benos Posted January 19, 2006 Share Posted January 19, 2006 (edited) I was planning on buying a new 15" PB toward the end of the year, but it didn't happen. Now I see the new "MacBook Pro" (with 1.83 GHz Intel Processer) will be shipping in February. So I'm wondering, should I wait awhile before buying one? be Edited January 19, 2006 by benos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
outerlimits Posted January 19, 2006 Share Posted January 19, 2006 I was planning on buying a new 15" PB toward the end of the year, but it didn't happen. Now I see the new "MacBook Pro" (with 1.83 GHz Intel Processer) will be shipping in February. So I'm wondering, should I wait awhile before buying one?be BE-jiump on it now-no reason to wait-i was at macworld last wednesday and oredered one on the spot...get the 1.67...they both have superdrives so it ain't worth the extra dough for the 1.83...you'll be amazed at how lite it is...kinda like picking up an SVI for the first time vs a Para. and wait till you get a load of the power cord plug! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diehli Posted January 19, 2006 Share Posted January 19, 2006 If you're doing lots of graphics editing, go for the 1.83, otherwise stick with the 1.67. That's my opinion. Comparing the two, you get (almost) double the RAM, 20G bigger hard drive, and the big-graphic-editing deciding factor a graphics card with double the RAM. About the only thing you'd want of that, IMO, is the RAM, which ain't worth 500 bones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BritinUSA Posted January 19, 2006 Share Posted January 19, 2006 (edited) Apple will be coming out with other Intel computers over the next few months. Perhaps some slightly cheaper laptops (12" etc.) that may be a touch cheaper. Also a new Mac-Mini (more of an entertainment hub with the new release). If your concerns are with the 1.0 version of Apple/Intel I would not be concerned. I have always run the latest OS the minute that they come out and I've never had a problem. You can buy with confidence, Apple has too much at stake to throw out a bad product. When you get it, please post your thoughts/opinions on it. I plan to upgrade once they bring out a smaller laptop as I don't need/want something that large. Review of the new Intel Mac is here, not the laptop but it's an interesting read click Edited January 19, 2006 by BritinUSA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clay1 Posted January 19, 2006 Share Posted January 19, 2006 The kid has already hit me up for one of the new Power books for graduation. He is on his way to college and has a band. He thinks that the Apple will be better for his music applications. I'm more worried about his school work and being capatible with all the PCs. I haven't done the research lately. Would this new 15", $2000 baby be a good investment for a college kid or would a PC based laptop by Dell be better? Thanks, Rick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BritinUSA Posted January 19, 2006 Share Posted January 19, 2006 A lot of schools/college use Apple. Apple has an appl called GarageBand for musicians to create their music. Microsoft Word is available for Apple, that's what a lot of students use. Go for it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nik Habicht Posted January 19, 2006 Share Posted January 19, 2006 I'd strongly recommend that anyone looking to do serious graphics/photo work head over to Rob Galbraith's siteand read This Article on the MacBook Pro. That should make you conversant with both the blleding edge tech advances --- and the occasional potentially serious drawbacks of the new laptop..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benos Posted January 19, 2006 Author Share Posted January 19, 2006 Thanks for the feedback everyone, and thanks for the link, Nik. I didn't know about no modem/Firewire 800. And that is a bit sad about the Firewire 800. G, ? be Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diehli Posted January 20, 2006 Share Posted January 20, 2006 That's the one thing I didn't understand. Why put out a laptop with that much computing capacity, two USB 2.0 ports (running at a max of 480) and stuff a Firewire 400 port on there? If it's for reverse compatibility of older iPods, just include a 800-400 adapter or tell buyers where to get one. That Express card thing is... dumb. Remember SuperDisk? Exactly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shred Posted January 21, 2006 Share Posted January 21, 2006 That Express card thing is... dumb. Remember SuperDisk? Exactly. Naah.. I think everybody's heading the ExpressCard way before long.. PCMCIA should have been killed long long ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AikiDale Posted January 21, 2006 Share Posted January 21, 2006 The kid has already hit me up for one of the new Power books for graduation. He is on his way to college and has a band. He thinks that the Apple will be better for his music applications. I'm more worried about his school work and being capatible with all the PCs. I haven't done the research lately. Would this new 15", $2000 baby be a good investment for a college kid or would a PC based laptop by Dell be better? Thanks, Rick Once you know which college he will be attending check with them. Most schools have bundle deals through the campus book store with the configurations new students will require and you can get an idea if PC or MAC is appropriate. A friend of mine just bought two laptops; the one he and the kid thought would be great, then the one for school.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diehli Posted January 21, 2006 Share Posted January 21, 2006 The kid has already hit me up for one of the new Power books for graduation. He is on his way to college and has a band. He thinks that the Apple will be better for his music applications. I'm more worried about his school work and being capatible with all the PCs. I haven't done the research lately. Would this new 15", $2000 baby be a good investment for a college kid or would a PC based laptop by Dell be better? Thanks, Rick Once you know which college he will be attending check with them. Most schools have bundle deals through the campus book store with the configurations new students will require and you can get an idea if PC or MAC is appropriate. A friend of mine just bought two laptops; the one he and the kid thought would be great, then the one for school.... Actually, you can just go to the Apple Education Store and get the best discount Apple offers (aside from buying in bulk or employee pricing). Linky: http://www.apple.com/education/ It's 10% off... $200 on the 1.67 MacBook. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clay1 Posted January 21, 2006 Share Posted January 21, 2006 Thanks for the money savings ideas on Powerbooks. Appreciate the tips. Now, I just need to find an educational discount on my new carry gun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Posted January 25, 2006 Share Posted January 25, 2006 Fergit' the MacBook Pro fer' now. First iteration of a new Apple notebook is always a PITA. I have almost always been on the bad side of that learning curve and I am getting a bit tired of it ;-) Also, the X86 Macs will need all new app code to run as fast as they are advertised to. Right now only Apple apps will be universal code and everything else by everyone else will have to run in the Rosetta translator very slowly compared to how it ran on the G4 1.67 PB. There may be a few of the 3rd party productivity applications we all need out by the time the MacBook ships, but you can bet it won't all the ones you need. By the time you upgrade all your apps to X86 code versions it could run into many, many hundreds, even thousands of bucks depending on your needs. Not something most folks will be happy about having to do. A lot of longtime Mac users have only just recently gotten really settled into X and all their apps up to speed. Now a new ballgame, yeah, right! Yes, you will get great deals on the universal code app updates ($49 to $99 typically), but it will be a few months to a year before most major apps are universal and another year, possibly two for the freeware/shareware community to catch back up to where they are now for the PPC platform. Here's what tack I am gonna take. It is a certainty that the present PB G4 15's and 17's are gonna go on clearance sale in a few months to get them out the door. I am gonna wait until the the G4 models start closing out at $500-700 less than they are now and snap up a pair for a work use I have recently found out about. In another 18 months my present pair of 17" 1.67Ghz PB's will be near the end of their 3 year Applecare plan and that's when I will replace them with MacBooks (hopefully 17's by then). This time I will NOT be an early adopter (read "out of pocket beta tester" here). BTW, talk to me then about a screaming deal on a pair of 2 and a half year old G4 PB's:-) All the kinks will be ironed out by of the X86 machines by then and the software switch will be over and done with. I will however, begin buying the updates to universal code as they appear because I need to be current on them in advance. The macBook is a good move for Apple, I just don't see it as a good move for me now. I used a little logic this time and realized that the "gotta' havit's" are not gonna get me this time ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Posted January 25, 2006 Share Posted January 25, 2006 BTW, the hot deal right now at Apple because of this change is the $199 upgrade from Final Cut HD to a full version of Final Cut Studio in universal code. FC Studio is normally $1299 and it was $699 a few months back for the upgrade from FCP HD. I am jumping on this big time :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benos Posted January 25, 2006 Author Share Posted January 25, 2006 Thanks G. I really appreciate it, cause I was ready to buy one. Guess I'll grab a deal on an older one, and try to not feel too far off the curve! be Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam B Posted March 8, 2006 Share Posted March 8, 2006 Thanks G. I really appreciate it, cause I was ready to buy one. Guess I'll grab a deal on an older one, and try to not feel too far off the curve!be Brian, Dont hesitate on the macbook pro. I was a developer for OS X on intel and there is no reason, other then if you need to use photoshop at faster speeds, that you should shy away from the macbook. I have a mac book, 2.06 with 2GB of ram and a 7200rpm hard drive, as well as a 17" powerbook with similar specs to the macbook and there is really no comparison. The macbook is lightening fast and very well built. Apple really did their homework before they released the macbook. If you are worried about the modem issue you can get a USB modem and personally I dont mind that they didn't include firewire 800, most single hard drives cant match the 800Mbps throughput anyways. You can boot from a USB drive which wasnt possible on the powerpc platform, this essentially eliminated the need for the firewire drive. Another good point is that pretty much all of the new software will be optomized for the intel platform and any legacy powerpc platforms will eventually be fased out, it is just a matter of time. Hope that helps. Adam Boynton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benos Posted March 10, 2006 Author Share Posted March 10, 2006 (edited) Thank you Adam - that does help. I still haven't bought one yet... And nice to see they added the 100g/7200 rpm drive as an option. That wasn't there a month ago. be Edited March 10, 2006 by benos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 No FW-800 port makes it a loser for fast video I/O to ext FW drives. The Express Card slot instead of a PCMCIA card slot is a bummer too. No internal modem means $49 buckeroo's extra and another dongle to carry around. No analog audio I/O means no headphones without another USB dongle to keep track of. All that coupled with Rosetta running all 3rd party apps for the next 10 months to a year and the hundreds and hundreds of bux it will take to upgrade to universal code apps says no way jose, yet! BTW, PS runs like a dawg under Rosetta when you are handling 15 megapixel plus RAW camera images by the hundreds ;-( Cleaner render's video at a crawl under Rosetta too. FCP will be universal in a couple months, but not yet! The magsafe power connector, the built-in iSight camera, the Apple Remote and being able to run Safari, Apple Mail and iLife 2006 at full speed doesn't even begin to make up for these deficiencies IMHO ;-) If you want a screaming fast notebook to do a couple very specific video or high end imaging tasks AND the apps were there right now, I might get one. But without natiive PhotoShop, FCP Studio, DVD Studio Pro, Cleaner and InDesign running at full steam, fergedaboutit fer' the time being. I want to work now, not 6-10 months from now. Let's face it, a laptop is a Bic lighter and to expect much more than a little over 4 years outa' one if you are doing high end work on it is pretty presumptuous ;-) Given that universal code isn’t here yet and won’t be for the high end 3rd party video apps for a while (Cleaner, AfterEffects, etc...), why would I want to take a raincheck on full performance for almost a quarter of the machines useful service life? The tech curve and the software development curve just won’t let laptops have long service lives unless you are just using them for household level text and email based tasks, or straightup word processing level workflows. I stand my ground about the MacBook Pro not being ready for primetime, yet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam B Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 No FW-800 port makes it a loser for fast video I/O to ext FW drives.The Express Card slot instead of a PCMCIA card slot is a bummer too. No internal modem means $49 buckeroo's extra and another dongle to carry around. No analog audio I/O means no headphones without another USB dongle to keep track of. All that coupled with Rosetta running all 3rd party apps for the next 10 months to a year and the hundreds and hundreds of bux it will take to upgrade to universal code apps says no way jose, yet! BTW, PS runs like a dawg under Rosetta when you are handling 15 megapixel plus RAW camera images by the hundreds ;-( Cleaner render's video at a crawl under Rosetta too. FCP will be universal in a couple months, but not yet! The magsafe power connector, the built-in iSight camera, the Apple Remote and being able to run Safari, Apple Mail and iLife 2006 at full speed doesn't even begin to make up for these deficiencies IMHO ;-) If you want a screaming fast notebook to do a couple very specific video or high end imaging tasks AND the apps were there right now, I might get one. But without natiive PhotoShop, FCP Studio, DVD Studio Pro, Cleaner and InDesign running at full steam, fergedaboutit fer' the time being. I want to work now, not 6-10 months from now. Let's face it, a laptop is a Bic lighter and to expect much more than a little over 4 years outa' one if you are doing high end work on it is pretty presumptuous ;-) Given that universal code isn’t here yet and won’t be for the high end 3rd party video apps for a while (Cleaner, AfterEffects, etc...), why would I want to take a raincheck on full performance for almost a quarter of the machines useful service life? The tech curve and the software development curve just won’t let laptops have long service lives unless you are just using them for household level text and email based tasks, or straightup word processing level workflows. I stand my ground about the MacBook Pro not being ready for primetime, yet! George makes some great points, if you are buying it to edit videos/photos. I am a software developer/system admin so it meets/exceeds all of my needs. You will need to identify what exactly you are going to use it for and go from there. Personally if I were going to edit videos/photos I would go with the G5 desktop with the quad core and skip the laptop all together. If you are looking for a basic latop to browse the web, listen to music and view photos (not professionally edit large one) the mac book pro is you laptop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edwin garcia Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 I like the discussion here, it makes me want to buy both MacBookPro and the PowerBook at the same time to avoid the cons of buying just one. I use Photoshop/Illustrator/FinalCut and use a dual Processor G5. I guess I'm on the verge of purchasing a notebook Mac. Your points of view are a sobering reminder that new tech releases may not meet all your needs. Please keep up with the discussions as it would eventually help me purchase wisely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benos Posted March 11, 2006 Author Share Posted March 11, 2006 I wouldn't do any photo or video work on it. Basically it's just for data. Email, web, web site work while on the road. So I can keep a mirror image of my work machine with me. At home I sit at the tower/big screen. Now and then I may have to dial up with it - god forbid. But it's becoming fairly easy to find a hotel with free DSL. If my Maxtor 250G firewire/usb drive will mount, for the little file exchanging that I'd have to do, the speed won't be an issue. be Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Posted March 11, 2006 Share Posted March 11, 2006 I wouldn't do any photo or video work on it. Basically it's just for data. Email, web, web site work while on the road. If that's the case, then a MacBook Pro is a waste of money and processor for ya' Check out the 15" PB G4 refurb available from Apple at $1599 with a full warranty. They had some older 15's at $1399 that were 1.4 Ghz and had single layer DVD burners, but they are gone now. I think the 1.67 at $1599 is a better deal anyway with the newer features. PB G4 15" Main Features: 80GB HD DL DVD-R 512MB RAM (single dimm) 1.67Ghz G4 15.2-inch 1440 x 960 Display ATI Mobility Radeon 9700, 128MB of DDR SDRAM, dual-link DVI out PB G4 15" Features Not On MacBook Pro: PCMCIA Slot Internal Modem Analog and Optical Audio I/O FW 400 & 800 S-Video Out To find the refurbs on their website, hit the Apple Store link then scroll all the way to the bottom and you will find the refurbs in a tiny link on the left at the very bottom of the page ;-/ Here is a PDF of the specs: PowerBookG415_refurb.pdf That's what I woould get if I wanted something rugged, cheap and full featured for road work without doing video and image work at the hegh end of the spectrum. Yeah, closeout G4 15, that's what I would do ;-) Stick around, they might even get cheaper in a month or two ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benos Posted March 13, 2006 Author Share Posted March 13, 2006 Stick around, they might even get cheaper in a month or two ;-) My thoughts approximately. be Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam B Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 I have a G4 12 inch that I really like for traveling, meets all of my needs and it is compact and light. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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