Education Prices
by
Pirogoeth
·
· Score: 4, Interesting
If you're eligible, the Education Store has them for only $1499!
-- Happiness is like peeing yourself. Everybody can see it but only you can feel its warmth.
Upgrades pending?
by
Jeff+Kelly
·
· Score: 5, Interesting
Seems to me like Apple is going to upgrade some of their Powerbooks in the near future. 15'' PBs are nearly sold out and are hard to get.
I have been waiting for a very long time now for Apple to upgrade the 15'' PB to an AI Model with Bluetooth and Airport Extreme. But now it won't probably be long until I get my PB and iPod. (My precious)
An extra $300 gets you video spanning, AltiVec core, DDR (extra 128 Mb), 802.11g port and Bluetooth... Oh and teh sheckshy Aluminium case.
Makes you wonder why the Combo Drive iBook is still $1,299 base...
-- I hate Grammar Nazi's
Re:How about the rest of the world.
by
questamor
·
· Score: 4, Interesting
Holy crap there's a disparity there.
$1599US for a powerbook12 is $2451 australian, with a direct currency conversion - something that will always be under the real cost due to importing, our taxes etc.
Still, the Australian base powerbook12 is $3995. $1500+ difference.
bah!
Same on the flip side of the planet.
by
thatguywhoiam
·
· Score: 3, Interesting
$1599US for a powerbook12 is $2451 australian, with a direct currency conversion - something that will always be under the real cost due to importing, our taxes etc.
We're experiencing the same thing in Canada - because of the recent plunge of the US dollar versus our own, prices should have dropped... but they haven't. Apple gear in Canada still costs approximately 10% more than it should, at the current rates.
Now, I have some sympathy as Apple Canada/retail stores probably had to buy all that stuff at the old rate, but still.. I certainly won't buy another Mac until they adjust this discrepancy (and said Mac model starts with the letter 'G' and ends in '5').
-- If Jesus wants me it knows where to find me.
Re:not bad
by
CptChipJew
·
· Score: 3, Interesting
Slow burner?
The Combo drive burns CDs at 24x and rewrites at 10x. If you're reffering to the DVD burner, which is 2x, keep in mind we're talking about $1600 laptop.
Do 9lb PC laptops have faster DVD burners usually? Do they have DVD burners at all?
-- Vonal Declosion
Yellowdog Linux for your old Macs an option...
by
SYFer
·
· Score: 4, Interesting
"What do us people with old powerbooks do?"
Well, one suggestion might be to give it a new, longer period of usefulness by loading Yellowdog Linux, but that strategy may well not suit your needs as you may require certain OS X apps.
In my case, I primarily use a current generation tower with OS-X loaded--this is needed for my work. I also happen to have an old G3 Firewire laptop laying around that is about to go Yellowdog. Since it only has 128 megs of RAM, its not really a good candidate for OS X (and I won't put any more money into it at this point).
It is currently doing duty as my "legacy" OS 9 machine and I use it to run the 2 or 3 remaining pesky OS 9 apps that I have not/can not upgrade to OS X. And I no longer even care to run "classic" on my main machine.
The minute those apps are no longer needed, that old laptop will get a new lease on life running Yellowdog which does very well with older Macs. Then I'll be able to run more meaningful apps like GIMP (and hopefully even filmGIMP).
This is a great solution because instead of becoming increasingly meaningless (OS 9) or redundant (and underpowered) as an OS X machine, it will now fulfill a unique and useful roll in my studio.
To find out more, visit hwww.yellowdoglinux.com of course.
-- "...all the labours of the ages, all the devotion, all the inspiration, all the noonday brightness..." yada yada
For the same reason Microsoft doesn't give you Office for free. You don't kill the cash cow. Apple makes money on the hardware, off people who are dead-set on the Apple product. Apple's software sales are puny in comparison to the $BIG_MONEY made off the hardware sales. Many mac users don't even buy OS upgrades, there's a 'I paid $BIG_MONEY for my Mac, I'm entitled to a free copy of Jaguar' attitude thats left over from the pre-system 7 days when Apple gave the OS away for free.
-- "Sometimes, I think Trent just needs a cup of hot chocolate and a blankie."
-Tori Amos on Nine Inch Nails
Re:Obligatory
by
phyxeld
·
· Score: 3, Interesting
A friend of mine has a 12'' AlBook on the way, and just got an email this morning with the subject "Great news about your recent Apple purchase". They're crediting him the difference, and he didn't even have to ask:)
-- __ Choose mnemonic identifiers. If you can't remember what mnemonic means, you've got a problem. - Larry Wall
Re:New chips soon?
by
kalidasa
·
· Score: 3, Interesting
Noone knows yet what machines the 970 (the new IBM chip expected to replace the Motorola G4) will be used in first. There's been some speculation that all G4s will be replaced by 970s at the same time because the 970s are cheaper, other speculation that the PowerMacs would be the first, followed by PowerBooks then by iMacs, and yet other speculation that it would be PowerBooks first.
Slashdot Mirror
If you're eligible, the Education Store has them for only $1499!
Happiness is like peeing yourself. Everybody can see it but only you can feel its warmth.
Seems to me like Apple is going to upgrade some of their Powerbooks in the near future. 15'' PBs are nearly sold out and are hard to get.
I have been waiting for a very long time now for Apple to upgrade the 15'' PB to an AI Model with Bluetooth and Airport Extreme. But now it won't probably be long until I get my PB and iPod. (My precious)
Regards
Christian
Makes you wonder why the Combo Drive iBook is still $1,299 base...
I hate Grammar Nazi's
Holy crap there's a disparity there.
$1599US for a powerbook12 is $2451 australian, with a direct currency conversion - something that will always be under the real cost due to importing, our taxes etc.
Still, the Australian base powerbook12 is $3995. $1500+ difference.
bah!
We're experiencing the same thing in Canada - because of the recent plunge of the US dollar versus our own, prices should have dropped... but they haven't. Apple gear in Canada still costs approximately 10% more than it should, at the current rates.
Now, I have some sympathy as Apple Canada/retail stores probably had to buy all that stuff at the old rate, but still.. I certainly won't buy another Mac until they adjust this discrepancy (and said Mac model starts with the letter 'G' and ends in '5').
If Jesus wants me it knows where to find me.
Slow burner?
The Combo drive burns CDs at 24x and rewrites at 10x. If you're reffering to the DVD burner, which is 2x, keep in mind we're talking about $1600 laptop.
Do 9lb PC laptops have faster DVD burners usually? Do they have DVD burners at all?
Vonal Declosion
"What do us people with old powerbooks do?"
Well, one suggestion might be to give it a new, longer period of usefulness by loading Yellowdog Linux, but that strategy may well not suit your needs as you may require certain OS X apps.
In my case, I primarily use a current generation tower with OS-X loaded--this is needed for my work. I also happen to have an old G3 Firewire laptop laying around that is about to go Yellowdog. Since it only has 128 megs of RAM, its not really a good candidate for OS X (and I won't put any more money into it at this point).
It is currently doing duty as my "legacy" OS 9 machine and I use it to run the 2 or 3 remaining pesky OS 9 apps that I have not/can not upgrade to OS X. And I no longer even care to run "classic" on my main machine.
The minute those apps are no longer needed, that old laptop will get a new lease on life running Yellowdog which does very well with older Macs. Then I'll be able to run more meaningful apps like GIMP (and hopefully even filmGIMP).
This is a great solution because instead of becoming increasingly meaningless (OS 9) or redundant (and underpowered) as an OS X machine, it will now fulfill a unique and useful roll in my studio.
To find out more, visit hwww.yellowdoglinux.com of course.
"...all the labours of the ages, all the devotion, all the inspiration, all the noonday brightness..." yada yada
For the same reason Microsoft doesn't give you Office for free. You don't kill the cash cow. Apple makes money on the hardware, off people who are dead-set on the Apple product. Apple's software sales are puny in comparison to the $BIG_MONEY made off the hardware sales. Many mac users don't even buy OS upgrades, there's a 'I paid $BIG_MONEY for my Mac, I'm entitled to a free copy of Jaguar' attitude thats left over from the pre-system 7 days when Apple gave the OS away for free.
"Sometimes, I think Trent just needs a cup of hot chocolate and a blankie." -Tori Amos on Nine Inch Nails
A friend of mine has a 12'' AlBook on the way, and just got an email this morning with the subject "Great news about your recent Apple purchase". They're crediting him the difference, and he didn't even have to ask :)
__
Choose mnemonic identifiers. If you can't remember what mnemonic means, you've got a problem. - Larry Wall
Noone knows yet what machines the 970 (the new IBM chip expected to replace the Motorola G4) will be used in first. There's been some speculation that all G4s will be replaced by 970s at the same time because the 970s are cheaper, other speculation that the PowerMacs would be the first, followed by PowerBooks then by iMacs, and yet other speculation that it would be PowerBooks first.