[iREZ]

Am I the only one who realizes that the slow updates and minimal bumps for the Powerbooks have been a good thing for the sheer fact that even 2 year old TiBooks are still workhorses? I know the fact that if a G5 PB came out it wouldn't make my computer any slower, but I like the fact that people have "old" machines that still get the job done and haven't been forced to upgrade just yet.

[riotge@r]

Originally posted by iREZ:
Am I the only one who realizes that the slow updates and minimal bumps for the Powerbooks have been a good thing for the sheer fact that even 2 year old TiBooks are still workhorses? I know the fact that if a G5 PB came out it wouldn't make my computer any slower, but I like the fact that people have "old" machines that still get the job done and haven't been forced to upgrade just yet.

Speak for yourself. My "old" TiBook was slow and was gracefully put to rest. Not to mention it didn't have airport extreme (try sending a 2gb file over a wi-fi connection), no usb 2.0 (try saving a 1gb file to a flash drive via usb 1.1).

Don't be a hater because you don't have a new PowerBook.

[iREZ]

Actually I have a Rev B 12" and I think they came out the same time as your 15" 1.25, so relax there chief.

[WizOSX]

iREZ--the major flaw in your argument is this:

We all want our current machines to stay current as long as possible. I've got a new 12" PB/SD coming today or Monday so, from the point of view of not having the machine be outdated too soon, I'd rather a G5 PB not appear for quite a while. However, no matter when you buy again, the longer a new model has been out, the better. If you and I had more or less decided that we'd go for a G5 Powerbook about this time next year, the last thing I would want would be for them to be introduced next Feb. or March. There will be many problems at first, and the price will be high. So, the best possible thing for us would be for G5 PB's to appear in the next month or two, so that Rev. B's, at lower prices, would be out by next June. I don't think that will happen, but that would be my first choice.

[iREZ]

Well my "argument" is that most people crap all over Apple when they release an update that isn't three times faster in every category. Like most people think this last update "isn't worth it". I find that these kind of updates are the reasons I wen't for a Powerbook. Knowing full well that in even three years time, my computer will still be able to handle projects all be it with some patiences. Look at the Pismo, out dated by three or four years and yet people still use it as their primary notebook and computer, although I find them more suitable as secondary machines. I think this last update was fine, and I for one am in no rush for the G5 PB's. I'd rather Apple take their time and not screw up a major change in their Powerbook line, ie. 12" "firebooks", Rev A 15" whitespot issues, and so on. If you look at some barefeats and xbench results, you'll notice the 15" and 17" 1.5GHz score very well against single processor G5 (I dont think G5 PB are going to be dual proc.).

[Eug Wanker]

Originally posted by iREZ:
Am I the only one who realizes that the slow updates and minimal bumps for the Powerbooks have been a good thing for the sheer fact that even 2 year old TiBooks are still workhorses? I know the fact that if a G5 PB came out it wouldn't make my computer any slower, but I like the fact that people have "old" machines that still get the job done and haven't been forced to upgrade just yet.

I have a TiBook 1 GHz SD. It's a fine machine, but as soon as a G5 PowerBook comes out I'll be buying. I can definitely make use of the speed, and the other upgrades on the machine will be welcome.

[NYCFarmboy]

Something about the form factor housing all those cooling fans just isn't very "apple".




pic originally found here:

http://forums.macnn.com/showthread.p...hreadid=212101

[billybob128]

i been wanting to say this and here seems as gooda place as any:

i think the reason we havnt seen the powerbook go G5 yet (apart form no major wwdc's since it first came out) is the battery life

if we get 6hrs tops from a G3, 4.5 hrs tops from a G4 then wat will the G5 give?
a possible 3hrs. how much complaining would go on due to that. i no i'd rather stick with 4.5 and a 1.5ghz G4 than 3 hrs on what would most likly only be a single 1.6ghz G5

[riotge@r]

Originally posted by iREZ:
Well my "argument" is that most people crap all over Apple when they release an update that isn't three times faster in every category. Like most people think this last update "isn't worth it". I find that these kind of updates are the reasons I wen't for a Powerbook. Knowing full well that in even three years time, my computer will still be able to handle projects all be it with some patiences. Look at the Pismo, out dated by three or four years and yet people still use it as their primary notebook and computer, although I find them more suitable as secondary machines. I think this last update was fine, and I for one am in no rush for the G5 PB's. I'd rather Apple take their time and not screw up a major change in their Powerbook line, ie. 12" "firebooks", Rev A 15" whitespot issues, and so on. If you look at some barefeats and xbench results, you'll notice the 15" and 17" 1.5GHz score very well against single processor G5 (I dont think G5 PB are going to be dual proc.).

If the G5 1.6ghz PowerMac gives us any insight into the PowerBook G5, I will not be impressed. PowerBooks are a bit long in the tooth performance-wise when compared to Centrino based laptops.

[Eug Wanker]

Originally posted by billybob128:
i been wanting to say this and here seems as gooda place as any:

i think the reason we havnt seen the powerbook go G5 yet (apart form no major wwdc's since it first came out) is the battery life

if we get 6hrs tops from a G3, 4.5 hrs tops from a G4 then wat will the G5 give?
a possible 3hrs. how much complaining would go on due to that. i no i'd rather stick with 4.5 and a 1.5ghz G4 than 3 hrs on what would most likly only be a single 1.6ghz G5

It's a common myth that the G5 is inherently a hot chip.

My bet is that a G5 1.7-1.8 would only be slightly hotter than a G4 1.5. Remember, the G5 is on 90 nm, and it's a relatively small chip. The G4 1.5 is still a 130 nm chip. The G4 1.5 puts out just under 30 Watts max. Maybe 28 Watts? (30 Watts is for the 1.3 V part, but the PowerBooks likely use a 1.25 V part.) The G5 1.4 puts out 12.3 Watts typical. IBM doesn't publish max wattages, but it's probably close to about 22-23 Watts, if the scaling to max power is like that of the 2.0 GHz 970FX or 1.8 GHz 970 parts.

Thus, the G5 1.4 is likely much cooler than a G4 1.5.

Who knows how hot a low voltage G5 1.8 970FX would be, but I wouldn't be surprised if IBM could produce one that was in the ballpark of 30 Watts. For the next refresh, 1.8 GHz seems like a good number, and there's no guarantee that Motorola/Freescale can produce a new G4 1.8 GHz chip with power characteristics similar to today's G4 1.5. Such a 1.8 GHz chip hasn't even been announced with any real specs, whereas IBM has already published the above typical power specs on the G5 1.4, and is already shipping G5 2.0 chips with the same technology.

What about battery power? Well, I would expect a G5 1.8 would use slightly more than the current PowerBooks, but 4 hours is a reasonable estimate with current battery capacities. There's nothing stopping Apple from using a larger battery though. My TiBook for instance uses a much higher capacity battery than current 15" PowerBooks for example.

Originally posted by riotge@r:
If the G5 1.6ghz PowerMac gives us any insight into the PowerBook G5, I will not be impressed. PowerBooks are a bit long in the tooth performance-wise when compared to Centrino based laptops.

Yes, even if my above speculation is true, Pentium M will still have the 970FX beat in terms of performance/Watt. However, while the Pentium M is an excellent chip, I'd still call the 970FX a very good laptop chip, and I would not hesitate to buy a G5 PowerBook.