And if the price isn't a problem to me, what's it to you? As long as people want it, it doesn't hurt you in the least. If people find it too expensive, there's always the iBook. Choice is a good thing. Right now, we don't have that choice.
Besides, I don't think Apple would charge that much.
it's no problem to me but the whinning will start the moment a subnotebook will be presented with a listprice higher than expected...
- iSight in all models or monitors (if they can get 3.2 megapixels in my cel phone- which is not available in the US?- they can get a good iSight in a PB monitor lid)
...
- smaller and lighter power bricks for notebooks
Bergermeister [/B]
I'm happy with iSight supplied with a PowerBook as long as it is removable or BTO. There are many customers I visit that do not allow any cameras of any sort on the premises. I can leave my cell phone with the guard but I can't do my presentation if I have to leave my PowerBook at the security desk.
I have an Al PB and find the powerbrick to be lighter and smaller than any in the past. What do you have in mind?
I lived in Japan for nine years and I have always found the Japanese designs to be attractive and aggressive but not always practical. I recall beautiful cassette players and MD players using touch controls and solenoids which were really cool but quite expensive.
Never thought about not allowing cams on the premises... good point, but the time is fast approaching when it will be hard to find all cams, they are getting so small and into everything.
Indeed, some of the Japanese devices were overdone, but things are changing now in a very practical direction, so it is possible to find some really great products without breaking the bank account. One of my favorites, though it has been discontinued, is the Sony Clie PEG-UX50, which is loaded: camera, video, great screen, memory stick, blue tooth, keyboard (which is actually usable), Palm OS onbaord, linked to the Mac with MissingSync. In short, whenever I have to travel by train anywhere, this is all I take. I have with me a couple of home videos I can watch, audio I can listen to while typing in the memo pad, and I can record meetings, either audio or video and then plug those back into my Mac. And it's almost the size of the iPod 5G! Of course, there are also games!
The power brick I use now is a third party device that is almost half the weight of Apple's and does not radiate as much heat. It's also slightly smaller overall. I have seen bricks here for 17" portables that are smaller than that one, so it can be done.
Another thing I would like to see Apple or another company come out with is a multi-battery charger for the PB. There was one a few years back, but not for the recent models.
- Higher quality control: too many machines are currently DOA or have problems which are causing down time for their owners while the mangers at Apple are getting filthy rich off of stock options
(I speak from experience: of my last 8 Macs, six have been repaired, four of those twice, three of them three times or more, three machines were replaced and I am currently awaiting repairs on two- not to mention my first three 2.0s were DOA; my first Mac, a Mac Plus, lasted 13 years without a single problem (other than being dropped twice which did it no harm)
Wow, you must have some bad karma going on there somehow. I've averaged about one new Mac (for home or office) each year for the past 16 years, with zero problems to speak of. (I did experience the TiBook paint flaking which Apple repaired under warranty.)
My wish for next year would be for Apple to make a lighter, cooler, faster more scratch resistant iBook with a brighter, higher resolution screen.
it's no problem to me but the whinning will start the moment a subnotebook will be presented with a listprice higher than expected...
Griping about Apple prices is a time-honored tradition. It's human nature to wish anything expensive was less so. But we pay the prices anyway because we know Macs are worth it. And it's a time-honored tradition for some people to accuse the gripers of "whining." Case in point.
The brick: bought it at a local discount electronics store in Japan so I don't know if it is available over the ocean. It's a Brighton NET B-Power.
Bad karma... I was worried for a while, but when three local stores said they had had similar troubles with Apple Japan (one stopped selling Apple products supposedly out of frustration), I thought it wasn't just me. To be honest, I was very tempted to switch to PCs after three years of squabbling with the Call Center here. Now with the Apple stores arriving in country (they are controled by Apple USA, no less) and with greater sales, pressure seems to be mounting for Apple Japan to get it's act together (they still have a long way to go). Anyway, that is a different topic and they just called to say they will be replacing not-quite 2-years-old G5 2.0 (which has needed 3 new motherboards in a month) with a brand new dual core, but it will take three weeks to process. Merry Christmas, I guess, if you ignore the time I spent on the phone and the lack of progress on a major project because I don't have a functioning machine until next year (sounds worse than next month). I love Macs and hated myself for considering a switch, but at one point I simply didn't think I had an option, and I am still not confident.
Another new thing I would like to see (which is the basis of this thread!?!?): a new iPod Video that can actually hold disk images of DVDs and then run them as a DVD player would, remote and all. I make lots of DVD projects and need to show them to clients, and would like to have my collection with me without lugging around my PB. Oh, and make it scratch resistant!
By the way, how do you guys include the quote (originally posted by...) in your messages? I am rather new at this.
[B]I live in Japan and see the new stuff the Japanese makers are coming out with and it is mind-boggling. Apple, IMHO, need to play some catch-up, especially in the area of monitors. The new Sonys are cheaper, faster and have monitors that blow my home hteater system away.
I'ts such a shame that the Sony computers have to run XP So totaly useless.
I think Apple will play catchup with sleeker brighter monitors especially with HD about to explode in 2006 here in the UK.
Switching to Intel will prove to be a very good move but I doubt I will buy one until the OS is native to intel processors the idea of emulation does not go down well with me as performance will suffer.
I thnk the iBook and PB's are going to be just awsome,Thinner,lighter,faster. Sony do some fantastic note books and I can see Apple matching that but with the most important feature of all OSX. Its software that makes a platform great. Even when Vista comes out OSX will be years ahead.
I also think its the Home life style market that will explode for Apple in 2006 ie Front Row etc. We have seen glimpses already in 2005, but hopefully with AExpress streaming video and hopefully multiple streams so you could listen to different music/video in different locations where there is an AE which is something I'm screaming for!
Most important product has to be the Home digital hub and that is where the Mac Mini should truly show it's potential with built in DVR, Wireless capability etc.
Exciting times ahead for Apple and I'm happy I made the switch this year.
Switching to Intel will prove to be a very good move but I doubt I will buy one until the OS is native to intel processors the idea of emulation does not go down well with me as performance will suffer.
HUH??? What are you talking about???
The OS is completely "native to intel"!
The emulation you're referring to only concerns some Powerpc apps which have not yet been ported to run natively on Macs with intel processors.
Speaking of software... Anyone know the status of the major software packages being converted?
New powerbooks prior to software could be bad. PC users switching and then finding no software would think the old tales of Apple having no software were true. And emulation doesn't count in my book.
Is Micropuke planning to make an intel native Office for Mac?
I think an intel based Mac Mini and/or DVR are likely at macworld. Maybe the ibook... But wouldn't a yonah based ibook trounce the powerbook?
I live in Japan and see the new stuff the Japanese makers are coming out with and it is mind-boggling. Apple, IMHO, need to play some catch-up, especially in the area of monitors. The new Sonys are cheaper, faster and have monitors that blow my home hteater system away.
The FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE PLEASE LIST
- Higher quality control: too many machines are currently DOA or have problems which are causing down time for their owners while the mangers at Apple are getting filthy rich off of stock options
(I speak from experience: of my last 8 Macs, six have been repaired, four of those twice, three of them three times or more, three machines were replaced and I am currently awaiting repairs on two- not to mention my first three 2.0s were DOA; my first Mac, a Mac Plus, lasted 13 years without a single problem (other than being dropped twice which did it no harm)
- Software that works on all models (the current problem with 10.4 on dual processor 2.0s comes to mind)
- dispense with AppleCare; jsut make good products that truly work and have a good 3-5 year warranty to begin with.
- BTO should not change the status of the computer in any way
THE WISH LIST
- lighter laptops
- better, brighter, sharper and less-expensive monitors all-round
- FW port more accessible on the iMac (functionality can be a design feature)
- More, more more USB and FW ports (laptops: 4 USB, 2FW)(desk: 6 USB, 4 FW)
- smaller form factor for the PM
- iSight in all models or monitors (if they can get 3.2 megapixels in my cel phone- which is not available in the US?- they can get a good iSight in a PB monitor lid)
- wireless might mouse
- Front Row for everyone
- faster conversion to iPod format under QT pro
- upgrade iWork with spreadsheet and a drawing program, along with label printing
THE APPLE COULD DO THAT IF THEY WANTED LIST
- more ergonomic keyboards
- smaller and lighter power bricks for notebooks
- advertising for Macs (tons of ad money for iPods leads me to worry that Apple will drop the computers at some stage)
That's it for now.
Happy whatever holiday you celebrate!
Bergermeister
Well Bergermeister, you seem to be the hard-luck man of the Century. I do sympathize, but can find absolutely nothing in my 20 years of Mac use to compare with your situation. I think I purchased very version of KanjiTalk ever-- at gross waste of money, as it turned out. Thank the kami for OSX.
I might add that I spend about a third of my time in Japan, too, so have gone through all the horrible days of trying to service macs from one end of the country to the other, with those dreadful Canon "service centers" in the bad old days before Apple Store! My only service problem on recent macs was a HD that failed after heavy use in my first G4^3. I did, I admit, have the leprosy problem on my G4 Powerbook, but that was taken care of IMMEDIATELY by my local AppleStore in SoHo.
On the rest of your message: I was struck by both the care taken in your problem list and in your wish list. Good thoughts! I wonder if we cannot get a real mid-form G5 powermacs without having to haul home one of today's G5's.
Comments
apple "slingbox"
web based work suite...that way critical stuff can be kept on onine access like gmail
wimax ready airport and laptops
pb with flash drive
ihome--
apple get to 10% market share so more developers support apple
more apple supported sheet fed scanners. the fuji is $$$ and visioneer paperport was killer for os 9
apple everything
Originally posted by Kolchak
And if the price isn't a problem to me, what's it to you? As long as people want it, it doesn't hurt you in the least. If people find it too expensive, there's always the iBook. Choice is a good thing. Right now, we don't have that choice.
Besides, I don't think Apple would charge that much.
it's no problem to me but the whinning will start the moment a subnotebook will be presented with a listprice higher than expected...
I want...
Powerbook 15" w/ 2ghz intel (or higher) and 120gig 7200rpm drive... oh, and a price reduction!
Originally posted by gar
it's no problem to me but the whinning will start the moment a subnotebook will be presented with a listprice higher than expected...
That may be true but I want one and I would plop the cash down for it tomorrow if it were here.
Besides, I have NEVER seen one person on AI.com cry about prices...
Originally posted by aplnub
That may be true but I want one and I would plop the cash down for it tomorrow if it were here.
Besides, I have NEVER seen one person on AI.com cry about prices...
you're new here, right?
Originally posted by Bergermeister
- iSight in all models or monitors (if they can get 3.2 megapixels in my cel phone- which is not available in the US?- they can get a good iSight in a PB monitor lid)
...
- smaller and lighter power bricks for notebooks
Bergermeister [/B]
I'm happy with iSight supplied with a PowerBook as long as it is removable or BTO. There are many customers I visit that do not allow any cameras of any sort on the premises. I can leave my cell phone with the guard but I can't do my presentation if I have to leave my PowerBook at the security desk.
I have an Al PB and find the powerbrick to be lighter and smaller than any in the past. What do you have in mind?
I lived in Japan for nine years and I have always found the Japanese designs to be attractive and aggressive but not always practical. I recall beautiful cassette players and MD players using touch controls and solenoids which were really cool but quite expensive.
Indeed, some of the Japanese devices were overdone, but things are changing now in a very practical direction, so it is possible to find some really great products without breaking the bank account. One of my favorites, though it has been discontinued, is the Sony Clie PEG-UX50, which is loaded: camera, video, great screen, memory stick, blue tooth, keyboard (which is actually usable), Palm OS onbaord, linked to the Mac with MissingSync. In short, whenever I have to travel by train anywhere, this is all I take. I have with me a couple of home videos I can watch, audio I can listen to while typing in the memo pad, and I can record meetings, either audio or video and then plug those back into my Mac. And it's almost the size of the iPod 5G! Of course, there are also games!
The power brick I use now is a third party device that is almost half the weight of Apple's and does not radiate as much heat. It's also slightly smaller overall. I have seen bricks here for 17" portables that are smaller than that one, so it can be done.
Another thing I would like to see Apple or another company come out with is a multi-battery charger for the PB. There was one a few years back, but not for the recent models.
Originally posted by Bergermeister
The FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE PLEASE LIST
- Higher quality control: too many machines are currently DOA or have problems which are causing down time for their owners while the mangers at Apple are getting filthy rich off of stock options
(I speak from experience: of my last 8 Macs, six have been repaired, four of those twice, three of them three times or more, three machines were replaced and I am currently awaiting repairs on two- not to mention my first three 2.0s were DOA; my first Mac, a Mac Plus, lasted 13 years without a single problem (other than being dropped twice which did it no harm)
Wow, you must have some bad karma going on there somehow. I've averaged about one new Mac (for home or office) each year for the past 16 years, with zero problems to speak of. (I did experience the TiBook paint flaking which Apple repaired under warranty.)
My wish for next year would be for Apple to make a lighter, cooler, faster more scratch resistant iBook with a brighter, higher resolution screen.
Originally posted by gar
it's no problem to me but the whinning will start the moment a subnotebook will be presented with a listprice higher than expected...
Griping about Apple prices is a time-honored tradition. It's human nature to wish anything expensive was less so. But we pay the prices anyway because we know Macs are worth it. And it's a time-honored tradition for some people to accuse the gripers of "whining." Case in point.
Originally posted by NOFEER
where did you get the power brick, if it's as small as you say i'd like to get one and hopefully they have a small one for my wife's ibook g4
Try the Madsonline Microadapter. It's expensive, though.
Bad karma... I was worried for a while, but when three local stores said they had had similar troubles with Apple Japan (one stopped selling Apple products supposedly out of frustration), I thought it wasn't just me. To be honest, I was very tempted to switch to PCs after three years of squabbling with the Call Center here. Now with the Apple stores arriving in country (they are controled by Apple USA, no less) and with greater sales, pressure seems to be mounting for Apple Japan to get it's act together (they still have a long way to go). Anyway, that is a different topic and they just called to say they will be replacing not-quite 2-years-old G5 2.0 (which has needed 3 new motherboards in a month) with a brand new dual core, but it will take three weeks to process. Merry Christmas, I guess, if you ignore the time I spent on the phone and the lack of progress on a major project because I don't have a functioning machine until next year (sounds worse than next month). I love Macs and hated myself for considering a switch, but at one point I simply didn't think I had an option, and I am still not confident.
Another new thing I would like to see (which is the basis of this thread!?!?): a new iPod Video that can actually hold disk images of DVDs and then run them as a DVD player would, remote and all. I make lots of DVD projects and need to show them to clients, and would like to have my collection with me without lugging around my PB. Oh, and make it scratch resistant!
By the way, how do you guys include the quote (originally posted by...) in your messages? I am rather new at this.
Originally posted by Bergermeister
By the way, how do you guys include the quote (originally posted by...) in your messages? I am rather new at this.
Notice the "reply" button in the upper right hand corner of MY post? Hit that... Or the post you want to reply too...
Originally posted by aplnub
Notice the "reply" button in the upper right hand corner of MY post? Hit that... Or the post you want to reply too...
Thanks!
[B]I live in Japan and see the new stuff the Japanese makers are coming out with and it is mind-boggling. Apple, IMHO, need to play some catch-up, especially in the area of monitors. The new Sonys are cheaper, faster and have monitors that blow my home hteater system away.
I'ts such a shame that the Sony computers have to run XP
I think Apple will play catchup with sleeker brighter monitors especially with HD about to explode in 2006 here in the UK.
Switching to Intel will prove to be a very good move but I doubt I will buy one until the OS is native to intel processors the idea of emulation does not go down well with me as performance will suffer.
I thnk the iBook and PB's are going to be just awsome,Thinner,lighter,faster. Sony do some fantastic note books and I can see Apple matching that but with the most important feature of all OSX. Its software that makes a platform great. Even when Vista comes out OSX will be years ahead.
I also think its the Home life style market that will explode for Apple in 2006 ie Front Row etc. We have seen glimpses already in 2005, but hopefully with AExpress streaming video and hopefully multiple streams so you could listen to different music/video in different locations where there is an AE which is something I'm screaming for!
Most important product has to be the Home digital hub and that is where the Mac Mini should truly show it's potential with built in DVR, Wireless capability etc.
Exciting times ahead for Apple and I'm happy I made the switch this year.
So here is to 2006.
Originally posted by jimbo123
Switching to Intel will prove to be a very good move but I doubt I will buy one until the OS is native to intel processors the idea of emulation does not go down well with me as performance will suffer.
HUH??? What are you talking about???
The OS is completely "native to intel"!
The emulation you're referring to only concerns some Powerpc apps which have not yet been ported to run natively on Macs with intel processors.
Originally posted by dutch pear
HUH??? What are you talking about???
The OS is completely "native to intel"!
The emulation you're referring to only concerns some Powerpc apps which have not yet been ported to run natively on Macs with intel processors.
Sorry you are right
New powerbooks prior to software could be bad. PC users switching and then finding no software would think the old tales of Apple having no software were true. And emulation doesn't count in my book.
Is Micropuke planning to make an intel native Office for Mac?
I think an intel based Mac Mini and/or DVR are likely at macworld. Maybe the ibook... But wouldn't a yonah based ibook trounce the powerbook?
Corey
Originally posted by Bergermeister
I live in Japan and see the new stuff the Japanese makers are coming out with and it is mind-boggling. Apple, IMHO, need to play some catch-up, especially in the area of monitors. The new Sonys are cheaper, faster and have monitors that blow my home hteater system away.
The FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE PLEASE LIST
- Higher quality control: too many machines are currently DOA or have problems which are causing down time for their owners while the mangers at Apple are getting filthy rich off of stock options
(I speak from experience: of my last 8 Macs, six have been repaired, four of those twice, three of them three times or more, three machines were replaced and I am currently awaiting repairs on two- not to mention my first three 2.0s were DOA; my first Mac, a Mac Plus, lasted 13 years without a single problem (other than being dropped twice which did it no harm)
- Software that works on all models (the current problem with 10.4 on dual processor 2.0s comes to mind)
- dispense with AppleCare; jsut make good products that truly work and have a good 3-5 year warranty to begin with.
- BTO should not change the status of the computer in any way
THE WISH LIST
- lighter laptops
- better, brighter, sharper and less-expensive monitors all-round
- FW port more accessible on the iMac (functionality can be a design feature)
- More, more more USB and FW ports (laptops: 4 USB, 2FW)(desk: 6 USB, 4 FW)
- smaller form factor for the PM
- iSight in all models or monitors (if they can get 3.2 megapixels in my cel phone- which is not available in the US?- they can get a good iSight in a PB monitor lid)
- wireless might mouse
- Front Row for everyone
- faster conversion to iPod format under QT pro
- upgrade iWork with spreadsheet and a drawing program, along with label printing
THE APPLE COULD DO THAT IF THEY WANTED LIST
- more ergonomic keyboards
- smaller and lighter power bricks for notebooks
- advertising for Macs (tons of ad money for iPods leads me to worry that Apple will drop the computers at some stage)
That's it for now.
Happy whatever holiday you celebrate!
Bergermeister
Well Bergermeister, you seem to be the hard-luck man of the Century. I do sympathize, but can find absolutely nothing in my 20 years of Mac use to compare with your situation. I think I purchased very version of KanjiTalk ever-- at gross waste of money, as it turned out. Thank the kami for OSX.
I might add that I spend about a third of my time in Japan, too, so have gone through all the horrible days of trying to service macs from one end of the country to the other, with those dreadful Canon "service centers" in the bad old days before Apple Store! My only service problem on recent macs was a HD that failed after heavy use in my first G4^3. I did, I admit, have the leprosy problem on my G4 Powerbook, but that was taken care of IMMEDIATELY by my local AppleStore in SoHo.
On the rest of your message: I was struck by both the care taken in your problem list and in your wish list. Good thoughts! I wonder if we cannot get a real mid-form G5 powermacs without having to haul home one of today's G5's.