[tekno_geek911]

If new PowerBook's are released Monday...Who will be upgrading? I just bought my 12" PB,im not sure if .25GHz will be worth the hassle.

[Tomster]

Unless there is something massively cool, like integrated sim card technology with wireless EDGE access, I don't think the speed bump and graphics card will be tempting me too much. Still waiting for the G5's. Maybe next January.

[rsgunther]

Unless they release G5s or some other unbelievable technlogy, I will stick with my 1.25 15" Superdrive - it is close to 2 months old I think, and I bought it refurbed (got a great deal).

It is a wonderful machine, but the G5's would probably encourage me to part with it.

[tekno_geek911]

Same here...Im waiting for the G5's. I also got a good deal on my 12" PB.

[Ryan1524]

i don't have a PB yet, so i guess if they do come, i'd love to get one, especially with the better battery and bumped speeds. actually, i really hope they do come.

[teknopimp]

ditto--holding out for the G5. looking forward to an all-new form factor.

[mdc]

i agree with rsgunther. i just got a 15" 1.25 and i am so happy with it. it is going to have to be something absolutely amazing to make me think about selling this

[BrunoBruin]

Nope. I bought my 1.25GHz 15-inch so that I could wait until Rev. B of the G5 PowerBooks, whenever that might be (unless of course the first lineup has a lot of other compelling upgrades as well, and there don't seem to be any hardware glitches).

[Tomster]

Originally posted by BrunoBruin:
wait until Rev. B of the G5 PowerBooks, whenever that might be (unless of course the first lineup has a lot of other compelling upgrades as well, and there don't seem to be any hardware glitches).

That's the tough part. The second they announce G5 Powerbooks, I will instinctively reach for my wallet, pretty much knowing there will be some definite issues with the machines. The Rev. B's will be the way to go, but I'm not sure I can resist the temptation.

[onaujee]

yep. ill be there monday, if they release.

[bimmerphile]

I'll probably pick up a refurb of what's released monday.

[tekno_geek911]

Originally posted by Tomster:
That's the tough part. The second they announce G5 Powerbooks, I will instinctively reach for my wallet, pretty much knowing there will be some definite issues with the machines. The Rev. B's will be the way to go, but I'm not sure I can resist the temptation.

LOL I know how that is.

[rm199]

i'll upgrade from a dvi667 if the replacement is shipping within the month.

[Michel_80]

Not if the new PBs will be G4 still.

[SketchPad]

Well...I just bought a brand new 17" 1.33 lovely thing...
and of course I'm a bit "shellshocked" over the fact that
they're perhaps releasing a new one right after I bought mine,

but if Apple makes a "lowprice" tradein for those that
just have gotten their "already outdated?" powerbooks
I might just hop onto the bandwagon..

however....looking past the few kernel panics I've
had (happens on my pc too anyway)...it's a perfect
machine in every way...not skewed...no pixel errors
no visible flaws whatsoever....

...what's the chances of getting a new equally
perfect powerbook...just for gaining 177 mhz
from the 1.33 to the "1.5 ghz" version and risking
getting a flawed new-generation + pixel errors etc.etc..

[saranwarp]

Nope, I'm happy with my 15" Al. That, and my dad wouldn't buy me one anyway.

[James L]

The new PB's won't be G5's, so no reason to worry about that.

I think if someone has an old machine, and doesn't want to wait another 6 months (or more) until the G5 PB's come out, then upgrading now is the correct thing to do.

In my case, I am typing this on a G3 iBook 600MHZ. A machine that has 640MB RAM, 20GB hardrive (that is totally full), 8MB VRAM (no good games), only a combo drive, etc.... you can bet I am upgrading!

If someone had a machine 1GHZ or over then I don't think it would be worth it. Most, if not all of the powerbooks in this category have decent ram limits, hard drive sizes, video cards, etc. If I had a machine in this category I would wait another 6 months or so until the next revision.

...one mans opinion.

James

p.s. I don't think the G5 Powerbooks will be out until MWSF 2005.

[Uriel]

I plan on getting a refurb 1.25 15in when the new ones are released. I'm really hoping I can get one for a decent price.

[yongfook]

will I upgrade? Most definitely YES.

I have been using a now-aging iBook 600 for 2 years now and have been saving for a new powerbook for the last few months or so. I scheduled in my projected buying time at around the end of this month so the update couldn't have come at a better time!

Very pleased with the timing - I will be buying as soon as I get my paycheck this month. I just hope they don't take weeks to ship.

[KP*]

My 15" Albook should satisfy me for some time. The only kind of "upgrade" I may do would be to send it off to get its white spots fixed, as they're turning more into "white horizontal blobs" and there's at least six of them now. If that were to go well, I would consider my Albook perfect in every way.

[chrisutley]

Originally posted by teknopimp:
ditto--holding out for the G5. looking forward to an all-new form factor.

I really doubt the G5 will bring a new form factor, the current lineup is near perfect. The new processor may force them to make them bigger and/or heavier, which of course would suck.

[rag on a muffin]

if they have some sort of trade-in program, and there is the 9600 in the 12", i will be there pounding on the door to get in at 6 in the morning.

[albook]

I will definatelly by a 15" PowerBook when an updated version is out. Even if its a G4.
I can always buy an extra PowerBook when the G5 is released!

[Maflynn]

I'm sticking with my 15" PB, I got it last November and I expect a number of years out of it.

Mike

[siflippant]

my Ti800 [may 2002] still going strong here... so i'll be waiting for those g5 powerbooks too... Nice to watch others take the plunge though

[WizOSX]

I'm interested in moving up to a 12" PB (from a 12" iBook) but would only do so if they do ALL of the following:

1) Use ATI mobility video in place of nvidia go.
2) 64mb vram. 32mb just doesn't cut anymore.
3) At least a 1.33 mhz processor. If the move is only to 1.25 in the base 12" then I think I'll wait for the next iteration.
4) Keep the price for the base combo model the same.
5) Increase motherboard speed. Again, if it stays at 133 I think I'll wait for the next iteration.
6) Keep the L2 cache at 512. Once before they increased the processor speed and reduced the cache. That would be lame.

I doubt they'll do all 6 of these, but you never know.

I would only go for the Superdrive model if they have a 4x. I just bought my first DVD writer (for one of my PC's). It is 8x and I find writing DVD's torture. I can't even imagine a 2x.

[chabig]

if they have some sort of trade-in program

http://www.ebay.com

I just sold my 12" 867 so I could upgrade. But I probably won't pay top dollar for the new model, I'll just get the 1GHz machine. I don't think the current model is worth the premium price, I try to stay just one version back.

Chris

[xanderwilson]

I've been missing the size of my 12" iBook since getting a 15" PowerBook, so this might just be the excuse I need to sell what I've got and get the 12". I bought the PB just a few weeks before the 12" PowerBook was first announced, and my two biggest complaints were (a) the size and (b) the ports on the back rather than on the side. But I needed the power of the PB. Sure enough, as soon as I give up and upgrade to the 15" PB, the 12" finally gets announced.

So if this rumor is true, here's where I finally make things right.

Alex.

[MrCaN]

I will be buying one of the new PB, but it won't be an upgrade, it will be my first apple.

[wtmcgee]

barring something earth shattering, i'll be hanging onto my current 12" beauty.

[urrl78]

Think I will stick with my 17". It came back from Apple with the LCD replaced the last day of its warranty and now there aren't even any dead pixels. Absolutely no kernal panics or other nasty anomalies. Of course without the warranty, if "something" should happen... I will be FORCED to buy the upgrade...darn it...

[Xestrel]

4 yr. old 400 MHz pismo with g4 upgrade says "upgrade me please!"

Pismo's a great machine, but 8MB of vram and a flaky power chip is starting to wear on its usability. Still - I love it, and I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it afterwards, but i'm really looking forward to an updated machine.

-xest

[euphras]

...getting along quite nicely with my 667 MHz DVI Tibook, i feel no need to upgrade.....

[Nibi]

I just got my 12" 1ghz. Powerbook and I love it. I don't think any bump will make me want and upgrade. But come Rev. B G5 time who knows?

[teknopimp]

Originally posted by chrisutley:
I really doubt the G5 will bring a new form factor, the current lineup is near perfect. The new processor may force them to make them bigger and/or heavier, which of course would suck.

it doesn't make sense for apple to introduce a new model with an all-new processor and not make a major change. when has that EVER happened? (other than the G4 'yikes').

[onaujee]

WHen will the new ones be at the apple stores?

[RooneyX]

Not until > G5.

[mrmister]

i have the last of the Titaniums, a 1Ghz Superdrive. I'm only looking to upgrade once I see a G5 and/or improved battery life--otherwise I'm hanging in for the long haul.

[Fellow2000]

I figure I will probably be upgrading my powerbook on every single update, here is why.....

Powerbooks are generally released within one year. I receive and education discount. So I buy my powerbook, use it for 8 months, new ones come out. I backup my book to a backup Hard Drive and sell it on eBay. I will get roughly what I paid for it right? Since I bought it with a discount.

So now, I go buy the new upgraded one. I still get my education discount, so the new powerbook with be UNDER $350 dollars what I just sold mine for.

Why $350 you say? That is the price of AppleCare! So, instead of just upgrading my warranty, I upgrade my whole machine for less!

[SSharon]

I am planning on buying my first laptop ever (I have a MDD) this summer but only if its a G5. I can deal with Rev. A nonsense since it won't be my only machine but having the ibooks and powerbooks still all G4's after another revision is just crazy to me. I will wait and pray until the end of the summer and then buy either a G5 powerbook or a G4 ibook.

[WizOSX]

They did everything on my wish list for the 12" except change the video from go 5200 to ATI!

[chabig]

instead of just upgrading my warranty, I upgrade my whole machine for less!

Brilliant!

[inigopete]

Originally posted by chrisutley:
I really doubt the G5 will bring a new form factor, the current lineup is near perfect.

The shape is near perfect, but I certainly wouldn't say that about the material, think of the number of dented/scratched/corroded casing posts there have been on this forum. I'd prefer a return to titanium, but with better grade metal this time.

: P

[im_noahselby]

Originally posted by WizOSX:
They did everything on my wish list for the 12" except change the video from go 5200 to ATI!

And to sweeten the deal it's now $200 Cdn less!

A lot of people are saying that the 12" PB was a lackluster update and I don't understand why? Apple updated almost everything in the 12" PB's!

If you want to see a lackluster update, just look at the 12" iBooks - A single processor increase, and thats basically it!

If you live in Canada, the PowerBooks represnt tremendous value today

Noah

[milhouse]

My Ti 800 with 1GB RAM and a 60GB HD is adequate for my portable needs. WP, email, surfing, light web design work and some statistical computation.

I'll not likely upgrade till either a Rev A G5 PB knocks my socks off or till there's a Rev B G5 PB.

Nice bumps though.

(Is there a mistake on the a Apple Store? The top of the line PB only has 64MB video listed and the page header notes "up to 128 MB".)

[TAZ]

Nope. .25 GHz and the graphics card arent worth it for me. My less than a year old Pb will work fine until the G5's come out or there is a significant change incorporated into the machines.

[mike one]

upgrading to a 15" 1.33, backlit, 80GB 5400rpm

from a ibook 600 !

[iREZ]

damn!! I need somebody to knock some sense in me so that I dont jump on the upgrade bandwagon if I dont really need one. Just got my book this past Feb. and now they have twice the vram, more hd, and a faster proc. Don't know if my update will be justified, but I really want 64MB vram. I guess I have to sit and ponder.

[escher]

I am upgrading from an iBook/500 to a new 12-inch PowerBook. The upgrade is even better than I expected:

Processor: G3 to G4
Clock speed: 500Mhz to 1.33Mhz = 160% increase
Bus speed: 66Mhz to 167Mhz = 150% increase
RAM: 544MB to 1.25GB = ca. 150% increase
VRAM: 8MB to 64MB = 700% increase
HDD: 10GB 4200rpm to 80GB 5400rpm = 700% increase in capacity + more speed
Optical: CD-ROM to DVD/CD-RW Combo drive
Video out: VGA to DVI
Weight: 4.9 lbs to 4.6 lbs = 7% decrease!

The only two negatives are that the 12" LCD will remain just as dull, and the the 12-inch PowerBook doesn't have the fancy light-up keyboard of its bigger brothers.

Escher

[gostan]

I definitely need to upgrade my 800mhz ibook to either a 15 or 17 superdrive. I cannot decide which because there is now only a $300 difference between the two and my older eyes require more screen space. I am trying to decide if a bto to get the 5400 rpm hard drive and 128 vram are worth it.

Meanwhile, no new superdrive 15's or 17's at the b&m Apple Stores yet. 17's by May 1st is what they are saying.