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AssassyN · Sep 16, 2003, 06:51 PM

Originally posted by [APi]TheMan:
bootiful, to say the least. I love my 900mhz Pismo, though.

So the new 15" PowerBooks are not TiBooks? Are they Aluminum now? I kinda lost touch with the recent generation of codenames and specifications as far as cases go.

Yep, today the entire PowerBook line went aluminum.

PeterKG · Sep 16, 2003, 06:59 PM

Well I just returned from exchanging my Powerbook at the Apple store. When I was adjusting the Dock, I noticed a bright spot on the LCD that was hidden by the Dock. So I packed it up and exchanged it. They think maybe a finger print was on the inside or something, but they were real nice and more then willing to exchange. First they offered me 10% off which would have been sweet, but I kept thinking my eyes would gravitate to the bright spot. Before I left I opened the new one and checked the LCD. It was perfect with no bright spots or dead pixels.

AssassyN · Sep 16, 2003, 07:01 PM

Whoa...2 brand new 15" AlBooks in a single day...impressive! Hehe

ast3r3x · Sep 16, 2003, 07:01 PM

Can you give us an idea of battery life?

Man after looking at those picture I can't wait till I get mine (may have to wait till tuesday before it gets here!) Contrasts beautifully with the wood

stevesnj · Sep 16, 2003, 07:58 PM

Originally posted by chrisutley:
That is a good looking laptop. The 17 is too big, the 12 too small, but the 15 is juuuuuuuust right.

I love the size of my 17"...its big for sure but very useable in my everyday travel and at home...but that 15" is a beautiful machine....

PS any sizzle sounds from the keyboard on the 15"

jia_zhuang · Sep 16, 2003, 08:09 PM

Nice 15!!! I'd love to compaire the screen side by side with a 17 tho. To be honest, I don't know if I would want to go back to the 15, I suppose I'm just use to the size of the 17inch screen. Have fun!

michaelb · Sep 16, 2003, 08:27 PM

Peter has a Cube!

The guy has taste.

iDORK · Sep 16, 2003, 08:42 PM

Originally posted by PeterKG:
Well I just returned from exchanging my Powerbook at the Apple store. When I was adjusting the Dock, I noticed a bright spot on the LCD that was hidden by the Dock. So I packed it up and exchanged it. They think maybe a finger print was on the inside or something, but they were real nice and more then willing to exchange. First they offered me 10% off which would have been sweet, but I kept thinking my eyes would gravitate to the bright spot. Before I left I opened the new one and checked the LCD. It was perfect with no bright spots or dead pixels.

Hi Peter-

I was going to pickup the Alum. at the Costa Mesa store today as well but I just called in and was informed they are all sold out for a couple of days.

Did they allow you to open your first Powerbook purchase to inspect for dead pixels? I'd like to inspect it before I buy.

Thanks for your input and NICE pictures!

11011001 · 09:12 PM

You should keep the Apple LCD and get an adapter for DVI->ADC.

Two screens is amazing, once you try it, you won't want to go back.

(edit: I am a dumbass, I made a typo)

PeterKG · Sep 16, 2003, 09:00 PM

Originally posted by iDORK:
Hi Peter-

I was going to pickup the Alum. at the Costa Mesa store today as well but I just called in and was informed they are all sold out for a couple of days.

Did they allow you to open your first Powerbook purchase to inspect for dead pixels? I'd like to inspect it before I buy.

Thanks for your input and NICE pictures!

Hi Dork,

I didn't check the screen before I bought it, but after returning the first one, checked the second one before I left. The salesman encouraged me to do so. That way if the second one had a problem I wouldn't need to make another return trip.

If you want the one I returned they should have it and were offering 10% off the price.

Good luck in your purchase. You will love the thing!

PeterKG · Sep 16, 2003, 09:04 PM

Originally posted by stevesnj:
I love the size of my 17"...its big for sure but very useable in my everyday travel and at home...but that 15" is a beautiful machine....

PS any sizzle sounds from the keyboard on the 15"

Hey Steve!

What happened to the Macworld boards? You would think on a day like this it would be busy. But it's dead, dead, dead! I think they killed the conversation there with too many posting rules.

NO sizzle at all. This is the quietest Powerbook. No HD, or fan noise at all. Plus it runs warmer then my 12".

I would consider the 12" now if you want a more portable book. The 17" is AWESOME!

Kahpoosta Kid · Sep 16, 2003, 09:39 PM

Anyway, I posted pictures for anyone to see.
Let me know if you have any questions about it.
15 " Powerbook [/B][/QUOTE]

Excellent pics! It looks absolutely fabulous!
Congratulations!......My daughter's ships @10/23.
She is very excited!

"You paid twunny tousand dollars fer dat car?? Man, dat's a lotta kahpoosta!"

swiz · Sep 16, 2003, 09:55 PM

Man I want one of those but Im getting married and building a house... maybe a nice wedding gift though...

ast3r3x · Sep 16, 2003, 10:35 PM

Originally posted by PeterKG:

NO sizzle at all. This is the quietest Powerbook. No HD, or fan noise at all. Plus it runs warmer then my 12".

Silent is good...but it runs warmer?! That isn't cool, the 12" gets prett darn warm

StiZeven · Sep 16, 2003, 10:45 PM

Originally posted by ast3r3x:
Silent is good...but it runs warmer?! That isn't cool, the 12" gets prett darn warm

I think he means that the 15" Al runs 'warm' instead of 'hot' like his 12" Al might have been running? Care to clarify, Peter?

schk · Sep 16, 2003, 10:49 PM

Hmm, is that typical of Apple Stores to let you exchange a laptop with dead pixels or screen anomalies that easily? From past posts it seems they give people hard time and would charge restocking fees. Since Applecare won't do anything about it, I wouldn't think retail stores would. They really need a period of time for no questions exchanges like retails like Best Buy or Circuit City do (only thing good about those retailers btw, heh).

PeterKG · Sep 16, 2003, 11:49 PM

Originally posted by StiZeven:
I think he means that the 15" Al runs 'warm' instead of 'hot' like his 12" Al might have been running? Care to clarify, Peter?

Wow! Am I dislexic?? I meant it runs cool, cold, uh, heat is no problem on this at all. Sorry guys

PeterKG · Sep 16, 2003, 11:54 PM

Results 105.00
System Info
Xbench Version 1.1.1
System Version 10.2.7 (6R55)
Physical RAM 512 MB
Model PowerBook5,2
Processor PowerPC G4 @ 1.25 GHz
L1 Cache 32K (instruction), 32K (data)
L2 Cache 512K @ 1.25 GHz
Bus Frequency 167 MHz
Video Card ATY,RV350M10
Drive Type FUJITSU MHT2080AT
CPU Test 149.23
GCD Loop 144.78 5.65 Mops/sec
Floating Point Basic 149.42 540.36 Mflop/sec
AltiVec Basic 149.73 4.35 Gflop/sec
vecLib FFT 152.38 2.37 Gflop/sec
Floating Point Library 150.06 6.01 Mops/sec
Thread Test 79.90
Computation 78.30 626.88 Kops/sec, 4 threads
Lock Contention 81.56 1.02 Mlocks/sec, 4 threads
Memory Test 124.22
System 117.19
Allocate 149.50 100.81 Kalloc/sec
Fill 143.53 1142.54 MB/sec
Copy 83.73 418.63 MB/sec
Stream 132.15
Copy 137.27 1003.41 MB/sec [altivec]
Scale 139.41 1028.84 MB/sec [altivec]
Add 130.64 836.09 MB/sec [altivec]
Triad 122.62 749.18 MB/sec [altivec]
Quartz Graphics Test 137.88
Line 134.99 3.44 Klines/sec [50% alpha]
Rectangle 125.56 8.83 Krects/sec [50% alpha]
Circle 149.17 3.44 Kcircles/sec [50% alpha]
Bezier 138.73 1.51 Kbeziers/sec [50% alpha]
Text 143.29 2.34 Kchars/sec
OpenGL Graphics Test 99.92
Spinning Squares 99.92 69.93 frames/sec
User Interface Test 126.42
Elements 126.42 40.66 refresh/sec
Disk Test 70.28
Sequential 77.77
Uncached Write 74.58 29.69 MB/sec [4K blocks]
Uncached Write 68.96 26.92 MB/sec [256K blocks]
Uncached Read 111.08 17.58 MB/sec [4K blocks]
Uncached Read 68.88 27.83 MB/sec [256K blocks]
Random 64.11
Uncached Write 79.11 1.13 MB/sec [4K blocks]
Uncached Write 57.32 12.93 MB/sec [256K blocks]
Uncached Read 59.07 0.39 MB/sec [4K blocks]
Uncached Read 65.02 13.38 MB/sec [256K blocks]

AssassyN · Sep 16, 2003, 11:56 PM

Ahhhh, the new AlBooks come with 10.2.7!

I knew something was fishy about it, and betted it was for more than just "to recognize the 64-bit G5"...hmmm.

neutrino23 · 03:15 AM

This is the best PB Apple has ever made. I'll bet getting one like this in a few weeks.

Can you do us a favor? Can you run Xbench and report the score?

http://www.spiny.com/xbench/

----
Sorry, I didn't see the above results when I posted this.

Thanks for posting the results.

StiZeven · Sep 17, 2003, 12:21 AM

Originally posted by neutrino23:
This is the best PB Apple has ever made. I'll bet getting one like this in a few weeks.

Can you do us a favor? Can you run Xbench and report the score?

http://www.spiny.com/xbench/

Look above!

macndave · Sep 17, 2003, 12:32 AM

Originally posted by PeterKG:

I didn't check the screen before I bought it, but after returning the first one, checked the second one before I left. The salesman encouraged me to do so. That way if the second one had a problem I wouldn't need to make another return trip.

If you want the one I returned they should have it and were offering 10% off the price.

Peter,
The pictures you posted are great. Thank you. I've a question about the second PowerBook though. Did the salesperson place any conditions that you accept the second PowerBook (even though it was encouraged that you check for stuck pixels)?

Can the First PowerBook still be sold as new? Or the second one for that matter, if you saw something that prevented YOU from leaving with that particular machine. I know it is a horrible thing to say, but I don't want to buy a NEW PowerBook that people have been testing to determine if it meets their aesthetics.

Again, thanks for the pictures.

nobitacu · Sep 17, 2003, 12:35 AM

Hehehe, very nice, have lots of fun with it, and I'm sure you will.

Ming

BadaBing! · Sep 17, 2003, 12:41 AM

the only thing that worries me about the xbench is the opengl test...the radeon 9600 is the best mobile graphics card on the market right now and it isnt beating the scores from the geforce go 440 that it should just demolish

PeterKG · Sep 17, 2003, 12:48 AM

Originally posted by macndave:
Peter,
The pictures you posted are great. Thank you. I've a question about the second PowerBook though. Did the salesperson place any conditions that you accept the second PowerBook (even though it was encouraged that you check for stuck pixels)?

Can the First PowerBook still be sold as new? Or the second one for that matter, if you saw something that prevented YOU from leaving with that particular machine. I know it is a horrible thing to say, but I don't want to buy a NEW PowerBook that people have been testing to determine if it meets their aesthetics.

Again, thanks for the pictures.

When I came in I was prepared for them to give me a hard time, but it was not even a question that they would exchange it. That's the first thing they wanted to do. Then they told me I could keep it with a 10% discount. I decided on a different on so I think they jus recondition in the store and sell at a discount. But that they were going to determine later.
As I was leaving, they suggested I open and check the replacement for problems. The screen was perfect. I am happy.

TheIceMan · Sep 17, 2003, 12:55 AM

Originally posted by PeterKG:
Wow! Am I dislexic?? I meant it runs cool, cold, uh, heat is no problem on this at all. Sorry guys

Wow, for a moment there I think my heart stopped! *Breathing a sigh of relief*

macndave · Sep 17, 2003, 01:00 AM

Originally posted by PeterKG:
When I came in I was prepared for them to give me a hard time, but it was not even a question that they would exchange it. That's the first thing they wanted to do. Then they told me I could keep it with a 10% discount. I decided on a different on so I think they jus recondition in the store and sell at a discount. But that they were going to determine later.
As I was leaving, they suggested I open and check the replacement for problems. The screen was perfect. I am happy.

Wow...I am glad to hear that Apple was so understanding and helpful. When I purchased my 800mhz, the packaging was such that the metal prong of the power adapter fell through holes in the styroform. The prong, moving while in shipment, scratched through the protective cover around the PowerBook and placed dents/scratches on the top of the display. Apple offered to replace the PowerBook sight unseen, but at that point I had waited more than a couple month to get it, so I said I would keep it. Apple knocked off $100, though. The 10% offer would have been nicer since last year the 800mhz cost over $3600. (Don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE this PowerBook).

I am glad to read that you were treated so well.

Drakino · Sep 17, 2003, 01:36 AM

I can't wait till I get back home next week. I went to my local reseller soon after waking up to order the 1.25 15 inch.

I'm hoping the New York SoHo store has one on display, should hold me over. I would buy one there, but I still prefer to support my local reseller, since they are the reason I switched to the Mac.

jamesa · Sep 17, 2003, 02:05 AM

fire up some games on it

let us know how it plays...

-- james

tritonus · Sep 17, 2003, 03:26 AM

Could you post the firmware and model number of the SuperDrive?

Pierre B. · Sep 17, 2003, 03:46 AM

Originally posted by BadaBing!:
the only thing that worries me about the xbench is the opengl test...the radeon 9600 is the best mobile graphics card on the market right now and it isnt beating the scores from the geforce go 440 that it should just demolish

I noticed that. Furthermore, the geforce go 420 (12" powerbook) gives in xbench the same opengl score. I have the feeling that the opengl capabilities of the graphics processor are not thoroughly explored by xbench. Only real world gaming experience can tell if there is any difference from the previous powerbook models.

janmc · Sep 17, 2003, 06:39 AM

Just wondering if I'll get a discount on panther if I buy a new Al book? Wanted to ask you lucky sods who got yours already!

Not that it really matters - will probably get one anyway!

EdipisReks · Sep 17, 2003, 07:52 AM

this thread has convinced me; as soon as i'm back at work at my unversity in a couple weeks and i find a buyer for my 1 ghz tibook, i'll have to get an albook. that thing is gorgeous.

pgolf · Sep 17, 2003, 09:22 AM

My xbench scores were similar to PeterKGs, 104.88 and 104.14, but when on reduced processor and powersave, 69.11.

bbales · Sep 17, 2003, 09:51 AM

Originally posted by bluejam:
I am planning on getting an LiDE50 also but haven't found one. CompUSA only has the 30 model. The LiDE 50 comes with Photoshop Elements all for $99. BTW, I have the i950 and the prints are better than from my Nikon film camera...but that's for another forum.

Anyway, Congrats on your new 15. Your photo page is great and tempts me to try .Mac.

Peter -- Great machine! Congrats. It's making me envious even though I love my 12-in and it suits my needs very nicely.

One question -- is .Mac how you did the photos? I use my machine mostly for writing, so I'm a newbie when it comes to posting pix, etc. I loved your photo page -- but what software, etc., did you use to do it?
Thanks.
By the way, I have the same scanner. Works great.

PeterKG · Sep 17, 2003, 10:01 AM

Originally posted by tritonus:
Could you post the firmware and model number of the SuperDrive?

CD-RW/DVD-R

Disc Burning Fully Supported
Unit Number 0
ATA Device Type atapi
Device Revision DXJ3
Product ID DVD-R UJ816
Vendor ID MATSHITA

PeterKG · Sep 17, 2003, 10:05 AM

Originally posted by bbales:
Peter -- Great machine! Congrats. It's making me envious even though I love my 12-in and it suits my needs very nicely.

One question -- is .Mac how you did the photos? I use my machine mostly for writing, so I'm a newbie when it comes to posting pix, etc. I loved your photo page -- but what software, etc., did you use to do it?
Thanks.
By the way, I have the same scanner. Works great.

Hi bales!
I used iPhoto and my .Mac account. I took the pictures with my Canon Digital Elph and loaded them in. I just received my renewal notice for .Mac and will keep it as I use it a lot. Well worth the money for my uses.
Don't be envious. I love my 12" that I sad to part with but found a good home for it

cambolo · 10:17 AM

Canon LiDE 50 draws 2.5 watts through the USB port and has no separate power adapter. Anyone know if the Lide 50 will work at USB 2.0 on this new PowerBook (or on TiBook with the Orange Micro USB 2.0 PCM-CIA card which provides 500 mlliamps via its own power adapter)?

jindrich · 04:53 AM

congrats Peter on your new purchase.

I'm considering buying one as well, to replace mu Ti550 wich is too slow (for my needs) and awfully hot and noisy. I know I should skip this and buy a dual G5 (which i probably will next year), but still consider upgrading my ti just because it's not a comfortable laptop (fan noise and temperature).

So can you please comment on those things? for instance, open a few webs with heavy flash and see how it performs (slow?), then open a terminal window and type "top -d" (<without brakets) to see cpu usage. Maybe open M$ Word in auto correct mode as well and type something, watch for the "top".

Also would you mind watching a DVD for us, to report on chasis temperature and fan noise (if any)

i'd tell you to try logic audio on the new Powerbook, but you probably don't have that soft, but maybe you have quake or UT, so please try them and report (fps, heat and noise) thanyou

looking forward to read from you,
cheers.

EvanV · Sep 17, 2003, 01:17 PM

How much is a the .Mac renewal fee? I know it's 149.99 on CDN site right now as a special deal....

PeterKG · Sep 17, 2003, 01:52 PM

Originally posted by EvanV:
How much is a the .Mac renewal fee? I know it's 149.99 on CDN site right now as a special deal....

$107.70 with tax

Dear Peter,
It's been a great first year. .Mac lets you get the most out of the Internet with a no-compromises email account that's not tied to your Internet service provider, easy photo, movie, and file sharing, protection against viruses and data loss, and access from anywhere to your email and contacts. And, you've made it possible for us to invest in many enhancements that make your connected life even easier � Virex automatic e-updating for better virus protection, .Mac Address Book syncing for online access to your current contact information, iCal calendar publishing, the recently announced Safari Bookmark syncing, and more. Plus over US$150 worth of member benefits like the Mac OS X online training available exclusively to .Mac members. And there's still more to come in the year ahead.

� A free copy of The Sims� (Macintosh version), the best-selling game of all time for both the Mac and the PC (US$49.95 retail value)*
� A free copy of EverQuest� (Macintosh edition on DVD), the world's #1 online multiplayer adventure, including a free month of play time (US$49.95 retail value)*
� US$20 off your next purchase of more than US$20 at the online Apple Store

Your .Mac membership will be automatically renewed on October 15, 2003 PDT. Your credit card will be charged and your thank you gift will be sent within 4 weeks after your anniversary date.

dennis88 · Sep 17, 2003, 01:53 PM

Can you try some games on it?

hengx · Sep 18, 2003, 12:49 PM

Bump

So, how is global availability on the 15 inchers?

Does anyone care to tell or estimate about how many PowerBooks are produced each day?

neill · Sep 18, 2003, 02:22 PM

For the moment there seems to be ZERO new albooks in Sweden. Not one single machine in any store. All retailers order from apple and apperently they don't get faster shipments than the individual buyer. I ordered my 15" yesterday. The build time is expected to be 6-8 days and then up to 6 days for shipping from Taiwan. 'Bout two weeks of eager waiting - just as long as for the apple retailers.

dennis88 · Sep 18, 2003, 02:36 PM

Originally posted by neill:
For the moment there seems to be ZERO new albooks in Sweden. Not one single machine in any store. All retailers order from apple and apperently they don't get faster shipments than the individual buyer. I ordered my 15" yesterday. The build time is expected to be 6-8 days and then up to 6 days for shipping from Taiwan. 'Bout two weeks of eager waiting - just as long as for the apple retailers.

It is the same for me, I ordered 16 sep and it said 6-8 days + up to 6 days delivery.
I live in norway.

dn15 · Sep 19, 2003, 02:54 AM

Very nice. Congrats.

terrancew_hod · Sep 19, 2003, 01:02 PM

Oh well, congrats...

I did start a Powerbook/G5 savings fund for myself...So I'm 45% of the way from owning a 15' powerbook. I should have the cash for the Powerbook when Panther comes out; although I'll probably wait until March so the account will be real nice so I don't drain it when I buy the machine...

Terrance

escher · Sep 20, 2003, 01:03 AM

Originally posted by PeterKG:
I was the first person to puchase a new 15" Powerbook from the Costa Mesa Apple store. ... I posted pictures for anyone to see.

PeterKG: Thank you for the first real-life 15-inch AluBook pictures I've seen! I was set on a Rev.B 12-inch PowerBook, but now I'm having second thoughts. Either way, I won't decide until I can see both side by side at my local Apple Store.

Several other readers bought new 15-inch PowerBooks. Who else posted pictures? I want more!

Escher

The Installer · Sep 20, 2003, 08:03 AM

Originally posted by PeterKG:
I was hoping I could put my 12" Powerbook 512mb ram in it???
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Originally posted by 2far:
No go.

Or my 512MB PC100 CL2 LowProfile 1.25 inch(non-stacked) 2-2-2 So-DIMM for PowerBook G4 400,500,550MHz (Top/Bottom Slot compatible)? TIA

- T.I.

gsxrboy · Sep 20, 2003, 08:58 AM

Thats no good either man.. new ram is reqd.. enjoy your new machine... I soo hope to get one soon !