I NEED PEOPLES OPINIONs PLEASE

Hi i recently signed up to these forums seeking information and opinions from MAC users. i plan on buying a powerbook 12inch for my first Mac very shortly. but after hearing the new news about the intel mac im not sure if i should wait till they come out with that 12 inch model or just go head and buy the current one.

my friend was telling me that i should go ahead and buy the G4 powerbook cause there might be compability issue with the new processor and that a program (i think Rosetta) will emulate the new chip as a G4/G5 so that programs could run. i do agree with my friend because this new mac has not been tested by consumers yet over a period of time so anything could happend

but the new chip seems very impressive and if the chip is really 4X times faster, thats a really big increase (75 % faster) and for the same price it seems so far. and i would not want to have old technology if they stop producing the G chips.

so im abit in a delema

Does any know if they will come out with a intel powerbook 12 inch?
or should i go ahead and get the G4 powerbook when there is a special?

Please respond

Thanks

Its a personal choice TBH, on the flipside I think you should go with the G4 that has been tried and tested over the years as opposed to new MacBook Pro which hasn't been tested. No-one really knows how reliable they will be so well will just have to wait and see what happens. I was waiting to get one of the new ones but I changed my order and got the 17" PowerBook cos I have read how they've been tested and are very reliable.

Hope that helps.

Personally I'd wait if you have to have the 12". The G4 is a pretty "old" chip at this point, and the Core Duo has some nice features. Otherwise, I'd go with one of the new MacBooks.

Here is what I would do and somewhat did. I orginally purchased a PB 15" I really liked it and had it for about 4 months. However I really decided later on that I wanted to get the 17" PB. So I sold my 15" PB on eBay for 200.00 less than what I paid for it. Then I went and got the 17" and happy that I did it. So what I would recommend to you is get the G4 now. Wait until the new Intel PB comes out and see if there are any compatability issues with hardware, software etc. If not, and you still want the Intel PB, than sell your PB on eBay or to a friend. Believe me you will have no problem off-loading your PB. Why wait?

Get the Intel one. This is the future for Apple.

Yes but they have not been fully tested and there is not much 'Intel Softwarte'

Rosetta but it is just an emulaor

Pretty much all future software will be Intel compatible (Universal) so that is not a real issue.

I would wait for a revision of the new Intel Macs and to see what else Apple has up it's sleeve over the next 3 or 4 months.

EDIT-XTREEM said:

Yes but they have not been fully tested and there is not much 'Intel Softwarte'

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Apple has been running OS X on Intel processors for like 5 years, I am sure it'll be fine.

Rosetta will run transparent for most things..

Tell us more about what you want to do with the computer

Not intending to hijack the thread, but I'm also trying to decide on purchasing a G5 or Intel iMac. I'm a long time Mac user, but have some reservations about buying something with a brand new architecture. My plan was to buy a G5 iMac this weekend, and I'm still leaning that way. Primary concern is that I live in a remote area, so having any problems corrected is not an easy task. The G5 will do everything I need and its a proven platform. The only real benefit to the Intel iMac for me at this point is the higher screen resolution. I normally work on a 2 year replacement cycle and I would imagine the intel based system will be pretty mature by then.

I have to buy something in the next week or so, expiring funds if you will, so I don't really have time to wait and see if there are any issues with the new systems or not.

Thoughts?

Oh yeah, I just joined Mac Forums, first post and all. Howdy!! :mac:

I think we need to know what kind of computing youre going to do on a 12" powerbook before we can give advice. If you are wanting to do some heavy photoshop work, then rosetta isnt a good choice. Plus the only people that have used the new macbooks are the people that developed them. It has a lot of awesome new features, but just think, a year after they ship and they work out most of the bugs, they might be able to implement so much more and make it even faster. There are pro's and con's for both, and I think another factor is how long you plan on using the laptop. If youre only going to have it for a few years then get something else, I would get the 12" powerbook because it already has the kinks worked out and all the new software that comes out will be universal. After a few years, im sure the macbooks will be awesome with even better features and you might want to sell the macbook they have now to get a new one.

Teaser, if you are wanting an iMac I would also get the G5, especially since you live in a remote area. Plus you said you replace your computers about every two years, the intel macs should be good and figured out by then.

Teaser said:

The only real benefit to the Intel iMac for me at this point is the higher screen resolution.

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Well the resolution is the same, all the 17in iMacs are 1440x900, all the 20in iMacs are 1680x1050, doesn't matter if it is G5 or Core Duo.

What about the huge speed increase? I would think you would find that to be benificial.

i would definetly get the g4. the intels are untested and rev a (first generation). there will be many software compatability issues since rosetta will most likely not run smoothly. either buy a 12 inch now or wait for a second generation. and finally...the new ones are not actually 4x faster. also depending on what you do it wont make much of a difference.

mynameis said:

Well the resolution is the same, all the 17in iMacs are 1440x900, all the 20in iMacs are 1680x1050, doesn't matter if it is G5 or Core Duo.

What about the huge speed increase? I would think you would find that to be benificial.

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Oh, I thought I read that the resolution had been increased. Speed boost would be great if it is fully realized. I'm not convinced at this point that it is. I use a G4 Powerbook at home and a G5 Quad PowerMac at work - I figure both iMacs fall somewhere in between. I also have this thing about leaving the G5 behind, strange I guess.

Would be a no-brainer for me if Apple would do the logical thing and reduce the price of the G5 iMac. Maybe they will when the intel's hit the brick & mortar stores.

I need peoples opinions (Continued)

i plan on buying a powerbook mainly for regular use browsing, emails, school work, etc and for music recording. i am also interested in graphic design and maybe do some video editing.

im kinda leaning towards the G4

The main reason is that the G4 is older technology and more reliable. there is alot of software out for the G4 and older technology and since the intel-mac are new and untested by consumers nothing is 100% for now. even on macs page that talks about Rosetta says that "If you already own Final Cut Studio 1.0, Aperture, or Logic Pro 7.1, these applications are not supported to run on Intel-based Macs with Rosetta". im almost certain there will be issues with other programs too. there no way that "Rosetta" will be able to run every software out there right now. Only time will tell. Another reason is that im able to get alot of software from my friend instead of buying upgrades for the intelmac and/or waiting for new software that is universal so that it work on the intel mac. We all know that mac software is expensive. Even when new software is out it will be able to run on a powerbook. The G4 will be good for at least 2-3 years. if anything i would consider to buy the intel-mac IMAC later on for a home computer so if theres any problems i would be able to use my G4.

i will wait to see what will go on with the intelmac during the next few weeks when they are out then make my decision. for now i think the G4 is the good choice in my opinion and if anything i could always sell my powerbook and get a new one.

And you said you needed our opinions ?

.

Pierre said:

And you said you needed our opinions ?

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LOL I cant wait to get :headphone

I agree. Rosetta may have some issues in the beginning. I just bought a PowerBook G4 while on cruise in the Navy in Dubai and it has performed great with no problems. I switched over from PC and haven't looked back. This thing is tough too. Held up to being out to sea and being not used in the typical environment. Also another thing with the new MacBooks is they don't have a modem. I can't imagine that. There are times where I am someplace (being in the Navy we don't always stay in top quality places) and I have needed this little ancient device. For me this was a no brainer. The G4 is solid. I love it.