It can be about whatever PowerBook stuff naturally comes about. If a MODERATOR feels this should be split off into a separate "Help Messiahtosh buy a laptop" thread to be placed into General Discussion, they'll do it.
The only thing the 15" has over the 12" is a superdrive but if your using it for school you don't NEED a DVD burner it would be cool but you don't need it. I have an older 15' and I love the screen but I also have an old Compaq 700mhz Plll with the 12" screen and you can't beat the portability. If weight is a factor I take the 12" with me.
Welcome to 2004 TekMate, where even the tiny 12-inch Powerbook can be armed with the mighty Superdrive.
There's a bunch of PC laptops that have built in wireless standard. That's what the Centrino chip package is all about.
just about every PC notebook over $1000 has it standard, but standard g wireless is more likely in non centrino notebooks costing in the $1300 range.
Apple is behind in offereing it standard, and the ibooks are the only notebooks in the price class that don't have standard wireless.
Bluetooth is pretty rare on the PC side.
These are decent updates, and I am glad to see the price drops. But I do wish the screens were improved to be more like the glossier sharper xbrite screens. Guess I'll keep waiting for a pb g5.
Oh man, I'm sitting here reading this on my 15" TiBook 500. Bought this baby summer 2001, not too long after they came out as I recall. This is gonna have to do me for at least another year. Once I've graduated I'll see about upgrading. On the other hand, my brother is in the market for a new PB. He's planning on the 17" and will be very happy about the price drop (well, my parents will, as they're paying for it). I'll just have to content myself with using his comp some over breaks. Not that I don't still love the machine I've got...thing's a trooper :-).
Does anyone know if the PBooks still have the problem with screen damage from the keyboard. I had no warning about it when I got my Ti and I've got a few lines of (I guess they're) scratches on the screen. I assume it's been dealt with, but I want to tip off my brother in case there's anything he should do to avoid damage like this when he gets his comp in a few weeks.
Anyone saw this at MacCentral? "The year of the notebook didn't end in December, it's still going," said Greg Joswiak. Hmmm... Apparently he makes reference to the new Powerbooks, but it is just today we learn that this year is stil going. Let's hope it will keep going ...
Anyone saw this at MacCentral? "The year of the notebook didn't end in December, it's still going," said Greg Joswiak. Hmmm... Apparently he makes reference to the new Powerbooks, but it is just today we learn that this year is stil going. Let's hope it will keep going ...
i agree.
if apple stays consistent to it's ibook upgrade path, that means ibook G4 at 1.4Ghz - 1.5Ghz in october/novembe. we will see the powerbook G5 in the same timeframe
DaMn...I just about to pull the trigger, but I can't decide what target to hit. I am ready to buy a 12" PB superdrive, but the 15" PB superdrive has some features I am sure to miss...
Gigabit Ethernet
ATI 9700 128MB GPU
Backlit Keyboard
Why didnt they put the ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 (64MB DDR) in the 12" PBs insted of the Nvidia GeForce FX Go5200(64Mb DDr) like the 15" and 17" PBs?
So, we have two votes for the 12''...I really think I will do that. The only thing holding me back is the 64 MB graphics card, 128 will really extend the "life" of the machine. Decisions, decisions!
remember: it's a portable ... it doesn't need to be a graphics-monster!!! i'll get a dual G5 for that later this year ;-)
yep it's all good except graphics, in two areas. 1) The screens. Why isn't more resolution a good thing? They should definitely bump it across the board a little. 2) brightness/angle/sharpness. They used to be good but new tech is out that is superior. Second area: NVIDIA. It MUST be a political thing that they have NVIDIA in any laptop at all. NVIDIA has never had a good laptop card. ATi kicks their ass. However since it's political I guess all we can do is wait until either NVIDIA catches up or Apple decides to get real and add an ATi 9700 mobile in to the 12" PB. Although it's nice to see its bus speed on the 12" PB is finally 167mhz. Can't wait to see G5's there! I bet this is the last G4 PowerBook line. Oh and damn can you imagine a lighted keyboard on a 12"! HOT!
As my sig shows, i'm very reluctant to let go of the past... ugly, modded End-Of-Life products are my sweet tooth.
Anyways, a co-worker just bought a 15" PowerBook a month ago and wants to know what sort of internal, architectural changes were made to the guts of the new PBs? BECAUSE... would it be possible to shoe-horn the new graphics card and/or CPU into the last version of PB prior to todays announcement? (I think the graphics card is a high possibility but the CPU might be unrealistic.)
Also, what's the difference as far as heat dissapation goes? Would pre-today PB run too hot to have these mods done?
I know it's very soon to ask these kind of questions since no one actually has one of these yet, but just wonderin'.
yep it's all good except graphics, in two areas. 1) The screens. Why isn't more resolution a good thing? They should definitely bump it across the board a little. 2) brightness/angle/sharpness. They used to be good but new tech is out that is superior. Second area: NVIDIA. It MUST be a political thing that they have NVIDIA in any laptop at all. NVIDIA has never had a good laptop card. ATi kicks their ass. However since it's political I guess all we can do is wait until either NVIDIA catches up or Apple decides to get real and add an ATi 9700 mobile in to the 12" PB. Although it's nice to see its bus speed on the 12" PB is finally 167mhz. Can't wait to see G5's there! I bet this is the last G4 PowerBook line. Oh and damn can you imagine a lighted keyboard on a 12"! HOT!
1) Screen resolution is not always a good thing. If the PPI is too high a lot of people cannot read it anymore. Apple seems to have found a sweet spot around 100 PPI where most people can read it, but it still allows for high resolutions. Sure it's not going to please everybody, but it's going to please most people. I don't know anyone could read text on that Dell that has HD resolution on a 15" screen.
2) I couldn't agree with you more. My 12" PowerBook has a terrible viewing angle. It can become really hard to read if you're not looking directly at it and even then there is some banding.
3) There could be technical or political reasons. The NVIDIA laptop cards may not be the best performer, but it might be better for heat, battery life, or space. I don't know, just a guess.
4) I don't know where they would place the light sensors on the 12" PowerBook. On the 15" and 17" the sensors are under the speaker grills, but there are no grills on the 12". You could put it near the power button, but I wonder if the screen would interrupt.
I totally agree with you on #1. The number of people who will use a higher resolution are small, while the number of people who will have to set the resolution below native are fairly high. And that would suck. Ever tried to use an LCD at below the maximum resolution? It's awful.
#2 is also correct. There has been xtra-brite LCD technology for probably at least a year now, and Apple has yet to get on the bandwagon. Funny, it seems as if Apple sometimes is the first in the entire industry to use a particular standard (i.e., if they are the ones who create it or support it the most), and the other times they take forever before they accept that a new standard has come about. Look at AGP, CD-RW drives, and USB 2.0.
About #3... from what I've heard, nVidia mobile cards aren't only slower, but they also consume more power and generate more heat. I am not totally sure but I am pretty sure that is the case. No real advantages - merely a political decision. They have to have SOME nVidia cards in their laptops, even if a Mobility 9200 or 9600 would be better.
EDIT: Forgot #4. Perhaps they could put the sensors in the screen bezel or in the area between the keyboard and the hinge. Not sure, but Apple is crafty and innovative - I'm sure if they wanted to put a light sensing keyboard in the 12" PowerBook, they would.
I am buying the 12'' PowerBook today, that is for sure...I am on the edge about one thing. Will I be able to buy it with the standard 256 MB stick and find a cheaper 512 card to plop in next to it?
I want 768 total, but not from Apple, their RAM is too expensive.
P.S. I am very excited, as this is my first Mac purchase!
I am buying the 12'' PowerBook today, that is for sure...I am on the edge about one thing. Will I be able to buy it with the standard 256 MB stick and find a cheaper 512 card to plop in next to it?
I want 768 total, but not from Apple, their RAM is too expensive.
P.S. I am very excited, as this is my first Mac purchase!
Well, Crucial sells a 512 MB module for your PowerBook for about $120. That's a lot cheaper than Apple's $300 charge for adding a 512 MB module in addition to the 256 MB built in.
Well, Crucial sells a 512 MB module for your PowerBook for about $120. That's a lot cheaper than Apple's $300 charge for adding a 512 MB module in addition to the 256 MB built in.
Thank you kindly, I'll be doing that once I get the funds together. I'm gonna go ahead and get it with the stock 256 MB's and then upgrade it later. I'll let you all know how I like this beauty when she arrrives, once she's had a spin on my lap.
I hear that 64 MB VRAM makes her really push polygons, if ya know what I mean.8)
Comments
It can be about whatever PowerBook stuff naturally comes about. If a MODERATOR feels this should be split off into a separate "Help Messiahtosh buy a laptop" thread to be placed into General Discussion, they'll do it.
Relax.
Originally posted by TekMate
The only thing the 15" has over the 12" is a superdrive but if your using it for school you don't NEED a DVD burner it would be cool but you don't need it. I have an older 15' and I love the screen but I also have an old Compaq 700mhz Plll with the 12" screen and you can't beat the portability. If weight is a factor I take the 12" with me.
Welcome to 2004 TekMate, where even the tiny 12-inch Powerbook can be armed with the mighty Superdrive.
Originally posted by F1Turbo
There's a bunch of PC laptops that have built in wireless standard. That's what the Centrino chip package is all about.
just about every PC notebook over $1000 has it standard, but standard g wireless is more likely in non centrino notebooks costing in the $1300 range.
Apple is behind in offereing it standard, and the ibooks are the only notebooks in the price class that don't have standard wireless.
Bluetooth is pretty rare on the PC side.
These are decent updates, and I am glad to see the price drops. But I do wish the screens were improved to be more like the glossier sharper xbrite screens. Guess I'll keep waiting for a pb g5.
Originally posted by CosmoNut
Mine's not. 250Mhz faster and a 4x Superdrive for $100 less than I paid...
...Not too big of a deal.
and the 128MB radeon 9700...that's really the big thing that I want.
Does anyone know if the PBooks still have the problem with screen damage from the keyboard. I had no warning about it when I got my Ti and I've got a few lines of (I guess they're) scratches on the screen. I assume it's been dealt with, but I want to tip off my brother in case there's anything he should do to avoid damage like this when he gets his comp in a few weeks.
Originally posted by PB
Anyone saw this at MacCentral? "The year of the notebook didn't end in December, it's still going," said Greg Joswiak. Hmmm... Apparently he makes reference to the new Powerbooks, but it is just today we learn that this year is stil going. Let's hope it will keep going
i agree.
if apple stays consistent to it's ibook upgrade path, that means ibook G4 at 1.4Ghz - 1.5Ghz in october/novembe. we will see the powerbook G5 in the same timeframe
Gigabit Ethernet
ATI 9700 128MB GPU
Backlit Keyboard
Why didnt they put the ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 (64MB DDR) in the 12" PBs insted of the Nvidia GeForce FX Go5200(64Mb DDr) like the 15" and 17" PBs?
Damn the Man
Originally posted by Messiahtosh
So, we have two votes for the 12''...I really think I will do that. The only thing holding me back is the 64 MB graphics card, 128 will really extend the "life" of the machine. Decisions, decisions!
remember: it's a portable ... it doesn't need to be a graphics-monster!!! i'll get a dual G5 for that later this year ;-)
Anyways, a co-worker just bought a 15" PowerBook a month ago and wants to know what sort of internal, architectural changes were made to the guts of the new PBs? BECAUSE... would it be possible to shoe-horn the new graphics card and/or CPU into the last version of PB prior to todays announcement? (I think the graphics card is a high possibility but the CPU might be unrealistic.)
Also, what's the difference as far as heat dissapation goes? Would pre-today PB run too hot to have these mods done?
I know it's very soon to ask these kind of questions since no one actually has one of these yet, but just wonderin'.
Disappointing points:
Screen resolution is still too low for mobile pro's (Perhaps PB G5)
i was hoping the 1.5GHz would have 200Mhz bus
optical/5.1 audio ports(didn't expect this, maybe on PB G5)
Battery tech needs help. 4.5hours really means 3 hours with brightness all the way down and no optical drive spinning.
Otherwise, its the best Laptop you can by when you consider size/weight, features, power and beautiful design.
Originally posted by Aquatic
yep it's all good except graphics, in two areas. 1) The screens. Why isn't more resolution a good thing? They should definitely bump it across the board a little. 2) brightness/angle/sharpness. They used to be good but new tech is out that is superior. Second area: NVIDIA. It MUST be a political thing that they have NVIDIA in any laptop at all. NVIDIA has never had a good laptop card. ATi kicks their ass. However since it's political I guess all we can do is wait until either NVIDIA catches up or Apple decides to get real and add an ATi 9700 mobile in to the 12" PB. Although it's nice to see its bus speed on the 12" PB is finally 167mhz. Can't wait to see G5's there! I bet this is the last G4 PowerBook line. Oh and damn can you imagine a lighted keyboard on a 12"! HOT!
1) Screen resolution is not always a good thing. If the PPI is too high a lot of people cannot read it anymore. Apple seems to have found a sweet spot around 100 PPI where most people can read it, but it still allows for high resolutions. Sure it's not going to please everybody, but it's going to please most people. I don't know anyone could read text on that Dell that has HD resolution on a 15" screen.
2) I couldn't agree with you more. My 12" PowerBook has a terrible viewing angle. It can become really hard to read if you're not looking directly at it and even then there is some banding.
3) There could be technical or political reasons. The NVIDIA laptop cards may not be the best performer, but it might be better for heat, battery life, or space. I don't know, just a guess.
4) I don't know where they would place the light sensors on the 12" PowerBook. On the 15" and 17" the sensors are under the speaker grills, but there are no grills on the 12". You could put it near the power button, but I wonder if the screen would interrupt.
#2 is also correct. There has been xtra-brite LCD technology for probably at least a year now, and Apple has yet to get on the bandwagon. Funny, it seems as if Apple sometimes is the first in the entire industry to use a particular standard (i.e., if they are the ones who create it or support it the most), and the other times they take forever before they accept that a new standard has come about. Look at AGP, CD-RW drives, and USB 2.0.
About #3... from what I've heard, nVidia mobile cards aren't only slower, but they also consume more power and generate more heat. I am not totally sure but I am pretty sure that is the case. No real advantages - merely a political decision. They have to have SOME nVidia cards in their laptops, even if a Mobility 9200 or 9600 would be better.
EDIT: Forgot #4. Perhaps they could put the sensors in the screen bezel or in the area between the keyboard and the hinge. Not sure, but Apple is crafty and innovative - I'm sure if they wanted to put a light sensing keyboard in the 12" PowerBook, they would.
I want 768 total, but not from Apple, their RAM is too expensive.
P.S. I am very excited, as this is my first Mac purchase!
Originally posted by pscates
***SMACK!!!***
what the...
you smacked me and i lost another 10 posts on my post count...
how do you do that?
anyway on topic:
i would love to buy the 15" 1.5Ghz SD 128Mb vram powerbook.
but the economical pressure isnt there at the moment, albeit the economical pleasure on my bank account begs to be used for this god sent purpose.
i don't whine, i just wait... pure luxery
Originally posted by PeevedJobs
I am buying the 12'' PowerBook today, that is for sure...I am on the edge about one thing. Will I be able to buy it with the standard 256 MB stick and find a cheaper 512 card to plop in next to it?
I want 768 total, but not from Apple, their RAM is too expensive.
P.S. I am very excited, as this is my first Mac purchase!
Well, Crucial sells a 512 MB module for your PowerBook for about $120. That's a lot cheaper than Apple's $300 charge for adding a 512 MB module in addition to the 256 MB built in.
Originally posted by Luca
Well, Crucial sells a 512 MB module for your PowerBook for about $120. That's a lot cheaper than Apple's $300 charge for adding a 512 MB module in addition to the 256 MB built in.
Thank you kindly, I'll be doing that once I get the funds together. I'm gonna go ahead and get it with the stock 256 MB's and then upgrade it later. I'll let you all know how I like this beauty when she arrrives, once she's had a spin on my lap.
I hear that 64 MB VRAM makes her really push polygons, if ya know what I mean.8)