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gzeus · Jan 10, 2005, 06:02 PM

http://www.thinksecret.com/news/0501expo5.html

High end tops out at 1.67 mhz, all models get 5400 rpm hard drives. Of course no one's going to start drooling until the g5 pb comes out , mostly because the case will have to be redesigned.

anamexis · Jan 10, 2005, 07:21 PM

And, y'know, because it will have a G5.

As for those stats, they look realistic, but I'm still holding out for tomorrow.

Cheetah223 · Jan 10, 2005, 07:32 PM

Those are pretty much exactly the stats I was hoping for

The 100gb hard drive's just a bonus, but I figure with a 5400rpm drive standard I think 7200's have to be an option, as well as 256mb of video memory...Saweet!

ddma · Jan 10, 2005, 07:32 PM

If that was true, I would be really regrate that I waited 3 months to buy this slightly updated PowerBook! Then I would start thinking should I wait 6 more months to get PowerBook G5 ;-)

Anyway, will be a user of Dual G5... So the laptop is like a supplementary item to me.

OT: Anyone knows if Apple would update their PowerMac line? Of course you guy won't know...

D.

TailsToo · Jan 10, 2005, 09:00 PM

Time to upgrade the TI!

Fiete5401 · Jan 10, 2005, 09:20 PM

That's exactly what I've been waiting for!
I'll order a maxed out 17-incher after anouncement tomorrow!
Yeeehaaa!

flukewurm · Jan 10, 2005, 09:21 PM

hrm. so just how much faster would this new powerbook be compared to a 1ghz AlBook?.. im thinking maybe not substantial enough to warrant a listing on ebay?.....

*sigh*.

i mean. i need power. but. i dont think i wanna trade until the powerbooks get up to considerably past double the horsepower of my current powerbook.

SEkker · Jan 10, 2005, 09:53 PM

I try to wait until the new machines are twice as fast, OR they offer something truly new in functionality, before I upgrade.

I purchased the PB17 revA 2 years ago (wow, how time flies!) because it had a lot of new features over the TiPB -- better keyboard, fixed airport reception that has been broken in the TiPB compared to the Pismo, MUCH nicer screen, bluetooth, new hinge design, and I purchased a superdrive. Oh, by the way, it also had a faster processor. This machine is MORE than twice the TiPB/667 it replaced, however.

The announcements tomorrow are really upping the ante on Apple for the next gen PB -- most of the reported changes are simply making the machine cheaper (5400 rpm HDs had been BTO options for awhile, as had the extra VRAM). No revised screens, no new processors (1.67 is not really faster than 1.5), etc.

As always, your mileage may vary...

iREZ · Jan 11, 2005, 12:25 AM

I'm still stickin with my machine (specs below). This is just another slight bump from Apple, and pretty dissapointing. I guess this is good for people looking to get the most horsepower out of their PB's but it looks like the new illustrator and photoshop will run fine on my machine so no need for upgrade here. Although a 5400RPM HD would be nice, not to mention 64MB of VRAM.......oh well.

Simon · Jan 11, 2005, 03:11 AM

Originally posted by iREZ:
I'm still stickin with my machine (specs below). This is just another slight bump from Apple, and pretty dissapointing. I guess this is good for people looking to get the most horsepower out of their PB's but it looks like the new illustrator and photoshop will run fine on my machine so no need for upgrade here. Although a 5400RPM HD would be nice, not to mention 64MB of VRAM.......oh well.

For once I'm going to disagree with you iRez, of course it's just my opinion.

I think this update will be just good enough to kick my 1GHz Al. That way I'll get quite some more power (2/3 more clock, better GPU, better disk, more VRAM, etc.) and at the same time this new PowerBook will get me through the first rev of the G5 PowerBook. I can upgrade to a G5 as soon as rev b comes out. I'll gladly let others do the beta testing.

So, IMHO the big question to me is: Has Apple done something against fan noise when you have an idle 12" with an attached ACD or do I have to really get that bulky 15" just for the sake of some fan silence.

ptolemy · Jan 11, 2005, 06:43 AM

I was hoping for the new PowerBooks to have the new G4, the MPC7448 with 1MB cache, 1.5GHz+, 200MHz bus and only 10W power consumption.

What do think about the chances for another PowerBook update featuring the new G4 before the summer?

Fiete5401 · Jan 11, 2005, 06:52 AM

Originally posted by ptolemy:
I was hoping for the new PowerBooks to have the new G4, the MPC7448 with 1MB cache, 1.5GHz+, 200MHz bus and only 10W power consumption.

What do think about the chances for another PowerBook update featuring the new G4 before the summer?

I don't think that this processor will ever see the light in a PowerBook.
Apple is forced to put the G5 in our sweetheart as soon as possible.

dphotos.org · 07:23 AM

it's time to wait now...untill the apple store is updated...and than... i'll order my pb

thanx for the information.
[edit]
I stil have a question...
When will they ship ?
If we order tomorrow or on thursday (depends of the Apple store's update), we'll receive it in a month ? more or less ?
[/edit]

Voch · Jan 11, 2005, 07:43 AM

These sound great, but I guess I'm still holdin' out with my TiBook 667/DVI for now. The AppleCare runs out in February 2006 so I had better be wowed by then...

Voch

tcphoto · Jan 11, 2005, 08:06 AM

To tell you the truth, I was expecting a 1.8Ghz on the last update. If Apple continues to insist on the thinnest notebook they are going to keep shooting themselves in the foot. Imagine if they compromised with a powerbook that is between the Pizmo and the Aluminum's dimensions? What do you think the speed of that would be? The main hurdle seems to be the ability for the processor to be cooled, right?

Goldfinger · Jan 11, 2005, 08:11 AM

Originally posted by dphotos.org:
it's time to wait now...untill the apple store is updated...and than... i'll order my pb
thanx for the information.
[edit]
I stil have a question...
When will they ship ?
If we order tomorrow or on thursday (depends of the Apple store's update), we'll receive it in a month ? more or less ?
[/edit]

Your sig is way beyond of what's allowed. It's too big.
That said, I'm holding out 'till a G5 cpu comes out in a PowerBook, I want to leave the G4 cpus behind me. My Ti867 is still good enough. And I don't really have to money to upgrade so I HAVE to wait

.
But if the released a G5 everybody will go nuts.

dphotos.org · Jan 11, 2005, 08:47 AM

youps, sorry for the sig. i've corrected it.
I will not wait because I can't bare anymore Wintel system on my laptop.
So I'm still waiting

but not too long now...

Luca Rescigno · Jan 11, 2005, 08:58 AM

No video upgrades at all? Come on, at this point even the Mobility Radeon 9800 is old hat, with the Mobility X300, X600 and X800 now available. Those ones are PCI Express only, so I wouldn't expect the PowerBooks to receive them, but at least give 'em the 9800. The 12" has also had the GeForce 5200 Go for a while and deserves better.

Not to mention they need to upgrade the video to give Apple's other stuff room to move. Right now the iBook and eMac have video cards that aren't fully compatible with all the Core Image features. If the 12" PowerBook doesn't move beyond the 5200, it'll be months before it has the opportunity to be upgraded again. Where will the iBook and eMac go in the meantime? Radeon X300 maybe?

dphotos.org · Jan 11, 2005, 09:36 AM

the only video upgrade seems to be the quantity of Vram 64mb up to 128 mb... and that's all...:/
YOu're true when you talk about the new X... cards, but we'll have to wait 'till summer for the G5 (or later).
I want to use mine 'till the rev B. of the pbG5, so i'll be fine with 128 vram of a 9700.
I think it's support all details @max in recent games no ? (...hope so, please give me a "yes"

kiwibabe · Jan 11, 2005, 01:05 PM

Nope it was all a bunch of lies

I'm gonna cry now, my boss said I could buy a new powerbook and I told him to wait until today just incase the G5 came out. But nothing ...

iREZ · Jan 11, 2005, 01:37 PM

Yeah most likely it's going to be upgraded without much mention due to the lackluster boosts. If there was a new GPU in the 12" then I'd definetly think more about it, but seeing that it's not likely makes me happy with my choice. If you need raw power then go for it, but for design I don't need the latest greatest thingie so I'm still content. When the new PB's come out keep an eye out on the forums for low priced PB's for people wanting to upgrade.

Voch · Jan 11, 2005, 02:49 PM

Originally posted by kiwibabe:
Nope it was all a bunch of lies

I'm gonna cry now, my boss said I could buy a new powerbook and I told him to wait until today just incase the G5 came out. But nothing ...

Not to be too extremely vague about this but just because the PowerBooks weren't bumped at the expo doesn't mean a bump isn't coming soon. Wait if you can. Buy now if you can't.

I can wait so I am.

Voch

kiwibabe · Jan 11, 2005, 02:56 PM

Originally posted by Voch:
Not to be too extremely vague about this but just because the PowerBooks weren't bumped at the expo doesn't mean a bump isn't coming soon. Wait if you can. Buy now if you can't.

I can wait so I am.

Voch

I have two problems:
1. I need a powerbook now
2. If a new revision came out now it would take months before it got to NZ.

I guess I just answered my own question I guess I should buy it.

molala · Jan 11, 2005, 02:58 PM

i also think the updates would come soon, and announced quietly. but what a downer, i am also waiting to purchase a 12" pb.

dphotos.org · Jan 11, 2005, 03:38 PM

erf...I'm bored waiting for my new laptop...
If the only bump of power is 167 mhz i'll be pleased with the 1,5ghz + 1gb of ram with the vram option and hardrive too.
The +20 gb of hard drive isn't really usefull for me..
But I know that if the revision comes next I won't be so happy.

The question is the shipping delay...I cannot wait more than 3 -4 weeks...
so as kiwibabe i probably should buy it...

UnixMac · Jan 11, 2005, 05:07 PM

Originally posted by dphotos.org:
erf...I'm bored waiting for my new laptop...
If the only bump of power is 167 mhz i'll be pleased with the 1,5ghz + 1gb of ram with the vram option and hardrive too.
The +20 gb of hard drive isn't really usefull for me..
But I know that if the revision comes next I won't be so happy.

The question is the shipping delay...I cannot wait more than 3 -4 weeks...
so as kiwibabe i probably should buy it...

I am soooo glad I bought my PB when I did... a lousy 167mhz bump, and all of the other features I already have.... and it looks like the G5 is still stuck at 2.5GHz for 6 months..

I finally win!

Voch · Jan 11, 2005, 05:36 PM

Originally posted by kiwibabe:
I guess I just answered my own question I guess I should buy it.

Yep. 1.33Ghz/1.5Ghz isn't exactly a crappy machine...I'm still fairly happy at 667Mhz (and I love this screen). Go for it if you need it now and it'll take a while to get there.

Voch

farmerjnz · 09:03 PM

Originally posted by kiwibabe:
I have two problems:
1. I need a powerbook now
2. If a new revision came out now it would take months before it got to NZ.

I guess I just answered my own question I guess I should buy it.

you should try look on trademe, there are a couple of recent models of powerbook for sale.

i m not selling my pb 12' tho, i love it.
with the less significant rev updates i m glad i bought mine when i did

Daniel Bayer · Jan 11, 2005, 09:22 PM

I have had my 17 inch 1.33 AL w/ 2GB of ram and a 7200 rpm HD for 16 months now. I really don't see any major jumps in speed and other things so I can actually wait for a rev-b G5.

This thing is super fast but it works too hard in my life, I might have to cave and get a Dual G5.

Cheetah223 · Jan 11, 2005, 09:57 PM

How far out do you guys think the upgrades are? They obviously didn't show at MW, do you think it'll be until June before they're upgraded? I'd think that would be almost a waste, G5's aren't THAT far out that upgrading that late in the game would be almost stupid. I'm waiting for the upgrade and hoping G5's are more expensive than G4's, if not I'll be upset. Though if I do get a G5 I'm going to be waiting for a Rev B so probably well over another year from today.

iDu · Jan 11, 2005, 09:57 PM

I got tired of waiting, so I went down to the Apple Store here in KC today and bought me a stock 15" 1.5 GHz SD. I figure this will be enough machine until some of the later rev G5's come out. Plus I was tired of using my B/W G3 300 MHz (Bit of a jump eh?).

ChrisF · Jan 11, 2005, 10:17 PM

Originally posted by Cheetah223:
How far out do you guys think the upgrades are? They obviously didn't show at MW, do you think it'll be until June before they're upgraded? I'd think that would be almost a waste, G5's aren't THAT far out that upgrading that late in the game would be almost stupid. I'm waiting for the upgrade and hoping G5's are more expensive than G4's, if not I'll be upset. Though if I do get a G5 I'm going to be waiting for a Rev B so probably well over another year from today.

Based on inventory and ETA of new Powerbooks at a large wholesale distributor, I'd be surprised if revised Powerbooks don't make an appearance next Tuesday or the week after. I'm really disappointed they didn't get announced today because I'm sure ready to upgrade from this 667MHz Powerbook I'm using right now but I won't be buying one of the current models unless they get really cheap immediately after the introduction of new models.

madboy86 · Jan 11, 2005, 10:21 PM

Originally posted by ChrisF:
Based on inventory and ETA of new Powerbooks at a large wholesale distributor, I'd be surprised if revised Powerbooks don't make an appearance next Tuesday or the week after. I'm really disappointed they didn't get announced today because I'm sure ready to upgrade from this 667MHz Powerbook I'm using right now but I won't be buying one of the current models unless they get really cheap immediately after the introduction of new models.

Just curious but if you buy now, aren't you going to miss out on Tiger? Will you then just buy Tiger when it comes out in a few month?

Cheetah223 · Jan 11, 2005, 10:29 PM

I think I'm going to wait for Tiger, but I may not, I'm not sure...I'll try to time it so I get my 'book just before Tiger comes out so I can get it free (hopefully) and see what happens

dphotos.org · Jan 12, 2005, 02:24 AM

i'm gonna phone apple store today to order it I think so... The 1,5ghz will be ok for 2 years (I hope).

Simon · Jan 12, 2005, 02:56 AM

If the rumored specs of the next PowerBook rev are accurate, it could well be that Steve chose not to introduce them at MSWF just because it's a mere feature upgrade, not really anything new. And of course this MWSF was really a consumer event, not a pro show.

Judging by that, we could still see a new PB rev this month. The old rev is already 6 months old.

dphotos.org · Jan 12, 2005, 04:59 AM

you're probably true simon, and to present a "new" laptop with a bump of 167 mhz isn't relevant compare to the macmini announcement...

I've comitted my sin ...i've ordered my PB (15", 1,5ghz, 1gb ram, 128 vram, 80gb@5400...)
My credit card is crying...

ChrisF · Jan 12, 2005, 07:15 AM

Originally posted by madboy86:
Just curious but if you buy now, aren't you going to miss out on Tiger? Will you then just buy Tiger when it comes out in a few month?

Tiger isn't a big concern at the moment.

ichibod · Jan 12, 2005, 07:36 AM

I see it happening this month, but I think that we won't see it until the store's current supply begins to deplete as to have 1-3 day shipping or more.

Pierre B. · Jan 12, 2005, 03:28 PM

Originally posted by Simon:
The old rev is already 6 months old.

You mean certainly 9 months old

.

wiffmaster · Jan 12, 2005, 03:40 PM

I reckon the G4 updates will come on January 22nd.

Nobody is going to buy a Mac now unless they realy have to. They will wait until ilife '05 is included for free (ie. the 22nd), so it'd make sense for Apple to make the speed bumps when they update the PB's software?

Anyone else agree?

ichibod · Jan 12, 2005, 03:53 PM

Originally posted by wiffmaster:
Nobody is going to buy a Mac now unless they realy have to. They will wait until ilife '05 is included for free (ie. the 22nd), so it'd make sense for Apple to make the speed bumps when they update the PB's software?

That's what I'm thinkin

tortfeasor · Jan 12, 2005, 03:55 PM

I am among the many who were waiting until Mac World to decide when to buy a new powerbook but wanted to unlurk for a minute to post a bit of my anal-retentive research into what may be going on.

Comp-Usa is out of stock of most models of the powerbook nationwide. You can go to their webpage and put in your zipcode to check it out for yourself since it shows delayed stock numbers. Also, the 15" 1.5ghz PB is not even available to be shipped from their online store anymore.

All major mac online retailers (macmall, clubmac, macconnetion, etc...) are out of stock of the 15" PB models with restock dates of 2 weeks+. To see this information go to their webpages, where they tell you to call for stock information. Well, I called and each conversation went along these lines...

"We are out of stock but we should have more in soon... Let me check... Hmm, that is weird, it looks like we have no ETA as to when we will get any more in. We usually get a daily email letting us know when out of stock items will arrive, but in this case there isn't any info".

My $.02? I think the PB line is being very quietly EOL'd and we will see new models in the new week or two. I can't wait!

anamexis · Jan 12, 2005, 03:56 PM

Originally posted by wiffmaster:
I reckon the G4 updates will come on January 22nd.

Nobody is going to buy a Mac now unless they realy have to. They will wait until ilife '05 is included for free (ie. the 22nd), so it'd make sense for Apple to make the speed bumps when they update the PB's software?

Anyone else agree?

I guarantee that if anyone buys a Mac now it will have iLife '05 preinstalled and if it does not it will be offered as a free upgrade. Just because it officially ships the 22nd doesn't mean if you buy a new Mac before then you're stuck with '04.

tortfeasor · Jan 12, 2005, 03:58 PM

Originally posted by anamexis:
I guarantee that if anyone buys a Mac now it will have iLife '05 preinstalled and if it does not it will be offered as a free upgrade. Just because it officially ships the 22nd doesn't mean if you buy a new Mac before then you're stuck with '04.

ILife '05 is already being offered for $19.95 if you buy a mac starting Jan 11th that does not come with '05 preinstalled. http://www.apple.com/ilife/uptodate/

wiffmaster · Jan 12, 2005, 04:18 PM

Maybe so, but i'd still prefer it to be free than pay $20.

My point is, if they're going to update the Powerbook within the next couple of weeks, it's likely they'll do it on the 22nd when they 'officialy' update the software on their whole range on Macs.

madboy86 · Jan 12, 2005, 05:37 PM

Let $20 effect a $2500 decision...

scottiB · Jan 12, 2005, 06:21 PM

Originally posted by wiffmaster:
Maybe so, but i'd still prefer it to be free than pay $20.

My point is, if they're going to update the Powerbook within the next couple of weeks, it's likely they'll do it on the 22nd when they 'officialy' update the software on their whole range on Macs.

I agree--though I think PBs will be release on the 25th--the Tuesday after.