[keston]

It should have:

- 16MB Video RAM (nVIDIA anything would be nice)
- 2 Firewire Ports (HD and DV Camcorder)... 1 FW port is stupid, how are you supposed to get your 20GB of footage onto hd, through the 10GB disk???!!
- Rounder/curvier design... pismo was close to perfection. Long does not mean wrong. It was just fine before. damnit (they cracked under the pressure/expectation of a newer case design)

Comments:
- 133Mhz bus would be nice, but 100Mhz is fine to i suppose.
- slot loading dvd is cool, but lack of expansion bay sucks (that MCE expansion CDR rocked).
- It sucks that everything for the previous powerbooks are now useless on this.
- 1000BaseT ethernet could have been sweet.
- Dual airport?? Save this space for input jack, or my other firewire port.
- G4 is VERY good, 500 and 600 instead would be even better

Closing:
If the new Powerbook (mercury) had as the very least: 16MB VRAM, and a little faster G4 as the lowend (500Mhz G4) it would replace my desktop in a heartbeat, in spite of the other issues.

But for now, i think that a 500Mhz Pismo config is a lot more attractive (cheaper and almost equivalent speed) than the lower end Mercury config. I could do without the widerscreen, lacking ports, and "un-mac-like" squarity (though it still looks cool) for the time being.

my 2 cents...

[This message has been edited by keston (edited 01-10-2001).]

[This message has been edited by keston (edited 01-10-2001).]

Pismo was far from perfection. I can't tell you the number of times I've accidentally ejected my battery thanks to the silly latch on the front. Also, the Pismo case, despite its bulk, always feels rather flimsy. I gather that the Titanium case is reassuringly rigid despite its slimness. As for the actual aesthetic, I do prefer the squarish Titanium case. Minimalism is usually more pleasing than needless complexity. While I do find Pismo's feminine curves quite arousing , they are unnecessary and I'm sure I will come to hate them in a few years. Minimalism never goes out of fashion, because it by definition has no fashion.

[tooki]

-VRAM: agreed
-dual FireWire: I disagree. Most FireWire drives have daisy-chain ports, you just plug the camera into the drive. And if your drive doesn't have an extra port, you can get a hub for $40.
-133MHz bus: agreed
-expansion bays: I don't know what Apple was thinking....
-Gigabit ethernet: gimme a break! NOBODY uses it now, because hubs are still exorbitantly expensive. The only place where it makes sense is on a server, but then you're not about to use a PowerBook as a server, are you?
-Dual Airport: what are you talking about? One slot is Airport, the other is PC Card.

tooki

[conny]

There is only one Airport slot and that is located under the keyboard as on all other laptops today. What you refer to is probably the two Airport antenna "windows". They needed to cut holes in the titanium case otherwise the signal would never get through. The titanium case works like a closed shielding box. This information is straight from an Apple tech on the show floor.

[keston]

I mean the design/look of teh pismo. Not really the functionallity/sturdyness.

I'm sure i heard jobs or the apple specs say something about dual airport.

And like my post shows above, gigabit ethernet is just a comment that it would be nice, didnt say i needed it.

Using a FW hub with a laptop kinda defeats the purpose. One more thing to carry thta i dont need. Camera... check, fw harddrive... check, hub... no no no, none o' dat.

So, picture this: 747, economy class, middle of the center aisle; thin, light, Powerbook G4 Titanium, and firewire/usb devices, cables, hubs... where am I going to put all this stuff?

[Gee4orce]

Originally posted by Caoimhin:
So, picture this: 747, economy class, middle of the center aisle; thin, light, Powerbook G4 Titanium, and firewire/usb devices, cables, hubs... where am I going to put all this stuff?

PowerBook G4 Ti's only every fly first class

[tobster]

... so picture this: PBG4 - camcorder - daisy chained FW HD - Extra Battery in the bag under the seat or ask the cute stewardess to keep that for you for the later '15 second switching'!

I really don't think that is affecting the Golden Era of productivity - if so... how much space do you occupy in an airplane?....

Tobbi

[AlbertWu]

Well, I don't. If you are going to use it on the plane, then just use the PB. You don't need junk to use the computer. The PowerBook WILL FIT on your tray. Just leave a half-ejected worthless CD in the drive to hold your cup

------------------
Albert Wu <- No life.
http://web.harker.org/

24/7 Cell phone use can not kill you. I am half-consious proof. (It's not because of the cell phone.)

Caffine is not a mind-altering drug.
It is a life-altering drug!

[tmophoto]

>tooki
>
>dual FireWire: I disagree. Most FireWire drives have daisy-chain >ports, you just plug the camera into the drive. And if your drive >doesn't have an extra port, you can get a hub for $40.

hi tooki,

You do not do any video editing do you.

a second firewire port is essential if you want to run Final Cut Pro. The firewire specs are not actually what you get.

I dont think that you can connect more than 8-10 drives in a chain, and I know from experience that a camera chained to a firewire drive (almost any brand, and almost all disk and firewire drivers) will drop frames every time. I hope the new firewire drivers in os 9.1 will solve this, but I doubt it.

and saying that a hub solves the problem is not a solution to a portable editing system.

tmo

[Don Pickett]

I dont think that you can connect more than 8-10 drives in a chain

You can connect 63 devices in a chain. Firewire's topology is specifically designed so that this doesn't cause any problems and overload the pipe.

However, this doesn't address the problem of dropping frames.

Don

The new PowerBook looks like a Vaio knock off! Pismo was close to perfect cosmetically (excluding the brown "bronze" keyboard). Certainly could have been built sturdier thought. The G4 now looks like a PC.

[SillyPooh]

- 16MB Video RAM (nVIDIA anything would be nice)
- 2 Firewire Ports (HD and DV Camcorder)... 1 FW port is stupid, how are you supposed to get your 20GB of footage onto hd, through the 10GB disk???!!
- Rounder/curvier design... pismo was close to perfection. Long does not mean wrong. It was just fine before. damnit (they cracked under the pressure/expectation of a newer case design)

16Mb is really the least we could have hoped and nVidia sure would be fine too, but as Don said in the other thread, nVidia is sure not ready for that. Even though we can daisychain FireWire devices, it doesn't seem right for that kind of machine. First it's not practical, and two, why did we get 2 ports on pismo anyway... as if they reserve the 2 ports for some other version... really odd.

I love the curvy shapes of my pismo, it's what gives it Style and the "Apple touch", it's special distinction that reads Apple all over it. Now that they have claimed high and loud that the Titanium is gonna be a "Vaio killer", Apple seems lowered to be a mere follower in the computer market. Up till now, they were able to make their own style and designs, and get lots of credit for it - Think Different, remember? -, but now, they have ripped-off someone else's idea, pure and simple, even if this is what some of us, customers, wanted. All in all, I think they could have come out with a sexier computer, curves and all. Too bad!

Comments:
- 133Mhz bus would be nice, but 100Mhz is fine to i suppose.
- slot loading dvd is cool, but lack of expansion bay sucks (that MCE expansion CDR rocked).
- It sucks that everything for the previous powerbooks are now useless on this.
- 1000BaseT ethernet could have been sweet.
- Dual airport?? Save this space for input jack, or my other firewire port.
- G4 is VERY good, 500 and 600 instead would be even better

I am very disapointed by the bus speed, I took 133MHz for granted...
I too like the CD/DVD slot but I was hoping for the same read/write drive that came on the desktops. Since there is no expansion bay, that seemed logical to me. Frankly I don't care much about compatibility with the previous version, I got used to that and I always sell my powerbook before getting the next one. I wasn't expectiing 1000BaseT Ethernet, even though that would have been nice. Most laptops today still use base 100. Dual Airport? This must be a joke!!! No input jack?

Are we really talking about the new Powerbook here??? These specs sound like suited for the next ibook!!!!!

And there comes the processor. I like the fact that we have a G4 now, but at these speeds, it's ridiculous! Why not 500/600? As I said somewhere else, faster G3 chips would have been much better, Altivec aside.

I completely agree with you Keston, this machine is not worth its price. We were waiting for a machine from Apple and we got a machine from Sony! Where is all this spiffy design and spiffy technology bundle? This is just another pc! Imagine for a second that there was no Apple on the cover, could you tell the difference? Certainly not. I too wanted a machine that looked like the Vaio, but for Chr*st sake, I don't want a Sony!

At least if they could have come out with some decent hardware...

Does the Apple logo still light up?

[whirk]

Originally posted by Wazzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzup?:
Does the Apple logo still light up?

Yes it does.

[This message has been edited by whirk (edited 01-10-2001).]

[lythari]

Yeah, I don't particularly like the new powerbook either:

1. The colour, I personally prefer the mat black look of the wallstreet-lombard-pismo line. The metallic look of the new powerbook is too flashy for me.
2. The shape. It doesn't look as sexy as the pismo. Also
3. The screen. A 15.2" screen is nice, but I don't like the wide-screen formfactor. It's gonna be difficult to fit into many laptop bags.
4. Only 8MB of VRAM! Apple could at least have upgraded it to 16MB, the Rage Mobility 128 is capable of supporting 16MB.
5. One firewire port. One is OK but 2 would be better.

I think I'll pass on this powerbook and wait for next years version.

[jamesa]

Yeah, the graphics card is cruddy. 8mb Rage 128 doesn't cut it any more.

I was hoping for the superdrive combo on the Powerbook too... shame that's not happening. And a faster G4!

Well, I guess I'll have to wait for the July speedbump

I do think the case is cool. And the widescreen too

[Gametes]

Several of you are clearly morons.

For example:
16MB of RAM cannot just be pulled out of a hat and plugged in. It requires development, space, electricity, and cooling, all of which are prohibiting factors. Therefore, keston, sillypooh, and lythari are morons.
133MHZ bus is not something they can just pull out of a hat and stick on any old product they choose. It too requires additional electricity, cooling, and balancing concerns which shorten viability of case size and battery life and basically makes anyone who thinks that because it is offered on the brand new G4 tower it should also be on the brand new G4 book look like a moron. This means you, keston, tooki, and sillypooh.
Gigabit ethernet is ahead of its time. Adding this would not only be useless to the vast majority of their customers, it would be a larger board which, in case you haven't noticed, would be difficult to install in a 1-inch laptop. Logic dictates that the moron named keston now comes forward.
600 MHZ processor is not some little trinket tehy can mass produce and stick in every pocketwatch. It requires cooling, power, and space, not to mention the prior judicious use of dollars in producing the chips and designing them in the first place. After 18 months of flatlining at 500MHZ -- and announcing they probably couldn't meet demand for the 733, you suggest they go ahead and make it the entry level powerbook? You are morons, keston and sillypooh.

Keston and sillypooh, you 2 have a unique brand of moron-ness to you. Percieving this computer as a sony, with poorer technology than you expected, is simply absurd, and shows an immaturity in cognizing things that rivals my dogs capacity to play spades.


I have therefore taken the liberty of founding a thread right here in the powerbook forum JUST FOR YOU GUYS!
You'll find it titled (and I know you need this info, given your past record) "keston and sillypooh"
I recommend you idiots sit in there and spittle back and forth in a vacuum, all alone, able only to agree and to expect the irrational. You are the reason we go to war.

[keston]

Personally, i think you sound for reasons unknown unnesecarily angy... and actually more of a moron (and jerk) than any of us. Do you by any chance worship steve jobs and think he, and apple can do no wrong? You sound like one of those who blindly defend ANYTHING said about apple.

Anyhow, pulling it out of a hat is not expected, but this should have been in development for a long time, not just started 6 months before macworld...

And as someone else mentioned, without the logo, you wouldnt have a clue its a mac.

[SillyPooh]

16MB of RAM cannot just be pulled out of a hat and plugged in. It requires development, space, electricity, and cooling, all of which are prohibiting factors.

133MHZ bus is not something they can just pull out of a hat and stick on any old product they choose. It too requires additional electricity, cooling, and balancing concerns which shorten viability of case size and battery life and basically makes anyone who thinks that because it is offered on the brand new G4 tower it should also be on the brand new G4 book look like a moron.

Gigabit ethernet is ahead of its time. Adding this would not only be useless to the vast majority of their customers, it would be a larger board which, in case you haven't noticed, would be difficult to install in a 1-inch laptop. Logic dictates that the moron named keston now comes forward.
600 MHZ processor is not some little trinket tehy can mass produce and stick in every pocketwatch. It requires cooling, power, and space, not to mention the prior judicious use of dollars in producing the chips and designing them in the first place...

Oh really? I though computers came like eggs from the chickens!
Look how stupid I am! Excuse me for being immature...

Thank you so much for enlightening us!

Gametes - Freud would say a lot out from your nickname - either you are a pre-kindergarten kid and I would prefer that you reserve your comments for yourself, or you need professional help... In both cases, you have my deepest encouragement. Good luck!

[This message has been edited by SillyPooh (edited 01-11-2001).]

Originally posted by Gametes:
Several of you are clearly morons.

For example:
16MB of RAM cannot just be pulled out of a hat and plugged in. It requires development, space, electricity, and cooling, all of which are prohibiting factors. Therefore, keston, sillypooh, and lythari are morons.

So, theyre morons for wishing that a 15.2" screen would have more than 8 megs of VRAM? Maybe Apple should have tackled that obstacle, becasue I think that its certainly a sticking point.

133MHZ bus is not something they can just pull out of a hat and stick on any old product they choose.

Theyve had this 'Book in development for how long? I doubt anything about this Powerbook is pulled out of a hat, which is what your post implies.

It too requires additional electricity, cooling, and balancing concerns which shorten viability of case size and battery life

I think that people are a little disappointed in exactly that: Apple sacrificed too much performance in order to stick to the size constraints they felt they needed conform to. I think its okay, but other people don't and that doesnt make them morons.

Keston and sillypooh, you 2 have a unique brand of moron-ness to you. Percieving this computer as a sony, with poorer technology than you expected, is simply absurd, and shows an immaturity in cognizing things that rivals my dogs capacity to play spades.

I don't think anyone deserves to be harangued with that level of malice for simply having a different opinion than you. Jeez. Lighten up.

[Don Pickett]

Jesus, people, It's a computer, not a family member. Calm down.

Don

The case is fine. The screen size and dpi are fine. The VRAM is fine for those of us who care nothing about games. Overall, the machine is great and I intend to buy one ASAP.

If I had to change something, I wish they had replaced that useless Enter key next to the space bar with a useful Command key. Guess I'll have to break out ResEdit and hack the System file again.

Originally posted by Don Pickett:
Jesus, people, It's a computer, not a family member. Calm down.

Don

Sage advice.

I really am pissed about the dpi/resolution, but otherwise I think it's a nice machine. I'd prefer some curviness, and I'd prefer Pro Mouse color and materials (like the one MacAgent posted recently, only not quite so round)... but Ti is not bad. If you're gonna be rectangular and metallic, you could do a lot worse than look like Ti.

But the stagnant resolution is a deal breaker for me. If it had come with a 133dpi screen (1680x1120, or thereabouts), I would have ordered one immediately. As it is, I'm hoping Apple comes to its senses by late summer and at least offers a higher-res screen as a BTO option. (Yeah, right. Apple is not very big on BTO options these days. Why is it that Dell can offer 4 different screen choices and Apple can't possibly offer more than 1? Is their smaller volume really the whole story?)

Bah.

[hotani]

quit complaining about the design!! What other design could be any more efficient than the Ti? So what if the Vaio used it first. Actually it is not a design, it is necessity. If you want to have the thinnest, lightest, and yet most powerfull, big screen laptop, the 'cute' or 'sexy' curves have got to go!! Look at the iBook! this is the most inefficient laptop design there is. That thing should be about 3 full inches less wide, and at least .5 inches less thick - all for the sake of cute curviness. Face it: curves do not match up with good laptop design!

Ti is very efficient I say again - Borg-like if you will. I like it!!

My requests? At the risk of being called a "moron" I would have to say more VRAM, and an nVidia card so my PC friends would get off my back!! I do care about games and would love to play Unreal in all of Ti's fullscreen glory!!!!!!!

------------------
PowerBook G3 266/128
Darwin 1.2/OS X PB/OS 8.6
download free hotani web template

[jamesa]

Originally posted by lythari:

3. The screen. A 15.2" screen is nice, but I don't like the wide-screen formfactor. It's gonna be difficult to fit into many laptop bags.

Just mailed Spire (http://www.spireusa.com) who make a whole lot of cool bags. The Zoon will fit the new PB!

I think you guys have forgotten how far power books have come. The thin size has really ruled out the old Swiss army knife PB lexicon. Butt the thinness of the G4 would make for a great accessory bolt on pack that has and extra battery, drive slots and hubs. Kind of like the battery plates that were available for the 100 series. I smell opportunity for somebody.

[El Berserko]

I don't understand this. What do you want? It is becoming more evident to me that many Mac users are becoming more like spoiled little brats that want to be on top of the world. I love the Macintosh, and I love the new PowerBook, it is the best portable I have ever seen. The past month or so these forums have been on fire about flames against Apple. Over and over I read that Apple will be dead if there is no serious product announcements at MacWorld. There were, now you have to dissect one of the greatest gifts that our friends over at 1 Infinite Loop. It sickens me to sit here and listen to people take a creation, that marvelous visionaries worked tirelessly for many months to give you a product, only for you to push it aside. All my PC friends agree that the Titanium PowerBook is the best Macintosh they had ever seen. Let's not complain about screen ppi, or bus speeds, and why don't you start taking testimonials from real PowerBook users, that depend on them for their livelihood and not from people who just want them because they have a new processor or because it is the newest thing. Stop complaining and go buy yourself a Compaq, because obviously Apple isn't good enough for you.

------------------
http://www.macmaster.org/

[waffffffle]

I feel there are only 2 things wrong with this powerbook:

1: no media bay which means 1 battery (the two battery option is amazing and definitely put the pismo in front of the competition--do pc vendors offer it?)

2: no analog audio input. ( i use my pismo as a portable recording studio. usb audio is nice, but it sucks usb bandwidth and skips a lot. my soundsticks still dont work perfectly.)

As for all of you talking about curves THERE IS NO ROOM FOR CURVES!! I certainly hope that you folks realize that in order to make this machine so small they had to sacrifice the curves. think about it: the display is square, the keyboard is square, the hard drive is square, PC cards are square. . . . I'm looking at my pismo right now, and i can see all the wasted space due to curves. The display itself could be an inch narrower without them. Whatever, I still love my PowerBook (its silver folks.)

[Powerbook-ish]

Originally posted by waffffffle:
I feel there are only 2 things wrong with this powerbook:

1: no media bay which means 1 battery (the two battery option is amazing and definitely put the pismo in front of the competition--do pc vendors offer it?)

Yes, the Dell Inspiron offers this, as well as the ability to have two optical drives, say DVD and CD/RW in the machine at once. Oh, and also 32 MB ATi Rage 128.

Of course, none of this matters because I'll be staring at the sexy Titanium gleem so I won't notice the less than stellar screen resolution and video performance.



[This message has been edited by Powerbook-ish (edited 01-12-2001).]

I've been watching Apple since 1977 when I opened an Apple only store. The first VP of Sales for Apple, Gene Carter, had a statement when people complained, "So what?" I have seen that attitude in Apple for almost 24 years, indicating that they believe they know better what the customer wants than the customer. Have any of you ever been involved in market research about features, architecture or design of any Apple CPU?

Has anyone?

I find that this new powerbooks is missing a 37" plasma display, and the 27TB raid expansion... and just totally no room for the enginerring graphics tablet to be integrated... and no built in subwoofer. totally unacceptable.

***HELLO*** reality check people. this thing is 1" thick its not your surrogate media workstation, or authoring studio. It is *NOT* an entertainment center, and it is *NOT* "real world" to expect to play 5 hours of dvd's. Perhaps you pple should do some mockup's and see how much you guys can jam into the volume of a laptop. I have a feeling alot of you grousers have never had the misfortune to take any kind of laptop apart.

The real mistake is not having a CD-RW option instead of the DVD-ROM. If they gave me the CD-RW option, I'd buy one today.

[schwei]

Re no low-profile-slot-loading-high-speed-CD-RW in TiPBG4: Anybody know if such a device exists?

"B--ls," said the Queen. "If I had them I'd be king!"

[Dispiacere]

A pismo with new clothes, a new chip (no faster just new) and one less fire wire port and no expansion bays. And does anyone believe that the battery will last 5hrs? We were told 4+ and I got 3.5 at most from my pismo 500.

[Spheric Harlot]

1) "The VAIO did it first!"
No it didn't. The Powerbook Duo's did, and better at that. Now the Titanium outdoes the VAIO, and by a fat margin in many respects.

2) "The processors are too slow! An 800 MHz G3 would have made more sense!"
Get real. For the things that these books are really gonna be used for (Audio/Video), the Altivec unit will cut maybe half the processing time. That's sensational. For those that don't do professional signal editing with it, it doesn't really make much of a difference, especially not if the bus speed remains the same.

3) "The processors are too slow! 500 MHz and 600 MHz G4's should have made it in there!"
Along with a portable cooling pack, an extra battery pack, and a Motorola statement explaining why exactly you had to wait six months for your machine. This is the first time a G4 mobile chip has been used in a portable ever. Motorola is notorious for not being able to deliver what they promise.
Plus, I can see why Apple wouldn't necessarily risk lawsuits from people who burn their laps this first time around. See how it fares first.

4) "It looks just like a PC!"
Look at a VAIO from close up, and then look at the Ti from close up. I haven't done either, but just browsing images on the web is funny enough when I see people write this.
Newsflash: At a distance of 25 feet, *any* notebook looks like another.

-chris.

[This message has been edited by Spheric Harlot (edited 01-12-2001).]

Everyone who complained about the 8MB of VRAM, non-modular bays, 1FW port, etc... go buy a clunky, boxy, 8 lbs Dell. That's what you're asking for, so go get one.

Lets face it, Mac have NEVER been about features and performance. They have ALWAYS been about design and use. The Mac OS is better designed and easier to use - it doesn't have more features and perform better. The same is true for the hardware. The TiPB is a design marvel - titanium, one inch thick, 5 pounds. Who else can design something like that with a 15" screen and offer it for $2599. Shop for a comparable (factor in weight too) PC notebook and you won't find one.

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally posted by kc:
Lets face it, Mac have NEVER been about features and performance.

While I agree with the rest of your post, this isn't true. Remember the "Pentium-toasting" ads? Back then, the PowerPC Macs were the fastest desktop machine available.

PowerBooks have always been near the top of the range, performance-wise.

And in the segment the PB G4 is aimed at - obviously the VAIO-buying folk - it's simply miles ahead of the competition, performance- and otherwise.

-chris.

All these asking for a higher res screen: Do you have superhuman vision? I'd be really annoyed having a laptop that you have to squint at to read.

All these asking for a higher res screen: Do you have superhuman vision? I'd be really annoyed having a laptop that you have to squint at to read.

[SillyPooh]

Originally posted by CD Burner:
The real mistake is not having a CD-RW option instead of the DVD-ROM. If they gave me the CD-RW option, I'd buy one today.

Xactly! It's a big deception for me too...

Originally posted by Dispiacere:
A pismo with new clothes, a new chip (no faster just new) and one less fire wire port and no expansion bays. And does anyone believe that the battery will last 5hrs? We were told 4+ and I got 3.5 at most from my pismo 500.

Amen! At least something down to earth.

I think too many people on this forum are Steve Jobs diehards... I admit his prestation was excellent, but there is no way these people can prevent anyone from mocking this machine.

Originally posted by Spheric Harlot:
2) "The processors are too slow! An 800 MHz G3 would have made more sense!"
Get real. For the things that these books are really gonna be used for (Audio/Video), the Altivec unit will cut maybe half the processing time. That's sensational. For those that don't do professional signal editing with it, it doesn't really make much of a difference, especially not if the bus speed remains the same.

I really don't see how you can use this machine for "audio/video" with no audio in!! Admit this is a shame! I think we're really not asking for the moon!
You say half the processing time? Have you ever used a G4? You see, the problem is not Altivec, it's the number of programs that can take advantage of it, and correctly. You can count them using a single hand. And trust me on that one, an 800MHz G3 would crush a 500MHz G4 any time.

Originally posted by Spheric Harlot:
3) "The processors are too slow! 500 MHz and 600 MHz G4's should have made it in there!"
Along with a portable cooling pack, an extra battery pack, and a Motorola statement explaining why exactly you had to wait six months for your machine. This is the first time a G4 mobile chip has been used in a portable ever. Motorola is notorious for not being able to deliver what they promise.
Plus, I can see why Apple wouldn't necessarily risk lawsuits from people who burn their laps this first time around. See how it fares first.

No one asked Apple not to include a cooling system - read fan - on their laptops. No one asked Apple for 1" thick laptops. As you write it yourself, these laptops are targeted to the professionals. And as a professional, I can tell you: I prefer power over design and weight.
We all know Mot is Apple's biggest problem right now, this is why we suggested faster G3s instead, manufactured by IBM.

Originally posted by Spheric Harlot:
4) "It looks just like a PC!"
Look at a VAIO from close up, and then look at the Ti from close up. I haven't done either, but just browsing images on the web is funny enough when I see people write this.
Newsflash: At a distance of 25 feet, *any* notebook looks like another.

I'm not inventing anything here. Steve Jobs say it better than I ever could!

Spheric, I agree with you on the speed issue however. Macs have frequently been speed burners, in the recent years and even before.

[This message has been edited by SillyPooh (edited 01-12-2001).]

[LeoBag]

I think that we are missing another key point.

<DISCLAIMER>
FIRST, I would like to say I LOVE Apple, and I LOVE the new PowerBook.
</DISCLAIMER>

However,

Apple is a computer company. Just like Intel, they will proceed to "milk" the market. Apple is not some all-great being that is here to do anything it can (and more) for the consumer... Think about it, if you ran a computer company, one of your main goals (if not THE main goal) is to make money -- so why not introduce a beautiful redesign, sell a grip load of units, and keep back a couple of features for future releases. When Jobs announces that OS X is going to be the default OS on all new Apple machines, don't you think that it would make more of an impact to ALSO add additional features (whether it be a speed bump, or more VRAM, additional Firewire, or whatever) to the product line (in this case the PowerBook).

I am pretty sure Apple did what they did because they have it all planned out. And after the end of 2000, they need a way to 'milk' the market for all that it can.

Even though I *REALLY* want a new PowerBookG4, I think I am going to wait until OS X is the default OS before I get it.

-Leo

Originally posted by DaveyChuckie:
All these asking for a higher res screen: Do you have superhuman vision? I'd be really annoyed having a laptop that you have to squint at to read.

No. We prefer not to use a 5x7 typeface.

As I mentioned over in the "screen is too big" thread, at 72 ppi (pixel == point, approximately), there is damn little difference between the characters in a web browser at SIZE=3 (the default) and the smaller SIZE=1 and SIZE=2. This is not how it should be.

I don't think that you have to make your characters as small as possible, but rather as detailed as possible. Ideally, we should have 200 ppi displays, and when we talk about 12 point type, we should really mean 12 points and not 12 pixels. But the technology is a long way from 200 ppi. While I was using 100 dpi CRT displays 10 years ago, the densest large LCD displays I know of now are less than 140 ppi -- less than half as many pixels as a 200 ppi display would require for the same area.

But it's coming. I'll be quite disappointed if something like 200 ppi displays, not necessarily using LCDs, are not available by 2010. I'll be 54 then and my eyes will focus even less well, but I expect to still want well-rendered serifs and some kind of dynamic range in font sizes.

It's not that we think Apple is run by brain-damaged cretins. It's that Apple needs to sell iron (or Titanium) to stay in business -- they've structured their business that way. If we get to the point where everyone in China can afford PowerBooks, that will provide enough demand to keep them going for a few years, but until that point the opinions of people like me matter. I don't find this month's G4PB compelling enough to make me trade in my PB Firewire; granted, it's pretty new. However, If it had had an optional 1600x1200 display (which by the way could do 800x600 without dither) I'd be buying a new laptop this month or whenever I could get my hands on one.

More to the point, unless they move up to at least 1280x960 by the time I am looking to buy another for my business, which I expect will be this summer, only 6 months from now, I'll be buying some other brand and running Linux on it. Hey, I'm only one data point, but as far as I can see no one is running a survey to find out how many potential future customers feel this way.

It's really sad the level of name-calling this issue is producing. Just because some people don't feel this need doesn't invalidate the ones who do, and vice versa.

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally posted by SillyPooh:
I really don't see how you can use this machine for "audio/video" with no audio in!! Admit this is a shame! I think we're really not asking for the moon!

LOL!
You want to do audio editing via an eighty-cent A/D converter chip and a 1/8" stereo jack like on the iMac? That's really funny.

No, man, you wanna do audio, do it right or forget it. Apple built a microphone into the Ti for speech recognition and voice-mail-type stuff. There's FireWire and USB for the rest.



-chris.

[MrK]

Originally posted by tmophoto:
>
a second firewire port is essential if you want to run Final Cut Pro. The firewire specs are not actually what you get.

It's called Bookendz. I'm sure they will put a mini- hub in the next edition to solve this very problem. Go to your location, put it on the desk in the Bookendz and hook up your 8 zillion Firewire devices. Viola.

As some one who has 8 USB devices and NO Firewire drives, I'm glad they eliminated the extra Firewire slot. Another option... spend $200 on a Firewire Cardbus type II card. If you're doing videoediting, I'm sure you can afford.

Hook up 3 plus firewire silultaneous without chaining aany of them... then when youare done editing, whip out the firewire card, in with the richochet modem and send it all back to the studio.

Life on the go.

Well, I will chime in here for what it is worth. The Vaio is Magnesium. A lightweight contender, for sure. But it is also cheaper and far more brittle than Titanium.

And about including a CDRW drive in it? Nah, I will use my external FireWire burner if I need to burn CD's. I would hate to have to worry about the damn batteries just because I felt I needed to burn a CD on the road. And I personally love the fact that I can watch a movie on my laptop. I have only done so a dozen or so times last year, but it is a nice touch. And someday the software folks will begin producing a lot more titles on DVD. With all that room, it's be a lot easier for them to include mutliple platforms on one disk, too.

I love the fact that this is a forward-thinking device in a lot of ways. But the inclusion of a few things (or lack of inclusion) happens with every product. The 1 FW port is indeed a bummer. But the exclusion of a media bay is fine with me. While the machine is running (NOT sleeping) you can remove the battery and replace it with a fresh one. Apple claims in the neighborhood of 10 seconds, but an Apple rep at the show said that 10 seconds is conservative. ALl other things I would want to put in touch with my laptop are either USB or FireWire. And I can do that. And I still have a PC slot to expand upon.

And to the post-er who remarked about painting it? Good luck. Check in on what you have to go through to paint Ti. It CAN'T be anodized to a nice black, either. And it requires special surface prep to apply a special primer. The primer then has to prepped and a special paint has to be applied and (usually) heat cured. Then what happens the first time you slide it across the desk with a paper clip under it....a scratch. I have been in the metal-finishing industry for a few years, and believe me, precious metals almost NEED to be left as is.

If you all like the old Pismo so much, go buy one. Who mandates that everyone has to have the latest computer and be totally satisfied with it? No one. Buy what makes you happy. If you really need the things that a G4 Ti doesn't have, just don't buy it.

One last thing for MrK : Why use a Ricochet modem when it already has a built-in modem?

[This message has been edited by Dogstarman (edited 01-12-2001).]

[This message has been edited by Dogstarman (edited 01-12-2001).]

[daydreamer]

ok folks , the design of the new pbg4 does NOT suck alright,I think it has a new different style and i think it is a very cool computer when you see it in reality.Ok the first picture of it didn't do anything but if you watch all the screens nicely i think it is a beautiful laptop
the new pbg4 is dream dudes

[hmurchison2001]

Opinions or not this thread is horrible. I'd hate for someone who's looking at a powerbook for the first time to see this thread. First I'd like to say if you think you can do a better job than Jonathan Ive and his staff in design then have at it. My money is on Ive and crew.

Can someone tell me how in the world Apple is going to fit a CDRW in a Powerbook that's 1 inch high and cool it properly? It's one thing to ask for the possible and yet totally another to ask for the Impossible

I think too many people on this forum are Steve Jobs diehards... I admit his prestation was excellent, but there is no way these people can prevent anyone from mocking this machine.

That's the typical PC cop out. No one said anything about Steve Jobs they themselves refuted your post. You have your right to post anything you want and they have a right to rebutt your statements.

I really don't see how you can use this machine for "audio/video" with no audio in!! Admit this is a shame! I think we're really not asking for the moon!
You say half the processing time? Have you ever used a G4? You see, the problem is not Altivec, it's the number of programs that can take advantage of it, and correctly. You can count them using a single hand. And trust me on that one, an 800MHz G3 would crush a 500MHz G4 any time.

Sure I'll agree, Apple should have included Audio in. Altivec programs off the top of my head OSX,Photoshop,After Effects,Soundjam,Logic Audio,Final Cut Pro,lightwave6, Cinema4D,Commotion 3,Bryce, KPT6,Sonic Solutons DVD, Canvas 7, Flash, Dreamweaver and Director, Bitheadz Unity & Retro, Webstar, Media Cleaner Pro, Virtual PC 4 need I go on? Next an 800Mhz G3 doesn't exist. The fastest is a 700Mhz 750Cxe (which isn't shipping) but even at that for many apps like the above. Trust ME you don't want to try my on this you are WAY off on the amount of Altivec apps and I could embarrass you by proving your 800Mhz G3 being faster than a 500Mhz G4 myth to. Word to the wise...be careful about making statements that you can't back up.

I don't mean to sound testy but I'm tired of that blatant mistruths being told about the G3 clocking higher and being faster than the G4. Both are fabbed on the same process. The G4 is a G3 with Altivec and a better(derived from the 604e)FPU. If a G3 can be clocked at 800Mhz then so can a G4.

I'm sure glad you f'n whiners won't be buying this beautiful machine. Mine will get here even faster. Sure there are some compromises made, but I think they came up with a very good balance and it will match my Ti wedding ring. Also, Ti gets a little darker with age due to the oxide layer and doesn't stay shiney unless clear-coated.

For all of you who had to buy a PB4Ti instead of the pismo you really wanted I will trade my pismo 400 straight up (extra ram and 20 gig disk included). It is big, ugly (never understood why people liked the curves on a black shape as it hides the shape in it's darkness, like black cars, etc...) It is amazing how many people like the look of the pismo I thought the mac ethic was "think different" how different is a black lump. look at the expo photos with the 3 and 4 side by side, and you will see what I mean. It almost sound like the beige PC / color iMac discussion. besides the enterprise (star trek) was Titanium and nobody wanted to paint it.

-ray

[email protected] (for trade inquires) www.mindspring.com/~ray27