One more G4 for the PowerBook?

PurdueGraphicsMan writes "Much as we'd love to see the next PowerBook revision include a processor evolution to the mighty G5, we know it's not that simple. The Register provides some sound reasoning (and boatloads of model numbers and voltage specs) as to why we'll probably see a 1.5GHz G4 PowerBook before any G5 PowerBooks materialize." I don't want a G5 on my lap anyway. It'd make me feel guilty, having that much power in a small package while other people can't even get it in a PC tower. Oh, and I don't want to burn my lap.

Comments

Need the G5

[BWJones]

I would certainly expect the G4 to be around for at least a little while in portables (perhaps even a dual G4 in the 17in Powerbook), but there is a decided pressure to put the G5 in a portable. When I moved from a dual 1Ghz G4 to a dual G5 at 2.0 Ghz, the difference in performance was striking. For those users who are constantly pushing the limits of their hardware with compiling code or are heavy users of scientific code or even Photoshop, the G5 is a must have. And even though PurdueGraphicsMan would feel guilty, I would not, knowing that my research could go even faster than before.

The real beauty of the G5 is that not only do we get the raw power, but that power is coupled with an OS that is the easiest to use for both the basic user (undergrads or grad students coming into our labs to learn science and the research process) and the advanced user (computer science faculty we are collaborating with to build custom tools for data visualization and processing).

Re:Need the G5

[drooling-dog]

This is sure to get modded down by this crowd, but...

This (usually baseless) need to have more and more power on a laptop - and to pay top dollar for it - has to be the marketing triumph of the century (well, maybe after bottled water). My old 400MHz IBM still does everything I ask of it, and if I had the choice I'd rather double the battery life than the processor speed.

But thanks, anyway, for creating a plentiful secondary market for nice laptops. That's how I got mine...

I know what you mean...

[Anonymous Coward]

I don't want a G5 on my lap anyway. It'd make me feel guilty, having that much power in a small package...

Yeah, it is far more satisfying having that much power in a large package in that general region.

Re:Watercool

[and by]

Those issues will largely be solved by the recent die shrink at IBM.

Too hot for Sweden?

[Stack_13]

Well, I hope that they sell the low-power version of the laptop in the Swedish market.

Re:Watercool

[millahtime]

"The next powerbook (and maybe powermac!) will almost surely be water cooled."

Water cool a laptop??? That would make it very heavy. the Piping, pump and water itself would add pounds to the weight of the laptop.

Guaranteeing Apple speed/feature bumps

[merlyn]

Of course, it had to happen. Within two weeks or so of almost every Apple purchase I've made over the past 11 years, Apple has announced a much better unit for less money.

And I just bought the 1.25Ghz AlBook, last week.

I'm thinking of starting to take up a fund, to help me buy any existing technology that people want upgraded. Then, it'll be a matter of two weeks and, ta-da, new tech is now available!

Re:Guaranteeing Apple speed/feature bumps

[rampant mac]

"Of course, it had to happen. Within two weeks or so of almost every Apple purchase I've made over the past 11 years, Apple has announced a much better unit for less money."

Apple will let you "trade in" any purchases you made, if a newer model is released. I can't remember if it's for 14 days or more that the coverage applies to. I believe it's 14 days though.

Just call the Apple store if a new model is released, like tomorrow, and they can hook you up. I did just that when I purchased my 17" Studio Display (price dropped $200 3 or 4 days after my purchase, and I got my money back).

Re:Guaranteeing Apple speed/feature bumps

[kannibal_klown]

It's like that everywhere though. Hell, I bought a Dell Inspiron 3700 the moment it came out, and less than a month (or maybe 2 months) the 3800 came out to replace the 3700. The 3800 was faster, sturdier, and better.

Apple keeps their mouths shut about releases for a good reason; it keeps their sales constant. If they said "Next month we're releasing a 1.5 GHz PowerBook," then their powerbook sales would come to a screeching halt until then. But if they keep their mouths shut, then people will continue buying PowerBooks at the same rate.

Sure, it sucks for the consumers, but only if they let it bother them. I bought my PowerBook last week (my 1st mac ever) knowing full well that something better was on the horizon. But I don't care, as I'm more than content with my PowerBook (hell, I'm giddy).

In the tech world, it happens. You can either wait-and-wait-and-wait-and-wait, or you can buy it now and be happy with it.

Re:Flamebait

[Tsiangkun]

It only takes one mouse button to open the terminal. --Tsiangkun

Faster or longer battery life?

[Anonymous Coward]

Apple needs the G5. Powerbooks used to have a great advantage over x86 laptops in the battery life department, but that is no longer true. The 15" and 17" models typically only last 3 - 4.5 hours on a charge, the 12" maybe a little longer. iBooks last longer, but are a bit underpowered. With the introduction of the Pentium-M, there are now x86 laptops that are both faster and last longer on a charge (like the IBM T41). The Powerbook G5 cannot come soon enough.

Re:Give this a miss

[Anonymous Coward]

> The G4 is grossly underpowered in comparison with a Centrino [...]

Centrino is the name of the CPU, chipset, and WLAN card. The CPU is called the Pentium-M (or Banias). It's a sort of hybrid between the Tualatin P3 and the P4, taking the best features from both, with energy efficiency as one of the primary design goals. It's probably the nicest chip Intel has done in years.

Re:Heat Issue?

[quandrum]

Um, Didn't IBM just release the 970FX, which uses the the new (.09nm ?) process and significantly less watt's of power consumption, along with PowerTune, a speedstep-like technology that would further reduce power consumption?

Why yes, yes they did. Maybe that's how they will fix the heat issue.

Re:Flamebait

[mcwop]

There is a second mouse button - it is labeled "Ctrl".

how to mod an article

[Anonymous Coward]

It'd make me feel guilty, having that much power in a small package while other people can't even get it in a PC tower.

How do I mod an article as a troll?

Re:Give this a miss

[Jord]

Well this is a bunch of horseshit. The G4 runs applications perfectly well. I develop professional applications on my PowerBook all day long and there is no issue with its speed.

I know of several people a few of which are into professional video and audio editing and they have no issues with their PowerBooks either. Hell some of them are using models from a couple of years ago.

Comments like this are pure FUD. Yes the G5 is great, can't wait to get one in a PowerBook, but the G4 PowerBooks work very well.

Whoever modded this as interesting needs to be flogged.

Ok, there's the setup

[Anonymous Coward]

I don't want a G5 on my lap anyway. It'd make me feel guilty, having that much power in a small package

Ok, our straightman has given the setup line. Punchline deliverers, please form a queue...

REALLY?

[Eric_Cartman_South_P]

Anyways, I'll put my Athlon 64 laptop against anything Apple can put in a laptop.

OSX 10.3

Re:What a troll post

[Jord]

Speaking of trolls, complaining about the boot time? How often do you really boot that monster? Let me guess, whenever there is a security update?

The sleep function on Apple notebooks work so well that the ONLY time I reboot mine is for updates.

Now if you had a windows machine I could see the complaint since putting it to sleep is rolling the dice that the sucker will come up again :)

A sure sign that Apple is doing well is when people start to complain about the boot time because they have run out of other complaints!

Re:Heat

[iotaborg]

You might want to get your facts a little straighter as the G5 consumes 24.5W@2GHz. So much for the Athalon 64@35W.

Underpowered?

[Amigori]

I see alot of posts here saying that the iBook and Powerbooks are underpowered. I guess it all depends on what you use it for. Last fall, I bought the new 12" PB 1Ghz/512Mb/AirportExtreme/Bluetooth/DVD-R, and there wasn't anything close from Dell or Gateway in terms of size, performance, and features. Anyways...

The people yelling "Underpowered!" are probably game freaks with lots of disposable income who completely rebuild their PC every 6-9 months. I'm not sorry that school is taking all of my money and I can only afford to upgrade every 2-3 years. Besides, 30 fps gains when your already above 200 fps really isn't necessary. The new UT2004 Demo runs just fine on my PB. I'm sure if you tried the PC version on a similarly spec'd PC (1Ghz AMD/512Mb/32Mb nVidia 5200FX) it wouldn't run near as fast. And I'm sure those playing on a Centrino laptop will find that UT2004 will definitely drain your battery in less than 4 hours. Probably closer to 1-1.5 hours and a much lower framerate due to the integrated Intel Graphics on many of those laptops.

People, its all about selecting the best product for your needs. Apple's laptops primary target market is NOT gamers, overclockers, or anyone whose on a Ghz rulz powertrip. Its much closer to people who just want their computer to work extremely well and are simple to use and not have to f* around with drivers for 2 hours just to get the damned thing to boot right.

I'm not even sure I should bother with this argument because everytime we get an thread on Apple hardware, I see the same "Underpowered!" and "Too expensive!" posts. And the people who make these arguments just don't understand what Apple, as a business, is trying to do. Make a profit, and build a computer that's easy to use.

Just a few thoughts...
Amigori