is on the 7457, which probably hasn't hit full swing yet.
Apple knows they can't get a G5 into the PowerBook right now (probably without some fairly extensive redesign...on an enclosure 7 months old).
They also know that there is a better G4 to use in the next wave of PowerBooks.
They know the current G4 tops at about 1GHz and gets very hot and all above that.
They know, most importantly, people may riot if - after all this time - they unveil a new 15" PowerBook and it is still only at 1GHz.
I think they're waiting to make - and give us - a BETTER PowerBook. It'll be worth the wait, I'm sure.
I honestly think all three models are going to get the business and be fitted with 7457 chips, and all models will be 1GHz and above (not sure how much).
This might be Paris. It might be a little beyond. It MIGHT be a little sooner.
I'm certain that by the time the leaves are all turning pretty colors, those of us who want one of these new PowerBooks will be owning them.
That's my take.
And, as stated before, those of you who can't wait, there's the TiBook. There's the current 12" PowerBook. Hell, there's the $999 iBook that you could buy as sort of a temporary, "gotta have a laptop for school NOW!" solution that you can eBay in a few months and possibly make your money back and then buy a new PowerBook.
Point is, you're not gonna die without a 15" aluminum PowerBook.
Either pick a current fine product from Apple's offerings or wait it out a bit more, knowing that most likely you'll have a product above and beyond what you expected/needed.
Comments
Originally posted by Amorph ...I wouldn't be too surprised if the likes of...Andy Inahtko already have a pretty good idea of what the next PowerBook will be like.
I wouldn't tell that dipwad anything!
A small piece of me died today, I cracked and bought a IBM ThinkPad T40. I have been waiting since May for an updated PowerBook, with $3,000 in my bank account. I need a laptop for school, and Apple could not deliver. I will always be a avid Mac user and will own a PowerBook G5 when they come out later next year, but Apple could have made an easy $3,000 sale today, even if it was just an updated G4 15" with built in Bluetooth.
Sad, very sad indeed.
Originally posted by imacman287
I have been waiting for the PowerBook G4 15" Al but.....
A small piece of me died today, I cracked and bought a IBM ThinkPad T40. I have been waiting since May for an updated PowerBook, with $3,000 in my bank account. I need a laptop for school, and Apple could not deliver. I will always be a avid Mac user and will own a PowerBook G5 when they come out later next year, but Apple could have made an easy $3,000 sale today, even if it was just an updated G4 15" with built in Bluetooth.
Sad, very sad indeed.
I feel your pain *thumbs up and nods with fake sincerity*
I did the opposite, I finally bought a 15.2" TiBook today. But it was factory reconditioned from SmallDog, and with half a gig of RAM and an Airport and an already discounted price, I probably saved $300 or so. Thing is, I didn't want an iBook, and the PowerBooks right now really are not desirable enough to justify the prices (hell, some parts - slot loading optical drives, trackpads instead of trackpoints, I see as disadvantages over the competition.) The only thing that sells them, in my eyes, is Mac OS X. That's it. Apple should take note of this: Currently their competitors are Microsoft, who so far have been clumsy, and Linux, which for the most part is uncoordinated and generating some pretty silly UIs due to the constant desire to ape MS on the part of people like Miguel de Icaza. Apple's success is due in part to its competitors incompetence.
It's not even as if it hasn't happened before. In the late nineties, Apple's software offerings lagged behind the major Intel-based competitors. While I'm sure a few diehards will complain that there was nothing wrong with OS8 and OS9, for most of us the tuned GUIs of those OSes (which weren't always ideal anyway) were far outweighed by the instabilities and inflexibilities compared to the choices on the other side.
I guess the key thing is Apple really, really, must improve their hardware offerings. They're relying on their software offerings at the moment. The G5 is welcome relief, but one of the downsides is that the PowerMac G5 makes practically every other product Apple produces look obsolete. And whatever the views of the diehards, Apple is not the only company to make "good laptops", with IBM being the obvious alternative.
If the problems with Linux - the awful GNOME and KDE environments, the unstructured libraries and dependencies and constant upgrading that shoves these faults into the faces of those using it, etc - ever get reduced enough, I'd be tempted to switch right back if Apple's hardware remains as stale as it is now. Let's hope the low-power low-heat G5s are just around the corner.
I am going to major in both computer engineering and physics, so I can't wait around forever for a powerful laptop. Thoe ThinkPad has tons of really nices features, including a battery life of nearly 6 hours (not best case, almost 8 in a best case senerio). The whole laptop with 9cell battery and combo drive weights slightly less than 5 pounds. The screen resolution is also a nice 1400 x 1050. It is also solidly built and has some nice encryption features, and of course a 1.6Ghz Pentium M - Centrino based architecture.
It would take a PowerBook G5, and some advanced power management technology, to match this machine. It has also been out since early May. If we are lucky the PowerBook G5 will be out by May 2004! If only I could run OS X on my new ThinkPad....
Anyways again I have been a Mac user all of my life, and I felt sick purchasing the T40, even though it is a lot better. Powerbooks used to be able to compete on Power efficieny with relative speed. The new Centrino based PC laptops are now winning hands down in just about every department, except for the OS.
Apple need to improve their PowerBook line now.
Originally posted by imacman287 I agree peharri,
The new Centrino based PC laptops are now winning hands down in just about every department, except for the OS.
Call me crazy, but that's the thing that really matters IMO. Very telling statement.
"Those new Boeing jets are great, except for the engines and avionics! But they sure are fast!"
When you plummet out of the sky, straight down, I guess speed is a relative thing. And probably not that important I'd guess.
Originally posted by pscates
Call me crazy, but that's the thing that really matters IMO. Very telling statement.
Now Windows XP is not *that* bad, mabey Windows ME... XP is more than usable and does a nice job for most tasks. Remember I am majoring in both computer engineering and physics, I am not making family movies or doing heavy photoshop work. I know OS X has UNIX and all but I can get that by dual booting with Red Hat Linux.
Anyways, Panther will be awesome on my updated PowerBook G5 that I will buy next summer, too bad I couldn't buy that (or a updated G4 15") this summer.
cetus lapedus Apple - your killing me! SHIP IT ALREADY.
We are ready to purchase a 15" PB, Airport Extreme base station, a couple of airport cards and at least one iSight camera as a package.
off topic:
This week I've been riding Caltrain up to SF and down to SJ for Semicon West. I see several 15" Ti PBs every morning. Looks good.
Anyhow, I don't hold up much hope of an announcement before Paris.
David
Originally posted by heaven or las vegas
My mother-in-law *knows* I prefer Mac. She *knows* I'm waiting for the new 15" powerbook. What does she do? She goes and buys this POS $800. Compaq laptop with a 15" display. (Its 1.8 MHz Celeron is no match for my 400 MHz iMac). Of course, she sets it up wireless and *flaunts* how sweet it is...
cetus lapedus Apple - your killing me! SHIP IT ALREADY.
If it's really killing you, you can by one now and sell it on eBay if and when a new model is released. The current 15" is still a hell of a lot nicer than some $800 PC notebook.
Someone please refresh my memory. When the iBook 900 and 867/1 GHz 15" TiBooks wereintroduced last November, was it part of some scheduled event or did it just occur out of the blue?
Originally posted by OldCodger73
<<Anyhow, I don't hold up much hope of an announcement before Paris.>>
Someone please refresh my memory. When the iBook 900 and 867/1 GHz 15" TiBooks wereintroduced last November, was it part of some scheduled event or did it just occur out of the blue?
They were simply announced with a press release. Unless Apple plans on announcing a G5 PB at Macworld Paris, there's no need to wait for a big event to announce what amounts to a speedbump for the PBs.
Most rumors point to a Paris release but if that's true, it'll hurt Apple. PowerBook unit sales declined 3% last quarter and without a refresh, they'll continue to decline. Of course, if there's going to be a PBG5 sooner than we thought, that'd be great!
Just noticed that apple.com.au store has just changed from 1-2 days delivery for the ibook to 7-10 days!
iBook 12.1" 900MHz Combo (AP) Z07R 7-10 days
probably nothing but I think the whole portable range is getting an update in the next 7 days.
+ im sure the ibook is going G4 (altivec-G3)-
my reasoning is that the latest software from apple (soundtrack) needs a G4 to run.
I also think the ibook is going to get audio in.
Originally posted by ceej
be very genital.
Just noticed that apple.com.au store has just changed from 1-2 days delivery for the ibook to 7-10 days!
iBook 12.1" 900MHz Combo (AP) Z07R 7-10 days
probably nothing but I think the whole portable range is getting an update in the next 7 days.
+ im sure the ibook is going G4 (altivec-G3)-
my reasoning is that the latest software from apple (soundtrack) needs a G4 to run.
I also think the ibook is going to get audio in.
First of all, Soundtrack is a professional app and not designed for the iBook line. Secondly, I don't believe the iBook will be going to a G4 processor soon. It appears as though the G3 still has a lot of life left to it in the iBook line given a new version of the G3 processor from IBM.
Secondly, I noticed the online Apple Store has slightly altered their format from simply saying "5-7 days" to "5-7 bus.days" or instead of "Same Day," it's now "Same Bus.Day" It is probably nothing, but could be an indication that they are closely tracking inventory and making it as accurate as possible in anticipation of new products.
Coursey: Does the G5 get into a notebook anytime soon? When I see all of these fans, and the big heat sinks, and the enclosures, I wonder about managing that kind of a processor.
Joswiak: The Power Mac G5 is very high power processor and as you can see as this unit spins around it has fairly significant cooling system including heat sinks that mean it's probably not going into a PowerBook anytime soon.
What is wrong with that statement? Well, it's sounds as though Joswiak doesn't know for sure about a G5 PowerBook, but is speculating. Read Joz again: "It's probably not going into a PowerBook any time soon." Probably? What, Joz? You mean, you don't definitively know? That does leave a wee-bit of wiggle room, don't you think?
Originally posted by DHagan4755
What is wrong with that statement? Well, it's sounds as though Joswiak doesn't know for sure about a G5 PowerBook, but is speculating. Read Joz again: "It's probably not going into a PowerBook any time soon." Probably? What, Joz? You mean, you don't definitively know? That does leave a wee-bit of wiggle room, don't you think?
I would interpret that to mean the engineers are working on it. They haven't found a solution yet and don't anticipate one real soon but if a miracle happens Apple would release a G5 PB. I don't mean to rag on the engineers. They are doing what they can with the materials at hand. One of the unknowns for them is how soon IBM can supply chips that consume less power.
Apple iBook 800MHz with 12.1" Screen & DVD-ROM/CD-RW Combo Drive (Stock_Code_33173)
the price is neither here nor there, it's the sign below it and plastered over that photo of the ibook that made me think:
SPECIAL OFFER - AVAILABLE ONLY WHILE STOCKS LAST!!!
could that be significant? could it back up the idea of an iBook line refresh?
Originally posted by McLaptop
ceej and dhagan: a major uk reseller has just announced a bit of a deal -
Apple iBook 800MHz with 12.1" Screen & DVD-ROM/CD-RW Combo Drive (Stock_Code_33173)
the price is neither here nor there, it's the sign below it and plastered over that photo of the ibook that made me think:
SPECIAL OFFER - AVAILABLE ONLY WHILE STOCKS LAST!!!
could that be significant? could it back up the idea of an iBook line refresh?
no, it's last years model that's replaced by the 900Mhz model in april
Apple knows they can't get a G5 into the PowerBook right now (probably without some fairly extensive redesign...on an enclosure 7 months old).
They also know that there is a better G4 to use in the next wave of PowerBooks.
They know the current G4 tops at about 1GHz and gets very hot and all above that.
They know, most importantly, people may riot if - after all this time - they unveil a new 15" PowerBook and it is still only at 1GHz.
I think they're waiting to make - and give us - a BETTER PowerBook. It'll be worth the wait, I'm sure.
I honestly think all three models are going to get the business and be fitted with 7457 chips, and all models will be 1GHz and above (not sure how much).
This might be Paris. It might be a little beyond. It MIGHT be a little sooner.
I'm certain that by the time the leaves are all turning pretty colors, those of us who want one of these new PowerBooks will be owning them.
That's my take.
And, as stated before, those of you who can't wait, there's the TiBook. There's the current 12" PowerBook. Hell, there's the $999 iBook that you could buy as sort of a temporary, "gotta have a laptop for school NOW!" solution that you can eBay in a few months and possibly make your money back and then buy a new PowerBook.
Point is, you're not gonna die without a 15" aluminum PowerBook.
Either pick a current fine product from Apple's offerings or wait it out a bit more, knowing that most likely you'll have a product above and beyond what you expected/needed.