Windows man; I want a PowerBook; wait for Intel or buy now?

yankeefan22988

Hey,

I'm a student looking to convert over to Apple sometime this year, and I was wondering if I should wait for newer, more powerful processors that should come with the Intel conversion (at least for laptops, since they'll be able to get the wattage down, and thus solve their cooling problems).

My thinking at the moment is that I don't really need a laptop, since I'm still a full year away from college. Bewteen the jump in speed and the change in chipsets, I don't want to get burned and wind up with an inferior piece of technology that's going to be outdated in a year or two; if I wanted that, I'd stick with Windows and get a regular laptop. So I'm leaning towards getting a Mac Mini to hook it up to my TV and just wait until fall '06 when I absolutely have to have the laptop.

Though as I said, I'm just now converting to Mac now, so I'm not really sure if things are going to pan out the way I think they will. I'm just going on what little I know from perusing various Mac sites, trying to catch up on the whole Intel thing. Basically what I'm getting at is: Is there really going to be that much of a jump in power, with the lower wattage Intel chips, or is it just going to be a normal progression? If it's the latter, I suppose I might as well buy myself the PowerBook now and enjoy it. Thanks is advance for any help you can give.

Mike

tekmate

If you have a year I would wait to see what comes out. If you don't like the Intels you could always pick up a used Powerbook at that time.

chris000001

either way you look at it any computer is outdated 1 to 2 years from when you buy it....being a pc person you should kno this...there are new processors every 6 months and new gpu cores every 8 to 12 months. i also am a pc person making the change to apple as i go into college... i waited till after WWDC to see what possible changes there would be to the powerbook before i bought mine... since the change was goin to take up to 2 years i deceided to go ahead and buy it cuz i needed a solution for school....and didnt want to put up with another computer with windows on it.

pyrix

The way I see it - and please anyone correct me if I'm wrong, is that the biggest gain ISN"T the new intel chips. Sure we get speedstep and all that faster performance, but from a consumer point of view, the big gain is in the new features. Intel already has chips that support widescreen, Tv tuners, better graphics cards etc, there is no need for apple to go to the expense (which they didn't) of developing/licensing such things, they can get the dirt cheap from intel.



Asides from that, apple is going to havr to pull some kick ass stuff out of their back bocket in order for all those diehard IBM fees to dish out for a Mactel. So wait for at least the rev.a Mactels, and buy urself a mini now. Later you can seel it for about half what u brought it for, or use it as a music server.

brussell

One of the issues to consider if you're thinking about waiting for an Intel Mac is old software. If you're a current Mac user with lots of software, you simply don't know how much of your software will work. In your case, assuming you don't currently have any Mac software, that barrier won't exist.



Furthermore, assuming you have Windows software, you'll probably be able to get Windows to run on the Intel Mac one way or another, so if you have some old software that you need, you'd be OK there too.



If I was going to switch, I think I'd wait for the Intel Macs.

aplnub

If you have a year, then wait it out.



I know that sucks but assuming you don't have money to burn, that would be the best choice IMHO.

robin hood

If you want or need a PowerBook now, get one now. No matter when you buy it, it WILL become outdated in a year. That would have happened anyway, and it will happen with the Intel Mac's as well. In fact, it might happen faster, because Intel tends to come out with more incremental processors.

gon

Quote:

Originally posted by Robin Hood

If you want or need a PowerBook now, get one now. No matter when you buy it, it WILL become outdated in a year.

Not true IMO. Unless you are in a field where your apps eat all power they can get and then some (video, sound, ...) a computer can be fine for at least three years.

Quote:

That would have happened anyway, and it will happen with the Intel Mac's as well. In fact, it might happen faster, because Intel tends to come out with more incremental processors.

It's new software, and hardware faults, that age computers. Not new hardware.



To the original poster, I say you have a good idea there... get a mini, or even an iBook. They're excellent computers without the inflated PB price. I switched from a slightly faster 15" Powerbook to a 12" iBook in January, got a new warranty, and cash difference almost large enough to pay for my 24" widescreen. No noticeable difference in computer speed or anything.

yankeefan22988

Quote:

Originally posted by chris000001

either way you look at it any computer is outdated 1 to 2 years from when you buy it....being a pc person you should kno this...

Um, PCs have a tendency to be outdated much faster than Macs, and even with PCs it'll take a good 3 years for the thing to be outdated, at least for the average user. In fact, my current PC is a Dell 4400 that I got back in February 2002, and I'm only just now starting to have problems with my hardware being outdated and too slow, and for the most part it's mostly with games and graphics intensive programs. Still, for the price ($2200 and up) and the purpose (4 years of college, starting fall '06) I'd need my PowerBook to last 5 years. I'm only really going to be running your average software, the iLife and iWork stuff, and maybe a few games here and there, but nothing massive like Final Cut. Based on that, a 5 year lifespan would seem more than reasonable for a Mac. But then there's the Intel factor...

aplnub

FCP HD runs fine on my 12" iBook while doing basic edits. Rendering shows the difference between my G5 iMac and iBook but doing your basic editing is fine. Rendering is a come back hours later process anyway so that is not really a big deal either.



The 12" iBook rocks and is the ultimate in portability as far as full featured notebooks go (minus the fact it doesn't come with a super drive (dvd writer)). You can add those aftermarket though with DL support if you have to. May be worth getting the 14" instead if you need a super drive.



The Intel factor is the only reason I say wait a year if you can. Too many unkowns and Steve hasn't given enough information to calm me down about future versions of software being supported on both platforms for any length of time. Of course Final Cut will support PPC's for a year afterwards, but what about 3 years after the transition is done? What about the small programs I have? Something tells me this all depends on developers and their willingness to work harder or at least a little longer.

junkyard dawg

If you wait a year then you can cash in on the student discounts. The Apple hardware wont be much cheaper, but students get mondo discounts on software. So if you can hold off for a year, it'd be worth your trouble.



Also, Yonah will be a oceanic shift in Mac performance, so if you got a Powerbook G4 now, in a year or so when Yonah arrives, it will be but a heap of garbage.



If you need a computer, then always buy now.

g3pro

I want an intel laptop pretty badly, but the way I see it, by the time the intel chip gets fully functional (2006-2007), you'll be in the market for the next intel chip after that. There shouldn't be a big problem with processor speed.



I'd be more interested if dual-core G4s are out before then.

mynamehere

Quote:

Originally posted by Robin Hood

If you want or need a PowerBook now, get one now. No matter when you buy it, it WILL become outdated in a year. That would have happened anyway, and it will happen with the Intel Mac's as well. In fact, it might happen faster, because Intel tends to come out with more incremental processors.

This is true, except for the fact that the G4 in it's current form is ALREADY an outdated processor, so you should probably wait if you can.



Interestingly enough, I'm in the same situation as you are (HS class of 2006, want an Apple laptop for college). I think I'll wait it out, since my Apple desktop will cover me until then.

g3pro

Quote:

Originally posted by mynamehere

This is true, except for the fact that the G4 in it's current form is ALREADY an outdated processor, so you should probably wait if you can.

The Powerbook line is screwed at the moment, plain and simple. It's not going to get better until Intel gets into the Powerbook line, which is a LONG ways away. Hell, it's only been announced this past month that they're gonna be using intel in an upcoming transition phase. What that means is that the lower end will be upgraded before the higher end. Powerbooks are high-end.



Hell, I'll be in medical school by the time that happens, and I'll need a new laptop for research anyways. Buy it if you need it. Don't buy if you are going to need it in a year.