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outthere · Mar 9, 2006, 12:23 AM

hi all,
i'm thinking about switching to Mac

, but mac is switching to intel

with bunch of universal softs and stuff, so my concern is that should i wait until 12" macbook pros come out ( dont even know when), or should i just go and get a 12" powerbook instead? i cant afford more than 2000.
please give some advise.
btw, it's cool joining the mac boat

TheBum · Mar 9, 2006, 12:39 AM

I would advise just about any switcher against getting a PowerPC machine. Switchers have no prior investment in PowerPC software to be concerned about and they'd be starting out behind the curve and would only fall farther back as time went by.

mduell · Mar 9, 2006, 12:47 AM

Most non-universal apps work fine under Rosetta on the Intel Macs, so you shouldn't worry about too much software being unavailable.

It has been persistently rumored that Apple will introduce a 13" widescreen to replace the 12" and 14" non-widescreen laptops. Guaranteed to happen this year, generally expected to happen in the next 3 months. Pricing should start around $999 for the base and $1499 for an upgraded model. I'd wait for it to come out, and then be the first customer for one.

outthere · Mar 9, 2006, 02:50 AM

mduell, thanks for those info
i hope the new ibooks ( macbook or watever) will have better video cards instead of ones they have now ( merely 32 mb memory), then the prices on your guess would be nice. 13" ws is perpect for me.
i probably wait for the next comeouts.

cambro · Mar 9, 2006, 09:25 AM

Originally Posted by outthere

mduell, thanks for those info
i hope the new ibooks ( macbook or watever) will have better video cards instead of ones they have now ( merely 32 mb memory)

I just hope the new iBooks (= MacBooks?) HAVE a video card at all what with the "integrated graphics" fiasco wit the Mac Mini.

TheBum · Mar 9, 2006, 11:35 AM

I think the whole "integrated graphics" thing has been blown way out of proportion. The graphics in the mini are quite sufficient for a consumer machine and they're much better than what was in the previous generation of minis: at least Core Image is fully supported now and the fast system bus being used with the Intel machines makes the shared use of main memory much less of a bottleneck. Like it or not, the iBook successor will also be targeted as a consumer machine, so I wouldn't be at all surprised if it uses the integrated graphics.

cambro · Mar 9, 2006, 12:15 PM

Originally Posted by TheBum

I think the whole "integrated graphics" thing has been blown way out of proportion. The graphics in the mini are quite sufficient for a consumer machine and they're much better than what was in the previous generation of minis: at least Core Image is fully supported now and the fast system bus being used with the Intel machines makes the shared use of main memory much less of a bottleneck. Like it or not, the iBook successor will also be targeted as a consumer machine, so I wouldn't be at all surprised if it uses the integrated graphics.

Yes but...
Small form factors don't have 8 RAM slots. They have two, maybe only one of which is user accessible. Integrated graphics will use at LEAST 80MB of your physical RAM and we all know how OS X and RAM get along...

Anyway, to get back on topic I'd say wait a bit and see what happens with the MacBook.

TheBum · Mar 9, 2006, 03:49 PM

Originally Posted by cambro

Yes but...
Small form factors don't have 8 RAM slots. They have two, maybe only one of which is user accessible. Integrated graphics will use at LEAST 80MB of your physical RAM and we all know how OS X and RAM get along...

My response to that is if you really want/need a separate graphics chip, buy a machine that has it. Nobody is forcing a consumer to buy a consumer-oriented machine. I'd rather see people be able to afford a computer that has integrated graphics than not be able to afford one because of the extra expense of a separate graphics chip. Besides, if Apple tried to make machines to cover every conceivable feature set, they'd go broke.

mduell · Mar 9, 2006, 07:43 PM

Originally Posted by cambro

Yes but...
Small form factors don't have 8 RAM slots. They have two, maybe only one of which is user accessible. Integrated graphics will use at LEAST 80MB of your physical RAM and we all know how OS X and RAM get along...

The Intel Mac mini has 2 user accessable slots, and supports 4GB total. 80MB is a drop in the bucket.