PowerBook Purchase Problem.
Due to a work situation, I just had to sell my Ti 500 (1st gen) to project I've been working on, leaving me Ti-less. I did get $2000 for it, which is pretty good return after a year of service.
I've been meaning to upgrade, but wanted more of a boost than 167 mhz, so I was waiting for a bigger bump than the last one. I was waiting, in fact, for MW Tokyo where I was certain I would see the PB of my dreams.
Of course, we all know Apple has said "No New CPUs". I don't think it's likely this is a big "trick"--I think they didn't want people like me waiting with baited breath for a Mac that doesn't arrive.
At the same time, the 667 has been out since October...for me the addition of a combo drive means little, as I don't burn CDs on the road, so the existing 667 is 5 months old and seems like it's time for an update.
So the question: buy the 667 or wait? Waiting has all the usual problems, including the fact that most people seem to think new PBs won't be out until July and MWNY. That's 4 months, plus a month for delivery--ack!
I guess I also fear buyers remorse, as I had dismissed the 667 initially, and if I buy it now I'll have a very hard time trading up to the next one anytime soon--expensive and a bad investment.
Problem is that I love my PB--I do a lot of writing in cafes and I love the portability. I have an iMac DV 400 that can tide me over and let me get my work done in the meantime, but I can't cart that around town.
I recognize that this is one of those questions that has obvious answers--buy what you need, when you need it and deal. I'm sort of just thinking out loud and soliciting opinions...if anyone has ideas about future PB updates, clues to when they might come, alternatives I may not have considered, etc. I would love to hear them.
Thanks.
I've been meaning to upgrade, but wanted more of a boost than 167 mhz, so I was waiting for a bigger bump than the last one. I was waiting, in fact, for MW Tokyo where I was certain I would see the PB of my dreams.
Of course, we all know Apple has said "No New CPUs". I don't think it's likely this is a big "trick"--I think they didn't want people like me waiting with baited breath for a Mac that doesn't arrive.
At the same time, the 667 has been out since October...for me the addition of a combo drive means little, as I don't burn CDs on the road, so the existing 667 is 5 months old and seems like it's time for an update.
So the question: buy the 667 or wait? Waiting has all the usual problems, including the fact that most people seem to think new PBs won't be out until July and MWNY. That's 4 months, plus a month for delivery--ack!
I guess I also fear buyers remorse, as I had dismissed the 667 initially, and if I buy it now I'll have a very hard time trading up to the next one anytime soon--expensive and a bad investment.
Problem is that I love my PB--I do a lot of writing in cafes and I love the portability. I have an iMac DV 400 that can tide me over and let me get my work done in the meantime, but I can't cart that around town.
I recognize that this is one of those questions that has obvious answers--buy what you need, when you need it and deal. I'm sort of just thinking out loud and soliciting opinions...if anyone has ideas about future PB updates, clues to when they might come, alternatives I may not have considered, etc. I would love to hear them.
Thanks.
Comments
-YakMan
Looking for a Powerbook but realizing a new one is not that far off.
It might help knowing what you do with the Powerbook. As YakManDoo said, an iBook might do the trick if it's purely surfing or text and not heavy duty Photoshop stuff.
I'm going to wait till MWToyko and see if there's a speed bump (not technically a new product). If it goes to 800mhz, I'll pick one up.
If there isn't a bump, then I'll definately expect to see one at MWNY. Yes that's another four months, but I'd wait if you can.
I think I may do just as you are--hope for a bump at MWTY, though I see that as unlikely, and then get an interim iBook until the PowerBook arrives. At least that's the direction I'm leaning in.
My only problem with the Ti667 now is that the fan is too damn loud. I spoke to one of the employees today who confirmed that, yes, the Powerbook fan is "very loud" when it's on, but he assured me that it would turn off as soon as the computer was cool, and that you would only hear it "inside a quiet room" or "in your house." Unfortunately, I want to bring my TiBook to classes at CSLA and I don't want to attract any (more) attention.
So, that said, I'm holding onto the (pipe) dream of a Ti800 with a cooler processor at MWTY. I have been saving for this mother4 since last year and now I'm just sitting on my hands because a portable IMO needs to be quiet or it's a not quite right. I, too, am a writer and don't need the distraction of a circular-saw fan clogging up my geniuswaves.
But if I wait until MWTY and my baby doesn't arrive, then breaking down to get a Ti667 seems an even worse decision -- too close to the next bump -- I'd risk declaring Jihad on Apple once they put out the next PB, and my beard isn't long enough to survive that one.
-- PEte