New Powerbooks

[edokid]

Hey everyone, I know there's a similar post for this but just a quick question from a PC user. I want to get a PowerBook soon. Everyone kept telling me to wait until September because there's some show and that's when Apple unveils all it's new hardware. I'm just checking their site though and I see the new imac G5 so I'm assuming that the show is over? The PowerBook's haven't changed so would the next change be in a few months or whenever they possibly make it a G5? I just don't want to buy today and find out that the show everyone is talking about is in a week or something and have new ones coming out. If there were new ones would they be out by now? Thanks.

 

[citystar2k]

There definitely wont be a g5 powerbook anytime till next year. Apple upgraded the Powerbook lines a few months ago, it's unlikely there will be another upgrade for a good while yet. But dont quote me on that.

 

[PowerbookG417]

i agree as well...your probably not looking for a new powerbook until early to mid next year, with the release of the imac G5 its show'd us how close apple is to getting a G5 processor into the size/space needed for a powerbook...but they still have a ways to go to shrink it down to an acceptable size, plus being able to cool it.

what i really wanna know is what do people think the screen sizes will be for the new g5's...think the might come out with some insane 20" powerbook or will it just be a 12, 15, 17 again ????

 

[lar5one]

I guess if they go any bigger now it'll stop being a laptop?

 

[citystar2k]

Desktop replacement i believe they call it. But i have this feeling that a G5 powerbook might be a little expensive, i know there might not even be a 12" version, but i might be better off buying a powermac with a nice tft, not a studio display, the money apple want for those are a little too extortionate for me.

Who knows, it could be a whole new chipset instead of a G5 apple may do, remember intel do centrinos which are laptop only processors whilst Apple's processor are shared between the whole line up barring G5 products.

 

[edokid]

Who knows, it could be a whole new chipset instead of a G5 apple may do, remember intel do centrinos which are laptop only processors whilst Apple's processor are shared between the whole line up barring G5 products.

That's true, but centrino isn't a processor just so you know. It's just a platform that integrates the processor, battery saving and wireless. They still use Pentium M or Celeron processors. Notice it says "With Intel Centrino Technology" and then a sticker for Celeron or Pentium M.

 

[MAC-simus]

powerbook will update soon! its at the and of update cycle. no G5 this time, but rumor says it will have dual core G4, over 2 Ghz.
for mac buyer's guide chek
http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/

 

[edokid]

powerbook will update soon! its at the and of update cycle. no G5 this time, but rumor says it will have dual core G4, over 2 Ghz.
for mac buyer's guide chek
http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/

How long do you think it will be? I want a PowerBook so bad I'm so impatient! I hate to wait lol. On the Apple website it says "The New Powerbooks" but aren't these the ones that have been out for months? Yesterday when I was in the Apple Store website in Canada, it had the green "New" circle icons over all 3 of the powerbooks but today it's gone. Think that was maybe a test for new ones coming out? I don't want to wait much more than a month, think it will be longer than that?

 

[MAC-simus]

cant yell you the dates, sorry. I want to buy one too and I em holding back, waiting for update. probably it will happen somewhere berween december/january. I can tell it only based on powerbook update history. nothing concrete so far, but big chance it will be dual core G4. nobody should expect G5 untill spring/summer 2005. again thats just my oppinion, some may disagree

 

[m1k]

Buy now, they'll probably be updated sometime next year.

Just do it, trust us, you won't regret it.

 

[edokid]

What does dual core G4 mean? Like dual processor? I don't mind buying now if it means that say the 1.5ghz will go to say 1.8 and the 1.33 to 1.5 or something. I just don't want to miss something revolutionary. But I mean the way they are now is pretty sweet, faster specs isn't too important to me, just don't want to miss like a 12" widescreen or a 14" or something like that.

 

[MAC-simus]

What does dual core G4 mean? Like dual processor? I don't mind buying now if it means that say the 1.5ghz will go to say 1.8 and the 1.33 to 1.5 or something. I just don't want to miss something revolutionary. But I mean the way they are now is pretty sweet, faster specs isn't too important to me, just don't want to miss like a 12" widescreen or a 14" or something like that.

its like to have two processing units in one shell. in contrast with dual CPU systems in dual core architecture the processing units communicate faster, its smaller and requires less power. it will do the same job as dual CPU system. they are rumored to have larger L2 cache, 1mb, which is a big deal. it will be heaven for dual optimized apps, so expect much, much better performance lets say in final cut or motion and OS X. though it would not metter for some apps, that are not dual optimized. I consider it a significant update. first dual core notebook. apple may even change the design (I think so)

 

[ChicoWeb]

There won't be a g5 laptop. Not anytime in the near future. If you want a battle tank laptop buy an HP, but apple will not lower their standard. I can see a dual processor in the future though

 

[edokid]

That sounds cool. I'm just confused as to why on Apple's website though it says "The New PowerBook G4's" when you click on the PowerBook section. And under the Apple Store it says something like "All New PowerBooks come with the following:" Why does it keep calling them new? I just don't want to hold off for a month or two and not have anything new come out when I could buy something today

 

[Icarus]

they call them 'new' because of marketing. If they said, "Old Powerbooks!" would you buy it? No. If you saw two computers next to each other that looked the same, left the same and in essence were the same, and one had "BRAND NEW!" above it, which would you buy? HRM...?
Marketing is all a series of mind games. .99 cents? C'mon folks...

 

[edokid]

Obviously it's marketing, but it could also just say PowerBook G4. It's obviously not going to say OLD PowerBooks, we're not that stupid.

 

[m1k]

PowerBooks are due for a speed refresh in a few months, but definitely not a bump to a G5 processor... that's at least a year away. But maybe speeds up to 1.8Ghz?

Read the forecast by AtAT: http://appleturns.com/ Third down the page.

 

[Murlyn]

Im thinking next week or the week after there will be updates to the eMac and PowerBook's and possibly the iBook.

 

[m1k]

I'm thinking a G5 processor in an eMac in 1-2 weeks, and then a PowerBook G4 refresh around Christmas.

Why the eMac? Well, apparently the eMacs were extremely popular, because they're cheap, good-looking, and have OS X on them. Perfect for somebody who doesn't need the latest and greatest but who just wants a solid system. And eMacs have been last refreshed, how long ago? Quite a while.

You can quote me on this in 1-2 weeks when Apple releases the new eMac

 

[trpnmonkey41]

I have talked with people in the AppleStore and they say that there will not be anymore significant upgrades to the eMac because apple is trying to phase it out and replace it with the iMac as its low cost