[jesset]

Just letting you guys know. If you have any questions... ask away. The display looks great at the new resolution but there isn't even an option for the old resolution.

[Herodotus]

Can you give us some more details on the quality of the screen? Is it any brighter than the previous generation? and how about overall build quality?

Thanks!

[jesset]

I have this thing setting next to a brand new 15" bought two weeks ago (going back to Apple). The screen does look brighter, enough to notice but not enough to really get excited about. Obviously its a lot crisper because of the resolution. The build quality is exactly the same as the previous rev.

[senseigmg]

Pics!!
compare the brightness

hopefully the 12" will get the treatment after intel

[jesset]

Sorry... no digital camera and my phone's pictures you can't even tell a difference. Where can I get ram that will work for this thing... usually I use ramseeker to tell me where to go but their site isn't updated yet.

[senseigmg]

dang. I got mine from newegg

[gametime10]

is the battery life really 5.5 hours?

[Drakino]

Is there really two security lock ports as shown here? Seems an odd thing to do.

(On the 15 inch, Apple shows a security lock near the power plug, and also in it's old spot on the right hand side ports.)

[Drakino]

Also, what version of Mac OS X is on it? Is it 10.4.2 build 8C46, or is it something newer to support the new system?

[senseigmg]

Originally Posted by Drakino

Is there really two security lock ports as shown here? Seems an odd thing to do.

(On the 15 inch, Apple shows a security lock near the power plug, and also in it's old spot on the right hand side ports.)

my old dell inspiron 8200 had 2 security ports.

[jesset]

Originally Posted by gametime10

is the battery life really 5.5 hours?

I have the 5400 80gb one and I haven't had a chance to test out the battery yet. I've bareley owned it for 5.5 hours and the battery didn't come fully charged.

[jesset]

Originally Posted by Drakino

Also, what version of Mac OS X is on it? Is it 10.4.2 build 8C46, or is it something newer to support the new system?

It says 10.4.2 8e45 in the System Profiler.

[jesset]

Originally Posted by Drakino

Is there really two security lock ports as shown here? Seems an odd thing to do.

(On the 15 inch, Apple shows a security lock near the power plug, and also in it's old spot on the right hand side ports.)

No, there is just one by the other ports. Looks like a mistake.

[Fusion]

How did you get it so fast? I called the Apple store today and they don't expect them in for awhile. Can you check the store where you bought it if they had an "ultimate" version in stock?

[jesset]

They did have the ultimate version in stock. As I've been following this for a while it sounds like some big apple stores got shipments in last night but were told not to open the shipments until after the event. I called Michigan Ave Chicago store about and hour after the event and they said that they had some but didn't know which ones yet. When I got there they had both the ultimate and the one I bought.

[Tesseract]

I am typing this on a new 15" (stock) which has been powered on for exactly 15 minutes.

I'm lovin' the screen.

[edit] Purchased from the Legacy Village Apple Store. I called this afternoon and they said they had plenty in stock.

[aehaas]

Is the 7448 in there and what is the chip memory? Does it state the system bus speed?

aehaas

[Fusion]

Can you guys tell me whether the ultimate version had the 120gb 5400 HD or the 100gb 7200 HD?

[Commodus]

Originally Posted by aehaas

Is the 7448 in there and what is the chip memory? Does it state the system bus speed?

aehaas

It's the 7447A, same as before. The only CPU difference is that a 15" 1.67 GHz model costs the same as the old 1.5 GHz Combo model did, which is a pretty hefty improvement.

[jesset]

Originally Posted by Fusion

Can you guys tell me whether the ultimate version had the 120gb 5400 HD or the 100gb 7200 HD?

The Ultimate had the 100gb if I remember correctly. It also included more ram (1gb). Is it just me or did apple decrease their ram prices as well (they're still overpriced imo).

[Fusion]

Jesset, I just spoke with someone at the Mich Ave store who said they never got any Ultimate versions, they just have the one stock version?

[jesset]

The guy showed me his speck sheet and the ultimate was listed on there. I got there when they were unpacking the shipment and the guy said that there were both models in the shipment. I wasn't interested in the ultimate so I didn't wait to see. Sorry. Maybe the guy was mistaken.

[Al G]

re: lock slot...

Originally Posted by jesset

No, there is just one by the other ports. Looks like a mistake.

Can you clarify, please? I'm not sure which ports you mean. Is it on the right, to the front of the ports (a really stupid place to put it IMHO) or on the left in back--where it should have been all along.

Thanks!

[Tesseract]

Originally Posted by Al G

re: lock slot...



Can you clarify, please? I'm not sure which ports you mean. Is it on the right, to the front of the ports (a really stupid place to put it IMHO) or on the left in back--where it should have been all along.

Thanks!

It is on the right side in front of the USB port. I believe this is the same location it's always been in.

[John123]

I am very curious about the brightness question. You said it's brighter than the old one, but there are some small differences from unit to unit. Could that account for it?

The reason I ask is that -- if you read the fine print on Apple's web site closely -- it only purports that the 17" display is truly brighter. It refers to the 15" display as having gotten the pixel boost, but not a brightness boost.

Observe:
http://www.apple.com/powerbook/display.html
--The 1680-by-1050-pixel display on the new 17-inch PowerBook sports over 1.7 million pixels — 36% more spacious and 46% brighter than the previous generation — giving you a brilliant workspace that rivals many desktop monitors. With a 1.3 million-pixel display at a resolution of 1440 by 960, the new 15-inch PowerBook dazzles quite nicely with 26% more pixels than its predecessor.--

[jam8]

I noticed that as well, and find it a little curious. Interested in seeing the brightness of the 15 inch, plus the 5.5 hours of battery life. Please keep us posted!

[Tesseract]

Originally Posted by jam8

I noticed that as well, and find it a little curious. Interested in seeing the brightness of the 15 inch, plus the 5.5 hours of battery life. Please keep us posted!

With airport on, bluetooth off, the screen at half brightness, processor on 'normal', and the keyboard light off, I get 3 hours of battery life reported at 100% charge.

Will let you know how it actually performs tomorrow. Unless someone beats me to it.

[B Gallagher]

What is the ultimate version?

[TheIceMan]

For those with the updated PowerBooks, what is the default desktop pic that comes with it. Is it different from the default blue aqua one? Or is it this one posted here. If so, can someone please post it?

[Fusion]

B Gallagher > The ultimate version is a version of the powerbooks that the Apple stores usually stock. It is basically a maxed out BTO model that they keep in stock so you can get the most powerful machine without having to order it off the internet.

TheIceMan > They come with the default Tiger wallpaper... they are still running Tiger, the OS that controls that sort of thing. It is not different from computer to computer. The image you posted is simply the marketing image. They have always used custom images like that to show them off. If I remember, the last one was of a japanese hut or something like that.

[iBorg]

Hmmm.....there are so many things I'd like to know about the new 15" PB:
1. Screen brightness, compared to previous revision
2. Battery life, including viewing DVD's
3. Airport reception - again, compared to previous revision
4. Is it confirmed that it's the same processor, and not Freescale's 7448?
5. FSB - assume it's unchanged, right?
6. Maybe hard to determine with new unit, but do you get fewer "spinning beachballs?"

I'm still seriously tempted to upgrade to the new 15" from my 1GHz TiBook, but I'm pretty disappointed in seeing that it's (apparently) the same, old processor, without even a meager speed bump from 9 months ago, and the same graphics chip, again, unchanged from 9 months ago, with the same, slow FSB. The price drop is nice, and improved battery life is very welcome. Apple's website refers to increased screen brightness on the 17", but coyly avoids commenting on the screen on the 15", except to note the higher resolution ......



iBorg

[iBorg]

Here's the link to the Apple page concerning the screens on the 15" and 17".

"The 1680-by-1050-pixel display on the new 17-inch PowerBook sports over 1.7 million pixels — 36% more spacious and 46% brighter than the previous generation — giving you a brilliant workspace that rivals many desktop monitors. With a 1.3 million-pixel display at a resolution of 1440 by 960, the new 15-inch PowerBook dazzles quite nicely with 26% more pixels than its predecessor."

So.....is the 15" screen brighter in the new PB, or just the 17" screen, as compared to yesterday's models?



iBorg

[siflippant]

Originally Posted by Tesseract

With airport on, bluetooth off, the screen at half brightness, processor on 'normal', and the keyboard light off, I get 3 hours of battery life reported at 100% charge.

Will let you know how it actually performs tomorrow. Unless someone beats me to it.

Mmmmmm, I get over 3 hours on my 15" April 2004 model... the battery is at 86% of it's original capacity... running reduced speed, airport/bluetooth on...

So in theory you *should* get better battery life with yours once you calibrate your new machine correctly...

[Targon]

ordered mine.

so where can i buy 2 x 1 gig samsung sticks for this new machine?

[ali-son]

I have the 15" aluminum PBook model—can you tell me how much thinner the new 15" is?

[urrl78]

Just wondering how those with the new versions play the HD demos. I am loading Transporter 2 on my 1.5 Ghz 17" and flicker is quite evident on 720p, although 480p plays smoothly. There is a big difference in quality however. I remember one guy awhile back posted his 1.67 Ghz could play serenity 720p without stutter; many disagreed with him. I can't find the Serenity 720p on the Apple website but if those with their new version Powerbooks could tell me how Transporter 2 at 720p plays I would appreciate it. Ya never know, there may be a difference. Here is the link:

http://www.apple.com/trailers/fox/transporter_2/hd/

[photoeditor]

With the HD material that's out there so far, I think it is far better for most people just to resize the 480 window up to full screen or close to it. It seems to me as though that's what the producers have done to produce the 720 previews in the first place.

My old PowerMac G4 with a 1.2GHz upgrade runs the 480 previews completely smoothly.

Maybe a 1.67 GHz with maximum VRAM (i.e. 128MB) can handle the 720 one properly but not the 64MB VRAM version -- makes sense to me with how graphics are handled on Tiger.

[Tesseract]

Originally Posted by urrl78

Just wondering how those with the new versions play the HD demos. I am loading Transporter 2 on my 1.5 Ghz 17" and flicker is quite evident on 720p, although 480p plays smoothly. There is a big difference in quality however. I remember one guy awhile back posted his 1.67 Ghz could play serenity 720p without stutter; many disagreed with him. I can't find the Serenity 720p on the Apple website but if those with their new version Powerbooks could tell me how Transporter 2 at 720p plays I would appreciate it. Ya never know, there may be a difference. Here is the link:

http://www.apple.com/trailers/fox/transporter_2/hd/

With all other apps completely idle, playback is acceptable at ~23fps. There is an occasional stutter during action sequences or when a background app wakes up for a moment. With anything else going on (even opening menus), the stutter becomes very noticeable. I would not watch movies at 720p on this machine.

[andreas_g4]

Originally Posted by senseigmg

my old dell inspiron 8200 had 2 security ports.

Meh, I thought it takes two people to carry it…

[nica]

The same Bus speed? That sucks... I guess I will be waiting until rev. B of the Intel chip powerbooks.

[all2ofme]

It's the same size as your one. All 15" aluminium Powerbooks are.

[Commodus]

Originally Posted by Tesseract

With all other apps completely idle, playback is acceptable at ~23fps. There is an occasional stutter during action sequences or when a background app wakes up for a moment. With anything else going on (even opening menus), the stutter becomes very noticeable. I would not watch movies at 720p on this machine.

You still have the stock 512 MB of RAM, though, don't you? I would expect that upgrading to 1+ GB would improve the performance a bit.

[urrl78]

Tesseract, thanks for the reply. I notice the IMAX moon HD demo plays smoothly at 720p on my 1.5 Ghz 17" Powerbook without any flicker whatsoever, but it is not widescreen. Also thanks for the tip. Closing all applications causes the Transporter 720p demo to play much smoother, although there is definitely still a bit of flicker.

[Eug Wanker]

What OS version is it running? 10.4.3?

[iomatic]

Bought some Kingston RAM from ZipZoomFly. Down the list below, Memory Suppliers has Samsung/Kingston listed; I have no idea if they're similar, the same or what.

I'd let you know how it performs, but I ordered from the Apple Store, and it's quoted as saying to ship on the 25th, and delivered in 5–7 days. I guess I won't be taking the kids out to Halloween .

People swear by Crucial (this link shows they've updated their RAM configurator), but I've had good luck with 18004memory and DMS. They both have fairly knowledgeable staff, though probably not as up-to-date as quickly as Crucial, shown here.

Originally Posted by Targon

ordered mine.

so where can i buy 2 x 1 gig samsung sticks for this new machine?

[Tesseract]

Originally Posted by Commodus

You still have the stock 512 MB of RAM, though, don't you? I would expect that upgrading to 1+ GB would improve the performance a bit.

Yes, I do have the stock 512 still. (Considering ordering an extra 1G.)
A look at top suggests that QuickTime is processor-bound, but I could be wrong. I'd love to hear better results from someone with 1G+ of memory. (Or, I will report my results after installing more if no one has by then.)

[TailsToo]

Originally Posted by Tesseract

Yes, I do have the stock 512 still. (Considering ordering an extra 1G.)
A look at top suggests that QuickTime is processor-bound, but I could be wrong. I'd love to hear better results from someone with 1G+ of memory. (Or, I will report my results after installing more if no one has by then.)

QuickTime HD isn't that great on my 1.67 (jan 05) with 1.5GB of RAM either. (and i have the 128MB RD9700 card too)

[pete]

I'm curious, does the fan come on often? When it does, is it noisy? Thanks...

[polendo]

Originally Posted by TailsToo

QuickTime HD isn't that great on my 1.67 (jan 05) with 1.5GB of RAM either. (and i have the 128MB RD9700 card too)

Hi, does the previous 15.2" has the same video card as the new one? (assuming 128 MB RAM on video)

It's the Radeon 9700?

regards

[Tesseract]

Originally Posted by polendo

Hi, does the previous 15.2" has the same video card as the new one? (assuming 128 MB RAM on video)

It's the Radeon 9700?

regards

Correct. Radeon 9700 with 128MB.