12" Powerbooks in the Apple Stores

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  • Reply 41 of 153
    icruiseicruise Posts: 127member
    Yes, I'm hoping for that too. 640MB will do me for the moment, but it would be nice to have the option to upgrade in the future.
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  • Reply 42 of 153
    scottscott Posts: 7,431member
    My iMac's "upper slot" was spec'ed for 128 and it's running 256 now. The old 64 went into the lower slot.





    I doubt the keys are real aluminum. It would add needless weight to the powerbook.
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  • Reply 43 of 153
    escherescher Posts: 1,811member
    I'm off to the Tyson's Corner Apple Store to play with the 12" PowerBook (and to do some grocery shopping). I'll be back in a few hours.



    Escher



    PS: I hope they don't have any 12" PowerBooks left for sale. Tomorrow is my B-day and I'd have a really hard time resisting.



    [ 01-23-2003: Message edited by: Escher ]</p>
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  • Reply 44 of 153
    happy birthday escher.



    how do you like your new minibook? <img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laughing]" />
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  • Reply 45 of 153
    [quote]Tomorrow is my B-day and I'd have a really hard time resisting <hr></blockquote>



    You know, "resistance is futile" - The Borg
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  • Reply 46 of 153
    newnew Posts: 3,244member
    [quote]Originally posted by kcmac:

    <strong>



    I had an icebook and I recall the screen being brighter than the Ti. I know the later Ti versions got better but I have a hard time with that observation.

    </strong><hr></blockquote>

    The current 15" TiBook's screen is close to twice as bright as the ibook...
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  • Reply 47 of 153
    escherescher Posts: 1,811member
    [quote]Originally posted by jindrich:

    <strong>how do you like your new minibook? <img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laughing]" /> </strong><hr></blockquote>



    ROTFLMAO I resisted the Borg!



    My first impression of the 12-inch PowerBook: There's simply no comparison! (With the iBook, that is.) The 12" doesn't just look substantially better, it also feels better. It's definitely no souped-up iBook, but a low-end PowerBook instead. Everything about the little PowerBook just feels great. It handles well, whether it's opened or closed.



    In terms of visiual impact, the 12-inch PowerBook is to the 12" iBook as the 12" iBook is to the 14" iBook. In other words, the 12" iBook looks clunky next to the 12" PowerBook.



    The 12" Aluminum case is very rigid. It's clearly more rigid than the TiBook, and IMO also more rigid than the iBook. The iBooks have always felt creaky when handled with only one hand. The 12" doesn't budge. I think this quality is due to the lack of a large hole for the optical drive tray.



    The hinge on the new PowerBook is significantly better than on the iBook. First, it's smoother. Second, the screen doesn't "wiggle" as much when you bump into the 'Book. Finally, the hinge is wider than on the iBook and thus prevents the screen from flexing down on the sides when the 'Book is closed.



    As for heat, the 12-inch felt pleasantly warm, especially on such a cold day. Probably not as hot as a TiBook, but definitely hotter than any iBook.



    The speakers of the 12-inch PowerBook sound infinitely better than the iBook's, especially in the lower range. However, they are not very loud. As numerous people have mentioned before, the speakers are in the back and reflect sounds off the open screen.



    I think the only downside to the 12-inch PowerBook is that I still saw the spinning rainbow beachball way too often. Maybe it was the "low" 256MB RAM. Maybe it was the lack of L3 cache. Maybe it just needed rebooting (for whatever reason). Either way, I did not like the beachball.



    Two thumbs up. But I'll get more use out of my iBook and wait for the second revision.



    Escher



    [ 01-23-2003: Message edited by: Escher ]</p>
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  • Reply 48 of 153
    scottscott Posts: 7,431member
    The rainbow doesn't sound so hot
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  • Reply 49 of 153
    dviantdviant Posts: 483member
    Just saw one of the new 12" books at MicroCenter in KC... pretty nice.



    First impressions...
    • Keyboard is much more solid feeling than my TiBook 550

    • Finish was nice, color matched their 15" TiBooks exactly. Same look less scratching/chipping!

    • Hinge was very solid...not floppy like iBooks and TiBooks can be

    • Lid very solid... ie press on the back of your Ti and you can see it on the screen. You couldnt do that with this new 12"

    • The sales guy said he was impressed with the speakers, he'd just had thing cranked up with no distortion he said.

    • Sales guys really wants one with the superdrive now. "serious hardware envy" I think were his words. Pretty sure he was a PC sales guy too..heh.

    [ 01-23-2003: Message edited by: dviant ]</p>
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  • Reply 50 of 153
    murbotmurbot Posts: 5,262member
    Hopefully it was a buggered up system somehow... needed a reboot.



    Shoot, I haven't even seen the beach ball on my iBook all week.
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  • Reply 51 of 153
    scottscott Posts: 7,431member
    My wife hasn't seen the rainbow on her iBook either ... because she uses OS 9 bah da bum.





    Can anyone CONFIRM that the Apple Stores and others have the 12" with the superdiver?
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  • Reply 52 of 153
    emaneman Posts: 7,204member
    [quote]Originally posted by Scott:

    <strong>The rainbow doesn't sound so hot </strong><hr></blockquote>

    It's probably since it just had 256MB RAM.
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  • Reply 53 of 153
    matsumatsu Posts: 6,558member
    So what we know so far is that the case is bomb proof, very nice, but it's warmer than an iBook and cooler than a Ti, hmmm.



    And the beachball spins :/ How much is a 512MB DDR so-dimm these days? Would 384MB be enough to cure this problem?



    And, my dealer now says the thing will be here in the first week of Feb Then again I spoke to "clueless asian chick" who only today for the first time seemed sure that there was indeed a 12"PB, and that you can in fact order RAM and HDD upgrades from Apple. I'll have to talk to the manager, who seemed to know a little more and was very helpful.



    By the time this thing arrives, I may have to change my order! Steve and co, hurry the FOOK UP
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  • Reply 54 of 153
    scottscott Posts: 7,431member
    Ah I hate it when people blame the RAM. If you haven't used all the RAM then it shouldn't be the RAM. If you're swapping ... sure, maybe.
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  • Reply 55 of 153
    pbg4 dudepbg4 dude Posts: 1,611member
    [quote]Originally posted by applenut:

    <strong>



    nothing new... its amber when charging and yellow-green when charged.



    been like that since the first powerbook g4 i believe.</strong><hr></blockquote>



    The Rev. A PBG4's don't have these (own Rev. A 500).



    Boy I hope the Apple stores don't carry the superdrive models, or I might end up walking out with one when I go check it out!
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  • Reply 56 of 153
    rodukroduk Posts: 706member
    Talking of RAM and swapping to disk, I'm curious about the 4200rpm Ultra ATA/100 hard drive. Is there actually any point in having a 4200rpm drive on a 100Mbps bus (or is the bus shared with the optical drive)? Would I be right in thinking it's the relatively low spindle speed that limits the throughput? Will it be faster or slower than a 7200rpm Ultra ATA/66 hard drive (assuming there are no other drives sharing the bus)?

    <img src="confused.gif" border="0">



    [ 01-24-2003: Message edited by: RodUK ]</p>
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  • Reply 57 of 153
    escherescher Posts: 1,811member
    [quote]Originally posted by PBG4 Dude:

    <strong>Boy I hope the Apple stores don't carry the superdrive models, or I might end up walking out with one when I go check it out!</strong><hr></blockquote>



    No need to worry, PBG4 Dude. AFAIK, the stores (Tyson's Corner for sure) have only taken delivery of Combo drive 12-inchers. And I assume most of them have sold out of their first shipment by now.



    Looking back at the time I spent checking out the 12-inch PowerBook at the Apple Store, I really should have restarted the machine. There were a whole bunch of apps running, and I even had to force-quit one. I just didn't want to monopolize this beauty when there were guys in suits (who presumably had more money in their wallets), with their Mac-loving sons in tow, who seemed interested in buying. Seriously, if I didn't already have my iBook to (ab-) use, I would have snapped up a 12-inch iBook right there, even without educational pricing.



    Escher
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  • Reply 58 of 153
    matsumatsu Posts: 6,558member
    As aerial densities rise, 4200rpm performance should be quite decent. Mebbe not at 40GB, but 60GB, and the coming 80-120GB notebook drives of later this year should perform quite well even at 4200rpm.
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  • Reply 59 of 153
    aquaticaquatic Posts: 5,602member
    Good stuff to hear. DAMN I need one. Someone buy my iBook! :cool:
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  • Reply 60 of 153
    I saw the one at the Apple Store here in Atlanta today... it's very nice. The speakers did sound good but not that loud. I didn't think it was very hot at all. I was very impressed with the solidness of the keyboard. I'd say my tax return is now offically spent (before I've even filed it).
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