[y2kerr]

Well, I bit the bullet and went ahead and ordered a TiBook. I was hoping the 15" AlBook would be out by now, but it isn't, so oh well. I'm looking forward to getting my hands on my very first Mac in a few days.

I have one final question for all of you before it arrives: When do you think it will arrive? I'm in Toronto, I ordered it Monday approx. 5:00PM. Think it'll be here before the weekend? There, that's my last pre-purchase question.

Thanks to everyone who's helped me out by answering my millions of questions in the last few months. You've been very helpful.

Now I'm off to stare at the clock until it arrives. And when that gets boring, I'll play Hungry Hungry Hippos. I'll be back in a few days to start hammering these forums with newbie questions.

Thanks again everyone!
Mike

[AssassyN]

Sweet! You'll love it!

Your delivery time depends primarily on if it was a BTO order or not...did you order directly from www.apple.ca? If so, did you order a completely stock model or did you add any BTO options? If it's stock, I'd say you'd have it within a week & a half, if you BTO'd it, it may take 2-3 weeks considering you're in Canada...hope it arrives soon for you!

[y2kerr]

Originally posted by AssassyN:
Sweet! You'll love it!

Your delivery time depends primarily on if it was a BTO order or not...did you order directly from www.apple.ca? If so, did you order a completely stock model or did you add any BTO options? If it's stock, I'd say you'd have it within a week & a half, if you BTO'd it, it may take 2-3 weeks considering you're in Canada...hope it arrives soon for you!

2-3 weeks?!? Oh man, I thought it would be here by next Monday. I did get it from apple.ca. It's the 1 GHz model, but I got the combo rather than the superdrive. I couldn't afford the extra $300 (it's going towards an iPod anyway).

Well, I guess I'll just sit here and wait a while longer...

[todrain]

Might be better for you.... rumor is that Apple is releasing the next 15 on 8/18.... that would get you the new unit instead of the old!

[y2kerr]

Originally posted by todrain:
Might be better for you.... rumor is that Apple is releasing the next 15 on 8/18.... that would get you the new unit instead of the old!

Heh... I just checked apple.ca to see the status of my order. It says that it should ship on or before 8/18. Oh man, I hope I'm not the last guy to get a TiBook before the new ones ship.

[Lateralus]

You will be.

[wjdennen]

Which model did you get? I am looking at the 15" TiBooks too, but I can not decide which one to get -- 867 or 1ghz.

Does anyone have any advice?

I was thinking of getting the 867, but adding a SuperDrive.

[ooagentbender]

Enjoy the little quirks of the opperating system that wiil become your favorite parts of said system. Its a wierd change but after you have it for about a month you'll never go back.

Have fun!

[Naz]

Originally posted by PowerMacMan:
You will be.

sadly that is the natural rule... buy now and the next day BAM!

[y2kerr]

Originally posted by wjdennen:
Which model did you get? I am looking at the 15" TiBooks too, but I can not decide which one to get -- 867 or 1ghz.

Does anyone have any advice?

I was thinking of getting the 867, but adding a SuperDrive.

I got the 1 Ghz model. It has a better video card (64 meg vs. 32 meg on the 867Ghz), double the RAM, and 60 Gig hard drive. I dropped the superdrive in favour of the combo drive, though, which knocked CDN$300 off the price.

I still feel a bit queezy spending this much on a computer, after making only incremental system changes to my beige box PC over the years (new motherboard/CPU here, new video card or hard drive there) keeping costs down. My God, it's a lot of money! Luckily my "grad present" is a big chunk of the cost of the thing, so I was able to go all out.

I just hope either a)Apple upgrades me to the new 15.4" AlBook if it's released next week or b)the 15.4" AlBook doesn't get released until the fall. It's gonna be stressful, these next few days! Listen for howls of anguish, screams of joy or sighs of relief early next week.

[wjdennen]

Any update on your order? Has it shipped?

[Appleman]

Originally posted by y2kerr:
I still feel a bit queezy spending this much on a computer, after making only incremental system changes to my beige box PC over the years (new motherboard/CPU here, new video card or hard drive there) keeping costs down. My God, it's a lot of money!

I just hope either a)Apple upgrades me to the new 15.4" AlBook if it's released next week or b)the 15.4" AlBook doesn't get released until the fall. It's gonna be stressful, these next few days! Listen for howls of anguish, screams of joy or sighs of relief early next week.

Expensive? Yes, when compare to desktops laptops are. Compared to other A-brand laptops they are not. Apple laptops have the name of being very good, I owned the former 15" TiBook which never let me down, and boy, you will love it!

With Paris coming soon, I expect they will upgrade the PowerBooks. Nobody knows though. And even when they do, when will they be available here in Europe: probably some months later

I just hold off for a few weeks, although even my new iSights do not work on my 500 MHz G3 iMac...
Patience, patience...

[y2kerr]

Originally posted by Appleman:
Expensive? Yes, when compare to desktops laptops are. Compared to other A-brand laptops they are not.

I agree with you, with one qualification: processor speed. I know about the "megahertz myth" and all that, but the CPUs in Macs are significantly slower than in PCs. In all other respects I agree Apple is competitive or surpasses the quality of other high end laptops. While it was not enough of a factor to make me buy a PC laptop, the lack of horsepower still bothers me.

Oh, and no Half-Life 2 either (at least not yet!)


Order Update!

My order has been cancelled again.

This time, though, I was expecting it. I used my dad's credit card because my limit isn't high enough for something like this. We got a call from the credit card company the other day saying there was some suspicious activity on the account. Two of the three transactions were legit (including ordering the TiBook) while the third was not made by myself or either of my folks. My folks had to cancel their cards and have new ones issued. I got an email from Apple saying they had cancelled my order, as I expected.

I'll reorder next week when the new credit card arrives. Plus this way I'll get a 15" AlBook if they actually are released on Tuesday (I don't really expect them to be, but at least this way I'll know for sure!).

In the meantime I'll try not to sweat to death. I'm in Toronto and, as you've probably heard, there's a lack of electricity here in Ontario and the north-easter US.

Who am I to complain, though! I've got a pool, and the power's on... at least for now.

[MattiMattMatt]

Actually, if it got cancelled, that's a good thing. The new powerbook should be out so soon that at this point it makes sense to go for the new one.

-MattiMattMatt

[Appleman]

I don't know when you "really need" this thing, but I agree more or less with MattiMattMatt that it shouldn't take that long anymore before the new ones come out.
Still a guess though. Probably only Apple knows when.
Good luck with your electricity!

[Eug Wanker]

agree with you, with one qualification: processor speed. I know about the "megahertz myth" and all that, but the CPUs in Macs are significantly slower than in PCs.

True, but not by as much of a margin as you may think (at least when the 1.3 GHz G4s come out). The most expensive x86 laptops use the Centrinos, and Centrino maxes out at 1.7 GHz at this point. Centrino competes (favourably) with the G4 7457.

Desktop 3 GHz P4s don't count, since laptops with those have a battery life of almost nil, and even the P4Ms also use more power than the G4 7457.

[todrain]

Well, my 1.7ghz Pentium desktop does outperform my Powerbook in processor related tasks, (as it should) in everyday use, such as web and email, the difference is very marginal.

After moving up from a 500mhz G3 iBook, i'm really pleased with the performance of the 1ghz TI Book.

Even if Apple doesn't release a new model next week, don't feel worried about getting the TI. I was in your shoes in March (waiting for the AL replacement) and finally ran out of time and got the current 15" unit. I'm really happy that I did, it's been a delightful machine!

[y2kerr]

I don't "really need" it until the last half of September, but I'm sick of waiting, plus I don't want to wait and then not be able to get an AlBook because Apple can't keep up with demand or something. So, since most people have been saying "I don't think we'll see a new one this month" I shrugged and bought the TiBook. Of course, that's when the rumour about the 15" AlBook coming out this Tuesday started. What wonderful timing. I think I'll wait until Tuesday, and if nothing emerges from the hallowed halls of Cupertino, I'll reorder the TiBook. No more waiting.

As for CPU speed, I agree about the Centrino vs G4 thing. It would be nice to get a new 15" AlBook with a 1.x GHz processor, rather than a lowly 1 Ghz processor as things stand now. I have a 1 Ghz processor. Sure, it's an AMD rather than a G4, but I've had it for 2 years. Whenever I've bought computers in the past, part of the satisfaction has been the jump in processor speed (wow, 166 Mhz! Wow, 466 MHz! etc). There isn't that "wow" factor this time. Instead, there's the "only 1 Ghz?! Been there done that!" factor that leaves me with a bit of doubt.

That, along with the relative lack of games (I want Jedi Academy and Half-Life 2 dammit! And is Doom 3 gonna run on this bloody thing!?)and the fact that I've never owned -- or even extensively used -- a Mac before makes me a little cautious.

Don't worry, though, it's not enough to make me buy a Wintel laptop. I'm just so sick of Windows, the interface (Windows should come with a "plywood" theme by default. It suits the OS), and all the headaches of PC hardware.

And as for the electricity here in Toronto, it's steady in the suburbs and decent in the city. But I've got tickets to see Radiohead tonight, and they cancelled the concert! It was an open-air venue, too. If worse came to worse it could've been "unplugged".

[lau_lau_lau]

I JUST ORDERED MY POWERBOOK AS WELL!!!!!!!!! i'm so happy! in the end, i went with the 867 Mhz - my current desktop is only 650 Mhz so i'll notice a jump over that which is all that metters to me! i decided against waiting for the AlBook as i realised i preferred the look of the old one - kind of looks like a 'classic computer' - start holding out for the newest one and you'll fall into a cycle where what you have becomes immediately devalued in your eyes the minute a new one comes out.

QUESTION: how can i track its status? i have an order no, but can't see anything on the education store page saying something like 'track your order'. it's probably obvious, but any help would me much appreciated (UK education store, btw).

EDIT: just found this, right under my name (good thing theres no blushing smiley...) intreguingly, there appears to be the only OS9 style button there, 'continue shopping'. how interesting!

cannot wait! it's my first mac!

[wjdennen]

Has you new TiBook shipped yet?

[y2kerr]

Originally posted by wjdennen:
Has you new TiBook shipped yet?

Mine or lau_lau_lau's? I haven't re-re-ordered mine yet. I'm waiting on my dad's new credit card to come in. He had to cancel the old one. I thought it would be here by now, but maybe the blackout last week is screwing up the mail. Not that it takes a whole lot to screw up Canada Post.

Plus, I'm sorta, kinda waiting to see if a new 15" AlBook comes out Friday. I know, I know, I'm probably wasting my time, but I couldn't forgive myself if a new one came out right after I ordered it.

But I really will order this week. Really. I mean it! There's no looking back!

[andreas_g4]

Originally posted by lau_lau_lau:

i decided against waiting for the AlBook as i realised i preferred the look of the old one - kind of looks like a 'classic computer'

Hmm, looks kinda strange to me to prefer one design over an other without having seen the other yet. Anyway, you'll get a great machine! Have fun!

[ae86_16v]

Originally posted by andreas_g4:
Hmm, looks kinda strange to me to prefer one design over an other without having seen the other yet. Anyway, you'll get a great machine! Have fun!

well, we know what the 15" will look like. . . . Just a smaller 17" AL look.

[sleepydog]

Well.. a few hours after receiving a note from Apple saying that my PowerBook had been delayed a week, I got another note saying it had been shipped!

Still in Taiwan... making its way to the US!

[ae86_16v]

Congratulations. . . . It looks like no new Powerbooks this week anyways.

What did you get?

[sleepydog]

Thanks. I got the 867. I know, I know... I should have just gone for the 1gig model. But, I weighed the pros and cons and the cost, and decided on the 867. I got the educational pricing ($1799 for the base model)

I'm excited. I am upgrading from a clamshell iBook (fixed at 800x600).

[southtdi]

I ordered the 15" Ti myself but it isn't schedlued to ship until next tues. At least that's when it was supposed to. Got an email this evening stating that it may not ship until towards the end of next week due to low inventory. Hmmm, since no one really has any in stock I bet it may be longer unless the new one really does come out.

What happens if they change the design before mine ships? It makes me curious since, if they don't have any of the Ti left. Will I have to pay the difference for a new one or will apple cut me some slack since I did a custom one with more memory, larger HD, and the airport car? Anybody have this happen to them in the past?

[sleepydog]

Originally posted by southtdi:
I ordered the 15" Ti myself but it isn't schedlued to ship until next tues. At least that's when it was supposed to. Got an email this evening stating that it may not ship until towards the end of next week due to low inventory. Hmmm, since no one really has any in stock I bet it may be longer unless the new one really does come out.

What happens if they change the design before mine ships? It makes me curious since, if they don't have any of the Ti left. Will I have to pay the difference for a new one or will apple cut me some slack since I did a custom one with more memory, larger HD, and the airport car? Anybody have this happen to them in the past?

Good luck. I was in the same boat as you... waiting for machine to ship... got an emai lsaying it had been delayed. But, almost immediately, I got another email saying that the machine had shipped.

I had gotten my hopes up a bit... but I am excited to get the machine I ordered.

[StiZeven]

Originally posted by Eug Wanker:
True, but not by as much of a margin as you may think (at least when the 1.3 GHz G4s come out). The most expensive x86 laptops use the Centrinos, and Centrino maxes out at 1.7 GHz at this point. Centrino competes (favourably) with the G4 7457.

Desktop 3 GHz P4s don't count, since laptops with those have a battery life of almost nil, and even the P4Ms also use more power than the G4 7457.

The Centrino is faster than the Mobile P4 and has excellent battery life. So, a 1.7GHz G4 (if it existed) would be comparable with a 1.7GHz Centrino Chip (or around there). Unless of course you are using Apple's logic and base all benchmarks over a few specific PhotoShop instructions.

Also, Intel now has a 3.06GHz Mobile Pentium 4 (which is NOT the desktop chip, but a modified version) which is now being used in more realistic mobile desktop replacements. I also has a 533MHz system bus and uses PC 2700 333MHz DDR Ram. What's amazing about this chip is that it is also very good on battery (however not as good as the Centrino, but tons better than the older P4 mobile chips).

[southtdi]

We'll it's not that big of deal for me since what I rodered is what I really need. I do like the looks of the Al ones but I can live without that if needed. Understand I have been in the wintel world for many years and even a two year old powerbook blows away anyting that's out there now as far as looks.

Either way we will see what happens............

[StiZeven]

The TiBook is still an excellent, attractive and reasonably powerful notebook. And with the current price of the maxed out top of the line at $2500, it's a pretty good deal too. Especially if you want to have a machine around the house that will boot to OS 9.

Good luck to those who ordered them and have fun!

[ae86_16v]

Originally posted by sleepydog:
Thanks. I got the 867. I know, I know... I should have just gone for the 1gig model. But, I weighed the pros and cons and the cost, and decided on the 867. I got the educational pricing ($1799 for the base model)

I'm excited. I am upgrading from a clamshell iBook (fixed at 800x600).

Yeah, I did the same thing last month. My school was having the 867mhz w/ airport built in and applecare for only $1588. The 1Ghz was like $2000.

I couldn't justify the extra $500.