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y2kerr · Jun 2, 2003, 06:54 PM

So I'm checking out the prices on Dell notebooks compared to Powerbooks -- don't look at me like that you zealots! I'm just shopping around a little!

-- and Dell offers three types of displays on their widescreen 15" model:

15.4" Wide Aspect XGA Display
15.4" Wide Aspect Super XGA+ Display
15.4" Wide Aspect Ultra XGA Display

Can someone tell me what the differences are in XGA vs Super XGA+ vs Ultra XGA? And what type of display does Apple use in the PowerBooks?

Don't worry, it's still 99% sure I'm getting a Mac, but it doesn't hurt to see what else is out there.

Thanks,
Mike

The Placid Casual · Jun 2, 2003, 07:10 PM

[Matrix Quote]

Whoa, Deja Vu...

[/Matrix Quote]

cc_foo · Jun 2, 2003, 07:19 PM

Can someone tell me what the differences are in XGA vs Super XGA+ vs Ultra XGA? And what type of display does Apple use in the PowerBooks?
[/B]

Based on my previous Dell research, the XGA, Super XGA stuff refers to the resolution of the screen i.e. yyy x zzz. The higher end ones (Ultra XGA) pack more pixels into the LCD than the lower end ones (XGA).

Details will be on the Dell site...

Apple uses 1024x768 on the 12"
1280x854 on 15"
1440x900 on 17"
Not very high resolutions compared to the higher end PC laptops, but nice screens all the same.

Hope this helps. If I'm mistaken, let me know.

gator · Jun 2, 2003, 07:30 PM

From the Dell site:

15.4 inch Wide-Aspect_UltraSharpTM_TFT Active Matrix displays in a choice of
WXGA (1280x800),
WSXGA+ (1680x1050),
WUXGA (1920x1200)

http://www.dell.com/us/en/dhs/produc...500.htm#tabtop

BigDaddy · Jun 2, 2003, 10:58 PM

The WUXGA is the same resolutin as the 23 inch Apple Panel. I like the 8500 it is nice looking fast machine with a faster DVD burner than the Powerbook.

Mac Zealot · Jun 2, 2003, 11:35 PM

From what I remember correctly the superdrive in the powerbook can burn as fast as 4x.. yes 4x, however it's limited by firmware for heat reasons..

An apple employee told me it could reach 4x

geekwagon · Jun 3, 2003, 12:10 AM

Originally posted by BigDaddy:
The WUXGA is the same resolutin as the 23 inch Apple Panel. I like the 8500 it is nice looking fast machine with a faster DVD burner than the Powerbook.

It's also fricking heavy as hell. Same as a 17" Powerbook (for a 15") with no optical drive installed. It is a heck of a lot cheaper though

I used to have an Inspiron 8000. That thing weighed *10 pounds* fully dressed (battery and optical drive.) At least they have improved on that.

macfreshman · Jun 3, 2003, 12:57 AM

Mr. Mossberg's comments:

The most striking thing about the 17-inch PowerBook, after the screen itself, is how brilliantly Apple managed to shrink the size of the machine built around that big display. Sure, the PowerBook is an unusually wide 15.4 inches, but it's only one inch thick. Yet, it feels solid as a rock. It's just 10.2 inches deep and weighs only 6.8 pounds.

To get an idea of how sleek those dimensions are, compare the new PowerBook with another brand-new laptop, Dell's Latitude D800. This model also boasts a widescreen display, measuring 15.4 inches diagonally. But, even though the Dell has a significantly smaller screen, it looks like a whale next to the 17-inch PowerBook.

The Dell is larger in every dimension except width, and even there it is only about an inch smaller. It weighs 7.4 pounds, compared with 6.8 for the larger-screen Apple. And when its lid is open, the Dell's smaller screen extends upward about 1.5 inches higher than the Apple's -- a crucial limitation when using a laptop on an airplane and the person in front of you reclines. Apple uses a special hinge that minimizes the height of the open screen. Dell doesn't.

Link to Article

Different model, but it still rings true. I had a Dell Inspiron that was so heavy that it actually *creaked* when I held it from one side. My 17" has way more torque (it's longer - more leverage), but is *very* solid.

urrl5201 · Jun 3, 2003, 06:18 AM

Why did they give the Dell Dude the boot? Now they are using a group of teenagers. Guess the Dell Dude was getting too old?

slider · Jun 3, 2003, 07:54 AM

Originally posted by urrl5201:
Why did they give the Dell Dude the boot? Now they are using a group of teenagers. Guess the Dell Dude was getting too old?

He get busted for possession; weed I think. The joke was "Dude, you're getting a Cell". Don't know if that is why they canned him or not, but that'd be my guess.

AssassyN · Jun 3, 2003, 09:37 AM

Originally posted by slider:
He get busted for possession; weed I think. The joke was "Dude, you're getting a Cell". Don't know if that is why they canned him or not, but that'd be my guess.

This is absolutely why; they did an interview w/ him on Inside Edition a week ago, and he clearly stated Dell had a "Zero tolerance" policy against drugs, thus his contract was voided.

Commodus · Jun 3, 2003, 09:56 AM

I'd read somewhere that higher-resolution LCDs tend to be dimmer than lower-resolution displays when made with the same technology, so that may be one reason why Apple's displays are relatively modest.

A rumour passing around is that the 15" aluminum PowerBook will have a non-standard resolution, such as 1344x840 or 1360x850 (one of those two is available on the 20" Cinema Display, I know that much). It wouldn't be a tremendous gain in resolution, but it would probably be enough to improve the specs without making for a dark display.

jalisco555 · Jun 3, 2003, 10:30 AM

I have a Dell Inspiron 8200 laptop that's been nothing but trouble since I bought it. I call it Mr. Freeze for obvious reasons. It froze up on me in the middle of a Powerpoint presentation to 60 people. That's why I bought a 17" Powerbook, which has been a pleasure to own.

killer_735 · Jun 3, 2003, 10:41 AM

I love how a business starts as a creative enterprise, a place where everyone is fostering creativity in the work environment, and then the MBAs step in and ten to fifteen years later it's an a#@hole company that's more concerned about stockholders and drug tests, than about innovation.

I think for a computer company to be nazi-esque about a thing like someone buying a *tiny* amount of herb. (An amount, which, by the way, is a civil offense, 150$ fine for first time in NY) is foolish and shows how, as Bukowski said, "Success can make an a#$hole out of anyone" Think of the kind of people who have succeeded in the computing industry and brought about major changes. Are they straightedge, clean-cut guys from Utah, or are they liberal stoners from SoCal or Seattle with a flair for mathematics and creative thinking? Yeah, I thought so.

The main issue is Dell's PR. Someone in Bible belt would doubtless start a Dell boycott if they hadn't let the guy go. (Which I'm glad they did, regardless of the reason.) Yep, it's their right, and if they feel that way, they should boycott the company. What's dumb is a company pretending to be something it's not, just for the sake of selling a few more units.

"See I think drugs have done something good for society, and if you don't, go home and take all your records, all your tapes, and all your cds, and throw them all away, because that people that wrote that music that has enriched your life all these years? Reeeeeeal f%$*ing high on drugs."

-Maynard James Keenan

Spheric Harlot · Jun 3, 2003, 04:14 PM

Originally posted by Mac Zealot:
From what I remember correctly the superdrive in the powerbook can burn as fast as 4x.. yes 4x, however it's limited by firmware for heat reasons..

An apple employee told me it could reach 4x

That is incorrect, AFAIK.

Desktop Macs can burn 4x. The Powerbooks use the UJ-815 drive, which maxes out at 2x.

-s*

Dache · Jun 3, 2003, 06:00 PM

I have a Latitude D800 (corporate and better version of i8500) with the WUXGA screen. The native resolution is 1920 by 1200. This screen is very bright and very sharp. Although it may have the same number of pixels as the 23" studio display, it has a much higher dpi, since it packs all those pixels in a smaller area. I use this laptop mostly for web development and DTP, and I am pretty happy with it so far -- great screen, fast intel centrino, great video card.

It is certainly true that the D800 is heavier than the TiBook. Dell's saving grace, in my opinion, is that it has a better screen and the swappable drive bay. Of course, if those features are not among your criteria, and you don't have any software conflicts, the PowerBook is the laptop for you.

seanyepez · Jun 3, 2003, 06:23 PM

I think the 17-inch PowerBook's screen is better than the one on the Latitude D800. Even though the Dell's display has more pixels, the PowerBook's display is larger and easier to read. A resolution of 1,920 by 1,200 pixels on a 15.4-inch notebook display is, to me, excessive.

Superchicken · Jun 3, 2003, 07:23 PM

You know it's kinda weird that Apple has a ton of people that could use high resolution screens but they refuse to provide em, IE if they gave the 15 incch the same DPI as the 12 inch that'd be pretty impressive, or if they gave the 15 inch iMac a high resolution since after all the screen IS the same viable area as an eMac, the resolution just craps out.

exa · Jun 4, 2003, 03:03 PM

Geez, and I have trouble reading things on a 23" HD display...

MusicalTone · Jun 4, 2003, 03:26 PM

I find the resoultion on the current 15" PB a bit too much for reading text on the web. The 20" CD is about perfect. Dell and so many other vendors in the Windows world seem to feel more speed, power, resolutioin, memory, etc. etc. is always better, and seem to ignore any real world issues of balance, elegance and usability.

justinf77 · Jun 4, 2003, 04:30 PM

Originally posted by MusicalTone:
I find the resoultion on the current 15" PB a bit too much for reading text on the web. The 20" CD is about perfect. Dell and so many other vendors in the Windows world seem to feel more speed, power, resolutioin, memory, etc. etc. is always better, and seem to ignore any real world issues of balance, elegance and usability.

In Safari:

Click View... Make Text Bigger. Problem solved

BigDaddy · Jun 4, 2003, 06:31 PM

Originally posted by jalisco555:
I have a Dell Inspiron 8200 laptop that's been nothing but trouble since I bought it. I call it Mr. Freeze for obvious reasons. It froze up on me in the middle of a Powerpoint presentation to 60 people. That's why I bought a 17" Powerbook, which has been a pleasure to own.

What were the specs on the 8200. I use to work at Dell and unless the ram was like 128 I heard of very few problems.

seanyepez · Jun 4, 2003, 07:40 PM

PC's are nothing but trouble unless you're running Windows 2000 or Windows XP.

BigDaddy · Jun 4, 2003, 10:31 PM

Well when the 8200 came out XP had been out for over a year. So I call BS on the story.

seanyepez · Jun 4, 2003, 10:36 PM

Originally posted by BigDaddy:
Well when the 8200 came out XP had been out for over a year. So I call BS on the story.

Does the Inspiron 8200 have the same keyboard as the Inspiron 8100? I'm very disappointed in the quality of the keyboard on the Latitude C840 (which is the Latitude version of the Inspiron 8200).