New PowerBooks? Maybe?

m5884 · January 24, 2002 7:43PM

See here's the deal. I got a PowerBook G4 last year 400Mhz and put in a 48GB drive. My warrenty is about to run out and I don't want to pay 350 for a new warrenty if new powerbooks are about to come out. I would like to have a 733mhz or faster with a 30GB hard dirve and better graphics at least.

So to get off the topic of Powermac G5s or faster G4s. Will there be an upgrade to the PowerBook at seybold? (or any other time soon)

I think it is a possibility. Any inside knowledge or smart thinking. Rumor away. I wonder if we will see a powerbook G5 at MWNY?

Looking for a new powerbook with a big Harddrive? Email me [email protected]

haven't decided to sell yet through.

fran441 · January 24, 2002 8:04PM

There was just a PowerBook update about a month ago. It added the combo drives to the machines. Some countries haven't even recieved their first shipments yet. The PowerBook won't be updated for a few more months.

m5884 · January 24, 2002 9:22PM

ummm. Adding a cd-rw/dvd drive isn't really an update. They were just trying to play catch up with the ibook. This doen't prove a thing. The last update was when they bumped the speed to 550//667.

eman · January 24, 2002 9:32PM

[quote]Originally posted by M5884:

ummm. Adding a cd-rw/dvd drive isn't really an update. They were just trying to play catch up with the ibook. This doen't prove a thing. The last update was when they bumped the speed to 550//667.<hr></blockquote>

Right therefore I think we'll see an update in Tokyo.

tarbash · January 24, 2002 9:38PM

Yeah, Tokyo is the best bet, especially with the huge demand for thin portables over there. I think we'll see a fairly big upgrade above what many are expecting. Maybe some weight dropped, higher res screen, maybe a few design changes like dual hinges similar to the iBook's to give the machine a more solid feel when closed. Who knows.

I just hope the next TiBook solves some heat issues. My jet fan comes on a lot. <img src="graemlins/hmmm.gif" border="0" alt="[Hmmm]" />

m5884 · January 24, 2002 11:38PM

Think we'll see a G5 in the powerbook. From what I understand they had a very hard time putting a G4 in them because of the heat. Does the G5 have the same heat issues. If not why wouldn't we see a G5 powerbook when they release the G5 powermacs?

pookjp · January 24, 2002 11:46PM

For no other reason than Apple's history, there will not be a G5 in the TiBook for a LONG time.

That being said, I agree the addition of the combo drive was absolutley not a revision. We are still on the Rev. B TiBook. End of story.

The addition of the combo drive was just making up for something that was severely lacking in the first place. It was righting a wrong, not adding to the product. I think we'll see processor upgrade and hopefully a resolution boost at Tokyo.

The moment they increase the resolution will be the moment I buy one.

- Pook

tarbash · January 24, 2002 11:51PM

A G5 in the PowerBook this year is pushing it. Apollo G4s will fill that void rather nicely though.

m5884 · January 25, 2002 12:07AM

Is MWT in march?

tarbash · January 25, 2002 12:09AM

Yes it is.

dtoh · January 25, 2002 2:23AM

I'm with the apollo crowd in terms of PB bumps, since it seems to be geared towards less heat anyway via the SOI.

Mostly, I'd really like to see the upgraded pixel density. I bought the 667 (slower drive version), and appreciated the 133 bus bump and the graphics card bump, the only downside being the somewhat dated 'scaled' 1024x768.

My completely baseless guesses for MWTokyo:

600/700/800 G4 apollos

30/40/60 gig drives

combodrive across the board

bump in pixel density

same price points

yakmandoo · January 25, 2002 6:20AM

No one believes me, but DVD-R will be in the next powerbook...plus a big mhz boost in the G4...no G5 for the powerbook until 4 months after the PMacs get it...

discstickers · January 25, 2002 9:06AM

[quote]Originally posted by YakManDoo:

No one believes me, but DVD-R will be in the next powerbook...plus a big mhz boost in the G4...no G5 for the powerbook until 4 months after the PMacs get it...<hr></blockquote>

Ahhh so you magically have found a slot-loading, half-inch thick DVD-R drive?

fran441 · January 25, 2002 9:15AM

They just put the combo drive into the PowerBook. Where do you think they're going to get the DVD-R drives from? If you think that the next PowerBook will have a Superdrive or DVD burner, you're looking at the summer before the next PowerBook is released.

amorph · January 25, 2002 9:40AM

Or, the PowerBook's getting a wholesale redesign and the next version will be thicker.

Or, they might take a cue from the iBook and break the line into a slimline model and a bigger, bells-and-whistles model (which could also accomodate a hotter processor).

neovirusnine · January 25, 2002 11:28PM

I don't think DVD-R will show up in a powerbook even if it does become possible within the next year. People who feel the need to produce something on dvd would most likely, i believe, go with a powermac system because it has the extra power (especialy for the money compared to a powerbook) to run applications to compile a nicely developed dvd of some sort. I'm hoping a MP3 like solution will come about for copying dvd's. except i don't mean i'd like to copy lossy dvd's i just refer to mp3's because of their ease of transfer and use.

eman · January 25, 2002 11:40PM

[quote]Originally posted by neovirusnine:

I don't think DVD-R will show up in a powerbook even if it does become possible within the next year. People who feel the need to produce something on dvd would most likely, i believe, go with a powermac system because it has the extra power (especialy for the money compared to a powerbook) to run applications to compile a nicely developed dvd of some sort. I'm hoping a MP3 like solution will come about for copying dvd's. except i don't mean i'd like to copy lossy dvd's i just refer to mp3's because of their ease of transfer and use.<hr></blockquote>

Steve wants the superdrive in all Macs if possible. If they find a supplyer of a slot loading superdrive the Powerbook will get it asap.

gigawire · January 26, 2002 1:30AM

[quote]For no other reason than Apple's history, there will not be a G5 in the TiBook for a LONG time.<hr></blockquote>

I think a G5 will appear in a TiBook at or around the time it appears on the desktop. It seems that Apple is trying to push parity between iMac/iBook power/powerbook price point wise, and as such, a high end user wants a powerbook that can be a second mobile computer. As they are now, Powerbooks are nice, but do not yet fill that space in a comp users life. iBooks should be bumped to G4's when/before the G5 arrives. For Apple to end this year with any of its PowerLine running G4's, and any of its iLine in G3's would not be particularly good news.

Regardless, apple MUST get a better processor out soon. I've finally migrated to 10, and the speed difference in the progs I use is beyond what I can accept as tolerable performance for working in OS X.

paul · January 26, 2002 1:37AM

It was my understanding that the G5 was a very HOT and POWER HUNGRY chip. hardly something that belongs in a portable... (same deal with the PIV)

edit:removed quote as it was not needed

[ 01-26-2002: Message edited by: psantora ]

apple.otaku · January 26, 2002 2:32AM

I thought the great thing about the G5 was that it ran cooler and with less power than a G4 at similar speeds. Anyone have the specifics?

boy_analog · January 26, 2002 7:41AM

No specifics, and no direct insider info. Nonetheless, the hints that I do take seriously speak of "aggressive" designs. In this context, I'm inclined to think that aggressive = hot.

Therefore: expect Apollo for portables for quite a while, until a significant die shrink and/or process improvement makes the G5 cooler.

New PowerBooks? Maybe?

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