Slashdot Mirror
PowerBooks & iBooks Get Speed Bumped
Currawong writes "Apple has, as rumors predicted, speed bumped its line of portables. The PowerBooks now come in 1.33 and 1.5Ghz G4 versions, including either NVidia 5200's or Radeon 9700 video hardware. The iBooks can now be had at 1 or 1.2Ghz with Radeon 9200 video included. All can be purchased at the Apple Store. This complements nicely the recent speed and feature increases on the eMac range."
Why can't I have paid of the loans for my old one so I can get a new?
*damn*
Guess now I will just have to wait for my carbon-fiber, dual G5 PowerBook with fold out twin displays and fuel cell technology battery with 12 hours of life that the rumor sites are talking about.
Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government.
Usually a "speed bump" is something that slows you down.
It will be announced the day after they charge your Visa - no sooner, no later!
Maybe if you get a Mac you won't have to drink so much...
That depends which conversion algorithm you use :)
The "Apple Zealot" converts 1.5GHz G4 into 3GHz P4
The "PC Weenie" converts 1.5GHz G4 into 0.1 GHz P4 as that's about the speed it runs Virtual PC (probably, assuming anyone actually bought a Mac. Which nobody does. etc)
The "Geek Index" says 1.5GHz G4 is about 2-2.5GHz P4 probably but it depends what you are doing and anyway it's all easily fast enough to code stuff and surf for pr0n.
The "SETI Weirdo" calculates that a 1.5GHz G4 does more units than their rival^h^h^h^h^hfriend. So that's ok.
The "Arty type people" think oooh a mac. It runs FCP.
8 out of 10 CEOs go "a shiny thing"
etc
Troc
Troc's dubious podcast and blog: http://www.trocnet.net
Troll?
Hey Taco:
I propose a new poll:
"Which sub-group on Slashdot take themselves too seriously?"
My vote has to be the coders. Post a joke in a Perl thread, and you will be modded -1 flamebait. These people are obsolutely incapable of laughing at themselves. Maybe they should get out more.
Some of the Mac people here are almost as bad. This guy asked for a speed comparison between Intel and Apple procs. Sure, it may be a troll, but its not as obvious as the "Apple is (still) dying" thread.
At least the BSD guys usually post the obligatory "BSD is dying" message before anybody else gets a chance too.
Norman Cook's Ode to Sl
In keeping with a 50-year-old trend, the latest computers from [insert name here] are faster and more powerful than the previous generation. Wow. There's news.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
``my little research indicated a superior battery life on Apple notebooks.
:-)
The prohibitive price is still a bottleneck for me though.''
Try finding a x86 laptop with similar battery life. Then talk to me about prohibitive prices.
I was waiting for Apple to upgrade their iBook line, so I can get the old models cheaper. The timing is almost perfect, as my HP Pavilion N5415 died yesterday after a long period of increasing unusability. Heh, I would never have bought that one if the G3 iBooks had been available a month earlier.
Please correct me if I got my facts wrong.
The local CompUSA is trying to hawk a 500 MHz icebook for $1000... It's a loaded machine, too. 10 GB Hard Drive. CD Rom, 128 Megabytes of memory. And it runs 9.2.2 like a dream.
You know what, you're right. Therefore, I think we should officially advocate uses of the phrases "erected", "up-jacked", or "humped up" in order to more accurately convey a speed boost.
-Rob
Marriage doesn't have to suck!
'Speed increase' is no better. If there's more speed, why is it in a crease?
Perhaps 'road hump' doesn't mean gettin' some in the car anymore.
"Bumping" is the act of taking little fingernail amounts of coke and snorting them on the fly, and that certainly speeds things up. Given that the Mac community is a creative and marketing set, this might explain the use of "bump" in this context. :-)
Damn! A 15-foor PowerPC? Wow! Where can I get one? Can you imagine running Halo like that??
Comment removed based on user account deletion
I'd love a Corvette for 15 grand, but instead of just building the same thing every year the keep changing it. Those jerks.
R: That voice. Where have I heard that voice before? B: In about 365 other episodes. But I don't know who it is either.
You seem to be under the impression that Apple is a hardware company. They're not. They're a software company that makes its money from hardware sales. They're no different from Cisco, except they have a better user interface.
First a disclaimer: I am a Mac fanboy. I've got one, I love it and I reccomend it to everyone who's looking for a new computer.
But what the heck is with all the sexy nonsense? Since when did we start humping Macs and iPods?
"Sexy bits of computer art that both inspire lust..."
Lust?
Sure their products might be sleek and very well designed, but to call them sexy and lusty ALL the time? I'll take good ol' T&A over hardware any day.
If you don't know what AltaVista is (was), get off my lawn.
and all of a sudden, the computer was like BEEP BEEP BEEP. Now I have a Powerbook and crank out C&Ds in record time, with no crashes.
CEE5210S The signal SIGHUP was received.
So what you're saying... If Windows boxes were made to look more funky and sold at a higher price, then Windows will be much easier and faster to use? Wow! I'm calling Bill Gates right now...
OK .. Now price the Dell with a 64 bit chip.
I don't know about you, but I certainly wouldn't really want a mouse built into my case like you're suggesting. Seems like it'd be pretty hard to roll around on my desk...
the coolest club on
Fast forward one year. "The G5 laptops are OUT?!?...."
(This is a repost of an old post of mine, but as relevant today as it was then...:)
You forgot to yell "you kids get off my lawn".
At least he won't have to spend money on any more games.
*badum-tish*
"Lots of games, like... <mumble>Photoshop...</mumble>"
That's so 7-years-ago.
So, you're the one who was responsible for the last Matrix.
You know what?
I totally agree with you concerning the prices of DESKTOP solutions. But when it comes to LAPTOPS, there are other rules.
...
There's still no Laptop around that's as beautiful, small and lightweight as a PowerBook G4 AND has all the features and power.
Displayhooks and other parts sticking out, blinking LEDs everywhere, 2cm empty space between lid- and display-edge, 2h battery-life, 4kg to carry around (1 of them for the superbig battery), CD/DVD-drives where you still need to be a _MAN_ to get the CD off of the rotor (ever heard of slot-loading?), strange "design"parts, awful colors, low-cost displays,
maybe I picked the wrong laptop these days, but I'll never again give away my PowerBook! (hey, my keyboard glows!)
this sig is useless
Yeah, I just got mine in december...
Oh well, at least it's still cooler than the competition.
ibook12" annecdote:
I was complaining to my friend in a cafe the other day that when I use airport to download large files as well as listen to itunes, run word, Fire im, and a dozen other apps, my battery life only lasts for about 3 and a half hours instead of 5. He told me to go fuck myself because his computer lasts about half as long and most of that time is spent configuring his wireless card, then his computer froze up and he had to take out the battery to reboot it.
Man I wish I owned a wintel!
: )
What obvious reasons?
iBook + Shiny + $1000 = PowerBook 12
The main heat venting location on the case (that I've found) is the bottom rear of the machine. This means that if you're sitting down with it on your lap and you're wearing shorts, prolonged use (3+ hours) may result in warming to the point of extreme skin discomfort.
If you're spending a hot summer's day sitting down with your laptop for three uninterrupted hours, you probably weren't using anything down there anyway.
Why do I think this wouldn't have happened with a company whose name begins with M and ends with -onopoly.
Because Microsoft doesn't make PCs?
I'm not normally an irrational zealous dickhead, but I figure "When in Rome..."
"You don't get out much, do you? I know a number of people that have gigabit networks in their homes (including mine), much less at work."
And you say *he* doesn't get out much?
His sig links to a porn site. I bet he had no problems filling that 20 gig hard drive even then....
Something like Dell Dimension XPS? You get 3.2GHz PIV (with 800MHz FSB), 2GB RAM, 120GB SATA HDD, Gigabit Ethernet, SB Audigy 2 sound (with Firewire), ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 128MB (which thrashes NV FX 5200) AND 17" TFT -- all for 50$ less than quoted Mac.
Now, let's add XP Professional instead of Home, Microsoft Digital Media Edition Plus! Pack (not even close to Apple's offer, but for the sake of comparision), 8x DVD+RW drive, 56K modem and we come to $2039.
But let's not even try to add all this options to Mac -- 2GB RAM alone costs $825! Plus 350$ for Radeon 9800 Pro and 699$ for 17" Studio Display and we get $3373!
Or, you want 64bit PC? Lets try with Alienware Aurora: AMD Athlon 64 3200+, 512MB RAM, 80GB HDD, NV FX5200 Ultra, 80GB SATA HDD, Plextor 8x DVD+-RW Drive, Audigy 2, Gigabit Ethernet, USB 2.0, Firewire: $1760
Sorry, but there is no way that Mac is cheaper (or even close) to comparable PC. And mind you, I chose two of the most expensive PC vendors.
I'm not sure I understand the advantage of connecting to your servers via a serial cable. Many servers have an ethernet interface. Doesn't that open you up to the possibility of TCP/IP and telnet?*
/. for a minute. Must...encrypt...everything...Black helicopters...coming...
*Oops, I meant SSH. Forgot this was
However, I think the real culprit here is the computer industry in general, which for no reason anyone can fathom insists on locating Caps Lock, the least used and most annoying key ever, in a very prominent position on the keyboard instead of where it belongs--in a distant city on another continent. ACTUALLY, I USE THE CAPS LOCK EVERY DAY WHEN I WRITE EMAILS AND POST MESSAGES. I FIND PEOPLE PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT YOU SAY WHEN IT READS LIKE YOU'RE SHOUTING.