[ege02]

Hello,

I'm new to these forums and I'll start right away with some questions.

I decided to leave my 3 year-old Dell laptop to my sister and buy a new laptop. I went through several stages of... critical decision-making... before I made my choice.

First, I thought about staying with the PC or making the switch to Apple. I have been exposed to the "Apple Crowd" among my classmates for a while, and they all love their toys so much. The only Apple product I own is an iPod, which I have been impressed with since I got it 2 years ago. There are so few negative reviews about the Powerbook... and to be honest, the sleek, futuristic looks of the thing attracts me. In any case, I decided to go for a PB.

Then I was trying to decide between the 12" and the 15". The 12" is small and portable, and it's still a PB, whereas the 15" has ws aspect ratio (and a higher quality one than that of the 12" they say), which is good for working with multiple windows. The 15" also has a keyboard backlight (super-charismatic, and a good thing since my professors always dim the classroom lights during presentations, and I like working in dark environments) and a lot of ports/slots. So even though I'll be carrying the thing to school everyday, I figured that I won't be able to tell the 1 pound difference, and decided on the 15". My desktop PC already has a DVD-writer so superdrive will be a no.

So the ultimate question looms before me. A couple of days ago I learned Apple is planning to switch to Intel chips, and the mere possibility of my toy becoming "obsolete" too soon (as opposed to after 2.5-3 years) has me on hold. But then, will it truly become obsolete? Hardware-wise, software-wise, support-wise, and performance-wise? If Apple makes a successful switch, say, around this time next year, will I (along with many G4 users) feel left out? Will the Intel chips offer so many new features/possibilities that I will wish I had endured my 1.8ghz Dell a year longer? Or will the Intel versions be so expensive that I'll be glad I got a PB "when they were cheap"?

Should I wait until the end of September, and make the plunge with a 15"? Or hold out until... when exactly?

I would appreciate if you guys shared your wisdom and gave some advice, as I have no experience with Apple or PBs in general.

Thanks in advance.

[Randman]

Wait until MacWorld, just to be safe, but there's likely no more G4s before the Mactels come out next year. Also, if you can get a good deal on a back-to-school offer, consider that as well.

[ege02]

When is MacWorld?

[kmarketing]

I would also say that if you really need a mac laptop and if it would be your primary computer to look at the ibook line. they are cheaper, and their performance now is very comparable to the powerbook. If you need widescreen though, their is no other choice besides the powerbook 15" or 17".

I am personally waiting for the new ones to come out, just because I hear that the performance will be much better. So i have a g5 desktop, and am keeping the cheapest Apple laptop possible for my portable needs. When you speak of the powerbook line, many will even suggest getting an imag g5 and ibook. Together, the price is not much different than one 15" powerbook.

Either way, I think you will be happy with switching to apple.

Good Luck!

[Randman]

Macworld is the middle of September.

[ege02]

Originally Posted by kmarketing

I would also say that if you really need a mac laptop and if it would be your primary computer to look at the ibook line. they are cheaper, and their performance now is very comparable to the powerbook. If you need widescreen though, their is no other choice besides the powerbook 15" or 17".

I am personally waiting for the new ones to come out, just because I hear that the performance will be much better. So i have a g5 desktop, and am keeping the cheapest Apple laptop possible for my portable needs. When you speak of the powerbook line, many will even suggest getting an imag g5 and ibook. Together, the price is not much different than one 15" powerbook.

Either way, I think you will be happy with switching to apple.

Good Luck!

Well, I already have a pretty good desktop PC that I built last winter, and it's holding out pretty good. Most of the time, I'm not home though, so I end up having to use my laptop anyway.

As for the iBook, yeah they seem to be close in performance, but I hear pretty bad things about their quality, at least compared to the rest of Apple products.

I think I'll wait until the end of Macworld this month, just to see. I'm overseas right now anyways, I'll be back in the States at the end of this month.

[teney7]

If you buy, do it before the iPod deal/printer deal/Office deals pass by...

[ege02]

I heard Apple is planning to do one last round of updates to the Powerbook line and that they are gonna announce it at Paris Expo (Sept. 20th). The updated models are expected to have 1mb cache chips(instead of 512k), DDR2 support, and lower power usage.

If this turns out to be true... wow, just wow.

[iomatic]

One more round of G4s, 'mos def'.

US$.02

[giggs11]

I would wait only until the next revision of PB's come out, probably later this year. Waiting for the Intel chip PB may take a while, and even then you might not want to get the first ones (Rev A) since they may be prone to problems.

[ege02]

I suppose I'll do so.

[iBorg]

Originally Posted by ege02

When is MacWorld?

I think Randman was referring to the Mac Paris Expo in September.

Macworld happens twice yearly, Macworld San Francisco is each January, and Macworld Boston (previously New York) each July.

I'd second the recommendation to wait for the highly anticipated final bump to the current line, expected this month (although not guaranteed), if you want to get the final, greatest, PPC PowerBook - or, alternatively, to buy the current line at a discount, perhaps $200, when the update occurs. The update is expected to be minor, but if you can wait a short time, why not get it better or cheaper?

As another poster mentioned, the "back to school special" running for another 3 weeks, let's you get a free iPod mini with a Mac purchase, so that may also sway your decision.

At any rate, welcome to the Mac! You'll wonder why you waited so long to leave "The Dark Side!"



iBorg

[Laplace]

Well I'm a current college student and I just placed my order for a 15" PB 2 days ago. The free ipod and 50$ office rebate just can't be beat right now, so I took advantage of it while it was still available. It just seemed to risky money wise for me to wait 3 weeks to DEFINITELY not get the free iPod, and POSSIBLY get a little update to the 15" PB. That being said, if money isn't an issue (your parents are paying or something), definitely wait the next three weeks JUST IN CASE.

Either way, your going to be getting THE best laptop out there bar-none with your purchase.

[blindemboss]

Originally Posted by Laplace

Well I'm a current college student and I just placed my order for a 15" PB 2 days ago. The free ipod and 50$ office rebate just can't be beat right now, so I took advantage of it while it was still available. It just seemed to risky money wise for me to wait 3 weeks to DEFINITELY not get the free iPod, and POSSIBLY get a little update to the 15" PB. That being said, if money isn't an issue (your parents are paying or something), definitely wait the next three weeks JUST IN CASE.

Either way, your going to be getting THE best laptop out there bar-none with your purchase.

Congrats on your new PB...but I would just like to point out that the free iPod offer expires on the 24th of September. The MacWorld Paris expo where any new PB's would be announced happen on the 20th.

Surprisingly, Apple for some reason has given us a window of four days to still take advantage of the free iPod...which could indicate that NO Powerbook update will happen until later, say in October.

[ghettochild]

I'm pretty much in the same boat as the topic starter. I also plan to switch from a win-based machine to a 15" PB ASAP.

Originally Posted by ege02

I heard Apple is planning to do one last round of updates to the Powerbook line and that they are gonna announce it at Paris Expo (Sept. 20th). The updated models are expected to have 1mb cache chips(instead of 512k), DDR2 support, and lower power usage.

If this turns out to be true... wow, just wow.

I have no idea about the performance of macs...will that PB update (if it happens) significantly increase its performance, batter life, etc.?

I mean, the back to school special that runs for another 3 weeks is pretty tempting right now in terms of savings b/c my last name ain't rockefeller...

lol, what should I do..?

[Al G]

The current machines, the 15" 1.67GHz Powerbook for example, are very good performers and feel very fast with OS X. And I don't mean just with basic things like web browsing or email, but even things like Photoshop run pretty well. They do not have ultimate performance for very CPU-intensive tasks and this is something that should be helped by the switch to Intel, but it will be a while until that happens. In the mean time, current G4 Powerbooks are not only adequate but a pleasure to use for most people and will still feel pretty fast for some time to come. (I think the key is OS X. I have XP machines with much faster CPUs but they don't feel as fast.)

If possible, I would wait until the rumored updates come (or not, it's hard to say) before buying. Not only would an updated machine have better performance and/or better features, but if you opt for a current machine (which will then be a superceded model) it should be available at a significant discount.

[TailsToo]

My 1.67 is great, and fast for just about anything I need. If you need one today, go for it. We know the next one won't be an intel machine (unless the rev doesn't happen for another year), so all you'd probably see in a new one would be a little more speed, and maybe dual-layer DVD burning.

[robertj]

ege02,

Macworld Paris is September 20-24th. Steve Jobs is giving a keynote on September 20th, and it is very likely that the Powerbook line will be updated at that time. The most likely updates (based on speculation and rumors) involve moving to a new (still not Intel) processor, the 7448. This would give the powerbooks a speed bump while reducing power consumption. The 7448 uses about 50% of the power of the current processor (the 7447A) at comparable clock speeds.

I would definitely wait the 2.5 weeks until Sept 20. I'd say that the likelihood of an update is 60-70%.

As far as whether you should wait for the intel-based powerbooks. My feeling is: no. if you need one now, it doesn't make sense to wait 6 to 10 months for a computer. The current powerbooks will work great for three years, and work passably well for 4-5 years.

On the other hand: The move to intel chips like Yonah will probably result in dramatic speed and power boosts over the next two years.

Software still needs to be recompiled for the intel version of OS X--the CEO of Adobe commented recently that this transition is not going to be easy.

Bottom line: the current Powerbook line won't become obsolete much faster than any other laptop. Wait for September 20, take a look at the revision, and see how the 12" compares to the 15" at that time. But don't be too afraid of obsolescence. I don't think the intel-based Powerbooks will be more expensive than the current Powerbooks. (I guess a $200 price bump is possible, but I don't see it happening.) We'll likely see speed and battery life improvements, let's say in the range of 20-50% over the next year. The transition to intel-based Macs will take 2+ years to complete. If you look two years down the line, any laptop on the market today will be less than cutting-edge. That doesn't change the fact that the current Powerbooks are great computers.

What you're really buying isn't the PPC chipset. The biggest value of the Powerbook is the Mac OS, which is amazingly pleasant, easy-to-use and powerful compared to Windows. Combine that will Apple's hardward craftsmanship and you'll understand why there are people on these forums that still use their 5-year old "Pismo" Powerbooks every day, even though they're running 400 mHz G3s.
Good luck to you

[cris.rodrigo]

Yes, but how soon after the announcement of new powerbooks, if any, will they be available for shipping?

I need a laptop really bad for law school and I've decided to purchase a powerbook. However, if new powerbooks won't be available for another month or two, there is no reason for me to wait.

This question goes out the macheads: traditionally, how long has it taken Apple to roll out new upgrades?

Thanks in advance for any replies.

[pat++]

The last PowerBooks were available on the day they were announced if I remember correctly. It's not always the case though (1-2 weeks delay for example).

If Freescale is able to produce new 7448 G4 chips in quantity, I would expect the PowerBooks to be available immediately.

[ghettochild]

Originally Posted by robertj

ege02,

Macworld Paris is September 20-24th. Steve Jobs is giving a keynote on September 20th, and it is very likely that the Powerbook line will be updated at that time. The most likely updates (based on speculation and rumors) involve moving to a new (still not Intel) processor, the 7448. This would give the powerbooks a speed bump while reducing power consumption. The 7448 uses about 50% of the power of the current processor (the 7447A) at comparable clock speeds.

I would definitely wait the 2.5 weeks until Sept 20. I'd say that the likelihood of an update is 60-70%.

thanks for the input. seems to me that the possibility of more speed while using less power is worth waiting another 2.5 weeks...although I must say it's hard...

Originally Posted by cris.rodrigo

Yes, but how soon after the announcement of new powerbooks, if any, will they be available for shipping?

I need a laptop really bad for law school and I've decided to purchase a powerbook. However, if new powerbooks won't be available for another month or two, there is no reason for me to wait.

This question goes out the macheads: traditionally, how long has it taken Apple to roll out new upgrades?

Thanks in advance for any replies.

that would have been my next question. I don't "need" a PB right away as my current toshiba is fine, but once you've decided to leave the dark side you don't wanna hang around there much longer...

I hope jobs will announce the anticipated updates on sept. 20 and that the new PB will be available in a timely fashion...

[ghettochild]

well, no keynote @ the Apple Expo no PB update?

[tcugrilla]

I would buy a used 15" powerbook and save myself some money. i have an older 1ghz 17" powerbook with a ton of ram and it is incredible. my friends that have seen this computer are amazed that the processor is only 1ghz. it may be too slow for you, but i would at least look at one and see.

[ege02]

Originally Posted by ghettochild

well, no keynote @ the Apple Expo no PB update?

That's a very major bummer for me. So much for waiting till the Paris Expo to make my decision...

[hellasketchy]

I went through the whole switch-to-Mac buying decision recently. I wanted a really powerful Mac laptop that would last a few years. After looking at comparable PC laptops, the PowerBooks really seemed pricey considering their aging technology. But I still wanted to switch, so buying used made the most sense to me. I ended up (after trying a 12" PowerBook and hating the screen and fan noise) settling on a 15" PowerBook (current rev) which I got off eBay. I put in a ton of RAM (available for $100-150) and it runs really well. You can definitely find an in-warranty PowerBook on eBay for way less (like $800 less) than you would pay through the Apple Store.

If you're buying new, pay attention to state sales tax - Amazon doesn't charge, Apple Store does. 8% of $2000 = a lot.

If buying used, ask for the serial number. You can run a check at support.apple.com to see if it is in-warranty and if it has already been serviced by AppleCare.

Originally Posted by tcugrilla

I would buy a used 15" powerbook and save myself some money. i have an older 1ghz 17" powerbook with a ton of ram and it is incredible. my friends that have seen this computer are amazed that the processor is only 1ghz. it may be too slow for you, but i would at least look at one and see.

[robertj]

Everyone's reporting the news today that Jobs' Keynote at Macworld Paris has been cancelled. It was expected and hoped that Jobs would introduce Powerbook and Power Mac updates at that keynote, among other possibilities. What will happen now?

It's probable that Apple has moved all of their reported iPod updates to tomorrow's special event--not just the iTunes phone, but possibly the (rumored) flash-based iPod Minis. Without a new iPod to announce, the Paris Keynote would consist of only minor speed bumps to either the Power Mac or Powerbook line (or both). In other words, it would be a lackluster event. It's possible, but unlikely, that they have Powerbook and Power Mac updates (or one of the two) ready, but that the updates don't warrant a Keynote.

The most likely scenario is that the Powerbook update has been scuttled (or at least delayed), probably due to all available resources being focused on the transition to intel-based laptops.

C'mon, Apple leakers... what's going on? Is there still an update planned for either the Powerbook or Power Mac lines? When?