[jimcpherson]

Desperate to upgrade my Powerbook and I wanted to know if there was any way to get a clear picture of what to expect from Apple in the near future (if anything). I've been holding off purchasing for a while and it seems like they haven't done much as of late in terms of updating there Powerbook line. Is this trend going to continue? Probably know one knows for sure, but any educated guesses out there.

[scottiB]

Unfortunately, all is fiction.

To add my fiction, I believe that an upgraded PowerBook will arrive by June 30th. It'll have a faster G4, larger HD, better graphics, and a price drop of $100-$200 depending on models.

Of course, this adage applies: If you need one now, buy one now.

I know waiting sucks--my GF and I are in the same boat, but she can do what she needs on her iBook for the next few months or so.

[Waragainstsleep]

Just use a little common sense.
First, pick the model line you want. In this case, a Powerbook.
Next, find out when it was last revised, and how often it usually lasts between revisions.
If it was last updated a long time ago, chances are a new one will be along soon.

If its getting on for a year old, chances are it'll get revised soon, but anything more than 6 months old could be updated at any moment.

To get a better idea of how soon an update is coming, find out what new technology is available.
IBM and Motorola are quick to sing about new CPUs when they go into production (check heat and power ratings on a chip when looking for notebooks).
See what the fastest available RAM is. (Try Crucial or Kingston)
Check speed and capacity of notebook hard drives (IBM, Hitachi, etc)
Check out optical drives too (Matshita/Panasonic, Pioneer)


At the moment, IBM can't make enough PPC970FXs (and Apple can't sufficiently cool them) to go in a Powerbook.
Motorola on the other hand, have a new PPC7447A chip that runs up to 1.5GHz.
Chances are it'll be in the next 17" PB.

You'll have to look up the rest yourself...

[Eug Wanker]

Originally posted by Waragainstsleep:
At the moment, IBM can't make enough PPC970FXs (and Apple can't sufficiently cool them) to go in a Powerbook.
Motorola on the other hand, have a new PPC7447A chip that runs up to 1.5GHz.
Chances are it'll be in the next 17" PB.

You'll have to look up the rest yourself...

The G5 PPC 970FX at 1.6 GHz is a very cool chip. Indeed, I wouldn't be surprised if it ran cooler than the G4 MPC7447A 1.5 GHz. You may be right that the next PowerBook will have a G4, but your reasoning may not be correct. The G4 is drop-in replacement, but the G5 would require a complete system redesign.

[bighead]

I'd say the first question to ask is if you need the computer now.

If you need the computer to complete a task in the next two weeks, then I'd suggest looking for the best deal you can possibly get on a new or refurbished PowerBook of the current generation. Get it working well for you and don't worry about the future models, since getting your task done now is the primary goal.

If you DON'T need to get the computer now, by all means wait and see as long as you can put up with your old CPU. I traded an old 500 MHz TiBook that someone gave me for a new 15" AlBook knowing that Apple will probably update the line very soon, but I got a killer deal (that $700 off wasn't bad) and having a stable system on the cheap is better than always having the cutting edge unit.

The true answer is getting the system that makes you work your best, and no matter what it is. Constantly being anxious about the most recent development in hardware releases is never the way to get work done well.

[Dale Sorel]

There's always going to be something better down the road. If you want the PowerBook/iBook/iMac etc. buy the dang thing now. Leave the crystal ball stuff to the madams downtown