Strictly speaking, probably not much. A G4 is a G4, FireWire is FireWire, 15" is 15", etc. I don't think it's going to be any sort of "OHMIGOSH...this changes EVERYTHING!!!" experience or upgrade.
But...
I don't own a PowerBook, but I'd list the following as improvements and refinements that would make for an overall "nicer" PowerBook (going on a few assumptions here...taking into account the current 15" TiBook specs, in regards to hard drive, video card, etc. AND looking to the 12" and 17" models as cues for what to expect):
1. Prettier case Sorry, shiny aluminum with softer corners/edges trumps titanium
2. Improved AirPort reception Antennas in the display now, at least on the 12" and 17"...I'm sure the 15" will follow accordingly. That's important...nothing like having a laptop with piss-poor wireless reception in this day and age.
3. AirPort Extreme Matters to some, depending on situation/environment. In any case, always nice to have the latest technology...particularly on your flagship laptop.
4. Built-in Bluetooth Again, matters to some. Perhaps many within 6-12 months' time? In any case, nice to have onboard. It is about to be 2004...
5. Enclosure By all accounts, this new aluminum bod doesn't seem to be the scratch magnet that the Titanium model is.
6. Display Again, according to the reviews and from personal testimonials from many members here, the aluminum models seem to have a stiffer feel to them, making the display less prone to bend or be affected by pushing a finger on the back, creating "ripples" on the screen.
7. Guts New, faster RAM and stuff, right? I think so, looking at the specs.
8. FireWire 800 Going out on a limb a bit, but seeing how the 17" model has it and the G4 and the new G5 also sport it, I'd assume the popular 15" model will as well. As for "why this matters", see the last sentence or so in number 3 and 4 above. I imagine by this time next year, there will be gobs of FireWire 800 peripherals and devices out. Gotta start somewhere. Imagine if the Bondi iMac didn't have USB? Belkin and MacAlly and a few other places probably wouldn't have made nearly as much money as they made in 1998-2000, on colored USB peripherals.
Build it and they will come. Or something like that...
In answer to your question, there probably isn't anything you "can't do" or whatever with a current TiBook. Great machines, I'm sure. But definitely sticking out like a sore, neglected thumb for the past six months or so, considering what's surrounding it on either side (12" and 17" models).
I don't know...anyone currently owning a recent vintage TiBook probably won't care or be phased by it. Not enough of an incentive to upgrade (still a G4, still 15", still thin and light, etc.). But for those of us looking to unchain ourselves from our desks and create, surf, write, e-mail, retouch, draw, etc. from the front porch, patio, living couch or rec-room floor, it's a big deal and something we're waiting on with much excitement.
A bit more "oomph" than the 12" (L3 cache, DVI, larger screen), but not as expensive and "will this fit?" as the 17". I think a 15" with the above features/specs will be just about perfect, as Apple laptops go.
The only thing, other than a G5 that is an OMG! moment would be an intigrated iSight...
That would rock, and be super neat for me.
G5 should be there soon enough. Maybe one speed bump before, but the feeling I get is a late summer / early fall (in time for school/xmas) release. Trust me, you don't want integrated iSight. Did you see the WWDC keynote. The iSight is a GOOD camera, just mountable on the lid of any notebook, display etc. It ain't that much more, 149 I think, and would be a good add on. The integrated ones just don't have the proper photographic guts to give a good picture (I don't pretend to know what "guts" refers to as I am not a camera-type person).
Are you talking the "feeling you're getting" is for a PowerBook G5 late summer/early fall release?
Honestly? Or did I misread that? You're expecting the "one speed bump before" to be another G4 and that's this late summer/early fall reference?
A G5 PowerBook? Yes, late summer/early fall for sure...2004.
Poor phrasing, sorry. Speedbump (or new chip we know squat about) this summer/fall then G5 (or speed bump to new chip previously released) next year.
The more I think about it, I really don't think Apple is comfortable staying with Motorola at all. With G3s, G4s and now G5s on the table, I think they want to consolidate the G3/G4 into something like a G4+ (probably not the 7457, I just don't think Motorola is that capable). More like an IBM 960 (low power 32-bit processor built for SMP, Altivec, etc....Mojave-like).
The only thing, other than a G5 that is an OMG! moment would be an intigrated iSight...
Not that any extra incentive is needed, but wouldn't it be great to see some mail order place i.e. MacWarehouse, MacMall etc...bundle the iSight with the pre-order of a newly announced 15" Powerbook?
Not that any extra incentive is needed, but wouldn't it be great to see some mail order place i.e. MacWarehouse, MacMall etc...bundle the iSight with the pre-order of a newly announced 15" Powerbook?
I am betting we can count on that...probably at the Apple stores (brick and online) too! What a great add on for a laptop. And once the release the full iChat AV, it will be a no brainer add on for a laptop user. Imagine how video conferencing just got a million times easier, cheaper, better quality etc.....I think they will fly off the shelves. Right now, video conferencing sucks! Let's face it, Steve was right. No one got video conferencing right, and that is about to change. Especially for companies that have a lot of branch offices further away than a couple hour drive. So much better for that. And free air time! No more paying a third party web conference company those fees. Sucks for them.
Apple has gotten A LOT of things right this year. It has been an excellent year for them, product wise. And it's only half over, as Steve said.
This has, IMO, been Apple's best year since 1999 (the year of the iBook, AirPort, G4 AND iMac DV...wow!).
2003 passes that, I believe. And yes...we're just now at the beginning of the second half.
*shudder*
I hope it's just as cool and exciting as the the first half...
A brief recap of 2003, so far:
- AirPort Extreme
- 12" PowerBook
- 17" PowerBook
- Keynote
- Final Cut Express
- Updated iApps (iLife featuring iDVD 3, etc.)
- 20" Cinema Display
- Updated Xserve
- New iPods
- iTunes 4
- Apple Music Store
- Price cuts on 12" and 15" PowerBooks
- Price cuts on iBooks
- Price cuts on eMacs
- G5
- iChat A/V
- iSight
- Final Cut Pro 4
I'm sure I might've left a couple of things out...but DAMN!!!
What's coming:
- 15" PowerBook (ahem...)
- Panther...and all that it entails (double ahem...)
- Possible iBook update (not Gobi, I guess, but still 100MHz bump?)
- Possible/probable iMac update (17" across the line? Newer G4?)
- Possible iPod rev before the holidays? Hard drive bump?
- i****? Some sort of surprise hardware or software announcement in autumn? A new DLD and/or software to tap into "the hub"? You never know...
- All the various minor updates/tweaks to QuickTime, AirPort, iChat, iTunes, iMovie, iPhoto, iDVD, iChat, iCal and iSync we'll no doubt encounter via Software Update...
Yes, Apple is REALLY floundering and on its last legs...
ok ... I feel the excitement! I also see that alot of those that are excited have reasonably new PBs ... I'm still wondering WHY you would spend a couple of grand on a new machine? Is it just simply to have the newest and best, or will it allow you to do something much better?
Half is probably the "newest and best" thing, sure. Why not?
Part of it - for many, I'd imagine - is the nicer keyboard, better AirPort, tweaked motherboard, Bluetooth, AirPort Extreme.
Still part of it might be feeling like the Ti is - at over two years old - in need of a snappy refresh and update, just on look/feel/cosmetics alone? Yeah, kinda silly. But I think it's a valid reason to some. Looks like the other two, newer models.
That all matters to people. Varying degrees and at different levels, of course. But it matters to certain people enough to make them upgrade or "step up", I would imagine.
It's all pretty easy: lots of different reasons for lots of different people. Some are small and personal, others are larger and more tech/hardware-oriented.
Why do some people want a new car ever 3-4 years? A new cell phone ever year or so? A new food processor every other summer?
Half is probably the "newest and best" thing, sure. Why not?
Part of it - for many, I'd imagine - is the nicer keyboard, better AirPort, tweaked motherboard, Bluetooth, AirPort Extreme.
Still part of it might be feeling like the Ti is - at over two years old - in need of a snappy refresh and update, just on look/feel/cosmetics alone? Yeah, kinda silly. But I think it's a valid reason to some. Looks like the other two, newer models.
That all matters to people. Varying degrees and at different levels, of course. But it matters to certain people enough to make them upgrade or "step up", I would imagine.
It's all pretty easy: lots of different reasons for lots of different people. Some are small and personal, others are larger and more tech/hardware-oriented.
Why do some people want a new car ever 3-4 years? A new cell phone ever year or so? A new food processor every other summer?
Yep ... I guess I'm not the only person in need of an Apple 12 step program! Don't need a new PB but sure as hell WANT one!!!!!
ok ... I feel the excitement! I also see that alot of those that are excited have reasonably new PBs ... I'm still wondering WHY you would spend a couple of grand on a new machine? Is it just simply to have the newest and best, or will it allow you to do something much better?
I don't buy something new just because it's new. I'm interested in an update of the 12" PowerBook, for instance, because I like the extra portability over my current 800 MHz 15" TiBook... but I haven't bought one yet because I want something more than the current 12" model offers before I'm willing to make replace what I have.
That said, it's hardly a hard-assed calculation of increased productivity that I make. I make no pretense that the extra cost of my new toys is going to be an investment that pays me back. If I were thinking like an accountant, and not someone who simply enjoys techy toys for their own sake, I'd stick with my current TiBook for quite a while longer. In fact, if I were being boringly practical, I'd own only the TiBook -- using that as my sole computer instead of also owning the G4 I have now, and I wouldn't have a G5 on the way. I'd keep the TiBook for another year or two, and I'd buy something sensibly closer to my needs when I finally retired the TiBook, rather than buying whatever is the top-of-the-line at that time.
I'm not at all that practical about these things, however. Even with a G5 on order, if a sufficiently interesting 12" AlBook update comes along soon, I'll buy that too. In a year, I'll probably have my new dual 2.0 GHz G5 on eBay soon after my even newer dual 3.0 GHz arrives.
I don't buy something new just because it's new. I'm interested in an update of the 12" PowerBook, for instance, because I like the extra portability over my current 800 MHz 15" TiBook... but I haven't bought one yet because I want something more than the current 12" model offers before I'm willing to make replace what I have.
That said, it's hardly a hard-assed calculation of increased productivity that I make. I make no pretense that the extra cost of my new toys is going to be an investment that pays me back. If I were thinking like an accountant, and not someone who simply enjoys techy toys for their own sake, I'd stick with my current TiBook for quite a while longer. In fact, if I were being boringly practical, I'd own only the TiBook -- using that as my sole computer instead of also owning the G4 I have now, and I wouldn't have a G5 on the way. I'd keep the TiBook for another year or two, and I'd buy something sensibly closer to my needs when I finally retired the TiBook, rather than buying whatever is the top-of-the-line at that time.
I'm not at all that practical about these things, however. Even with a G5 on order, if a sufficiently interesting 12" AlBook update comes along soon, I'll buy that too. In a year, I'll probably have my new dual 2.0 GHz G5 on eBay soon after my even newer dual 3.0 GHz arrives.
YEAH! You are why I never worry about Apple folding.
Somewhere in late spring I got a critical mass of feeling that I needed to upgrade (Pismo 500 and 867 Quicksilver). For a lot of reasons the 15" Al PB seems the right way to go. True, the Ti PB works fine, but investing now and looking forward another couple of years till my next upgrade the Ti book doesn't cut it.
For me the decision is based on some fact and some supposition.
Facts:
The Al PB would have a stiffer frame, Airport Extreme, a better graphics card, at least a small speed bump, a little better/larger HD, better Airport range, possibly better battery/power management.
Supposition:
backlit keyboard, better LCD (comparable to the very nice 17" screen), FW800, faster bus, faster optical drive.
Personally, what I am waiting for is the 12" model with a speed bump to at least 1GHz and DVI out for better screen real estate at my desk.
I love the portability, but still want speed and optional video expandability. If they can't put that in the 12", then I'll get an updated 15" instead.
My Pismo 400 is going to celebrate its 4th birthday in September and that's the longest I will ever have had a computer. It's also ready to go to a nice retirement home.
actually, i am wondering why is it taking so long to have the 15" updated?
WHY WHY WHY?!
the 15" is the flagship and the one most users would want in terms of it being not too small or not too big but the perfect size for most people's needs...
so why didn't they just update the 15" a month after they did the other powerbooks? change the case, add the same stuff the 12" and 17' have and you have it. if it was a matter of stock left over...it's been almost 6 months now! They should be out becuase users see it as behind the other two.
Prediction:
Something is going on with the new 15" Powerbooks and when it comes out i think it will have a striking new feature or something that justifies the wait to premiere a updated one.
actually, i am wondering why is it taking so long to have the 15" updated?
WHY WHY WHY?!
7457. 7457. 7457.
I strongly suspect that Apple wants to base the new 15" AlBook, and a likely simultaneous update of the 12" and 17" AlBooks, on this new version of the G4 from Motorola. As long as the wait isn't too long, the wait should be worthwhile.
If Apple doesn't wait, the best they can probably do is a new 15" AlBook topping out at the same 1 GHz as the last TiBook, since the old G4 would be too hot and power-hungry over 1 GHz. There'd be feature upgrades (such as Airport Extreme, Bluetooth, lighted keyboard) and a new enclosure -- but no speed bump. I think Apple really wants to avoid issuing a new 15" PowerBook at the same speed as the last one.
I strongly suspect that Apple wants to base the new 15" AlBook, and a likely simultaneous update of the 12" and 17" AlBooks, on this new version of the G4 from Motorola. As long as the wait isn't too long, the wait should be worthwhile.
Mmmm, I am leaning on something new from IBM...they new the situation with the Power Mac and Motorola was useless, why wouldn't they think the same way about the PowerBook line. Granted, a "embedded processor" more suites a laptop than a desktop, but this is stagnant Motorola. No, my money is on a lower power chip from IBM coming later this summer/fall.
Comments
But...
I don't own a PowerBook, but I'd list the following as improvements and refinements that would make for an overall "nicer" PowerBook (going on a few assumptions here...taking into account the current 15" TiBook specs, in regards to hard drive, video card, etc. AND looking to the 12" and 17" models as cues for what to expect):
1. Prettier case
2. Improved AirPort reception Antennas in the display now, at least on the 12" and 17"...I'm sure the 15" will follow accordingly. That's important...nothing like having a laptop with piss-poor wireless reception in this day and age.
3. AirPort Extreme Matters to some, depending on situation/environment. In any case, always nice to have the latest technology...particularly on your flagship laptop.
4. Built-in Bluetooth Again, matters to some. Perhaps many within 6-12 months' time? In any case, nice to have onboard. It is about to be 2004...
5. Enclosure By all accounts, this new aluminum bod doesn't seem to be the scratch magnet that the Titanium model is.
6. Display Again, according to the reviews and from personal testimonials from many members here, the aluminum models seem to have a stiffer feel to them, making the display less prone to bend or be affected by pushing a finger on the back, creating "ripples" on the screen.
7. Guts New, faster RAM and stuff, right? I think so, looking at the specs.
8. FireWire 800 Going out on a limb a bit, but seeing how the 17" model has it and the G4 and the new G5 also sport it, I'd assume the popular 15" model will as well. As for "why this matters", see the last sentence or so in number 3 and 4 above. I imagine by this time next year, there will be gobs of FireWire 800 peripherals and devices out. Gotta start somewhere. Imagine if the Bondi iMac didn't have USB? Belkin and MacAlly and a few other places probably wouldn't have made nearly as much money as they made in 1998-2000, on colored USB peripherals.
Build it and they will come. Or something like that...
In answer to your question, there probably isn't anything you "can't do" or whatever with a current TiBook. Great machines, I'm sure. But definitely sticking out like a sore, neglected thumb for the past six months or so, considering what's surrounding it on either side (12" and 17" models).
I don't know...anyone currently owning a recent vintage TiBook probably won't care or be phased by it. Not enough of an incentive to upgrade (still a G4, still 15", still thin and light, etc.). But for those of us looking to unchain ourselves from our desks and create, surf, write, e-mail, retouch, draw, etc. from the front porch, patio, living couch or rec-room floor, it's a big deal and something we're waiting on with much excitement.
A bit more "oomph" than the 12" (L3 cache, DVI, larger screen), but not as expensive and "will this fit?" as the 17". I think a 15" with the above features/specs will be just about perfect, as Apple laptops go.
That would rock, and be super neat for me.
Originally posted by DanielP3
The only thing, other than a G5 that is an OMG! moment would be an intigrated iSight...
That would rock, and be super neat for me.
G5 should be there soon enough. Maybe one speed bump before, but the feeling I get is a late summer / early fall (in time for school/xmas) release. Trust me, you don't want integrated iSight. Did you see the WWDC keynote. The iSight is a GOOD camera, just mountable on the lid of any notebook, display etc. It ain't that much more, 149 I think, and would be a good add on. The integrated ones just don't have the proper photographic guts to give a good picture (I don't pretend to know what "guts" refers to as I am not a camera-type person).
Originally posted by Rhumgod
G5 should be there soon enough. Maybe one speed bump before, but the feeling I get is a late summer / early fall (in time for school/xmas) release.
Are you talking the "feeling you're getting" is for a PowerBook G5 late summer/early fall release?
Honestly? Or did I misread that? You're expecting the "one speed bump before" to be another G4 and that's this late summer/early fall reference?
A G5 PowerBook? Yes, late summer/early fall for sure...2004.
Originally posted by pscates
Are you talking the "feeling you're getting" is for a PowerBook G5 late summer/early fall release?
Honestly? Or did I misread that? You're expecting the "one speed bump before" to be another G4 and that's this late summer/early fall reference?
A G5 PowerBook? Yes, late summer/early fall for sure...2004.
Poor phrasing, sorry. Speedbump (or new chip we know squat about) this summer/fall then G5 (or speed bump to new chip previously released) next year.
The more I think about it, I really don't think Apple is comfortable staying with Motorola at all. With G3s, G4s and now G5s on the table, I think they want to consolidate the G3/G4 into something like a G4+ (probably not the 7457, I just don't think Motorola is that capable). More like an IBM 960 (low power 32-bit processor built for SMP, Altivec, etc....Mojave-like).
Originally posted by DanielP3
The only thing, other than a G5 that is an OMG! moment would be an intigrated iSight...
Not that any extra incentive is needed, but wouldn't it be great to see some mail order place i.e. MacWarehouse, MacMall etc...bundle the iSight with the pre-order of a newly announced 15" Powerbook?
Originally posted by satchmo
Not that any extra incentive is needed, but wouldn't it be great to see some mail order place i.e. MacWarehouse, MacMall etc...bundle the iSight with the pre-order of a newly announced 15" Powerbook?
I am betting we can count on that...probably at the Apple stores (brick and online) too! What a great add on for a laptop. And once the release the full iChat AV, it will be a no brainer add on for a laptop user. Imagine how video conferencing just got a million times easier, cheaper, better quality etc.....I think they will fly off the shelves. Right now, video conferencing sucks! Let's face it, Steve was right. No one got video conferencing right, and that is about to change. Especially for companies that have a lot of branch offices further away than a couple hour drive. So much better for that. And free air time! No more paying a third party web conference company those fees. Sucks for them.
Apple has gotten A LOT of things right this year. It has been an excellent year for them, product wise. And it's only half over, as Steve said.
2003 passes that, I believe. And yes...we're just now at the beginning of the second half.
*shudder*
I hope it's just as cool and exciting as the the first half...
A brief recap of 2003, so far:
- AirPort Extreme
- 12" PowerBook
- 17" PowerBook
- Keynote
- Final Cut Express
- Updated iApps (iLife featuring iDVD 3, etc.)
- 20" Cinema Display
- Updated Xserve
- New iPods
- iTunes 4
- Apple Music Store
- Price cuts on 12" and 15" PowerBooks
- Price cuts on iBooks
- Price cuts on eMacs
- G5
- iChat A/V
- iSight
- Final Cut Pro 4
I'm sure I might've left a couple of things out...but DAMN!!!
What's coming:
- 15" PowerBook (ahem...)
- Panther...and all that it entails (double ahem...)
- Possible iBook update (not Gobi, I guess, but still 100MHz bump?)
- Possible/probable iMac update (17" across the line? Newer G4?)
- Possible iPod rev before the holidays? Hard drive bump?
- i****?
- All the various minor updates/tweaks to QuickTime, AirPort, iChat, iTunes, iMovie, iPhoto, iDVD, iChat, iCal and iSync we'll no doubt encounter via Software Update...
Yes, Apple is REALLY floundering and on its last legs...
Part of it - for many, I'd imagine - is the nicer keyboard, better AirPort, tweaked motherboard, Bluetooth, AirPort Extreme.
Still part of it might be feeling like the Ti is - at over two years old - in need of a snappy refresh and update, just on look/feel/cosmetics alone? Yeah, kinda silly. But I think it's a valid reason to some. Looks like the other two, newer models.
That all matters to people. Varying degrees and at different levels, of course. But it matters to certain people enough to make them upgrade or "step up", I would imagine.
It's all pretty easy: lots of different reasons for lots of different people. Some are small and personal, others are larger and more tech/hardware-oriented.
Why do some people want a new car ever 3-4 years? A new cell phone ever year or so? A new food processor every other summer?
Originally posted by pscates
Half is probably the "newest and best" thing, sure. Why not?
Part of it - for many, I'd imagine - is the nicer keyboard, better AirPort, tweaked motherboard, Bluetooth, AirPort Extreme.
Still part of it might be feeling like the Ti is - at over two years old - in need of a snappy refresh and update, just on look/feel/cosmetics alone? Yeah, kinda silly. But I think it's a valid reason to some. Looks like the other two, newer models.
That all matters to people. Varying degrees and at different levels, of course. But it matters to certain people enough to make them upgrade or "step up", I would imagine.
It's all pretty easy: lots of different reasons for lots of different people. Some are small and personal, others are larger and more tech/hardware-oriented.
Why do some people want a new car ever 3-4 years? A new cell phone ever year or so? A new food processor every other summer?
Yep ... I guess I'm not the only person in need of an Apple 12 step program! Don't need a new PB but sure as hell WANT one!!!!!
Originally posted by andymyers
ok ... I feel the excitement! I also see that alot of those that are excited have reasonably new PBs ... I'm still wondering WHY you would spend a couple of grand on a new machine? Is it just simply to have the newest and best, or will it allow you to do something much better?
I don't buy something new just because it's new. I'm interested in an update of the 12" PowerBook, for instance, because I like the extra portability over my current 800 MHz 15" TiBook... but I haven't bought one yet because I want something more than the current 12" model offers before I'm willing to make replace what I have.
That said, it's hardly a hard-assed calculation of increased productivity that I make. I make no pretense that the extra cost of my new toys is going to be an investment that pays me back. If I were thinking like an accountant, and not someone who simply enjoys techy toys for their own sake, I'd stick with my current TiBook for quite a while longer. In fact, if I were being boringly practical, I'd own only the TiBook -- using that as my sole computer instead of also owning the G4 I have now, and I wouldn't have a G5 on the way. I'd keep the TiBook for another year or two, and I'd buy something sensibly closer to my needs when I finally retired the TiBook, rather than buying whatever is the top-of-the-line at that time.
I'm not at all that practical about these things, however. Even with a G5 on order, if a sufficiently interesting 12" AlBook update comes along soon, I'll buy that too. In a year, I'll probably have my new dual 2.0 GHz G5 on eBay soon after my even newer dual 3.0 GHz arrives.
Have you met Mr. Murbot, by any chance?
Originally posted by shetline
I don't buy something new just because it's new. I'm interested in an update of the 12" PowerBook, for instance, because I like the extra portability over my current 800 MHz 15" TiBook... but I haven't bought one yet because I want something more than the current 12" model offers before I'm willing to make replace what I have.
That said, it's hardly a hard-assed calculation of increased productivity that I make. I make no pretense that the extra cost of my new toys is going to be an investment that pays me back. If I were thinking like an accountant, and not someone who simply enjoys techy toys for their own sake, I'd stick with my current TiBook for quite a while longer. In fact, if I were being boringly practical, I'd own only the TiBook -- using that as my sole computer instead of also owning the G4 I have now, and I wouldn't have a G5 on the way. I'd keep the TiBook for another year or two, and I'd buy something sensibly closer to my needs when I finally retired the TiBook, rather than buying whatever is the top-of-the-line at that time.
I'm not at all that practical about these things, however. Even with a G5 on order, if a sufficiently interesting 12" AlBook update comes along soon, I'll buy that too. In a year, I'll probably have my new dual 2.0 GHz G5 on eBay soon after my even newer dual 3.0 GHz arrives.
YEAH!
I was on a Windows 2000 box when I wrote this, which kept on Randomly restarting (dang windows) and somehow this one got in here.
For me the decision is based on some fact and some supposition.
Facts:
The Al PB would have a stiffer frame, Airport Extreme, a better graphics card, at least a small speed bump, a little better/larger HD, better Airport range, possibly better battery/power management.
Supposition:
backlit keyboard, better LCD (comparable to the very nice 17" screen), FW800, faster bus, faster optical drive.
In addition to the existing features.
I love the portability, but still want speed and optional video expandability. If they can't put that in the 12", then I'll get an updated 15" instead.
My Pismo 400 is going to celebrate its 4th birthday in September and that's the longest I will ever have had a computer. It's also ready to go to a nice retirement home.
WHY WHY WHY?!
the 15" is the flagship and the one most users would want in terms of it being not too small or not too big but the perfect size for most people's needs...
so why didn't they just update the 15" a month after they did the other powerbooks? change the case, add the same stuff the 12" and 17' have and you have it. if it was a matter of stock left over...it's been almost 6 months now! They should be out becuase users see it as behind the other two.
Prediction:
Something is going on with the new 15" Powerbooks and when it comes out i think it will have a striking new feature or something that justifies the wait to premiere a updated one.
Originally posted by macnn sux
actually, i am wondering why is it taking so long to have the 15" updated?
WHY WHY WHY?!
7457. 7457. 7457.
I strongly suspect that Apple wants to base the new 15" AlBook, and a likely simultaneous update of the 12" and 17" AlBooks, on this new version of the G4 from Motorola. As long as the wait isn't too long, the wait should be worthwhile.
If Apple doesn't wait, the best they can probably do is a new 15" AlBook topping out at the same 1 GHz as the last TiBook, since the old G4 would be too hot and power-hungry over 1 GHz. There'd be feature upgrades (such as Airport Extreme, Bluetooth, lighted keyboard) and a new enclosure -- but no speed bump. I think Apple really wants to avoid issuing a new 15" PowerBook at the same speed as the last one.
Originally posted by shetline
7457. 7457. 7457.
I strongly suspect that Apple wants to base the new 15" AlBook, and a likely simultaneous update of the 12" and 17" AlBooks, on this new version of the G4 from Motorola. As long as the wait isn't too long, the wait should be worthwhile.
Mmmm, I am leaning on something new from IBM...they new the situation with the Power Mac and Motorola was useless, why wouldn't they think the same way about the PowerBook line. Granted, a "embedded processor" more suites a laptop than a desktop, but this is stagnant Motorola. No, my money is on a lower power chip from IBM coming later this summer/fall.