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acadian · May 6, 2003, 09:29 AM

12"- 1Ghz G4, 32Mb GeForce
15"- 1.25 Ghz G4e, 64Mb Radeon 9600
17"- 1.4 Ghz G4e, 64Mb Radeon 9600

Yay? Nay? Seems reasonable as the last iteration of the G4 in the Powerbooks until the 980 rears it's pretty head.

mrmister · May 6, 2003, 11:30 AM

Man, there are going to be a lot of angry people if for some reason the 17" PBs have better specs than the 15" ones.

TAZ · May 6, 2003, 11:42 AM

Honestly, this is plausable. Given that Apple announced the upgrade of the eMac to 1 Ghz G4 processors it would be logical for the other lines to get upgraded, especially since the eMac is supposed to be the low man on the totem pole.

I can see a lot of people getting upset if they bump the 17" already, especially those who havent even gotten their machines yet.

acadian · May 6, 2003, 12:51 PM

Assuming the 17" is supposed to be the "flagship" portable (though it's not really too portable now is it), and the 15" is due for a serious update (can anyone say 9600?), this would leave the 17"s only attractive quality the screen. There has got to be more to it than that to justify the price difference between it and the 15". A 15" Al book with 1 Ghz proc and the 9600 in it would cannabalize 17" sales.

Shaddim · May 6, 2003, 02:09 PM

this would leave the 17"s only attractive quality the screen.

That IS the whole point. In the portable market a 2" difference in display size is easily worth $500 (the price difference between the high end 15 and the 17).

The 15 and 17" PBs will keep the same specs after the 15" AlBook comes out. The only difference will be the display size. And you can quote me on that.

mcs37 · May 6, 2003, 02:51 PM

Originally posted by acadian:
Yay? Nay? Seems reasonable as the last iteration of the G4 in the Powerbooks until the 980 rears it's pretty head. [/B]

My bet is for the PPC970. Apple has every interest in deploying that ASAP. If the high questionable specs from the Frenchie site the other day are authentic, the introduction of (single|dual) PPC970 systems (including Powerbooks) would blow everyone else out of the water.

badnewsblair · May 6, 2003, 03:14 PM

Originally posted by acadian:
Assuming the 17" is supposed to be the "flagship" portable (though it's not really too portable now is it), and the 15" is due for a serious update (can anyone say 9600?), this would leave the 17"s only attractive quality the screen. There has got to be more to it than that to justify the price difference between it and the 15". A 15" Al book with 1 Ghz proc and the 9600 in it would cannabalize 17" sales.

No offense, but if one more person says the 17-inch isn't portable I'm going to kick a baby!

I take mine verywhere with me. I have no prolems getting it anywhere. I even use it riding the metro going into DC (that should dispell rumors about airliner seats, cause no seat is smaller than those darn metro seats). It is portable, it is portable, WAH WAH! (if I hadn't whined enough already, heheheh)

But I think that the proc speeds should remain congruent between the 15" and the 17". They are both at 1 GHz now, and I think when they bump it, they should bump both. For me, the difference between the 17 and the 15 is form factor really (well, when the 15 AL finally comes out, that is). Some people need the screen, others don't. That and some ports.

... and by the way, its been worth every penny!

KeilwerthSX90R · May 6, 2003, 03:17 PM

Does anyone expect anything other than a speed bump (up to 1.25 Ghz) on the 17" in the next 3 or 4 months?

I know nobody knows and that if I need a laptop now I should buy now but I just want to get the general consensus before I buy.

PBAddict · May 6, 2003, 03:35 PM

I hpe the 17 gets upgraded soon. The PB has been stuck at 1 ghz since november. Apple have got to start delivering on "The Year of the Powerbook" statements

domymel · May 6, 2003, 03:48 PM

My personal dream for the 12" would be the following (but till late summer!):

1 Ghz G4
DVI out (this one even more than a speed bump)
L3 Cache
updated graphics ( 440, FX or new ATI- even though I don�t see them doing this one)
usb2
fire wire 800
super drive x2 burning and dvd-rw capability

that�s it!!!!

k2director · May 6, 2003, 04:19 PM

If anybody had real, hard information about where Motorola stands with their next-gen G4s, it would help with educated guesses....

I remember some people talking about a G4 coming up that uses less heat at 1.2 gig, but don't know re availability.

acadian · May 6, 2003, 05:00 PM

Thats the G4e. If they throw the 9600 into the updated 15" and leave the 17" stuck with the GeForce it just wouldnt make any sense.

dettociao · May 6, 2003, 05:00 PM

Originally posted by acadian:
12"- 1Ghz G4, 32Mb GeForce
15"- 1.25 Ghz G4e, 64Mb Radeon 9600
17"- 1.4 Ghz G4e, 64Mb Radeon 9600

Yay? Nay? Seems reasonable as the last iteration of the G4 in the Powerbooks until the 980 rears it's pretty head.

These seem like good guesses. No way to tell with apple though.