Is the PowerBook marketed correctly?
The PowerBook needs an update badly, but it is not necessary that they have a G5. The real necessity is for apple to think about their marketing of the PowerBook. Those of you upset that new PC laptops are much faster than the PowerBook need to realize that these machines are in separate classes. The PowerBooks are small, inch thick notebooks with long battery life. They are basically full featured sub-notebooks. The PC portables that all of you are comparing to the PowerBook are much bigger and heavier. They also have far less battery life on average.
Originally it was possible for apple to keep the PowerBooks on par with the PowerMacs because the G4 was an embedded low power chip. As CPUs get faster and hotter it is not going to be possible to continue to put desktop processors in the PowerBook. You say, "well they have P4 wintel portables." The P4 in the PC laptops is a tuned down version of the P4 for the desktops, and the PC laptops are huge compared to the PowerBook. Apple needs to create a new line of portables that are bigger in order to allow for the use of faster and hotter chips. The new line should be called the PowerBook and the current PowerBook line should be renamed the slimbook or something similar (i'm sure apple can come up with a better name haha)
I large size PowerBook could easily hold more power and many customers would be willing to sacrifice thinness for power, especially the professionals that really need it.
Originally it was possible for apple to keep the PowerBooks on par with the PowerMacs because the G4 was an embedded low power chip. As CPUs get faster and hotter it is not going to be possible to continue to put desktop processors in the PowerBook. You say, "well they have P4 wintel portables." The P4 in the PC laptops is a tuned down version of the P4 for the desktops, and the PC laptops are huge compared to the PowerBook. Apple needs to create a new line of portables that are bigger in order to allow for the use of faster and hotter chips. The new line should be called the PowerBook and the current PowerBook line should be renamed the slimbook or something similar (i'm sure apple can come up with a better name haha)
I large size PowerBook could easily hold more power and many customers would be willing to sacrifice thinness for power, especially the professionals that really need it.
Comments
Beats the "Power"Book in every category: noise level, size & weight, battery life, screen, and power/speed.
Your entire post is bunk. What you say would be true if this were 2002, but, it's 2005. Get with the times.
Originally posted by Algol
The PC portables that all of you are comparing to the PowerBook are much bigger and heavier. They also have far less battery life on average.
(I repeat my answer in the other thread)
If I am not mistaken, after the advent of the P-M processors, all those are already history. Well, at least they are inherent to P4-M systems only.
There are out there Centrino-based models much more powerful than our G4-based Powerbooks and, at the same time, much more efficient in power saving features, resulting in real 6 hours battery life. And packaged in similar or less volume/weight.
Originally posted by Existence
Sony's S series.
Beats the "Power"Book in every category: noise level, size & weight, battery life, screen, and power/speed.
Your entire post is bunk. What you say would be true if this were 2002, but, it's 2005. Get with the times.
First of all you missed the point of my post entirely. I try to make my posts specific as possible so some dumb ass like yourself wont come in and totally miss the point, however, i never seem to be able to quite pull it off. I realize that the powerbook is no longer the head of its class. Its class being with thin notebooks or full-function sub-sized notebooks (or whatever the fuck you want to call them). My argument was that to compare the PowerBook with a 5 inch thick Dell is stupid, and to say that a one inch thick portable should have the same processor as a desktop with 5+ fans is also stupid. I then went on to say that perhaps apple should reclassify their PowerBook line as a thinbook and come out with a new powerbook line that is bigger and therefore can have a G5. This hard for you to understand?
Originally posted by PB
(I repeat my answer in the other thread)
If I am not mistaken, after the advent of the P-M processors, all those are already history. Well, at least they are inherent to P4-M systems only.
There are out there Centrino-based models much more powerful than our G4-based Powerbooks and, at the same time, much more efficient in power saving features, resulting in real 6 hours battery life. And packaged in similar or less volume/weight.
Yea they're are centrino notebooks that are smaller but they also run at lower speeds than the P4M notebooks. Last benchmark I saw had the centrinos beating the G4 PowerBooks by a moderate amount on average. I never said that the PowerBooks are the best. However, the truth is that the powerbooks are much smaller and have much better battery life than the average PC laptop. I have many friends with Dell, sony, IBM, etc portables and they are all much bigger than my PowerBook and they all die after about 2 hours max. I could get 3 hours with my powerbook np when the battery was new.
However, none of this is on topic. I was not arguing about the Power of the powerbook. I was arguing whether the PowerBook should be renamed. And whether apple should create a new line that does not have the idea of being small as part of its marketing. I was saying that apple should market the powerbook as a full featured thin model laptop... and come out with a new line that they market at their power line of portables. I'm really tired of fighting this point. Apple is trying to make the powerbook the best of both worlds and therefore it is not the best at anything.
Basically i agree that the powerbook needs updating.. I started my post off with saying just that. You don't need to convince me of that. I was interested in the idea of creating another computer line in which the powerbooks could be small and not have to worry as much about power. And then a new line in which power was the main concern and not size.
Originally posted by Algol
Last benchmark I saw had the centrinos beating the G4 PowerBooks by a moderate amount on average.
That's something to expect in general use since then the MHz matters. And the difference between the G4 and P-M are not so big in MHz. However, in operations where CPU power and bandwidth are needed, the performance difference can be quite large.
I have many friends with Dell, sony, IBM, etc portables and they are all much bigger than my PowerBook and they all die after about 2 hours max.
They are lucky, it seems
I was arguing whether the PowerBook should be renamed. And whether apple should create a new line that does not have the idea of being small as part of its marketing. I was saying that apple should market the powerbook as a full featured thin model laptop... and come out with a new line that they market at their power line of portables. I'm really tired of fighting this point. Apple is trying to make the powerbook the best of both worlds and therefore it is not the best at anything.
Ah, I see. Not sure about that. It is perhaps a risky move. If done, what do we get: a heavy, high performance Powerbook (with a G5 or whatever), with limited battery life (if it has a G5), so something like the P4-M laptops are today. And then we have the Dothans, that can easily challenge a 2-2.5 GHz G5. With better power management features and better suitability to mobile use. I think this will create a bad perception about the Apple portables.
Originally posted by Algol
and to say that a one inch thick portable should have the same processor as a desktop with 5+ fans is also stupid.
I completely agree! Why is this so hard to comprehend? The second the G5 Powerbook is more than 1/1000th of an inch thicker than 1", the morons start bitching.
Regarding the initial argument, I get your point. Good post.
Originally posted by Mac Voyer
I understand your argument perfectly. The problem with the PB is that it is neither at the top of the performance curve, nor is it a subnote.
My take on this is that Apple is more about style than substance. Otherwise, they'd make a 5 inch thick behemoth like PC laptops. But of course they can't very well say, we have the coolest looking laptops, but they're slow as molasses.
So there's also a happy medium that Apple realizes in marketing to it's target audiences...those who want to look good and get stuff done. So they give us decent power, a kick ass design and awesome OS that simply works.
Originally posted by ibook911
Actually, some notebooks have full desktop P4s in them. I have one. It is HUGE and it is HOT.
Regarding the initial argument, I get your point. Good post.
HAHA yea, my room mate has a Dell XPS and it's huge as shit. I mean it's like 5 inches thick and ways 10 pounds haha.