[spathi]

Originally posted by hlouey:
BTW you won't find quickbooks on your machine. The OZ version has had it removed.

Henry,

do you know if they removed anything else? (such as the office trial etc)

[hlouey]

Originally posted by spathi:
Henry,

do you know if they removed anything else? (such as the office trial etc)

As far as I can tell only Quickbooks. Give me a break i only had 10 minutes on the machine as everyone else wanted a look see :-)

If you look at the localised flyer for the 12" you will see that under "included software" two commas ,, where Quickbooks was removed from the Australian literature but someone forgot to remove the 2nd comma.

I got a laugh out of it at least ;-)

Henry

[Chuck1]

I ordered mine through Powermedia about aweek after the announcement... Hopefully now the standard "we don't know" will become more specific now that at least display machines have arrived...



Chuck1

[Wet Jimmy]

Well, I just did a bit of a ring around and MacCentric in Chatswood, Sydney, claim that they have already sold their initial lot of 17"'ers to the public.

Of course, in my experience MacCentric have been lying sacks of ****, so I still don't really believe them.

Computers Now in North Sydney, who have a demo model on display, still have no idea when they will get their initial shipment of retail models.

To finish off, I called the Apple Online store and left a message for my rep there. This week marks Week 7 of my initial 5-7 week waiting period, so it better turn up.

Who's for a Class Action lawsuit?

[OzAl]

Originally posted by hlouey:
Hey OzAl,

Good to here you got yours in. Question. did you order from the online Apple store? If so it would be naughty of Apple to favor its own customers over Reseller wouldn't it???

<grin>

Henry

If it's any comfort to you, I ordered on January 15, through my company's laptop salary sacrifice plan. Since my company didn't have an account with Apple, Apple required payment in full before they could process the order. So I waited 11 weeks _after_ having paid for it.

I suspect that's why I was at the head of the queue.

Ah, patience is a wonderful virtue, especially when you don't require it any longer.

Al

[Wet Jimmy]

Well, I got in touch with the Apple OnLine Store rep who has been dealing with my order - the best he can offer me is a "guaranteed" "by the end of the month".

I'd hate to be in a resellers shoes right now - it's not as if they can make these things appear out of thin air, and the whole time they have people like me hassling them.

To their credit, the OnLine store has offered me a free copy of Keynote by way of thanks for sticking in there. It's not really an application I intend to be using much, but I suppose it's good-will of a sort.

At any rate, I have to say that my enthusiasm for this product has taken a big kick in the nuts. I'm pretty upset that I'll be receiving a "ten week out of date" product.

PS: He also speculated that since Apple Aus. only received about eleven out of the initial twenty ordered, nearly all of these went to stores to demo, and a couple were kept internally (No doubt for Apple Aus Execs.) so take any report of Aussies having Powerbooks with a grain of salt unless you have some convincing proof.

[OzAl]

Originally posted by Wet Jimmy:

PS: He also speculated that since Apple Aus. only received about eleven out of the initial twenty ordered, nearly all of these went to stores to demo, and a couple were kept internally (No doubt for Apple Aus Execs.) so take any report of Aussies having Powerbooks with a grain of salt unless you have some convincing proof.

I guess this is one of the great challenges of the internet - how can you verify what you read? Skepticism is certainly rife - I've seen some astonishing reactions to posts in other MacNN forums. What's more, the misinformation from supposedly reliable sources can be quite disheartening.

So I let you know that my PB17 has arrived, and some wiseguy says it's implausible. And I guess it would actually be quite difficult for me to prove it, even assuming I could be bothered (e.g. if I sent a photo of the laptop with the city of Adelaide in the background, someone would probably suggest I did it with Photoshop!).

One of my late father-in-law's sayings comes to mind: "the winners can laugh and the losers can please themselves." In the meantime I'll keep enjoying my PB17.

OzAl

[DVD Plaza]

Originally posted by OzAl:
So I waited 11 weeks _after_ having paid for it.

I ordered mine January 7th and paid LAST NOVEMBER, yet still wait!!! (I bought a new 1GHz TiBook, returned under DOA, took until January for replacement to arrive, at which point 17" was announced so I changed to 17")

[kiwioz]

Fedex Just drop off my New PB 17"


I will send Pics later

[Wet Jimmy]

Originally posted by OzAl:
how can you verify what you read?

It's actually super easy to put your money where your mouth is - take a digital photo of your 17" powerbook, with a red pen sitting on the keyboard and a Google.com Search Results page for the words "strong bad" clearly visible on screen - even better if it's, as you say, outdoors. See? Easy. Ten seconds to set up, one digital camera button press later and following that, you'll be the most exalted Australian Mac User of our age.

Then again, you DON'T have to justify yourself to a bunch of faceless organisms in internet land, but we all know what happened to Jay Ti, the dude who claimed he could score a 17" before anyone else in the world and STILL not be able to get his hands on a digital camera.

Frankly, there are just too many lying weenies out there in internet land who have nothing better to do than make up **** on message boards.

[kiwioz]

Originally posted by Wet Jimmy:
It's actually super easy to put your money where your mouth is - take a digital photo of your 17" powerbook, with a red pen sitting on the keyboard and a Google.com Search Results page for the words "strong bad" clearly visible on screen - even better if it's, as you say, outdoors. See? Easy. Ten seconds to set up, one digital camera button press later and following that, you'll be the most exalted Australian Mac User of our age.

Then again, you DON'T have to justify yourself to a bunch of faceless organisms in internet land, but we all know what happened to Jay Ti, the dude who claimed he could score a 17" before anyone else in the world and STILL not be able to get his hands on a digital camera.

Frankly, there are just too many lying weenies out there in internet land who have nothing better to do than make up **** on message boards.

I will be getting home at 5:30 I will do it when I get home.

PS how do ou put a pic on here I trid it the other day. I am using Safari. Please help me


Craig

[Wet Jimmy]

I don't believe you can host a pic on MacNN. You'll need to put it up on your own host and then link to it from here

Alternatively, email it to [email protected]! I'd love to see any pics of a 17" on Australian shores that ISN'T a demo model!

PS: If your powerbook DOES arrive - I hate you

[Wet Jimmy]

PPS: 200th post!

Just because I can

[kiwioz]

Originally posted by Wet Jimmy:
PPS: 200th post!

Just because I can

Here is the Fedex Stuff

Delivered/DONCASTER EAST AU
04/02/2003 13:05
_

On FedEx vehicle for delivery/DERRIMUT AU
04/02/2003 09:30
_

On FedEx vehicle for delivery/DERRIMUT AU
04/02/2003 09:58
_

Arrived at FedEx Destination Location/DERRIMUT AU
04/02/2003 09:06
_

Package status/ALEXANDRIA AU
04/01/2003 20:25
_In transit in destination country

Package status/ALEXANDRIA AU
04/01/2003 19:47
_

Package status/ALEXANDRIA AU
04/01/2003 20:02
_Released for Delivery

Package status/ALEXANDRIA AU
04/01/2003 15:30
_

Package status/ALEXANDRIA AU
04/01/2003 06:09
_Regulatory Agency Clearance Delay

Package status/ALEXANDRIA AU
03/31/2003 05:23
_Regulatory Agency Clearance Delay

Package status/ALEXANDRIA AU
03/30/2003 13:11
_Regulatory Agency Clearance Delay

Package status/ALEXANDRIA AU
03/30/2003 13:11
_Package available for clearance

Arrived at FedEx Ramp/MASCOT AU
03/29/2003 19:42
_

[Chuck1]

Well I called Powermedia at Pyrmont this morning and they don't have their display unit yet, but he guy was thinking it would be before the weekend. He reckons the consumer shipment will be late next week...

Shame, I've got a job I'd love to do on the new machine, but unfortunately it's deadline is next Wednesday...

Anyway, back to work.

So hard to focus...

[Wet Jimmy]

Originally posted by kiwioz:
Here is the Fedex Stuff
_

*Snip*

Aaargh! It was at Mascot Airport - forty minutes from where I am now! If only I'd know, I'd have waged a daring moonlit raid and snatched it for myself!

Well, maybe not, but I would have WANTED to...

[Wet Jimmy]

Originally posted by Chuck1:
Well I called Powermedia at Pyrmont

Powermedia - they're the guys in Murray St. right?

I think I've been there before, but I can't think why...

[Hornet]

Originally posted by kiwioz:
I asked a friend what he thought of your replay and this is what I got


BULLSHIT

all of it

so international businessmen don't use their modems in australia? Bullshit

it is THE SAME MODEM IN ALL THE POWERBOOKS!!!! u just choose which country you are in!!!

and the power cables are NOT proprietary ?

****ing morons on forums - which is where that came from rite?

and that the **** is an "airport modem"?!?! LOL - is this guy 14? jellous? IQ < 70?
sorry - ranting

Right on. There WONT be problems with airport, I can 100% confirm that (from experiences with a US Ti15 on a friends AU ABS). The modems are the same, just without the aussie certification - big woop. And a little power adapter will cost you next to nothing at an electronics store.

Sounds like someone is a bit sour about hearing someone else saved $200 methinks

[Chuck1]

Originally posted by Wet Jimmy:
Powermedia - they're the guys in Murray St. right?

I think I've been there before, but I can't think why...

Yeah, Murray St.

I've never even been in the store, but when I called asking for a price on the 17" the first price they gave me was $6660 - more than three hundred bucks under the RRP and still over a hundred bucks less than my friend-of-a-friend's 'mates rates' at another reseller.

So yeah, I was pretty impressed.

Just out of curiosity, what did all you guys shell out for the 17PB, and from where? - If that's not too personal a question...

Chuck1

[�tomic]

Originally posted by Chuck1:
Yeah, Murray St.

I've never even been in the store, but when I called asking for a price on the 17" the first price they gave me was $6660 - more than three hundred bucks under the RRP and still over a hundred bucks less than my friend-of-a-friend's 'mates rates' at another reseller.

So yeah, I was pretty impressed.

Just out of curiosity, what did all you guys shell out for the 17PB, and from where? - If that's not too personal a question...

Chuck1

17" PB
extra 512Mb DDR SO-DIMM (1GB total)
apple pro keyboard
apple DVI to ADC converter
$7455

[Wet Jimmy]

I've actually got an incredibly sweet deal on my gear -

The stock standard 512MB 17" Powerbook and an Extra Battery is costing $6542.80 thanks to educational pricing.

Because I am paying for it through a salary sacrafice scheme though, at the end of the twelve month "pay-off" period, I end up paying a total of only $2,997.00!!!

I have bought an extra PC2700 512MB stick of RAM from a supplier in Sydney I used to deal with for $328.90, which I believe is a pretty good deal, too. On top of that, I'm picking up a Griffin Powermate and an iCurve for wholesale prices (Powermate is $95.00 and I'm not sure what the iCurve is, but it's just under a hundred I think - shipping costs are high on them).

So yeah, I think I've scored well. I also bought an Apple Pro Keyboard (black), a 10GB iPod and an Airport Extreme base station w/o modem - but they were just at standard educational prices.

I tell ya, Full Time Worker, Part Time student certainly has it's advantages!

[veryniceguy2002]

Originally posted by OzAl:
After the gloomy assessment Apple gave me just Monday on delivery times, imagine my astonishment when a delivery van pulled up outside my house yesterday (Adelaide) and disgorged my very own brand new 17" PB (BTO with 1GB of RAM)! It showed up on April Fool's Day!

This message is being typed on said laptop in the wee hours of the morning. It is a truly beautiful machine, as we've all heard. No big issues with the lid when closed, no dead pixels, whisper quiet, not unacceptably warm even when recharging - all in all, it was very well worth the wait (although I was beginning to wonder as the weeks stretched into months).

So hang in there, folks - it will happen eventually!

A very happy OzAl

PS. In case you're tempted to wonder, this is not an April Fool's message - in fact I'm writing this on April 2 (even if it is 12:40am).

I can see somewhere in Adelaide last night there was a house with the lights turned on all night and someone inside facing the new toy...

Glad to hear someone happy!

BTW did Apple charge your credit card when you place the order, or Apple didn't charge until they start to ship your 17" PowerBook? If they charge you before they ship the order, then you definitely deserve to have yours earlier than the Apple Centres!

Have plenty of fun with it!!!

[OzAl]

Originally posted by veryniceguy2002:
I can see somewhere in Adelaide last night there was a house with the lights turned on all night and someone inside facing the new toy...

Glad to hear someone happy!

BTW did Apple charge your credit card when you place the order, or Apple didn't charge until they start to ship your 17" PowerBook? If they charge you before they ship the order, then you definitely deserve to have yours earlier than the Apple Centres!

Have plenty of fun with it!!!

It was definitely me with the lights on!

Yes, the way the order worked there was no credit involved. The ca$h was handed over up front.

Pictures to come shortly...

OzAl

[OzAl]

Originally posted by Wet Jimmy:
It's actually super easy to put your money where your mouth is - take a digital photo of your 17" powerbook, with a red pen sitting on the keyboard and a Google.com Search Results page for the words "strong bad" clearly visible on screen - even better if it's, as you say, outdoors. See? Easy. Ten seconds to set up, one digital camera button press later and following that, you'll be the most exalted Australian Mac User of our age.

Then again, you DON'T have to justify yourself to a bunch of faceless organisms in internet land, but we all know what happened to Jay Ti, the dude who claimed he could score a 17" before anyone else in the world and STILL not be able to get his hands on a digital camera.

Frankly, there are just too many lying weenies out there in internet land who have nothing better to do than make up **** on message boards.

Wet Jimmy,

Ask for it, and you've got it! Go to http://playground.sun.com/~allanp/pb17. Click on a thumbnail for a medium-sized picture, and click on that to get the full size (1.5MB each). You wanted a red pen and a Google search on "strong bad" so you got 'em. To add some local Aussie flavour, I toyed with including a clothes line in the background, but in the end decided to sit the 17" on the front seat of my car (Ford Falcon wagon) with the owner's manual overlapping the PB17. You can see the Aussie flag near the lower right corner of the manual.

I guess this still doesn't absolutely prove anything, but it's getting tough to fake these shots. As a final clincher for the incurable skeptics among you, later today I'm calling in at the Glenunga (South Australia) Next Byte store (Apple reseller) to pick up some blank DVD-Rs. I'll have the 17" in hand at the time. No doubt at least one or two of the staff will see it and comment on it. So if you still want proof, call them late this afternoon: (08)8338-7444.

OzAl

[grunge]

Bloody fantastic!!! Well done. Well, I believed you before, but it is great to see a pic of that sensational machine in this country...enjoy it!

Greg

[Wet Jimmy]

Originally posted by OzAl:
Wet Jimmy, Ask for it, and you've got it!

Well, I have to say I'm convinced - and AMAZINGLY jealous!

Congrats on being the first Aussie Powerbook Owner! I'm sure you'll be enjoying every minute of it! And I can only hope htat I join the ranks before the end of the month

And thanks for being such a good sport about this, too! Jay Ti could take a lesson or two from you, I think

Cheers!

Wet Jimmy

[grunge]

WOOHOO! Well guys I have just picked up my 17" powerbook from my reseller here in Brisbane. Infinite Systems called me this afternoon at about 4.30pm to say it had arrived, and I had it in my hot little hands by 5.30pm (yes...it took me that long!) Apparently, they received their complete first order of 16 units today...all spoken for of course. They placed their order 6.00am on the day of keynote apparently, and I placed my order on the 29th January.

More to follow...gonna be a late night I think...

[spathi]

Originally posted by grunge:
WOOHOO! Well guys I have just picked up my 17" powerbook from my reseller here in Brisbane. Infinite Systems called me this afternoon at about 4.30pm to say it had arrived, and I had it in my hot little hands by 5.30pm (yes...it took me that long!) Apparently, they received their complete first order of 16 units today...all spoken for of course. They placed their order 6.00am on the day of keynote apparently, and I placed my order on the 29th January.

More to follow...gonna be a late night I think...

damn.. i knew i should have ordered from there i didn't even know they existed until i walked past it one day (after i ordered already).

That'll teach me for not doing a bit of research!

have fun with it! try to get some sleep (and just remember, the weekend isnt too far away!)

[hlouey]

Originally posted by spathi:
damn.. i knew i should have ordered from there i didn't even know they existed until i walked past it one day (after i ordered already).

That'll teach me for not doing a bit of research!

have fun with it! try to get some sleep (and just remember, the weekend isnt too far away!)

Has anyone else received theirs from the re-seller??

Best Regards,

Henry

[Chuck1]

Good question! Anyone else got theirs yet from a reseller?

Can't stand all this waiting! I've done so much twiddling of my thumbs that they just constantly rotate by themselves now.

Hmmmm... Just think of the uses... Massaging my wife... Mixing pancakes... Wiping the dust off my iMac screen... Sure makes using the mouse difficult though.

Chuck1

[�tomic]

Originally posted by Chuck1:
Good question! Anyone else got theirs yet from a reseller?

Can't stand all this waiting! I've done so much twiddling of my thumbs that they just constantly rotate by themselves now.

Hmmmm... Just think of the uses... Massaging my wife... Mixing pancakes... Wiping the dust off my iMac screen... Sure makes using the mouse difficult though.

Chuck1

Chuck,

Did you say you bought yours from Powermedia...? If so what date did you order?

[grunge]

Well, I spent quite a bit of time getting to know my new powerbook last night, and I have to say, as a 'switcher', I am sold for life. This is a truly beautiful machine. No lid closing problems, not a single dead pixel, set up was a dream...I think I'm in love. My only gripe is that I haven't been able to find a case for it yet! Anyone have any suggestions?

The keyboard is beautiful, the backlighting is spectacular. It takes a but of getting used to having real estate either side of the keyboard, but this is a minor quibble.

Coming from windows, I just can't believe how easy it is to install software into OSX...why didn;t someone tell me about this sooner!!! LOL!

Cheers

Greg

[Chuck1]

I ordered from Powermedia in mid January. They say I'm about no. 2 on their list... Actually I called this morning and they now have their display unit, but haven't got the consumer stock in yet...

Chuck

[hlouey]

Originally posted by grunge:
Well, I spent quite a bit of time getting to know my new powerbook last night, and I have to say, as a 'switcher', I am sold for life. This is a truly beautiful machine. No lid closing problems, not a single dead pixel, set up was a dream...I think I'm in love. My only gripe is that I haven't been able to find a case for it yet! Anyone have any suggestions?

The keyboard is beautiful, the backlighting is spectacular. It takes a but of getting used to having real estate either side of the keyboard, but this is a minor quibble.

Coming from windows, I just can't believe how easy it is to install software into OSX...why didn;t someone tell me about this sooner!!! LOL!

Cheers

Greg

Greg,

I just ordered a BrainBag, Monolith and Snake Charmer from www.tombihn.com. At $AUS380 shipped its a lot of money. But not as much as the PB ;-)

Henry

[�tomic]

Originally posted by Chuck1:
I ordered from Powermedia in mid January. They say I'm about no. 2 on their list... Actually I called this morning and they now have their display unit, but haven't got the consumer stock in yet...

Chuck

Im third on the list at Powermedia. The minute I hear you have yours I will start getting excited.

By the way, did they mention when the consumer stock is coming in?

[Chuck1]

Have a look for 17" bags here too:

http://www.booqbags.com/products.html
http://www.willowdesign.com/SC-37.html

Chuck.

[Chuck1]

Originally posted by �tomic:
Im third on the list at Powermedia. The minute I hear you have yours I will start getting excited.

By the way, did they mention when the consumer stock is coming in?

No definite dates... Just a ballpark of late next week. I think they were just pulling that out of thin air though.

I'll be sure to let you know when I get it. What date did you order by the way?

Chuck.

[�tomic]

Originally posted by Chuck1:
No definite dates... Just a ballpark of late next week. I think they were just pulling that out of thin air though.

I'll be sure to let you know when I get it. What date did you order by the way?

Chuck.

4th Feb

[�tomic]

Originally posted by Chuck1:
Have a look for 17" bags here too:

http://www.booqbags.com/products.html
http://www.willowdesign.com/SC-37.html

Chuck.

I ordered the willowdesign SC-37 bag - It on its way now - just need a powerbook to fill it

[�tomic]

I said I wasnt gonna go - but who could help themselves. I just took my first look at the powerbook at powermedia and I am very impressed. The screen is sooooo sharp and crisp, the lid is effortless to open and close (much better than the 15"PB) the keyboard feels great also, the best i've used on a portable.

Talk about torturing myself

Oh well maybe next week

[Chuck1]

Hmmm... I'm going to go I think. I have to get some software for my sister anyway, that'll be my excuse... Probably make the weekend a nightmare but hey - at least I'll finally see and feel what seems like an elusive apparition!

Chuck.

[grunge]

Thanks Henry

Just ordered a Monolith and a Snake Pouch from Tom Binh...should be here next week. Think I might look for a back pack locally, since the Monolith should give me all the protection I need.

I know STM have a bag coming in Australia, but no-one can tell me when it is expected. Website says available end of March, but stores in Brissy don't have stock yet. The Tom Binh babs do look very well made...

More tinkering to do..more software to load...

Cheers

Greg

[MarkyP]

Thought it was about time I actively joined this forum as I have been lurking here since I ordered my 17" on Jan 14 from the Apple Center Broadway - Sydney.
They now have a demo in stock - which I checked out yesterday, and apart from the un-even closing is as good as I hoped . As far as actual stock they cannot give me any definate dates apart from the usual "2 weeks - we hope" . I don't blame them as I know the score - but the fact that I paid for my powerbook fully at the beginning of Feb is a little hard to swallow . Still they say I am number 2 on their list, which is a small comfort.
As far as bags go I bought a crumpler 'crisp suit'
http://crumpler.com.au which is a great bag - very well made and will fit the powerbook nicely. Plus they have a brilliant web page - worth checking out.
Glad to hear there are some 17" arriving down here at last - it gives me hope ! I'll post any more news as soon as I get it .

P.S. - good to see this Aussie thread doing so well - lets keep it up- we may be a tiny market here but we count!

[DVD Plaza]

Oh my god, that's the funniest f#cking website I've ever seen!!!! ROTFL - LITERALLY!!!

[Wet Jimmy]

Originally posted by DVD Plaza:
Oh my god, that's the funniest f#cking website I've ever seen!!!! ROTFL - LITERALLY!!!

It's aweseme design, isn't it? I'd love to know how long they'd been drinking before coming up with that site

[Chuck1]

Just had a look today at the 17 at Powermedia.... Ooooooohhhhhhhh...

Wow.

The trackpad button is 1000x better than the trackpad button on the 12". Such a sticky button, this one is silky smooth.

Hey �tomic, they tell me I'm actually no1 on the list... I hope that means I get one next week. It would be awesome for a job I've got - 2x2.5m banner, which is about a 500MB Illustrator file...

Chuck.

[�tomic]

Originally posted by Chuck1:
Just had a look today at the 17 at Powermedia.... Ooooooohhhhhhhh...

Wow.

The trackpad button is 1000x better than the trackpad button on the 12". Such a sticky button, this one is silky smooth.

Hey �tomic, they tell me I'm actually no1 on the list... I hope that means I get one next week. It would be awesome for a job I've got - 2x2.5m banner, which is about a 500MB Illustrator file...

Chuck.

I hope we both get it next week - I have a project starting the week after and actually need it by then...I dont have anything else to do it on.

[MarkyP]

hey guys,
just noticed the est. build time for 17" powerbooks on the apple store australia page has gone from 3-5 weeks down to 2-3 weeks. Thats gotta be good news .... now lets see what happens with the resellers.

[hlouey]

Originally posted by MarkyP:
hey guys,
just noticed the est. build time for 17" powerbooks on the apple store australia page has gone from 3-5 weeks down to 2-3 weeks. Thats gotta be good news .... now lets see what happens with the resellers.

I am off to spend some time putting the demo model of 17" at my Apple Centre through its paces. DVD playpack, etc etc

I have this feeling my Brain Bag and Accessories will come before my machine arrives!

Henry

[�tomic]

Originally posted by hlouey:
I am off to spend some time putting the demo model of 17" at my Apple Centre through its paces. DVD playpack, etc etc

Let us know how you go with it.