[chme6583]

First and foremost, I love Macs. Now with that being said, the current PowerBook is becoming dated. Apple needs to update this thing really, really bad. At the current price, the PowerBook is not a good deal. Please Apple come on.

[albook]

Its not all up to Apple.
They dont build cpu's themselves, so they have to wait for someone else to deliver the goods (Freescale, IBM or Intel).

But you're not the only one waiting for an updated PowerBook!

[Randman]

You could have joined the other threads saying the same thing.

[disgruntled goat]

The powerbook specs have been outdated for quite some time. However, that does not take away from the fact that the current PB's are excellent machines. Sometimes I think Apple banks on the fact that they have a diehard user base who would rather buy an outdated machine than to purchase a windows machine. The biggest problem is the CPU makers and I am confident once the mactels hit the street, Apple portables will once again reign supreme.

[KeriVit]

Originally Posted by Randman

You could have joined the other threads saying the same thing.

[ibook_steve]

I smell another troll. Why would anybody join the forum just to tell us this?

Steve

[madmanXwater]

What does it mean to be a troll?

[mrmister]

It's cool that it's outdated--so long as no one buys them, I guarantee that's the best way to put pressure on Apple to drop prices and make what stopgap updates they can.

[imacgeek]

Your exactly right but the new PBs that are supposed to come out Oct. 12 will be a small speed bump but will be mare worth it

[giggs11]

This man is a genius. Get him to work on world peace, ASAP!

[Rev2Liv]

I respectfully disagree. It is on the cutting edge as far as design and port accessibility are concerned. I just sold my 17" AluBook and am using a thinkpad currently and do miss my PowerBook. It had a backlit keyboard, woke instantly from sleep, firewire 800, built in bluetooth, 802.11g backlit keyboard, DVI and an articulated screen hinge. All this back in 2003!!! My thinkpad does not have firewire 800, backlit keyboard or a DVI port.

Though a 167mhz bus may be considered slow and the G4 getting slightly old, it still is not outdated.

However, I digress, the PowerBooks are overpriced.

[siflippant]

Originally Posted by ibook_steve

I smell another troll. Why would anybody join the forum just to tell us this?

[Paco Loco]

After all this talk of how outdated the powerbooks are and how they haven't been updated since february in the forums I thought I would have a closer look at the specs on apple.com... only to discover that apple are still refering to it as "The New Powerbook"...!

http://www.apple.com/powerbook/

[chme6583]

Originally Posted by ibook_steve

I smell another troll. Why would anybody join the forum just to tell us this?

Steve

Why not?

[mduell]

Troll or not (I'm new here too), the PowerBooks are dated in a number of ways:
167Mhz FSB
PC2700 RAM
5400RPM drives
Single layer DVD burners
ATi 9x00 series graphics
100dpi sceeens
Real battery life

One place they're ahead of the game is duallink DVI, or even DVI at all in a laptop.

[itguy05]

167Mhz FSB

You do realize that the 300/433 Mhz bus in the P4/whatever is really a 4x 133 bus? And that the bus speed is under 10% of the total performance.

PC2700 RAM

So? Doesn't bother me at all

5400RPM drives

They could use this, but IIRC They are still a rarity in OEM Laptops.

Single layer DVD burners

Agreed. Every machine Apple ships has DL DVD except the PB. This was overdue back in April.

ATi 9x00 series graphics

I don't game so could care less.

100dpi sceeens

So? Everyone that sees my 15" comments on how great the screen is. I use a 15" 1600x1400 Thinkpad for work and everyone comments how small the fonts are. It is small, but does take some getting used to.

Real battery life

No issues here - I get around 3 hours from my 15" PB 1.67 and it's better than the IBM I use and on part with most Centrino machines. The huge #'s you see for them are with extra batteries (typically occupy the CD slot) and not stock configurations.

The PB is getting a little long in the tooth, but it is still relatively competitive. I have no issues using mine in day to day operations with manipulating pictures, printing them and running my business.

[mduell]

Originally Posted by itguy05

You do realize that the 300/433 Mhz bus in the P4/whatever is really a 4x 133 bus? And that the bus speed is under 10% of the total performance.

Yes, I realize that the FSB on the P4 (1066Mhz) and PM (533Mhz) is quad data rate. Just like everyone (Athlon, G4, G5) has switched to double data rate RAM and FSB (except the G4), a quad data rate FSB gives a similar performance boost.

[PC2700] So? Doesn't bother me at all

Newer DDR2 RAM uses less power, allowing for a longer battery life. It's also less expensive, just as DDR is cheaper than SDR.

They could use this [7200RPM disks], but IIRC They are still a rarity in OEM Laptops.

Dell offers them on every full size laptop over $1000 (and many under $1000).
7200RPM disk is great for video editing, a market that Apple targets.

I don't game so could care less.

Use Final Cut? Any program that uses Core Image? You can benefit from a better video card. The 9700 Mobility was the top of the line 3 generations ago.

So? Everyone that sees my 15" comments on how great the screen is. I use a 15" 1600x1400 Thinkpad for work and everyone comments how small the fonts are. It is small, but does take some getting used to.

Make your fonts larger; Even if you fit the same amount of text on the screen, it will still look better. 150dpi means you can view and edit full resolution HD content or 2.3 megapixel images on a 15" screen. They've been in other laptops for years, and they're relatively cheap these days (about $100 more than a low res 15" screen).

No issues here - I get around 3 hours from my 15" PB 1.67 and it's better than the IBM I use and on part with most Centrino machines. The huge #'s you see for them are with extra batteries (typically occupy the CD slot) and not stock configurations.

Several Centrino laptops (including the IBM T4x) run for 4 hours (under simulated load, not idle) on the standard battery. No need for optical drive stealing battery, although it is an option of many PC laptops.
There's another item for the list, a modular media bay so you're not stuck carrying around an optical drive.
I remember when Apple's laptops were first rate. iBooks are still very good for their price range, but the PowerBooks have fallen down.

[shrugs*]

I switched from a Dell Latitude D800, which covers most of your complaints.

WUXGA @ 1920x1200, upgraded 7200rpm hard drive, radeon 9700, pentium-M battery life and performance....

....went down to a used 867 12" Powerbook.

Haven't looked back since. I work in IT, mainly from the administrative standpoint, but have worked with hundreds of different laptops. These are ranging from the main OEM brands (Toshiba, Dell, IBM, HP, etc) to the lesser known (such as the Asus line).

My Powerbook has blown them all away.. atleast for me. Fit and finish is by far the best I've ever seen (keep in mind I use/see IBM T42s, X40s, and such on a daily basis).

People will always go for what they like, no matter how the specs or hype works out. Look at the hardcore Prismo users for example. I know my Powerbook is far from bleeding-edge technology, but the fact is it works. And it works well at what it does.

Considering I paid a third of my Dell on my Apple.. I'm not complaining too much about price.

Meh, I just love my laptop.

[mhuie]

Originally Posted by chme6583

Why not?

Think before you post.

Why don't you go on a Mercedes/BMW forum and complain why cheaper car makers sell faster and/or more gas efficient, cars?

[analogika]

People: He's right. And they'll definitely be updated soon.

[stevesnj]

this current design has been around only 2 years...I think it still hold up design wise...as for internals it needs an update. Better video memory, ports and speakers.

[teknopimp]

higher res screens will be coming soon.