[MACALEX]

I'm graphic designer and sys.admin and I have PM G4 Dual 1.25, but would like to get PowerBook this year. I was wondering if anyone know if Apple will release PB G5 this year. I don't want to get PB G4 now and after three months regret because they will release PB G5. So, anyone could answer should I buy PB G4 1.25 and enjoy or wait until MacWorld?

[iboy]

nobody knows, but I don't think so... the G5 processor is NOT ready for a integration in a Powerbook right now!

gr�essli

yob

[MACALEX]

Originally posted by iboy:
nobody knows, but I don't think so... the G5 processor is NOT ready for a integration in a Powerbook right now!

gr�essli

yob

I thought so too, until release of iBook's with G4 inside, iBook's it's not PRO customer products but almost got the same power now that PowerBooks, so I doubt that portable version of G5 is not ready yet.
I'm almost sure that NEXT step will be PB G5, because it's logicly.

[nobitacu]

I would say a 30% chance... but most likely no. Of course, it would be nice though.

Ming

[TheIceMan]

Originally posted by MACALEX:
...I was wondering if anyone know if Apple will release PB G5 this year... should I buy PB G4 1.25 and enjoy or wait until MacWorld?

While I highly doubt that the G5 will make it into the PowerBook line this coming Jan.2004, I have this feeling that Steve & Co. have something good in store for MAc faithfuls this Jan. MacWorld. So I'm holding off buying anything until then.

Of course, it's killing me daily to have to use the Dell PC at home!

[krux`]

the chances are slim. in an interview an apple VP said that it woldnt make it into Powerbooks anytime soon because of the heat it throws off.

http://forums.macnn.com/showthread.p...hreadid=184649

[LfGrdMike]

Ok I think thats enough of these damn powerbook g5 threads. How is a consumer going to know what Apples plans are. Cut it out Apple just updated the PowerBooks. I bet if it happens it won't be for quite awhile, and most people should know this by now.

[MACALEX]

Looks like PB G4 1.33 will be enough for me with the power of Xserve.
But I still think that they will release G5 on the MacWorld otherwise they will have nothing to show to people. Software is not enough, we need real HARDWARE!

--
Just watched movie Pirates of Silicon Valley and understood that they will release PB G5 and XServe G5 on MacWorld, but I'll get PB G4 1.33Ghz because it's enough for me.

[Scooterboy]

It's a legitimate question and appropriate to these boards. He already has a dual PowerMac G4, so unless he absolutely needs the portablility, he doesn't need a Powerbook G4. If you really need a PowerBook NOW, then buy a PowerBook G4. If you can wait and make do with what you have, then why not wait for a PowerBook G5?

Just because some VP at Apple said "No PowerBook G5 for a long time" 6 or more months ago doesn't mean they won't make a PowerBook G5 for another 15, 12, or even 6 months. The PowerBook is supposed to be a Pro machine yet it is pretty much a portable iMac. Yes it has pro features but it needs pro speed. It needs to be a portable PowerMac. It needs to be competitve with the latest P4M laptops. The iBook is the portable iMac/eMac.

the G5 processor is NOT ready for a integration in a Powerbook right now!

How do you know this? The G5's power dissipation (heat) is comparable to G4, especially 7455. 7455 was in PowerBooks. People look at the big heatsink in the PowerMac G5 and think "how can they stuff all that into a PowerBook", or "Big, giant desktop with big giant heatsink means big, giant, super-hot CPU". The heatsink in the G5 Desktop is part of an integrated system for near silent cooling of a dual 2GHz (and probably dual 3+GHz) G5 setup. A 1.2 GHz G5 would be cool enough to put in a PowerBook, and maybe a 1.4 GHz G5 as well. Even at these "low" GHz, a PowerBook G5 would blow away the PowerBook G4, mostly due to having a Front Side Bus 5 or 6 times faster than the G4. A 1.2 GHz PowerBook G5 would have a 600 MHz FSB, competitive with P4M hardware. Mot G4 is limited to 167 MHz bus speed, which is a major limitation of an otherwise good processor, unless I'm totally confused about processor and bus relationship. I know there is far more to PowerBook design than just the CPU and I'm sure Apple is now hard at work designing a PowerBook G5. G5 is ready if only at 1.2 or 1.4 GHz. When G5 is at 90 nm it will be even more ready. All we are waiting on is Apple.

[Fellow2000]

Well that all depends on how long you want to wait. Evem if the G5 was ready for the powerbook right now, apple would still have to sell most of the new g4 powerbooks they have which would still take quite some time.

My philosophy is, you buy hardware as you need it. So, if you need it now, just get it. Even if the g5 does come out soon, the g4 is still an awesome machine. On top of that, it will not loose much value so you could always sell the g4 and get the g5.

[LfGrdMike]

I told my sister to wait because she is a grad student in chem and I dont think we will see one until this summer.

What doo you mean if Apple didn't release a new PowerBook they would have nothing to show at MacWorld. That is the biggest load of BS I have ever heard. My guess is a new iPod will be released, or a new device for the digital hub. Nothing to release HAHAHAHA they got plenty of things they could do.

Listen to Fellow2000 that is very good advice.

[ASIMO]

You mean you guys did not hear? MacWorld SF 04 has been cancelled due to lack of PowerBook-ready G5s. The PBG5s will debut in MacWorld Zimbabwe 2005. And it is going to be freaking awesome.

Pass on the good word.

[Scooterboy]

How many G4 PowerBooks does Apple have in inventory? Isn't there a long wait for some PowerBooks now?

Yes, the G4 is still an awesome machine. And the iBook G4 is an awesome value, and only a little slower than the much more expensive PowerBook G4. I want to upgrade now, but I'm leaning much more toward an iBook G4, and save the PowerBook money for a G5.

[garlic2000]

I doubt a powerbook G5 is coming any time soon. Even if it did, it probably would not be that much faster than the current ones, just look at all the realworld benchmarks, the new powermacs G5 doesnt blow the old G4' out of the water as much as Apple's propaganda would like you to think. The G5 chip will probably be intersting in a year or two when most apps can take advantage of it. Assuming they came out with a lower clocked G5 powerbook running at 1Ghz tommorow, it would not be any faster than current G4 at the same clock speed.

G3, G4, G5, G6... its all bullshit to make you buy new products, which is fine if u have a lot of money to waste... i dont.

[iDaver]

Originally posted by garlic2000:
Assuming they came out with a lower clocked G5 powerbook running at 1Ghz tommorow, it would not be any faster than current G4 at the same clock speed.

This is true, for the most part. Until Apple can release a G5 PowerBook at say, 1.8 Ghz, I doubt they'll bother. This won't be until at least July at the very earliest, IMHO.

[aehaas]

The Motorola G4 RM disappeared from the timeline and spec sheet page early this year. This makes me think they decided against it's development as Apple probably let them know that other things were in line.

That leaves the G5 to step up to the plate. There is simply nothing else in the pipeline over at Motorola any more. Nothing.

Remember that the whole IBM plant in I think NY was built to house the smaller chip version of the G5 among other things. It has been running since mid summer.

I would guess that the low powered G5 will show its face in January or February.

aehaas

[yoyoman]

you want speed check this article out. http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...l_lenslet_dc_1

[chessplayer]

I would buy the Powerbook G4 1.25 now, or as soon as Panther is pre-installed and the white spot issue is resolved.

First of all, I highly doubt there will be a Powerbook G5 released so soon as January. Even if it was announced, you would probably have to wait months for it to actually ship. And even then, you would be getting a Revision A product which was probably rushed.

It would probably be better to enjoy the Powerbook G4 now, which is an awesome machine, and then look towards getting the 2nd or 3rd revision of the Powerbook G5.

[ae86_16v]

Originally posted by Fellow2000:

My philosophy is, you buy hardware as you need it. So, if you need it now, just get it. Even if the g5 does come out soon, the g4 is still an awesome machine. On top of that, it will not loose much value so you could always sell the g4 and get the g5.

Yup. . .

[Link]

There might be as high as a 75% chance that the powerbook g5 comes out at macworld SF. Knock it all you want.

[SplijinX]

Provided your PB has a fast internet connection where you're gona primarily use it, you could just buy a G5 PM and VNC into it while you're away from home and you have an instant G5 PB. And when you don't have a super-fast internet connection, then it's just a regular PB, still an impressive machine as it is.

I'm well aware performace will be degraded, but if you are doing something that is processor intensive it may fit the bill.

[sovereign]

Will Apple really release the PB G5 2 weeks after all these customers finally receive their delayed shipments of 15" G4s?

http://forums.macnn.com/showthread.p...hreadid=186159

http://forums.macnn.com/showthread.p...hreadid=186082

http://forums.macnn.com/showthread.p...hreadid=186120

[James L]

Why wait?

Not that I think the G5 PB is coming in January (though I am hoping for it...the money is in the bank waiting), but why would Apple wait?

To hold back a line just because someone bought a machine recently is stupid. To hold back a line just because people are waiting to get their machines back is stupid.

Every time Apple introduces a new product people whine. THEN, when they don't release a product for a period of time, people whine.

Apple is playing the catch up game with their hardware...everyone knows that. They have the best OS out there. They have a great lead in the music/MP3 industry. The only complaint that people have is the hardware. Apple is finally into a product development cycle to correct this. They aren't going to sit on a better and faster product just because they released a version of it a few months ago.

So, if Apple releases G5 powerbooks in January, we are going to have to sit and listen to a whole bunch of people whine about how they just bought their 1.25 Ghz books, how could Apple do this to them, blah blah blah. This seems to be the Apple way.

Me personally, I hope Apple releases newer hardware often. Newer, faster, better. It is a fact that as soon as you buy computer hardware it is out of date! When I do buy my G5 PB, be it in January or in September, it will start to go out of date on the day I purchase it. I know that. It is Moore's law. I certainly don't want Apple to hold up the production of better products because of it.

...just one man's opinion.

[Dave Hagan]

I am one who thinks the Apple is going to say they hope to have it by the end of next year so that if they release it before then, it can be a surprise, and then Apple can tout the quality of engineering and teamwork that went into it.

I read somewhere in the last couple of days that Apple couldn't, for some reason, work out the 15.4-in. screen into the latest batch of PowerBooks, and had to revert to the 15.2-in screen. I wonder why?

[iDaver]

Originally posted by Dave Hagan:
I am one who thinks the Apple is going to say they hope to have it by the end of next year so that if they release it before then, it can be a surprise, and then Apple can tout the quality of engineering and teamwork that went into it.

There will be no surprises of that kind. There is still a ton on engineering to be done to get any G5 into a PowerBook. If they jammed one in there now, you'd be very unhappy with the result, IMHO. Again, my prediction, mid to late next year, at best.

Funny how this prediction cycle gets going again every now and then. The current crop of aluminum G4 PowerBooks has a lot of life left in it. Expect minor upgrades around May.

[Lorinserbenz]

Apple will release a G5 Xserve at Macworld. There will be a speed bump in the Powerbook but thats it. When has Apple ever kept pace like they should? In reality they should have a G5 Powerbook by then and with IBM running the show I would say its possible, but unlikely.

[ae86_16v]

Originally posted by James L:

Every time Apple introduces a new product people whine. THEN, when they don't release a product for a period of time, people whine.

...just one man's opinion.

People just like to bitch. . .

Buy what you need, and if you don't think the current machines are fast enough for you then wait or go PC.

Originally posted by Dave Hagan:

I read somewhere in the last couple of days that Apple couldn't, for some reason, work out the 15.4-in. screen into the latest batch of PowerBooks, and had to revert to the 15.2-in screen. I wonder why?

That's what everyone was saying since March of this year. Whatever. . .

[Lorinserbenz]

Everyone needs to realize Apple focused heavily on notebooks this year and it showed in their quarterly reports. The g5 Powermacs would get hammered sales wise if a G5 Powerbook is released. I say a G5 Powerbook comes in the summer of 2004. By then the Powermac G5's will be far ahead speed wise so there is major difference between the two. Personally I do not understand why Apple put the G4 in the ibooks so soon I think it would have made better sense to wait till January. Anyway I could care less, I like my current PB its fast and looks cool!

[fraeone]

I think people are making too much of the G4 ibook, I've used them, and they really can't keep up with the Powerbooks, there is still a large gap. Plus the Aluminum PBs are selling like crazy, no reason to kill that momentum with a new G5 PB too soon. So a G5 PB at MWSF, I don't think so.. But there WILL be new 3rd Gen iMacs. Why? because sales on iMacs have been falling, and because they have updated everything else recently.

[sovereign]

I ain't a waitin'

Just ordered a PB12 W/Superdrive/Airport Extreme. My first Apple. Thanks to all for the knowledge on this site in making the decision (a lot of searching for back posts!) It is nice to know that I will have this place to come to to learn all the ins and outs of the PB and OSX. I can't imagine a similar place for Windows/PC users that has this much knowledge and enthusiasm- but I could be wrong (honestly I did not even look!)

[TheIceMan]

Originally posted by fraeone:
...there WILL be new 3rd Gen iMacs. Why? because sales on iMacs have been falling, and because they have updated everything else recently.

Yup. There's been rumors of a major update to the aging iMac. It should be exciting this coming January.

[Eug Wanker]

iMac G4 7447 1.33 GHz at MacWorld, along with 2.0-2.5 GHz G5 Power Macs.

G5 PowerBook 1.6 at WWDC, along with 3 GHz G5 Power Mac, and G5 1.6 iMac. Eug fires up credit card 3 minutes later, and Eug's TiBook 1.0 becomes depressed.