Apple Gives Laptops Speed Bumps 766
sockit2me9000 writes "Apple released their new PowerBook today. They include faster processors across the board (up to 1GHz), Radeon 9000 GPUs, and the top-of-the-line model will include a slot-loading SuperDrive. Price points remain about the same. New iBook was released as well."
Speed Bumps? (Score:2, Interesting)
Speed bumps (Score:1, Interesting)
Must be a first (Score:4, Interesting)
128MB? (Score:5, Interesting)
How far can you really get with OS X and the 128MB these Powerbooks ship with? OS X is great, but the prevailing opinion is that it's more memory hungry than Windows. (It's quite possible that this is a myth. Reviewers love to say dumb things like "I highly recommend that you upgrade to 512MB if you plan on doing more than simple word processing.")
I'll add, of course, that 128MB uses less power than 256MB, which is important for laptops.
battery life (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:128MB? (Score:3, Interesting)
Mac OS X's specifications recommend a minimum of 128MB. If you are going to use Classic, that is too small--OS X thrashes as it has to swap a lot.
RAM is currently quite cheap, and since cracking an iBook or PowerBook open can be a little daunting (and warranty-voiding if done wrong), I recommend having at least 384MB for Jaguar. 512MB+ is optimum.
Re:128MB? (Score:5, Interesting)
The good news is that 512MB chips for the iBook are now available for $80-100, so you can max out the memory (640MB) for a reasonable price. Apple memory is still expensive though.
Here's how Dell stacks up (hint: buy the PB) (Score:4, Interesting)
I chose the Dell Inspiron line, since they have a better price/performance ratio than the Latitudes. The only Inspiron that's in the ballpark, weight-wise, is the 4150 (5.6-6.5lbs, 1.47" thick). The powerbook wins this one hands-down.
I configured it w/ a 2.0Ghz P4, SXGA+ screen, and the best available video card: a 32MB Radeon 7500 Mobility. A 2.2Ghz CPU runs +$200USD, subtract $200 for a 1.7Ghz CPU. The powerbook only has a 1Ghz CPU, but that's Apples and oranges (ha, ha). The Powerbook has a better GPU (Radeon 9000) and more video ram (64MB).
Next up...drives. The powerbook comes w/ a Superdrive and a 60GB HDD. The best the Dell can do is a DVD/CD-RW and a 40GB HDD.
I configured both systems with 1GB RAM, a 3-year warranty, and a pro operating system (OSX, XP Pro). Both got internal wireless (included on the Apple, extra on the Dell). Both have an internal NIC and internal modem, although the powerbook has 1000BT and the Dell only has 100BT.
The Dell comes out to $3042, the Powerbook is $3,388. Subtract $200 from the PB if you only want the combo drive that's in the Dell and not a Superdrive.
The Powerbook is a hell of a deal...better video, faster networking, better HDD and optical drive, better OS, smaller form factor, better engineering, and only a very small price premium.
(The usual disclaimers apply. This is one comparison out of a million possible comparisons. Size/weight are important to me, that's why I didn't look at the Inspiron 8200, blah blah blah.)
Here's the text of a CNET news story on the topic: (Score:4, Interesting)
The PowerBook line now includes an 867MHz model, available now for $2,299, and a 1GHz model that can both burn and read CDs and DVDs. That model will be available later this month for $2,999.
"This is what our customers have been waiting for," Greg Joswiak, Apple's vice president of hardware marketing, said in a statement. He noted that the new PowerBook is the first notebook with a slot-loading drive that can burn DVDs.
As expected, Apple also bumped up the speed of all of its iBooks by 100MHz while dropping the price of each model by $200. The consumer portables also sport improved graphics now, using ATI Technologies' Mobility Radeon 7500 chip with up to 32MB of graphics memory.
With the faster ATI chip, the iBook can now take advantage of the improved Quartz Extreme graphics engine built into the latest version of Mac OS X.
The three iBook models consist of a $999 model with a 700MHz chip, a 12.1-inch screen, a CD-ROM drive, 128MB of memory and a 20GB hard drive; a $1,299 model with an 800MHz chip, a 12.1-inch screen, a combination CD-rewritable/DVD-ROM drive, 128MB of memory and a 30GB hard drive; and a $1,599 model with an 800MHz chip, a 14-inch screen, a CD-RW/DVD-ROM drive, 256MB of memory and a 30GB hard drive.
As for the PowerBooks, the low-end model comes with a CD-RW/DVD-ROM drive, 256MB of memory and a 40GB hard drive. In addition to the DVD burner, the high-end model includes 512MB of memory, a 60GB hard drive and a preinstalled Airport card for wireless networking.
Some Reasons I Hold (Score:3, Interesting)
2. Stability: On average(in my educated opinion in working with both Windows and Macintosh), Macs are more stable and recover from inevitable catastrophe better. There is also the general Total Cost of Ownership argument. Macs h ave, in many trials, proved to have a lower one on average.
3. Respite from Microsoft: Looking at the high proliferation of viruses, the security issues and Microsoft's openly shady business practices, one of my reasons is that I simply don't trust Microsoft.
4. Preference. Just because someone tells you one thing is better, it doesn't mean that it will be best for all.
In general, games are not that much an issue when many Mac users just buy a cheap PC optimized toward gaming for what doesn't come to Mac and do their real work on a Macintosh. To many, PCs seem to equate to toys and I'm not one to argue with that assertion as one of the most common arguments for sticking with Windows is games.
I use Macintosh because I get less aggravation from them. I have a little PC laptop that I use to play games that I can't get on Macintosh. I'm willing to wait to get games on my preferred platform, case in point Neverwinter Nights. The PC version is out with the Mac version pending. But I'll be waiting for the game to come on my platform of choice because I like using Mac better and I want to show support for my platform.
Hope this helped, though I'm sure some could come up with more points.
Winter in Whistler (Score:5, Interesting)
A Number of Good Reasons (Score:4, Interesting)
2) The laptops have noticably longer battery life than their equivelent Intel counterparts
3) and snazzy 16:10 displays...
4) The high end model now comes with a DVD-RW burner and software
5) The OS is Unix-like. Dual boot OS X with Gentoo PPC GNU/Linux, and you have the best of all possible worlds.
That last point is the most important. My next laptop will almost certainly now be an Apple, with the DVD-RW burner. Of course, I'm not going to order them until shipping times become a couple of days, rather than a month, and I'll probably prefer just going to the store to buy one I can take home with me, but with this new release the Intel platform, with its Microsoft pre-installed crap (that I blow away anyway), its short battery life and no non-external DVD-RW burning options, has lost me as customer. Palladium has likely made that loss perminent.
So yes, unlike many such promotional stories, I think this is a big deal, it is certainly News for Nerds, and for many readers, myself included, it is certainly Stuff That Matters.
Re:Here's how Dell stacks up (hint: buy the PB) (Score:3, Interesting)
Yea, I held out on replacing my powerbook until today
Re:Still missing... (Score:2, Interesting)
And the powerbook does have a digital out (DVI). You have to use a converter to get VGA.
And I expect to see usb2 and firewire b on desktops before laptops. I'd look for new desktops early next year with these features.
Re:It's expensive, but .... (Score:3, Interesting)
Not sure if it's supported in OS X, but it is in linux...
And I'm sure there's a serial/usb converter that works, even if it's din-8 (as Apples were)..
BTW, anyone try consoling into a modern SPARC with USB ports, or are they only for peripherals?
Nice (Score:2, Interesting)
My TiBook has 'only' 256mb ram and I've been wishing I'd insisted on 512 - it works fine as is really, but the thrashing when I try to run too many apps, including one BIG one that still runs only under classic, is a little annoying. I hadn't looked into it, good to know it's not a hard upgrade to do yourself, now the question - do these things take regular DIMMS or do you have to buy some sort of special Apple memory?
They're great machines, that's why (Score:5, Interesting)
The thing that makes a big difference for me is that the internationalization is seamless; right now, I'm converting a PHP app from English to Japanese. Using my iBook I can open the files from the Linux server using samba and easily convert the strings in the text editor that comes with Os X. If I have to do other editing to the code, I prefer vi, which comes standard. SSH is right there for me. My shell works the way I need it to, without installing Cygwin.
I have 4 computers on my desk - Redhat/Japanese Windows dualboot IBM Thinkpad, 2 NT Workstations (Eng. & Jp.) and my iBook. I could use any of them that I wanted, but the iBook is what works best for me. (The RedHat box comes close, but I've tweaked the hell out of it to get it just right - it would take weeks to set up another box the same way, whereas I could pick up another iBook and replace this one instantly.)
The suite of "iApps" (iCal, iTunes, iMovie, iPhoto, iEtc...) are a joy to use, better than anything you can get for Windows. Really. Mail filters out spam perfectly for me out of the box. Viruses? Not even an issue.
Plus, every app looks great. I stare at the computer all day at work, it might as well look good. Let's face it, Windows is tired-looking, even XP, which to me looks cartoonish and pathetic.
As for games, I wouldn't know - I haven't got time for them.
After a while, you get to the point where you'll be happy to pay a bit more for a machine that actually works.
Oh, yeah, BATTERY LIFE. Sweet.
Cheers,
Jim
Well that's all well and good, except... (Score:3, Interesting)
- a larger screen (15" widescreen, has a higher resolution in every dimension than the 1024x768 screen on the lattitude)
- a DVD-R/CD-RW
- 4x as much RAM
- a better GPU
- lighter
- longer battery life
- Gigabit ethernet (i've actually used this on my PB!)
- 2 USB ports
- thinner
- a firewire port
- additionally, it's running a beatiful, powerful, UNIX based OS.
In fact, the only interesting feature the 640 has that the PowerBook doesn't is IR.
I'm not saying the Powerbook is for everyone, but if you're going to make cost comparisons, choose fairly. The PowerBook is the flagship of the Apple laptop line. It is the ideal combination of a highly portable laptop with a desktop replacement. The lattitude 640 above doesn't compare.
No USB 2.0? (Score:4, Interesting)
Good Timing (Score:5, Interesting)
Well, I seemed to have lucked out with my first Apple purchase. One of the first e-mails I looked at this morning:
Yup, that's right. My bad luck, I just ordered an iBook last week. This is a *very* cool move by Apple... they simply canceled my old order (for the low end model) and swapped in a new order (for the low end model). I'm saving $200 + tax on this, and getting a faster model.
Quick note for those who recommend gobs of RAM... that's done and done. Same day I ordered the iBook, I placed an order with Coast To Coast Memory for an addition 512 MB. $95 after tax and shipping, and it's already here.
That's the downside... I wanted the laptop this week. At least they had a good excuse for not getting it to me. :)
SuperDrive! No Bluetooth??? (Score:3, Interesting)
But Apple has been touting the virtues of BlueTooth for nearly a year (January MacWorld) and no machine yet has it built in? They didn't even add it to their new PB? What gives? Steve, hello; are you listening to your own hype? How about walking some of that talk?
Radeon 9000 --- finally. I guess I'm still waiting for their BT portables. Get rid of the dongle. At least they finally are including the 802.11b adapters with two of the three configurations (a first!). That should be built-in standard as well (for all portables).
Apple has done a pioneering and hassle-free job of integrating wireless and BT. With their hub strategy, you'd think they'd tout all that awesome work by shipping standard to take advantage of 802.11b and BT.
Fingers crossed for next edition PB (including BT and 802.11b (802.11g?)).
Re:EU is screwed on price, as usual. (Score:2, Interesting)
Re: Any objective benchmarks? (Score:2, Interesting)
I have to agree, that's very optimistic. That said, it's not wholly untrue - the numbers will back that up or very close on certain tests - the ones where the Mac does best, primarily involving Adobe Photoshop. That is probably the one application that drives more Mac sales than any others, and it's naturally totally optimised for the Mac architecture as a result.
On other benchmarks they don't fare quite so well. I remember a fairly recent SPEC showing where the G4 came in only something like 20% above a PIII at the same clock speed (remember that the PIV benchmarks below the PIII at the same clockspeed) when running against Windows, and dead even when running against Linux. Which doesn't look so good. But this test doesn't use any of the special capabilities of the G4 that optimised Mac applicatons do access... it's probably fairly accurate in reflecting how fast it will run apps that aren't particularly in need of computational power will run, but the ones that do need the power tend to be optimised more than that. Perhaps to the degree that these links [apple.com] would imply, or at least close. GCC is sadly not very good at generating fast G4 code, though it's improving, and that benchmark really tests the compiler moreso than the hardware.
These benchmarks on the Xserves [apple.com] are much more impressive. Really, when it comes to the benchmarks on these things, sometimes they look really good, sometimes they look really crappy. It's definately a mixed bag. But in the end, what's important isn't how it looks on a benchmark but how it performs for you day to day, on whatever it is that you use the computer for. On normal everyday tasks, my TiBook keeps up with Wintel books at twice the clock speed, is lighter, and a lot nicer to work on. That's what counts. YMMV, of course... if you're really curious about the performance go down to the nearest store that carries them and try one out.
Re:battery life (Score:1, Interesting)
Re:Considering switching to iBook (Score:5, Interesting)
I made my iBook my main home machine about 3 months ago and it was relatively painless. Getting used to not pressing Ctrl was the hardest task.
Without knowing exactly what you do, the best answer is 'it depends'. Your main expense may well be replacing software that you have used on the PC - which could work out VERY expensive. If you have a lot of PC software you might want to think about getting a Windows emulator to help you continue working as you replace software with Mac applications.
Microsoft are offering good deals on Office X right now which eases the pain of buying what for many of us is an essential product.
Remember, OSX has a very nice little mail program thrown in for standard, AppleWorks is a perfectly competent office application if you don't need all the features of Office and naturally you have a browser included. There is a DVD player, the very lovely iTunes, iPhoto, iCal and iChat and a CD burner. For many people this will be all the productivity software they ever need. (Assuming that you consider that DVD player to constitute 'productivity' :) )
Best wishes,
Mike.
Re:They aren't so underpowered... (Score:3, Interesting)
But I have on my desk a Mac G4/733 and next to it a Dell with a P3-933 in it. Dell has a Matrox G400 and the Mac has a Geforce 2 MX in it. Both have 40 gig hdd's and both have 256 megs of ram. Mac is running OS9 and 10.1.5, and the PC is running Windows 2000.
I can honestly say that the PC in equivelent applications (like Photoshop 7 on Mac or Photoshop 7 on PC, or Acrobat 5.0.5 on PC or Acrobat 5.0.5 on Mac) that my Dell is easily 25-40% quicker on most complex operations in OS 9 or OS X.
Not that the mac is any slouch - its still very fast, but I've found my cheaper PC is still quicker. A lot of people I talk to use Mac's (OS9 mainly), not because its faster but because it has more apps to do things like colour proofing and other pre-flight tests printers use to offset printing.
I won't argue which UI looks prettier, probably Mac OS X by far, but its not perfect - its got a lot of annoying issues. Like go into proxy config and enter a address and a port - whoa - notice something - in 10.1.x it won't let you type in the port until you hit lock type in the password, hit unlock type in the password again - then you can type in a port... Or type "man tar" from the command line - how the heck do you navigate around the man page?
Comment removed (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Linux on Macs? (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:EU is screwed on price, as usual. (Score:3, Interesting)
They Even Updated our Orders!! (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:They aren't so underpowered... (Score:3, Interesting)
Well, it's probably subjective but I've seen the opposite in many instances. From what I've seen a single processor G4 Mac is approximately equal to a 50% faster P4 Windows machine, for most common tasks. This can vary with certain activities but overall it seems to be true. So a 1 gHx G4 seems to perform similarly to a 1.5 gHz P4.
I've never seen or heard of this issue before. Do you have a root account set up? Are you set up as an administrator? Maybe something is misconfigured somewhere, try the Apple Discussion boards [apple.com] to see if anyone else has had the same problem.
The default pager for the "man" program is a program called "more". To find out how to navigate using the "more" command, type "man more" into the terminal (don't use any quotes) and hit enter. Basically you hit the space bar when you are done reading a page and it will advance to the next page. MacOS X 10.2 has an updated set of terminal utilities, with a "more" program that allows you to move forward and backward within a file by hitting "f" to move forward 1 screen or "b" to go back 1 screen.
Re:Considering switching to iBook (Score:2, Interesting)