[megasad]

I'm looking to buy a 12" PowerBook around the middle of May. By then, the current model (1GHz G4) will have been available for about 240 days, whilst the first model (867MHz G4) was available for 252 (please excuse my anal retentiveness).

Anyway, all I'd like to know is what peoples' opinions are on whether or not we're likely to see an update to the 12" PowerBook by the middle of May? Can anyone think of a likely date? Some event at which such a thing could be announced?

I don't expect the next update to be a G5, just a faster G4, better graphics and hopefully a 5400rpm hard drive.

Hell, I'll turn this into a poll.

PS - The Search option seems to be mighty messed up, so if there's another thread just like this feel free to deride my intelligence, so long as you post a link.

[drive-thru]

With three different sizes of Powerbook, it is hard to say how Apple plans to upgrade each model with speed bumps. These usually boil down to improved processor (GHz not new models eg. G5), graphics cards and HDD capacity.

Both the 15" & 17" use 64MB graphics cards whereas the 12" is at 32MB.
The 12" has a 40GB HDD stock and the 15" has 60 or 80GB.
The 12" and 15" both have 1GHz G4s (Combo 15").

I guess the most likely speed bump would be 64MB graphics and maybe a 60GB HDD as stock (in the 12" Superdrive model). The processor would not be upgraded without upgrading the 15" Combo to a 1.25GHz.
If the 12" shared the same features as the 15", the price difference would only mean a larger screen and different I/O (Firewire 800, Gigabit Ethernet and DVI/S-Video Out). Not sure if this would take sales from the 15" or not.

Basically, the 12" would never have faster processor, better graphics or bigger HDD than the 15" and the same for the 15"-17" relationship. I would expect the major speed bumps to be in the 15" and 17" models first, like 1.5+Ghz and 128MB graphics, but maybe it's time to let the 12" catch up in terms of graphics memory, then Apple might give larger speed bumps to the 15" and 17" a few months later.

[drive-thru]

Can anyone think of a likely date? Some event at which such a thing could be announced?

Speed bumps don't often appear at major events, they tend to just be posted on the Apple Store.

It looks like,you're going to be buying a 12" in the middle of May anyway, so I guess you just need to wait as long as you can.