[Dark Rob]

I am looking into the future, and I am wondering what will become of the powerbook market after the intel powerbooks come out (most likely early 2006...). I currently have a 15" 1.5ghz superdrive PB...I am wondering if it will still be sellable for a good price once these new intel powerbooks come out?

I know the powerbook market has always been real good to people reselling them...but this intel thing might change that. Will any significant amount of people still want to buy G4 powerbooks?

I am really afraid of the 2300 dollar computer I bought last august being worth 500 dollars when I want to resell for the intel powerbook early next year...

[kmarketing]

Yeah,

I'm always considering the resale value of these things. About a month ago, I sold my 15" 1.25 so that I could keep the cheapest laptop possible to hold me over. I have my pismo that I won't sell for anything, and I don't have to worry about the resale value since I got it for $200. I just recently bought an used 17", but now with this announcement, I'm actually considering selling it to get the most that I can at this point.

If the new line of goods that are supposed to come out resemble anything like the pc laptops that are out right now, I think the current powerbooks won't come close to the new ones. And it would only be logical that the value of these things would drop dramatically. I think having a g4 1ghz or g4 2.0ghz wouldn't cause that much loss in value, but having a centrino processor or something like it running osx would just be too much of a difference.

And at the current rate, laptops are getting cheaper and cheaper anyway, so a new one at $2000 with substantially better performance than the best of the current line, can only mean terrible resale value. Scary huh?

[zoetrope]

Apple made this move primarily because of the laptop market. It was no coincidence that on the same day Steve Jobs made the Intel announcement, there was also a story concerning laptops outselling desktops for the time in the PC market. I'm not really concerned about the resale value of my 12" 1.33Ghz PowerBook because I plan on using it until it utter usefulness is gone. My suggestion would be to sell NOW if your truly concerned about resale value.

By the way, my 12" PB is a year old, and I plan to get at least 4 years of good use of it. There will be universal "fat" binaries produced not only by Apple but by Adobe and Microsoft for at least that long.

[TiDual]

Well, remember that your current powerbook will be able to run old and new software *natively*. Intel PowerBooks will have to use Rosetta for and old software (and I reckon it could be 2007 before we see all the major apps appear as universal binaries). Thus you may want to use your current PowerBook a little longer than you think ... and I think this may also keep resale value relatively high.

[bimmerphile]

Well, to help you with your distress, I can send up a means of disposal for your obsolete PowerPC machines. PM me for my address.

[Simon]

I'm kind of stuck on this one too. I got a 15" 1.67 GHz PowerBook right after they were introduced and I expected that it would allow me to get past the rev A of the next generation PowerBook (Freescale 7487+ or whatever vapor name they gave it or low-power 970), so that I could buy the rev B of the next big thing.

But now, I'm afraid the wait could be quite a bit longer. Not that I believe that my 1.67 GHz won't be any good in a year from now, but I just like getting a new PowerBook with every other revision, meaning roughly once every 12-14 months. Judging by Jon Stoke's rather sensible guessing over at at Ars, it will be no earlier than spring 2006 till we get the first Intel PowerBook (with a Jonah chip), making it probably at least winter 06/07 till we get a rev B (Merom chip).

OTOH, after just getting a new PowerBook, I don't really think it makes much sense to buy the next one Apple throws out, just to be sure to have the last PPC PowerBook to get me over till the second Intel PowerBook...

[wtmcgee]

Resale value will take a hit, mainly because the Intel mobile chips are supposed to be pretty darn good. But I honestly don't see a 2000 dollar laptop instantly dropping to $500. I can see a 15" powerbook bought today being worth about 1300-1500 in a year.

[wuzup101]

I guess I'm lucky, from the day I took this 15" out of the box my father has been trying to take it from me . I plan on buying a new intel based PB when they come out (probably waiting a month or so to evaluate problems and decide to wait for rev b if needed). But then again, that all depends. If apple comes out w/ a design that I totally hate, I can easily see myself using this powerbook throughout the rest of college (another 2 to 3 years).

[d.fine]

Keep it. Use it. There will be PPC lovers out there wanting to buy your G4 PB no worries.

[jstein]

I look at this like I do all computer purchases, which are based on necessity. If can afford to wait until the Intel Pb hit the market then do so. If not the current batch of Pb is still a good purchase. Also if Apple releases another line of G4 Pb and they are reasonably price I would not hesitate to purchase one. Again everything should be based on one’s needs and not the urge to have the latest and greatest machine or concern with one’s machine becoming obsolete. One of the best sayings I have heard when it comes to computers is, “ those who are the first line to buy usually spend a lot time in another line, the repair line.”

I doubt if I will bite on the first generation of Intel Pb, of course I was not going to purchase the first generation of G5 Pb as well. My eventual purchase of the Intel Pb will be based on software developments. In particular Apple pro apps such as Final Cut and Logic… I am quite sure that Apple will work the kinks out but everything has it times. If Apple is looking 4Qt 06 or 1Qt 07 for hardware releases of the Pb and PowerMac line they are going to pretty hard press to release a new Final Cut at NAB 07, then again it may not go that way.

Computers and especially Apple computers are costly investments and should be based one’s need….

[nonhuman]

I was considering getting a PowerBook in the near future, but didn't really want a G4 anyway. Now I'll just wait until the Intel ones come out before getting one (unless I can convince my company to buy me one to go with my PowerMac ).

However, considering the reaction that some people have had to the Intel news, the resell price of G4 PowerBooks might not be all that bad around the time the Intel ones are released. You might be able to get a good deal selling it to someone who wants a laptop, but doesn't want Intel.

[osxisfun]

I just bought a 15" alu 1.67 with 128mg vram.

I am either keeping it next year or selling it for a big discount.

Then i am buying a rev A PB X.

The lure of dual core yonah powerbooks is just too much.

Unless the FANS ARE TOO LOUD


j/k Yonah's .65 size should ensure these to be quiet puppies.

[pat++]

Originally Posted by osxisfun

j/k Yonah's .65 size should ensure these to be quiet puppies.

I will believe it when I hear it. All the centrino laptops i've seen are far from beeing as quiet as my iBook G4... Fingers crossed...

[osxisfun]

yes. but centrinos where .90 i believe....

but you are right... by spring we should know.

[iluvmymactoo]

Having just recently purchased my PowerBook I have no intention of updating it anytime in the near future. When I bought it the intention was to have it for a few years and that's the way it will stay.

There's no way I'm buying a first generation MacTel laptop, I'll wait it out for the 2nd or 3rd generation when the bugs have been ironed out and the true potential of an Intel chip in a Mac has been realised.

[Carnage Visors]

to be honest, I don't want a revision one intel power book... keeping this in mind, I just got myself the 15" one on thursday..



so far so good.

-B

[jokarak]

Hm...never having re-sold a used computer, I never really considered resale value. I just got my 15" PB, and after hearing the news about the shift to Intel, the only thing that really worries me is the continued support for the PPC OS X. In any event, I figure, like many others, that the current architecture will enjoy support for at least 4~6 years, considering the installed base. Given that I go through a computer every 3 to 4 years, I think that there is nothing to worry about.

As a matter of fact, I think that having just bought the PB leaves me in a good position, whereby I can wait out any quirks that are bound to crop up in the first generation MacIntel computers. I'm enjoying great performance, a beautiful package, and kinda-sorta bleeding edge technology (yeah, I know that a lot of the guts of the PBs are getting long in the tooth).

[sniffer]

I think I'll just keep my 'book until it falls apart by it self. I guess the resale value have dropped trough the floor anyway. Besides our PPCPBs will eventually be good for backward compatibility for some years to come. On the end of its circle, ppc-linux might be a out of the box compatible alternative on our machines when the rest of the world have gone to Intel... but that's still some time into the future. No reason to sweat it.