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prolix · Jun 9, 2003, 03:16 PM

well i just ordered my new 12" powerbook today. during my last visit to the applestore i just stood there and drooled over it for a good half hour but my credit card screamed 'noooO!!!'

i pretty much lived on my ibook 24/7 and had a g4 sawtooth that doesn't get much action. so i decided to trade in both the ibook and g4 for the new powerbook. i was going to sell them on ebay but powermax offered me a fair deal and its so much less of a headache to deal with than trying to sell them on ebay. maybe i could have gotten a little more, but the convenience was worth it to me.

so if all goes well my new powerbook will be here wednesday and i can stop drooling on the one at the store

woohoo!

Kenstee · Jun 9, 2003, 05:19 PM

Originally posted by prolix:
[B]well i just ordered my new 12" powerbook today. during my last visit to the applestore i just stood there and drooled over it for a good half hour but my credit card screamed 'noooO!!!'

Wooohhh Dude. Why didn't you wait another 2 weeks or so. The is a decent probability that the 12"s are going to be upgraded. Personally, I'd cancel my order and wait until after the Developers Conference in 2 weeks. That is unless you are attracted by the price reductions. But...the price for the original 12" might come down even more if a new version is released.

prolix · Jun 9, 2003, 05:24 PM

i've played that whole 'wait and see' game way too much. i like what the current 12" is, and they just did a price drop. i was a bit obsessive when i got the ibook and kept thinking i should wait and see if they made changes, and i nearly drove myself mad. either way this new 12" is better than what i had, and even if they do a speed bump i've still got one cool laptop that does what i need. there is always something better and greater around the corner, but i'm content with what i bought today

wanderlust · Jun 9, 2003, 05:25 PM

Congratulations!

wallinbl · Jun 9, 2003, 06:44 PM

Who cares if they update it? The current 12" is fantastic, and the price drop makes it even better. I have one, and I love it.

Kenstee · 08:06 PM

This just isn't about a slight speedbump. What I'm saying is you might have the opportunity to get a Rev 2 in a very few days. There are definitely well documented issues - excess heat etc. in the Rev 1 of the 12" that might be addressed in Rev 2.

As they say "Buy in haste. Repent in leisure."

Good luck. And don't come bitchin' to this forum in 2 weeks if new, improved 12s are released!! Seriously, you'll make a good decision either way you go,

slider · Jun 9, 2003, 09:06 PM

OK, you know what, they price on the "new" powerbooks could go up as well, $1500 for a PowerBook is a good deal. I doubt the 'heat issue' will be resolved, it might just get bumped to 1Ghz and at the original price. The only thing that would bug me is if they somehow got a pcmcia card in it, but I highly doubt it.

Congratulations, on your new Mac, I am jealous. Enjoy.

prolix · Jun 9, 2003, 09:16 PM

from what i've read the excessive heat issue is not a widespread problem, and some things even suggest its a power management issue (software) not hardware. and if its an issue in mine, then i'll deal with it. thats just how life goes.

and apple, they can bump it to 1ghz, i'm not gonna regret buying the one i got. i bought it b/c it does everything i want it to do and it does it right now, i seriously doubt apple is going to do any major overhauls on the 12" besides a minor speed bump and to me thats not worth waiting or, or paying more for.

people here play this 'wait and see' game way too much. in the end you can play that game forever and never get a new system. with a 6 month cycle between most revisions you could sit and wait and wait and wait, and yeah, you'll have the latest and greatest but no matter what in 6 months what you bought will be a revision old.

to me it doesn't matter if they release a new 12" revision tomorrow, or next year. i bought my 12" now and thats all i care about. no matter what its still faster than my old ibook and even my sawtooth g4

wallinbl · Jun 9, 2003, 09:40 PM

The people with the heat issues are just noisy about it. I don't have any issues. The left side is warmer, but no more so than any other laptop I've ever owned.

schk · Jun 9, 2003, 10:08 PM

I agree about the heat issue. I finally made my way down to an apple store today to try out the 12" powerbook and ibook in person and both were warm on the left side, with the pb just being a tad hotter. My dad's thinkpad feels even hotter than both. Nothing close to scorching as many have seemed to say. I guess it's the same when people were saying the 15" pb fan noise was as loud as a hairdryer. Now I've decided to go for a 12" powerbook versus an ibook, and I'm hoping a rev B unit will be out by September. If not, I'll still pick up a 12" pb then.

DekuDekuplex · Jun 12, 2003, 05:51 PM

Originally posted by schk:
I agree about the heat issue. I finally made my way down to an apple store today to try out the 12" powerbook and ibook in person and both were warm on the left side, with the pb just being a tad hotter. My dad's thinkpad feels even hotter than both. Nothing close to scorching as many have seemed to say. I guess it's the same when people were saying the 15" pb fan noise was as loud as a hairdryer. Now I've decided to go for a 12" powerbook versus an ibook, and I'm hoping a rev B unit will be out by September. If not, I'll still pick up a 12" pb then.

The heat reportedly increases the more you use the processor.

For example, computationally intensive applications such as real-time 3-D graphics rendering, or perhaps even intricate video editing in Final Cut Pro, could heat the processor much more.

If you overheat the processor too much, you could potentially fry it.

The people at The Apple Store nearby in SoHo, New York City, told me that they use the PodiumPad to help address this concern, because it helps to circulate air underneath the PowerBook while in use. They actually had every Mac at their Genius Bar sitting on one!

DekuDekuplex

beachmark · Jun 12, 2003, 06:25 PM

good luck with your new powerbook. and right you are that you did not wait any longer.

al of you who talk about waiting for two should actually wait for a year. at that time there will be at least two more updates and who knows there will even be a brand new powerbook made out of kevlar with a golden keyboard, 3 gigaherts, 200gigabyte hd and so on.

no when you want a new computer you should buy it at that time and not wait for too many new things.

AssassyN · Jun 13, 2003, 12:16 AM

Congrats on your 12" PB!

I decided just recently myself to opt for the 12" PB over the iBook; the prices on them right now are unbeatable, and if new ones are released, the prices will quickly return to what they were and will be less of a bargain and more of a bragging right.

And on a side note, beachmark, God does live today

jaxxe · Jun 13, 2003, 09:30 AM

Way to go on the PB 12"! I've had mine just a tad over a month, and love the thing.

My 3+ year old G4 350 tower now collects dust... but still a great machine nonetheless!

prolix · Jun 13, 2003, 09:48 AM

I got my new 12" pb on wednesday. I love this thing, its so cool and sooo much faster than my old ibook.

As far as the big 'heat' debate I can now share my experience and ideas about it:

- power adapter heat: this thing does get hot (the white square). if you just plug your laptop in and charge (and aren't using the pb) it doesn't get too warm, the heat comes when you are charging and using the powerbook. it gets super hot.
-- cause of problem: through some research i think i know why. the 12" pb comes with a 45w ac adapter. 15" and 17" come with a 65w, and if you were to go to the applestore and buy a new one for your 12" it would be a 65w. it seems that our ac adapter is a bit under spec'd. someone posted this on the apple support forums and said after they bought a 65w adapter the heat disappeared.

- the pb getting hot itself: i think the most heat i have noticed is when you're using the pb and charging at the same time. the area around the plug gets rather hot, but i don't think its any hotter than some pc laptops i've seen. and yes around the hard drive it gets warm, but its not a big problem with mine. i went through the standard resetting of the pmu, drain battery, etc and my powerbook seems fine.

other than that my new powerbook is great. no regrets here

bcoutlander · Jun 13, 2003, 11:02 AM

Congrats on your pb! I just ordered mine yesterday. I have to agree with the others that you could go crazy on always waiting for the next great feature. The reason I bought mine is that I doubt the new 12" will be priced this low and with the education store there is $200 rebate when buying any mac portable and any iPod.

This will actually be the first mac I have owned, my wife has had a couple. But I started using Macs back in '84 with one the original 128k's. I have always used them when they were available. I can't wait for this little machine to get here.

bbales · Jun 13, 2003, 12:46 PM

Glad you like the new PB. I cringed a little when the prices came down recently, but then I slapped myself and pointed out (to myself) that I've had mine since mid-February. And it is never, ever shut down. It's always either in use or available for use. So I've gotten tons of use out of it (plus, I'd been waiting forever for a reasonably priced G4 PB already).

Congrats on the purchase. I don't have much of a heat issue, though it does get toasty sometimes. I'll have to look into the new adapter. Is it OK to use a 65W with the 12-inch?

Again -- glad you're enjoying your purchase. I really love my 12-in. I know there are shortcomings, but it really works well for me.

prolix · Jun 13, 2003, 12:51 PM

yeah, the 65w works on the 12" if you go to the store and look its compatable with pretty much all of the new ibooks and powerbooks. you can't even buy a 45w one (that i have seen at least).

here is the thread that discusses it. message 8 describes the situation quite well: http://discussions.info.apple.com/[email protected]