# New Powerbooks!



## RicktheChemist (Jul 18, 2001)

.


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## maximusbibicus (Feb 25, 2002)

Scrolling trackpad!

Woohoo!


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## gmark2000 (Jun 4, 2003)

maximusbibicus said:


> Scrolling trackpad!
> 
> Woohoo!


Yeah! That's cool!


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## monokitty (Jan 26, 2002)

Hot damn! Woot!


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## elmer (Dec 19, 2002)

MacNN says, 
"faster Bluetooth 2.0 networking"...
"backlit keyboard--up to 10x brighter"...
"the 17-inch model now features Dual Link support to drive Apple's 30-inch Cinema HD Display as an external monitor"
Woah. And they're finally including 512MB standard.


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## Pelao (Oct 2, 2003)

And a new feature to protect the HD if the Mac is dropped. Nice. Faster graphics too.
All useful stuff for the G5 version.

These things should be fast.


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## Mantat (Aug 22, 2003)

Pelao said:


> All useful stuff for the G5 version.


The new model are less than a day old and yet we hear about the pb g5...


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## capitalK (Oct 21, 2003)

512 MB standard, sweet.


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## NBiBooker (Apr 3, 2004)

Only $176 bucks (edu pricing) to go up to 1 gb (2 x 512). Sweet. If only I were a rich person....

Oh well, I'm going to keep saving for a PB G5.


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## Pelao (Oct 2, 2003)

Just noticed that the HDs are 5400 as standard - and there is a 100GB option. That's very nice!


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## tedj (Sep 9, 2004)

come on, just say it: anti-climactic through and through. oh well. next update.


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## capitalK (Oct 21, 2003)

and exactly what were you expecting?


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## sammy (Oct 12, 2002)

*out with tradition*

I thought Apple traditionally made hardware announcements on Tuesdays. Now we won't know what day to look forward to anymore. Or does this imply that Tuesday will have another announcement?


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## gmark2000 (Jun 4, 2003)

Pelao said:


> Just noticed that the HDs are 5400 as standard - and there is a 100GB option. That's very nice!


Major battery drainage, no?


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## capitalK (Oct 21, 2003)

sammy said:


> I thought Apple traditionally made hardware announcements on Tuesdays. Now we won't know what day to look forward to anymore. Or does this imply that Tuesday will have another announcement?


Apple made quite a few announcements in 2004 that were not on Tuesdays. The <A HREF="http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2004/jul/19ipod.html" Target="_blank">4G iPod</A>, for instance, was also announced on a Monday.


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## steveohan (Jun 25, 2004)

oh my god! this is amazing! the price went down too! (edu)

steve.


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## SomeNSome (Sep 24, 2002)

5400 doesn't necessarily mean more battery drain. From personal experience I changed my stock hard drive for a 5400 Hitachi about 7 months ago and get more battery power. I think it has to do with a better power management systems. This may not apply to new 4200 hard drives though?


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## capitalK (Oct 21, 2003)

Although this update may be disappointing to some, what it does well is differentiate the Powerbooks from the iBooks. They were getting a little too similar in the last revision. Now if someone needs to decide between an iBook and a Powerbook you can tell them...

Powerbook has 512 MB RAM built-in, the iBook has 256
5400 RPM hard drives vs 4200 RPM
Backlit keyboards, ability to run 30" cinema display
etc etc


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## lindmar (Nov 13, 2003)

CarbonKen said:


> Powerbook has 512 MB RAM built-in, the iBook has 256
> 5400 RPM hard drives vs 4200 RPM
> Backlit keyboards, ability to run 30" cinema display
> etc etc


Do you think this means apple is slowly going to make the switch though to all machines having a minimum 512 ram?


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## used to be jwoodget (Aug 22, 2002)

These are solid improvements. The G5's ain't ready. Get over it. If they were, they'd be out. The fact is that G5 powerbooks will not yield the significant difference to powerbooks that they did to desktops (even that was somewhat exaggerated - hence macdoc's repeated efforts to get people to recognize the power of the dual G4 towers for some applications).

The G4 powerbooks are exceptionally well designed and have features that still leave Wintel laptops in the dust - after 18 months..... I'm seriously considering the new 17" model. I don't think the first G5 powerbook will be that much faster for the things I do and I really like the current design. The question is how long it will be before the processors are swapped.

Question: does BlueTooth 2.0+EDR (enhanced data rate) increase data transfer with existing BT devices or only those that are BlueTooth 2.0 specced? And are there any yet......?


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## Pelao (Oct 2, 2003)

> These are solid improvements. The G5's ain't ready. Get over it. If they were, they'd be out.


Totally. I am very curious to see how they engineer the G5 PB, but I don't need one. This upgrade is a nice one and these books will be solid performers.


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## TroutMaskReplica (Feb 28, 2003)

the scrolling trackpad is nice, but i suspect this is a software thing. how long will it be before someone comes up with a utility to enable scrolling trackpads on iBooks and older PowerBooks?

edit: also it is interesting to note this announcement was *not* made on a Tues.


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## theanticrust (Jan 24, 2004)

TroutMaskReplica said:


> the scrolling trackpad is nice, but i suspect this is a software thing. how long will it be before someone comes up with a utility to enable scrolling trackpads on iBooks and older PowerBooks?
> 
> edit: also it is interesting to note this announcement was *not* made on a Tues.


Well there is the program Sidetrack

http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/20854

does scrolling using the edges of the trackpad instead of the two fingers deal that Apple now has.


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## ice_hackey (Aug 13, 2004)

That's been out for a while.
I don't use it anymore, but it's quite good.

http://versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/20854



TroutMaskReplica said:


> the scrolling trackpad is nice, but i suspect this is a software thing. how long will it be before someone comes up with a utility to enable scrolling trackpads on iBooks and older PowerBooks?


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## Ohenri (Nov 7, 2002)

CarbonKen said:


> Although this update may be disappointing to some, what it does well is differentiate the Powerbooks from the iBooks. They were getting a little too similar in the last revision. Now if someone needs to decide between an iBook and a Powerbook you can tell them...
> 
> Powerbook has 512 MB RAM built-in, the iBook has 256
> 5400 RPM hard drives vs 4200 RPM
> ...


This is precisely what I was ranting about for a little while. The 12" PB made no sense as a purchase, when you could get a 1.2 Ghz iBook for like $1K less... This PB makes tons more sense. 1.5 Ghz out the box?? awesome. For the same $ on top of that?? whoa... But was still looking for a G5 to make the very clear difference. Still a good upgrade though....

H!


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## Ohenri (Nov 7, 2002)

are these shipping asap??

H!


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## Pelao (Oct 2, 2003)

Henry,
We have one on order (15"), due to ship on or before 7 Feb.


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## sketch (Sep 10, 2004)

FINALLY my wait as paid off. I'm 1 more step closer to being a full-fledged switcher. 

It also comes with optical audio inputs and outputs! Or did the powerbook always had that?


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## monokitty (Jan 26, 2002)

I find it funny that the high-end G4 iBook costs the _exact_ same as the low-end 12-inch Powerbook G4 -$1899.

Yeah, yeah, the iBook comes with a SuperDrive and the Powebook doesn't, but I mean, really... c'mon now.  Who ever buys that iBook over the Powerbook must _really_ need the DVD burning capabilities and not want to spend more!


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## TroutMaskReplica (Feb 28, 2003)

lars the iBook you're talking about is 14"


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## elmer (Dec 19, 2002)

Funny how the advertising says, "DVD burning standard across the line". I guess they mean across as in, "not standard _down_ the line".


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## adb_ii (Jan 10, 2005)

lol

i hope i get a 15" for a grad gift...doubt it though...


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## oryxbiker (Nov 29, 2001)

CarbonKen said:


> Although this update may be disappointing to some, what it does well is differentiate the Powerbooks from the iBooks. They were getting a little too similar in the last revision. Now if someone needs to decide between an iBook and a Powerbook you can tell them...
> 
> Powerbook has 512 MB RAM built-in, the iBook has 256
> 5400 RPM hard drives vs 4200 RPM
> ...


i don't think even 1% of powerbook users will ever use a 30" display with their powerbooks anyway. but its about time that 5400rpm hdd's and 512mb is standard.


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## oryxbiker (Nov 29, 2001)

elmer said:


> Funny how the advertising says, "DVD burning standard across the line". I guess they mean across as in, "not standard _down_ the line".



lol... what happened to the laughing emoticon????


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## Call me 'Sherman' (Nov 21, 2004)

Is it just me or is Apple finally pricing their RAM at something more affordable? $89 for a 256MB upgrade isn't all that bad... not to mention serios price drops, something that a friend of mine was planning on buying for $3086 can now buy it with 20 more gig, and 167 MHz extra for nearly $400 less, thats a huge drop compared to previos.
just a thought

ciao

PS: I'm surprised they didn't drop the price of AppleCare.... maybe next tuesday


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## steveohan (Jun 25, 2004)

woohoo! just ordered my new 17"!

steve.


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## RyanB (Jul 13, 2004)

used to be jwoodget said:


> These are solid improvements. The G5's ain't ready. Get over it. If they were, they'd be out. The fact is that G5 powerbooks will not yield the significant difference to powerbooks that they did to desktops (even that was somewhat exaggerated - hence macdoc's repeated efforts to get people to recognize the power of the dual G4 towers for some applications).
> 
> The G4 powerbooks are exceptionally well designed and have features that still leave Wintel laptops in the dust - after 18 months.....


I agree- I had a G5 1.6 single Processor with 1.25gig ram,and switched to a 1.5Gig g4 laptop with 2 gig ram. while I had both I ran some tests and the laptop was very close in speed to the g5! even in a disk intensive photoshop test (I had it make thumbnail pages of about a 100 quite large photos) and there was only a few seconds difference. (yes it does seem strange, My G5 may have needed to be defragmented or something?)
anyway, I assume the first g5 laptops will only be about 1.6 gigHz so I doubt there will be a huge speed jump. IMHO

***Thanks for the link to SideTrack ! it is great!

I think it is a good upgrade, but I'm glad there isn't a HUGE upgrade... i don't feel bad that I just bought one  
cheers


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## mycatsnameis (Mar 3, 2000)

theanticrust said:


> Well there is the program Sidetrack
> 
> http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/20854
> 
> does scrolling using the edges of the trackpad instead of the two fingers deal that Apple now has.


I tried Sidetrack for a few months and found it more frustrating than anything, ditched it after a while.

It's definitely not the same as this innovation, which is hardware based btw. Apple has commented (go see the story on MacCentral) that the trackpads are different and that's why they can implement this function (which is a huge potential improvement to the UI IMHO if it works as described). There will not be anyway to bring this to older PBs or iBooks as far as I can tell.


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## mycatsnameis (Mar 3, 2000)

Personally I would have been shocked if there was a G5 update this time around. None of the credible rumour sites were calling for the G5 PB this soon. I stopped drinking the MOSR Koolaid a long time ago . I also agree that the expected speed gain from the G5 into the PB will likely be pretty underwhelming. IMHO, thee might be more back for the buck (not to mention juice from the battery from the dual core G4s that Freescale is apparently working on).


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## -=MaC-FiNdEr=- (Oct 12, 2004)

Is this the last revision of the powerbook before a total exterior redesign and a switch to the G5/G4 dual core processors, or will there be something comiing up before that?


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## Call me 'Sherman' (Nov 21, 2004)

Interesting, Apple is not installing 512 MB chips into their 12" computers as standard, but rather they are inserting two 256 MB chips, makes upgrading a pain  

not as sweet as I thought, but don't get me wrong it is still a useful bump


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## da_jonesy (Jun 26, 2003)

For the most part I don't have a beef with the update, except... 

Why didn't they include Dual Layer DVD-RW drives? These drives are planty cheap now. My guess is that they are holding off on this feature untill they release a G5 PB.


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## monokitty (Jan 26, 2002)

> Why didn't they include Dual Layer DVD-RW drives? These drives are planty cheap now. My guess is that they are holding off on this feature untill they release a G5 PB.


And my guess is that you're forgetting these are _slot-loading_ drives, not standard 5.25-inch ones; and thin slot-loading drives are substantially more difficult to produce and significantly more expensive on top of that.

Not saying it's not possible to have dual-layer slot-loading drives, but think about it for now. A standard 5.25" drive that's $99 probably costs $190 or more in the slot-loading version of the exact same drive.


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## da_jonesy (Jun 26, 2003)

Lars said:


> And my guess is that you're forgetting these are _slot-loading_ drives, not standard 5.25-inch ones; and thin slot-loading drives are substantially more difficult to produce and significantly more expensive on top of that.
> 
> Not saying it's not possible to have dual-layer slot-loading drives, but think about it for now. A standard 5.25" drive that's $99 probably costs $190 or more in the slot-loading version of the exact same drive.


No I'm not forgetting... and you are kidding right?

This is Apple remember. And we are talking about their premier line of portables. $99 USD is the retail price for a 5.25" Dual Layer drive and trust me Apple does not pay retail prices for the hardware they put in their machines, and while the slot loading assembly would cost more than a basic 5.25" drive Apple's cost would probably be (and this is a guess) $50-75 USD from their manufacturer. When you conside that you pay $200 or more for the superdrive option on a PB, Apple is most likely getting plenty of margin from that.


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## PwrBookG4 (Jan 30, 2005)

Drive protection? My Thinkpad has been doing that for over a year now. 512 MB of Ram? Again almost every laptop coming out for the last year has 512.

This doesn't impress me at all. In fact I'm rather pissed off, now everyone will be trying to knock off resale dollars because the 'new' Powerbooks are out. Nice one Apple. A marginal hardware update. Apple hardware strategies are so transparent now, it's taken a while but you can tell when they are trying to milk the last dollars from the Mac community. 

Anyone dumb enough to buy one of these deserves to lose the money they will when the G5 Powerbooks come out, and you know they're coming soon. So you really think it's worth it? Paying more money for marginal performance upgrades? Come on, you can install a 5400 rpm drive and extra ram for much less than Apple will whack you with for these. 

Makes me laugh. I'll pass.


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## used to be jwoodget (Aug 22, 2002)

PwrBookG4 - you are forgetting that people don't typically upgrade from version B4 to version B5 of a design but from version A3 to B5. G5s "coming soon" could be 8 months or more...... 

Thanks for characterizing potential powerbook buyers as dumb. BTW, would you be located in Ancaster or is Ancsater a nouveau spelling community?


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## Pelao (Oct 2, 2003)

> A marginal hardware update. Apple hardware strategies are so transparent now, it's taken a while but you can tell when they are trying to milk the last dollars from the Mac community.
> 
> Anyone dumb enough to buy one of these deserves to lose the money they will when the G5 Powerbooks come out, and you know they're coming soon. So you really think it's worth it? Paying more money for marginal performance upgrades? Come on, you can install a 5400 rpm drive and extra ram for much less than Apple will whack you with for these.


As UTBJ has pointed out, it all depends where you are coming from. Many users have Titanium PBs, or the G4 1.25. For both, this may be a useful upgrade. How will folks lose money when the G5 comes out? Do you mean the resale value will take a hit? Maybe, but that is not the same as losing money. If they buy one of these PBs they will have a mature design, power for their needs and excellent value for money. A new model does not make the last one a poor choice if it continues to perform as required. It may not be right for you, but you may be shocked to discover that others have a different perspective. That doesn't quite make them dumb.


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## Pamela (Feb 20, 2003)

Well my 1.5ghz with upgrades is up for sale in the classifieds...that's pretty predictable though  lol!


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## Kosh (May 27, 2002)

Damn, it only took you a day to decide to sell it! I think that's a record.

Ho well, hope you enjoy your new Powerbook 17" when you get it. Have you already put in an order for the new one?


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## Pamela (Feb 20, 2003)

Nope. no order yet. I have to sell my old one first. I'm not made of money you know! lol!


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## elmer (Dec 19, 2002)

Pamela's Signature said:


> I'm finally an Architekt!!


Hey - congrats!! 



Pamela said:


> Well my 1.5ghz with upgrades is up for sale in the classifieds...that's pretty predictable though lol!


Predictable, yet widely noted news. One of these years I'm expecting to see Pamela's classified ad show up on Macsurfer 

edit: Pamela - I hope that next year you will hold off until the beginning of April so as to coincide with my yearly bonus at work.


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## groovetube (Jan 2, 2003)

Pamela said:


> Well my 1.5ghz with upgrades is up for sale in the classifieds...that's pretty predictable though  lol!


jesus you upgrade more than I do...


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## Pamela (Feb 20, 2003)

thanks for the congrats Elmer  

I like to stick to ehmac for classifieds because everyone here knows me and I know everyone else. I don't like dealing with strangers, nor do I like strangers dealing with me.

I've never heard of bonuses in April?!

groovetube: there's a method to my upgrading madness....


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## kloan (Feb 22, 2002)

You forgot to mention the almost dead battery.. or did you get it replaced?


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## imachungry (Sep 19, 2004)

When are the PB's expected to hit Canadian stores?


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## Pamela (Feb 20, 2003)

kloan said:


> You forgot to mention the almost dead battery.. or did you get it replaced?


New battery is in the mail.


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## THX (Jan 20, 2005)

Will the new PowerBook line have any effect on the IBook (i.e. pricing)? Or is the IBook receiving an update soon as well?


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## Urban_Legend (May 29, 2003)

One thing that some Mac users fail to see is that the G5 Powerbook could very easily be announced in January 2006 or by the fall of 2005. That is still along ways away. 

Then you will have to take into account the back orders of the G5 Powerbooks, another month will go by for you. But the most important thing to remember is that you will be a test dummy for a Rev A G5 Powerbook. You probably will be sending it back for repairs etc... and it will take more then 2 years before the G5 Powerbooks mature to where these G4 Powerbooks are right now.

The latest G4 Powerbooks are not that far behind in performance over the low end G5 Single 1.8 Ghz.

The point is, if you're waiting for a G5, you will be waiting for quite some time to come yet. When you finally do get it, don't be surprised if you have to send it back, or get it repaired after a few months. I'm not saying they all do, just that your risk is pretty high as a Rev A model.


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## kloan (Feb 22, 2002)

Pamela said:


> New battery is in the mail.


Ah, that's good they did end up replacing it... and so they should!


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## Call me 'Sherman' (Nov 21, 2004)

THX said:


> Will the new PowerBook line have any effect on the IBook (i.e. pricing)? Or is the IBook receiving an update soon as well?



With the way Apples been goinh, your guess is as good as anyones. However, if you asked me I would say that if they don't upgrade the iBooks within the next 4-6 weeks with price drops, SW ups and speed bumps (to 1.5GHz) then they'll discontinue them (I doubt anyone will agree with me but it is a possibility...)

just a thought

ciao


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## farfisa (Nov 5, 2003)

Those updates aren't bad, really, especially when combined with a price drop. 
I personally would like to see a smaller, thinner, lighter model--like what Fujitsu has, or even like the Sony's with the ridiculously hires displays. Maybe when the 15 & 17" models go to G5 processors in a few short dozen months, they'll keep the 12" as a G4 and put it in a smaller body.... Yeah, let's talk about the next revisions now!

...and Architekt?
Pamela, didn't they teach you to spell 'architect' in all them years of schoolin'? 
I knew you couldn't let a 17" PB revision go by!


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## Call me 'Sherman' (Nov 21, 2004)

or maybe for those of us that like it semi-pocket size, and ultra-light, maybe a 10" one....(cept it will probably be pretty thick)

just a thought

ciao


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## Pamela (Feb 20, 2003)

farfisa said:


> ...and Architekt?
> Pamela, didn't they teach you to spell 'architect' in all them years of schoolin'?
> I knew you couldn't let a 17" PB revision go by!


dude...it's the hip way to call yourself an architect before you've technically got the license! And no...I will not let a revision go by....it's all in the math


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## Ohenri (Nov 7, 2002)

> Those updates aren't bad, really, especially when combined with a price drop.


Exactly... This *is* a good move. new HD, chip, Vcard, clear separation from iBooks. Anyhow, old news as it is, this then sets the stage for a new PB G5, and buys apple a lot more time. But this HAD to happen. 

I could and would never characterize anyone getting this unit as dumb, more like lucky enough to be able to grab one. I would love to take a look @ it. ESP with the 100G HD BTO. That rawks....

H!


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