[Crusoe]

They took $50-150 off every model cept the 17"ers. They even have both Ti models.

Some price drops off other products too, somethins brewin

[toshigen]

$1999 for the 15" 1.25GHz is nice. I'm tempted to buy one... but will keep waiting until new models come out. Hopefully this Pismo keeps on trucking for a while still, the hinges are starting to have some play in them.

[tacojohnellenich]

Well- my 3 year old 500MHz iBooks logic board decided to start taking craps on me. So I ordered a 15" 1.25 for $1999 yesterday with over night shipping. It should be here today!!!

I can't wait- I'm going from 500MHz G3 to 1.2GHz G4 and 8 VRAM to 64 VRAM!!!!

[Oisín]

This is probably a horribly stupid question, and I will within all likelihood be severely chastised for asking this...

But...

Who is "they"?

*puts on bullet proof vest*

[icemank121]

I also bought a 15" 1.25 with AE and SuperDrive for $1999!

[The Placid Casual]

Interesting...

And some good deals to be had...

[rsgunther]

Originally posted by Ois�n:
This is probably a horribly stupid question, and I will within all likelihood be severely chastised for asking this...

But...

Who is "they"?

*puts on bullet proof vest*

Apple.com under special deals section of their store.

[rsgunther]

This is great news for probably everyone else but me. I just bought one of the G4 1.25 Superdrives refurbed for $2099.00 about 2-3 weeks ago. Oh well... should have waited a couple of weeks.

[Crusoe]

Well I bought a new 15" 1GHz in October sold it to my neighbor after my refurb 17" got here. I couldn't be happier, it strangly came in a retail box (normally brown boxed) and was seemingly new or flawless.

When the time comes to get a G5 I'll be checking the refurbs first.

$1999 for the 15" is a sweet deal. Hope it comes in the condition my 17" came in.

[bcar473]

I bought a 15" 1.25 and a 12" 1.0 on Monday night, and I need a couple more..... I am very tempted, but do I wait for the next two to be the new releases? or pull the trigger and get them now????

Sheesh, what a dilemma! I am glad work is paying for them, but I want mine to be the latest and greatest (I know, I am gonna get rheemed for that). Do I wait for the updates???

[viachiangmai]

Just purchased a 15" refurb. pb for $1999, free shipping, and $25 discount (before tax!) with a promotion code... The sales rep (Deb) was friendly and helpful. She mentioned that it's uncertain what software is actually included with each refurb. The pb i purchased is updated with Panther and comes with an iLife '04 update disk. Ask your rep to find out what software is definitely included with your purchase.

i got my promotion code directly via e-mail from Apple ($25 off a min. $245). i'm not sure why, but they sent me another one. (i'm not even sure why i got the first promo code - probably because i registered on their site and spent so much time returning there to check the prices on pb's and ipod mini's.)

You might want to try this link for a promo code:

http://www.coupon-finder.com/Apple-coupon-code

What is the meaning of life? i don't think i'll ever know, but i'm having a great time finding meaning IN life! Love recklessly...

[jewing80]

This is a tough call for me as well. If I can find someone to buy my 20� Cinema Display I should be able to free up enough cash to replace my venerable Ti. Seeing as I can probably get $1600-$1800 for my Ti on �The Bay� I wonder if I should wait for the updates or go ahead and pull the trigger now and pocket the cash. Assuming the price structure stays relatively similar, the difference between the refurb and a �new� 15� will be under $500 (education price.)

I guess the big question really becomes, how much of an update will there be? If we are talking a minor speed/ graphics card boost, and not a G5 then I might as well buy now. I figure if the updates come prior to WWDC then it will be merely a speed bump, anytime after that and it�s anyone�s guess. If the changes are going to be cosmetic, or connection related such as adding a second firewire 400 port (man I would love to have two FW400 ports!) then I might as well spend the extra cash and get that.

Trust me I have no interest in turning this into �The next Powerbook� thread. However after owning my Ti for a year, and going from a die hard PC user to a Mac convert, I realize it is a great machine, but I don�t see a point in ever spending $3000 on a laptop again unless it is truly something revolutionary. Yes, I would consider a G5 revolutionary!

[Oisín]

Originally posted by rsgunther:
Apple.com under special deals section of their store.

Ah, no wonder I hadn't spotted that before... only available in the US store (blah!)... ah well, one option less...

[shabbasuraj]

man i wish Apple knocked off some from the refurbed 17"...

o well...

[Crusoe]

In response to what software was included:
Shipped Feb 11th, I got original restore DVD 10.2, Panther Upgrade and iLife '04.

[yoyoman]

if a g5 laptop comes out will it be number 1 again in speed or the athlon xp still be tops and the centrino kills the g4 from bench mark testing iv seen and done.

[Shaddim]

Originally posted by yoyoman:
if a g5 laptop comes out will it be number 1 again in speed or the athlon xp still be tops and the centrino kills the g4 from bench mark testing iv seen and done.

People don't buy powerbooks because of benchmarks, they buy them to actually get some work done... and not have to deal with Windows (Yuck ).

[Kermy]

But mostly people buy them for the *bling bling* and have extra money to spend. I do the same amount of work on my crApple ibook and on my peecee.

[iomatic]

how was the condition-- dings, dents, scratches?
dead pixels on the screen?

etc.?

Originally posted by Crusoe:
In response to what software was included:
Shipped Feb 11th, I got original restore DVD 10.2, Panther Upgrade and iLife '04.

[Crusoe]

Originally posted by iomatic:
how was the condition-- dings, dents, scratches?
dead pixels on the screen?

etc.?

Seemingly new. Screen is perfect. I'm extremely pleased.

[nica]

I ordered the 15" 1.25GHZ on Friday morning and it shipped the same day I will get it on Tuesday. It will be a good upgrade for me from my ex 800MHz iBook.
<rubs hands>

[jfobart]

Last Saturday I had ordered a 12/867/Combo machine after talking the day before with an Apple salesperson and going over what I wanted/needed. I then ordered a 1GB memory stick to add in, and a refurb airport extreme card.

The computer arrived on Tuesday, and as I was setting it up I was browsing through the manual looking for direcitons on installing the memory & airport card. Suddenly, it said, "Accepts up to 640MB of total RAM"- whoa! That's not what the guy on the phone at Apple had told me!

I quick got on the phone to Apple, and while I waited I pulled up the AppleStore and was browsing through the refurbs trying to figure out what I was going to do- whoa! Price Drop! I'd paid $1199 on Saturday for the 12/867/Combo, and the 12/1Ghz/Combo was now only $50 more!

The sales support rep I spoke to set up an RMA for my 12/867, AND ordered me a 12/1GHz/Combo and overnighted it to me at no charge! How excellent!

$1250 for a 12"/1GHz/Combo drive- that's a smokin deal if you ask me! I'm the happiest new Mac owner this week!

[Kermy]

Ordered my refurb PB 12" 1Ghz combo Thursday morning, shipped the same day. Got it Friday since I'm in San Francisco and they ship out of Sacramento. Looked "almost" like new, there's a scratch on the top of the lid, but I'm not complaining. Pretty good deal for 1250. Definately feels faster thank my iBook G4 800 with maxed out ram, even with the PB having only 256 mb ram.

[Link]

Damn no ghz tis. You got me all excited for nothing.

[BJNY]

Originally posted by Link:
Damn no ghz tis. You got me all excited for nothing.

It's there, third from the top on list of 15" Powerbooks. $1799 ouch.

[chris v]

I simply couldn't pass this up, either. I've been lusting after a Powerbook ever since the first titanium models came out a couple years ago, and finally buckled on Saturday, and ordered a 1.25 AI Superdrive. It's arriving today, according to Fed Ex.

Where best to buy a 1 gig ram chip?

CV

[Link]

Originally posted by BJNY:
It's there, third from the top on list of 15" Powerbooks. $1799 ouch.

ACK! I didn't see that the first time.

*sigh* but for $200 less you get a backlit keyboard! And I don't really need a superdrive... choices, choices...

Then again, I've got $0 right now so that's all a moot point..

[AlfaMunky]

Just ordered a refurb 12" 1gig powerbook after a owning 2 ibooks I'm hoping this is the sweet spot I've been needing between size and power. Plus it's basically the same size as the old powerbook duos I loved... I'm so excited.

[Tummy]

I bought a refurbished 1.25ghz model back in December from MacConnection.com for $1999. No tax. Saturday overnight shipping was about $30 though.

Saved almost $400 vs Apple's refurbished price at the time.

[Astronaut Jones]

I have had my eyes on the refurb powerbooks for quite a while, and when the 15" 1.25 Aluminum hit $1999, I held out for only a couple of days more...

I ordered mine on Thursday afternoon, it shipped the same day, and arrived at my local FedEx depot on Saturday. Luckily I was able to go by FedEx and pick it up early, so I didn't have to endure the long wait over the weekend.

It came in a retail box and it has no flaws, cosmetic or otherwise. It came with 10.3 installed and iLife '04 discs.

[viachiangmai]

Originally posted by iomatic:
how was the condition-- dings, dents, scratches?
dead pixels on the screen?

etc.?

Mine arrived and looked brand new - flawless... flawless... seriously... flawless... ahhhh... and my neighbor's wireless internet is landing safely daily on my airport extreme... flawless.

[onaujee]

viachiangmai or anyone..
when i put the code on the promotion it doesn't work. anyone have any idea? please let me know, thanks.

[Zim]

Ignorant question.. when you order refurb (via Apple) can you "customize" (add RAM, etc) before it is shipped, or is it "as is" and you have to do it yourself after arrival?

Thanks,
Mike

[SouthPaW1227]

Originally posted by Zim:
Ignorant question.. when you order refurb (via Apple) can you "customize" (add RAM, etc) before it is shipped, or is it "as is" and you have to do it yourself after arrival?

Thanks,
Mike

Unfortunately, you can't customize a refurb. at their site.

[jewing80]

I swore I wouldn�t do it� I kept telling myself there is no need to upgrade. In the end I really could not pass up the price. The thought that I just might end up with a new unit even sweetened the deal. As an added bonus my .mac account is due in 7 days, so I saved $30 off that as well.

After talking to the rep for a half hour or so I got the feeling they were clearing out stock for the next upgrade. Of course the rep said he had no official information but he did tell me that he was nearly positive there would be at least one more G4 bump prior to the switch to G5s.

My estimated ship date is March 29, hopefully, as most here have reported, it will ship out today or tomorrow. My suspicion is that Apple has an abundance of 15� units in stock and they are trying their best to clear out as many as possible, whether new or refurbished, prior to the next bump. It seems like far too many people have been getting retail boxed items for it to just be a fluke.

At least that�s what I�m hoping for!

[Eug Wanker]

After talking to the rep for a half hour or so I got the feeling they were clearing out stock for the next upgrade. Of course the rep said he had no official information but he did tell me that he was nearly positive there would be at least one more G4 bump prior to the switch to G5s.

Of course, they're just guessing too. The sales drones don't have any real inside info for releases.

[onaujee]

did you guys pay tax?

[chris v]

There's a list of states where you have to pay tax that you get to eventually as you go throught he purchase steps online. Yep, Texas is one of those states. That's life.

I ordered my on Sat. at 2:00 PM CST, and had it in hand Monday at 3:00 CST. They didn't waste any time getting it out the door. I didn't expect it to even ship untill Tuesday or Wednesday.

Mine, too, arrived in a regular retail box, with 10.3 installed. (online, it said 10.2.7, with 10.3 update CD included) Pristine condition, too. No warp to the monitor, no white spots, no dead pixels. It's flawless.

This is my first mobile Mac ever, after 10 years as a Mac user, (bought my Centris 610 in '93, I think?) and I am totally stoked. I don't much care if G5 Powerbooks come out tomorrow. This one is fine by me.

CV

[AlfaMunky]

Just got my brand new 12" powerbook. I ordered it slightly after 9:00am yesterday it was in the fedex truck by 8:15 this morning and it getting panther installed on it right now around noon. Very quick indeed. Running down the battery as to start calibrating it. Seems to be in good shape but it has two black smear on the top corners...

almost like the metal was painted and the paint had rubbed off? I tried cleaning it but no go still there. Oh well! It is a refurb.

[AlfaMunky]

I was hoping for some feedback. I just bought the 12" powerbook described above. ^^^

It has the black scuff on the lid, the battery release is beat up, the battery doesn't go in 100% flush, and now I see that the lid doesn't close level left side is higher than the right side when closed.

I for sure am going to send it back and exchange it. But now I'm torn. After seeing it's speed I can see myself using way more than my current pc setup (Athlon w/ Sony 21" CRT).

So I could get...

1. 12" 1ghz combo :: exchange for the same model

2. 12" 1ghz superdrive :: pay for the superdrive 12" which was in stock yesterday (not today) but hopefully will be by the time apple receives it back

3. 15" 1.25ghz superdrive :: Bump up to the 15" despite being afraid of white spots and short battery life... Yet gain speed, screen, and much better video card. But a bit more ouch on the pocket book but get the AE card included (save $) and more ram out of the box.

I have searched the forums like mad and know the difference 12" & 15" but please help. No matter what I can't keep this one.

[Kermy]

Originally posted by AlfaMunky:
I was hoping for some feedback. I just bought the 12" powerbook described above. ^^^

It has the black scuff on the lid, the battery release is beat up, the battery doesn't go in 100% flush, and now I see that the lid doesn't close level left side is higher than the right side when closed.

I for sure am going to send it back and exchange it. But now I'm torn. After seeing it's speed I can see myself using way more than my current pc setup (Athlon w/ Sony 21" CRT).

So I could get...

1. 12" 1ghz combo :: exchange for the same model

2. 12" 1ghz superdrive :: pay for the superdrive 12" which was in stock yesterday (not today) but hopefully will be by the time apple receives it back

3. 15" 1.25ghz superdrive :: Bump up to the 15" despite being afraid of white spots and short battery life... Yet gain speed, screen, and much better video card. But a bit more ouch on the pocket book but get the AE card included (save $) and more ram out of the box.

I have searched the forums like mad and know the difference 12" & 15" but please help. No matter what I can't keep this one.

If you're like me and have another computer as your primary (whether it be mac or pc) then I suggest the 12". I have my PC as my primary PC and my 12" powerbook as my computer away from home. I didn't really like the 15" as an alternate since it's not as portable as the 12". And since the powerbook is backup to my pc I don't really need the extra speed and all. Just need it to entertain me when I'm on the road and such.

[AlfaMunky]

It's me... again.

Umm... I am pretty pissed off right now.

I called in to Apple explain the problems with the machine listed above and the fact that battery holds a 2:30 min charge tops. The rep offered 3 solutions:

1. return the unit with a 10% restocking fee

2. take a $60 credit and basically shut up

3. or send it in for repair

I just want @ the very least the model I paid for in reasonable condition. So stated I wanted a exchange. Not repair something I just got and that should never had been sent in that condition. I had to be pretty firm to get the rep to talk to his supervisor which he did several times and for long 10 min stretches. He finally said I didn't have to pay the restocking fee I had to send it back to Apple @ my own expense...

Hell no!

I buy something it arrives messed up. I try to exchange for the very same item and they try to charge me a restocking fee. I think I'm going to open a business on the net where I just sell broke things, let people return them, but just charge restocking fee all day long, sounds good huh?!

So any ways I basically hung up and decided to call tomorrow since there was only one supervisor staffed due to it being after 7:00 pm. Geez am I being unreasonable, I pumped myself up and over looked the faults, as I was excited w/ my purchase. But the battery life was the straw that broke the camels back I seen people state that they get 3+ battery life and I have already cailbrated the thing. On top of it all even if I send all back (at my expense) all I get is a refund (must likely not shipping though) and I have to wait for the credit back to the card and hope they have the same or similar refurb 12" pb G4s in stock when I get the credit with no assurance that they will!

Anyone have similar experience or have gotten Apple to simple exchage a refurb. for another of the same exact type.

PS. I think your right Kermy I think the 12" was right for me. 15" would be too big.

[jewing80]

I too have to call back tomorrow morning and hope for the best!

I received my 15" refurbished Powerbook today. Upon inspection I noticed a couple small scratches on the bottom of the unit. I pressed the charge indicator button on the battery and watch a beautiful little light show. None of the LEDs stayed on for more than a couple seconds, and there was no pattern to the flashing. I figured oh well, as long as the battery works I'm happy.

I opened the cover and removed the piece of plastic that was tapped to the screen. As soon as I put my right hand on the palm rest I heard a small creaking sound. It was obvious that the tech who put this thing back together didn't take the time to situate the top plate correctly. On the right side the front edge of the notebook bulged about a millimeter out from the top plate. On the right side the plate was fairly loose. I could with no effort lift the top plate, from the centerline to the right corner, four to five millimeters. Because of it's orientation to the superdrive this makes the right palm rest feel kind of spongy.

I decided before I did anything else I would give Apple a call. I contacted the RMA phone line and let a rep know the a above mentioned details. He apologized but said there was little he could do. My options with him were return it with a 10% restock fee or speak to tech support. I explained that a case being put together wrong is not something a tech could resolve over the phone.

He was courteous but he basically told me that was how it was. Apple care would have the authority to authorize an exchange/repair or the ability to waive the restock fee in special circumstances. He was pretty adamant that there was nothing he could do.

I'm concerned that if I exchange it I will end up in the same boat. I even offered to purchase a new one instead and pay the difference but he still said I would have to pay a restock fee on the refurbished one.

I plan on calling Apple Care tomorrow and letting them know that repair is not acceptable I either want a replacement (hope for the best) or a refund. I know some will think that I am being overly critical but anything regarding the case of the unit scares me. It's been my experience that structural problems only get worse. Plus once these cases are tweaked its really tough to get them right again, regardless of what tools and experience you have.

If I do not get a satisfactory response from them I'll just send an e-mail, that has always worked in the past. For some reason documenting my problems in writing always seems to get me further than a phone call.

For all of you who received "new" units be thankful!

[nica]

I just got mine a couple of days ago. In new box and the outside condition was perfect. But I have a couple of problems:

- It does not wake from sleep after certain amount of time.
- The right arrow key makes a click noise.

I sent it in for repair. Now I'm waiting for it.

[BamaMac]

I seem to be in the minority of recent refurb purchasers, having chosen the 15" TiBook after much research. I have been generally very satisfied with my choice.

There was a small dent in the top cover right out of the box, but this goes with "refurb" territory, right?

Only other complaint is that "Panther" upgrade was missing. It took a few phone calls bounced around from sales and tech support, but in the end I had two sets of Panther discs, a nice consolation prize considering that the price of my Tibook refurb dropped $100 about six weeks after I bought it.

My computer is not perfect, but I am happy with it.

[AlfaMunky]

As a follow up to the 12" refurb I purchased. I ended up becoming attached to the little guy. I got apple to give me a $60 credit so we called it square.

The uneven battery was fixed by wedging a penny under the battery. It's now flat on the bottom. The uneven latch I've grown to ignore. Beside I went to the local Miami Apple Store and a display model there even had the uneven latch closure (although some didn't and were even & straight). The tech there advised me that if I sent it back for repair there would be a good chance it would arrive back with the same issues. As for the scuff...

Silver marker, rc paint, two stickers to cover the scuffs?