Do you wait for the new generation 15" PowerBook?

Posted:
in Future Apple Hardware edited January 2014
I find myself tempted to buy one of the now cheap last generation(?) 15" PowerBooks ... almost pressed the submit button, but then again I'm asking myself, will there be a speed-deamon just around the corner?

What about you?



(Sorry for the typo in the poll title, maybe a mod can step in and ...)
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 37
    logan calelogan cale Posts: 1,281member
    I need a new PowerBook in the next few weeks because my current one is about to lose warranty and I want to buy a new one, send this back, then sell this one. But I'm going on vacation, soon too...so I have a very specific time constraint.
  • Reply 2 of 37
    neutrino23neutrino23 Posts: 1,561member
    There are various ways to configure one's computing. For a long time I relied only on just a PB. About two years ago I got an 867 G4 Quicksilver and a cinema display and just used the Pismo for travelling. Recently I thought I would upgrade the Pismo to a mini-P. However, the specs weren't quite there. Most importantly I wanted a sub-three pound PB and it looks like this won't happen for quite a while.



    Then I started to rethink this. The specs on the 15 inch Ti-book look quite nice compared to my existing tower and it can drive the cinema display. I finally decided that the way to go is to replace the tower with the 15 inch Al PB. This upgrades the computer power, maintains support for the cinema display and cuts the noise from the tower. Plus there is only one computer to deal with - no syncing issues, just backup.



    The 15 inch Al PB should be better for customer presentations than the 12 inch mini-P. There is still the weight issue, but I'll have to deal with that. It is only a little heavier than the mini-P and weight involves accessories as well as the 'Book itself. You have to get a light bag that is small enough that you don't stuff it with all sorts of other stuff that drives the total weight up to 20 lbs.



    As I am not time constrained I'll wait till the next 15 'book comes out and get that with an extreme card and a base station.
  • Reply 3 of 37
    yevgenyyevgeny Posts: 1,148member
    A firend and I visited the local Apple store yesterday because he is interested in buying a powerbook. My advice was to wait. The current 15 inch powerbook is old and in need of an upgrade. Don't get me wrong- it is a sweet laptop and it makes my Dell look like the boat anchor that it is. Apple really has to upgrade this laptop and I think that the time for an upgrade to an Al book is coming soon. Hold out until the new machines come out.
  • Reply 4 of 37
    macgregormacgregor Posts: 1,434member
    Depends upon what happens for a rev B 12"er.
  • Reply 5 of 37
    pscatespscates Posts: 5,847member
    I agree totally with what neutrino23 and yevgeny said. I'll never own a desktop AND a laptop again. And with the specs/features of these latest PowerBooks (and even iBooks, for many people out there...myself probably included), you don't really have to have a full-tilt desktop machine!



    A kick-ass PowerBook with graphics, speed, hard drive space, optical drive, I/O, etc. that's basically equal to that of recent (or even current) PowerMacs and high-end iMacs is a sweet machine! AND you can always use it to drive a bigger display, keyboard and mouse for home use.



    Best of all worlds, really. Desktop power that goes where you do.



    A tower - 970 or otherwise - holds NO appeal for me whatsoever. Just big and bulky and shit hanging all out the back and you're chained to your desk, 24/7, while using it.



    No thanks!
  • Reply 6 of 37
    cakecake Posts: 1,010member
    I couldn't wait.

    I bought a 12" PB and love it. Very nice machine.
  • Reply 7 of 37
    cosmocosmo Posts: 662member
    I need a replacement for my 333 iMac. i'm going to university in the fall, so i need the new machine sometime this summer. I've pretty much decided on the 15" PB, with the 12" being a back up plan if i cannot afford the 15". No matter what happens i will not buy the current incarnation of either machine.



    Apple, please don't let me down.
  • Reply 8 of 37
    murbotmurbot Posts: 5,262member
    Doesn't matter what they do, I'll probably go through a couple of each this summer.







    Seriously though, a tricked out 15" AlBook is going to be hard to turn down...
  • Reply 9 of 37
    pscatespscates Posts: 5,847member
    I know. I keep obsessing on what it might be like!



    Then I go "$@% it...get an iBook and wait for a 970 PowerBook next year...".



    Sigh...



    I see a big coin toss in my near future.
  • Reply 10 of 37
    thegeldingthegelding Posts: 3,230member
    don't fret paul, perhaps you can get that widescreen iBook with a 970 chip and new motherboard in about 2 weeks....





    perhaps....







    nahhhh, but it is fun to think of it



    g
  • Reply 11 of 37
    algolalgol Posts: 833member
    How about a dual 2.5GHZ 23" PowerBook G5. Only downside is it only gets gets 10 minutes of battery life...and you can't put it on your lap as it will give you third degree burns. But its wicked FAST!
  • Reply 12 of 37
    escherescher Posts: 1,811member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by neutrino23

    I finally decided that the way to go is to replace the tower with the 15 inch Al PB.... There is still the weight issue, but I'll have to deal with that.



    You and I have talked about subnotebooks and desktops before, and it's amazing how similar our thought processes are. I'm starting to like the logic behind your decision.



    I have an iMac/233 that I absolutely need to replace. It's starting to act weird, which is especially bothersome because my wife uses it. Personally, I've been using only my iBook/500, because it's faster, runs OS X, and is portable. Even though a new low-end PowerMac G5 is going to be very tempting, I think I'm going to replace the iMac with an inexpensive Wintel (or WinAMD) box. My wife is the main desktop user and she would prefer to have Windows, like she does at work.



    For myself, I've been planning on getting a Rev.B 12-inch PowerBook and sharing the Wintel box's larger monitor when I need the screen real estate. But if the 970 hits only the 15-inch PowerBook, there's no way I'm going to buy a last-generation, passé G4. Under that scenario, I'll either get a 15-inch PowerBook G5 or wait for Apple to make a 12-inch PowerBook G5.



    Escher

    (suffering from insomnia tonight)
  • Reply 13 of 37
    escherescher Posts: 1,811member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by MacGregor

    Depends upon what happens for a rev B 12"er.



    My decision definitely hinges on the Rev.B 12-inch PowerBook. As stated above, there's no way I will buy any G4-based system at this point. Assuming the 15-inch PowerBook is the first to ship with a G5, it will be a tempting buy. However, waiting for a 970-based 12-inch PowerBook will also be an option for me, even if that means waiting for Rev.C in early 2004. My iBook is not fast, but it's still perfectly useable.



    BTW: MacWhispers is now reporting that PPC 970-based 15.4-inch PowerBooks have entered production. I hope that's not a bad omen.



    I can't wait for June 23!



    Escher
  • Reply 14 of 37
    algolalgol Posts: 833member
    I just bought a 1Ghz Tibook for cheap. I got tired of waiting for the new PowerBooks, and I started to wonder if they would really be that much better. So, I saved myself a lot of money and got a kick arss computer. It really is amazing how fast this thing is. I can't even imagine what a dual 1.8Ghz 970 would be like. I bet I'll be kicking myself in a few months, but I have always lucked out with computer buys before. Maybe I will this time too.
  • Reply 15 of 37
    macgregormacgregor Posts: 1,434member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Algol

    I just bought a 1Ghz Tibook for cheap. I got tired of waiting for the new PowerBooks, and I started to wonder if they would really be that much better. So, I saved myself a lot of money and got a kick arss computer. It really is amazing how fast this thing is. I can't even imagine what a dual 1.8Ghz 970 would be like. I bet I'll be kicking myself in a few months, but I have always lucked out with computer buys before. Maybe I will this time too.



    I'm sure you'll find that to be a great purchase for a long time to come. I like the look and feel (though not the flex) of the Tibook better than the Albooks anyway.



    Escher: That MacWhisper article sure seemed to be realistic in its claims. I can't honestly remember what their track record has been like, they don't seem to make as much of a splash as some of the others.



    Also I have always thought of the desire to have a desktop and the smallest laptop as my ideal setup, thus the 12" or a subnotebook with a PM. But like others I have truly begun thinking that a laptop is all I need. I just need to span at least two monitors and the TiBook does that beautifully now....so I may be joining pscates' party soon.
  • Reply 16 of 37
    moogsmoogs Posts: 4,296member
    I just hope they're sturdier and better put together than the 12" PB. I like the look but I have not been impressed at all by build quality / material quality.
  • Reply 17 of 37
    jante99jante99 Posts: 539member
    The downside to the new 15" Aluminum Powerbook will be that it will be a first revision model and that means there will be problems, no matter how hard Apple works to find the bugs. I'd wait until the new models are released and either get a new one or buy an older model for a lower price.
  • Reply 18 of 37
    msanttimsantti Posts: 1,377member
    I think one thing is certain.



    If the 15" is going to have a G4 processor, nothing will be said about it at WWDC.



    Think press release then.
  • Reply 19 of 37
    pscatespscates Posts: 5,847member
    You know what? I'm officially going on record (ha!) as believing that the new 15" model will NOT be sporting a G4.







    Just a tingly hunch. Wouldn't that be very, very cool?



    Engineering/tech-wise, is there something that would keep the PowerBook (any or all of them) getting this new chip?



    Heat? Space? Power consumption? Size? Cost?



    I don't know...I'm asking.
  • Reply 20 of 37
    Quote:

    Originally posted by pscates

    Engineering/tech-wise, is there something that would keep the PowerBook (any or all of them) getting this new chip?



    Heat? Space? Power consumption? Size? Cost?




    Yes, No, Yes, No, No.



    Space, size, and cost aren't a problem outside of the subnotebooks and the iBooks on cost. Once you hit the 15", you have some room to work. Er, Apple will make room if it needs. We're not talking about a bit issue.



    Heat and power generally go hand-in-hand. This is the real killer for space to make room for heatsinks, fans, etc. Plus, Apple has always sold well on the basis of battery life. Cost is a non-issue once you hit the higher end PBs. When you're dropping $3k for a 17" PB, you can afford an extra $100 on the CPU.



    What really needs to restated is that we know NOTHING about power savings in the 970. The 970 need not be the power sipper that previous chips were if the .09s or the 980 can fill that role in the near future, but then again, a clocked back 1.2GHz 970 would be vastly faster than anything Apple is shipping in a laptop today, so Apple probably has some room to work. As long as Apple can get about 3hrs in a laptop and the heat and cost aren't that much higher than a 1GHz G4, then I don't see why it couldn't work in a 15" and 17" PB.



    It is odd that Apple is blowing 12" PBs out to employees at $1300, though. Seems a bit unusual for a machine not 6 months old, don't you think?
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