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You are here: MacNN Forums > Hardware - Troubleshooting and Discussion > Mac Notebooks > New 17" PB Screens brighter, but not 15" screens???

New 17" PB Screens brighter, but not 15" screens???
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iBorg
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Oct 20, 2005, 07:14 AM
 
In Apple's 17" Powerbook Hardware description, they say:

"The first thing you’ll notice about the new 17-inch PowerBook G4 is its drop-dead gorgeous display, the largest ever in a notebook — and now 46% brighter and with 36% more pixels than its predecessor. Featuring a powerful 1.67GHz PowerPC G4 processor, a 5400-rpm 120GB hard drive, an 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support and up to 2GB of RAM, the top gun of notebook computers has it all."

In their corresponding 15" Powerbook Hardware description, they say:

"Greeting you with a new 1440-by-960 display (up to 26% more pixels than its predecessor), the 15-inch PowerBook comes fully loaded. With a powerful G4 processor, 5400-rpm 80GB hard drive, 128MB of graphics memory, and an 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support, few notebook computers can match its comprehensive feature set. Especially with prices starting at just $1999."

Most websites have claimed "brighter" screens for both PB's, but Apple's statements only claim this for the 17". Anyone able to make a comparison yet?



iBorg
     
iBorg  (op)
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Oct 22, 2005, 10:05 PM
 
If no one has found anything from Apple concerning whether there is any increased brightness of the 15" PBook, has anyone had a chance to check them head-to-head? Or do we now have 3 categories of screen quality in the PBook line, instead of 2?



iBorg
     
photoeditor
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Oct 22, 2005, 10:26 PM
 
. . . and as seen at an Apple Store this afternoon . . .

The new 17 is the brightest and sharpest. The new 15 is brighter and a little clearer and less muddy than the old 15, although the old 15 holds its own decently. Just about even with the old 15 is the 12 inch iBook. And significantly behind that is the old 12 inch Powerbook. I did not see any new 12 inch Powerbooks (i.e. 80GB hard drive, which was the only published change). The 12 inch Powerbook display I saw really is a disappointment.
     
John123
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Oct 22, 2005, 11:17 PM
 
My reaction is different. I don't think the 15" is changed. I bet the difference that you're seeing is due to backlight degradation over time.

The 17" is, by far, the best. Of course, it still pales in comparison to, say, the 30" LCD.
MacBook Pro 15" -- 2.2Ghz, 4GB, 200GB 7200rpm
iPod Nano 2G -- 8GB
     
mduell
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Oct 23, 2005, 12:08 AM
 
What is with the continued use of these funky non-standard widescreen resolutions in the 15" PowerBook?
Everyone else and every other widescreen Apple product uses 16:10. The 15" PowerBook has been 15:10 for a while now.
     
irus
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Oct 23, 2005, 09:24 PM
 
Originally Posted by mduell
What is with the continued use of these funky non-standard widescreen resolutions in the 15" PowerBook?
Everyone else and every other widescreen Apple product uses 16:10. The 15" PowerBook has been 15:10 for a while now.
The 15" screen dimensions were inherited from the Titanium PowerBook, which was essentially the first mass-market widescreen notebook. Since the current PowerBook series is now nearing it's EOL, it wouldn't be economically feasible to redesign the entire machine in order to correct the resolution issues.
     
striker100
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Oct 23, 2005, 09:30 PM
 
The 15" Powerbook brightness has not changed, only the 17". I was at an Apple retail store this afternoon and saw this with my own eyes. I'm getting the feeling there is a lot of placebo effect from those who have purchased the new Powerbooks. Posts such as "it's much faster than my last 1.67GHz Powerbook and the quality is so much better, etc..
     
bcaslis
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Oct 23, 2005, 10:52 PM
 
What you say is somewhat true. But in regards to speed, CPU speed is not everything. I have the new 17" and compared to the previous 1.67GHz 17" it does feel somewhat faster. Xbench (which I know is not also the best way to measure speed) does show the Seagate 120GB HD as about 20 - 25% faster than the Seagate 100GB HD in the previous PowerBook. So it is somewhat faster although certainly not a huge amount.

Originally Posted by striker100
The 15" Powerbook brightness has not changed, only the 17". I was at an Apple retail store this afternoon and saw this with my own eyes. I'm getting the feeling there is a lot of placebo effect from those who have purchased the new Powerbooks. Posts such as "it's much faster than my last 1.67GHz Powerbook and the quality is so much better, etc..
MacBook Pro 17" 2.4 Ghz, 4GB ram, 200GB 7200rpm HD
     
John123
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Oct 24, 2005, 02:11 AM
 
Originally Posted by bcaslis
What you say is somewhat true. But in regards to speed, CPU speed is not everything. I have the new 17" and compared to the previous 1.67GHz 17" it does feel somewhat faster. Xbench (which I know is not also the best way to measure speed) does show the Seagate 120GB HD as about 20 - 25% faster than the Seagate 100GB HD in the previous PowerBook. So it is somewhat faster although certainly not a huge amount.
While I do agree with striker about the likelihood of a placebo effect, I also have to chime in that in playing with the stock 15" at the Apple Store, it felt snappier to me. Granted, the machine I had been using was the most recent 1.5Ghz, so there is a CPU clock increase from my old Mac to the one I'm getting...but nevertheless, it was perceptible, although not huge.

I'm hoping more than anything that it has smoothed out some of the kinks in the most recent revisions. If it's a more polished product overall, I'll be happy. I'm Apple's biggest critic, though, so when mine arrives, I'll be sure to note the good and the bad.
MacBook Pro 15" -- 2.2Ghz, 4GB, 200GB 7200rpm
iPod Nano 2G -- 8GB
     
   
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