Registered: Jan 2000
Location: Twin Cities, MN
Posts: 1683

So, who else is drooling all over their desks regarding the new Apple Powerbook announcement today:

http://www.apple.com/powerbook/

Damn, that's one fine looking machine.

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Registered: Apr 2000
Location:
Posts: 27

Oh God yes, I saw it in 5th period and almost fell out of my seat. Most of the people I know who have seen it have had a response of "HOLY SH**"

Registered: Mar 2000
Location: NJ
Posts: 517

Yeah it is one "sexy" looking machine! I've also been drooling over that Superdrive thats in the high end tower, not to mention the 733 MHz G4! I think Apple hit a home run today with all of their announcements.

So, who wants to lend me a few thousand dollars?

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homer asked: "So, who else is drooling all over their desks regarding the new Apple Powerbook announcement today"

Desk? Hell, I was THERE at the MacWorld Expo, drooling over one (well technically they have a few dozen models for show)!! The Apple people had to keep wiping the drool off of the floor models.

I spent five hours at the exhibit hall today. I realized at the end of the day that I'd spent almost half my time between the Handspring, and Palm booths!!!

Oh wait wait wait, I did buy a T-shirt. It reads:

Macintosh for Productivity
Linux for Development
Palm for Mobility
Windows for Solitaire

Tee hee!!

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Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Texan in Calgary for a while
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I don't even have a Mac and I was drooling. I really want a light portable that has a DVD drive (so I can watch movies on those long flights).

Does the width (it's 13.4" x 9.5" x 1.0") make it too big?

And how about that writable DVD drive for the towers? "Coming soon: VisorCentral - The Movie"

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James Hromadka
Old Friend

Registered: Apr 2000
Location: St Petersburg Fla
Posts: 224

Needs a Windows emulator

Looked at the specs on the Apple site. I would definitely consider this laptop over a Dell laptop except for one major problem. I'm a Windows developer at work and home.
Linux has a Windows emulator, Apple OS needs one too. It is a fact of life that Windows is too entrenched in the corporate world for an OS switch.

Registered: Jan 2000
Location: Twin Cities, MN
Posts: 1683

quote:

---

Does the width (it's 13.4" x 9.5" x 1.0") make it too big?

---

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The PowerBook G4 is awesome, but this won't be enough to pull the company along. The real problem afflicting Apple's products is price!!! Sure, I would love a Titanium, but how in Christ's name can I (or anyone else) afford it? I was actually getting excited about getting a low-end PowerMac G4 when Apple dropped the price to $1299. Now I discover that the new G4 will go right back up to $1699! What the hell was Jobs thinking? We need CHEAPER systems, not more expensive ones. He's never going to ensnare PC users with these prices. I'm a professional, so an iMac is out of the question. So where does that leave me? The only pro system available within my budget is the $1499 G4 Cube. Hmm, that doesn't exactly leave me tingly all over, especially with the quality control issues.

There were no iMac announcements in Jobs keynote! He should have dropped the low-end iMac from $799 to $499, and knocked the $1499 systems down to $1299. At the very least he should have upgraded the high-end systems with 17" monitors and CD-RW. I was also surprised he didn't upgrade or cut prices on the existing PowerBooks. Consumers are not buying high-end systems right now. In fact, they aren't buying much of anything in a slowing economy. I think the Titanium PowerBook is going to suffer the same fate as the Cube. It will garner many oohs and ahhs, but won't move in high volumes. I can buy a Sony Vaio that offers all the sex and thin design for a lot less money.

If Apple REALLY wants to become a serious contender in this industry, it must change not only its business practices, but its very business model. Apple should be jumping into the internet appliance space. Hell, even Intel is getting into the act. Next they SHOULD develop a PDA, preferably NOT a Palm OS based device...we already have too many of those. I wouldn't mind seeing Apple develop wireless handsets to, the idea of an APPLE Cell phone is just too tempting .

Bottom line: By constraining their entire business to one product; the Mac, they are limiting their growth prospects. They need to diversify. You can't have growth in a small, yet loyal, market.

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Registered: Jan 2000
Location: Lawrence, NY, USA
Posts: 148

Hey foo nice to have you back,

quote:

---

Originally posted by foo fighter
Next they SHOULD develop a PDA, preferably NOT a Palm OS based device...we already have too many of those.

---

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Registered: Jan 2000
Location: Twin Cities, MN
Posts: 1683

Foo:

Why do you assume that Apple is trying to sway PC users over to the Mac? Apple is not in the price-wars game. Your argument is as silly as saying that BMW should lower their prices to $13000 to compete with the Ford Escort.

Different markets.

And I'm not sure why you feel the $2600 on the new Powerbook is overpriced! The ONLY other laptop I would see as being in the same class are the thin Sony Vaios. And a comparably outfitted Vaio is about the same price.

Would I like cheaper Macs? Certainly. Am I willing to pay for Macs at their current price in exchange for superior industrial design and aesthetics? Most definitely.

If you are looking for a Ford Escort to get you around town affordably, get the Dell. If you are looking for a BMW to travel in luxury with, get the new Powerbook.

I am a *bit* bummed, though, that two days after I upgraded to Audion 2, Apple released the free iTunes player. Oh well. Regardless, the announcements from MacWorld are, so far, been quite pleasing to hear.

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Registered: Apr 2000
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History in the Making

While on the subject of Macs, see:
http://library.stanford.edu/mac/index.html

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: I'm not sure, but I see lots of lights everywhere.
Posts: 1287

Homer:

No offense, but why do Mac users always use the BMW vs. Chevy argument to compare Macs to PCs? Totally irrelevant. Macs may be dead sexy, but the comparison ends there. What Mac users fail to point out is that both BMWs and Chevys all run on industry standard components (with a few exceptions), use industry standard fuels (Gasoline or Diesel), and use conventional oils for lubrication. The same metaphor can't be used for Macs and PCs. Macs run a proprietary OS (Yes, I know Windoze is a proprietary OS, but it is accepted as the "standard" and runs on a open-standard platform), on proprietary hardware. Would the BMW sell as well if it were powered by a special fuel that was rather expensive and difficult to find?

Different markets? Different niche maybe, but not different markets. Both Macs and PCs are "Personal Computers" targeted at consumers and professional users. The only difference between the two is their internal architecture, the fact that (unlike PCs) Macs are vertically integrated, and PCs have a much greater corporate presence. That's about it. Oh yah, and Macs have a loyal following of user who love their systems, which can't be said for PCs (believe me, I know). You'll never hear me say; "I love my DELL!", in fact I hate it! I'm sick of the ugly, clunky, tasteless beige tower.

Don't get me wrong, I am by no means a Mac basher, in fact I may yet purchase one. If Apple keeps the Cube at $1499 and throws some more goodies in, I may bite. I especially love the 15" LCD display, especially since Jobs lowered the price to $799.

As I said, no offense intended. I just wanted to throw in my opinion on the "BMW" argument. To each his own

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Registered: Mar 2000
Location: Richmond, VA, USA
Posts: 151

apple

homer said: Why do you assume that Apple is trying to sway PC users over to the Mac?

How about a quote from http://www.apple.com/powerbook:

"And the 100MHz system bus � the pipeline between memory and processor � and the 1MB of backside level 2 cache with speeds of up to 250MHz make significant performance-enhancing contributions as well.

The result? The PowerBook G4 outguns Pentium III-based notebooks by up to 30 percent.*"

Disregarding the asterisk, this statement seems to indicate that Apple may be trying to sway PC users over to the Mac.

Also, Apple better START swaying PC users over to the Mac if they want to get out of the red.

Registered: Mar 2000
Location: NJ
Posts: 517

Why do people buy BMWs? For style, and the Powerbook G4 (along with all of the other products) have style. The $2600 price is great for such a computer, the fact that I don't really need one and so wouldn't be able to justify spending that much doesn't make it overpriced.

The only times Apple ever lowers the price on systems (with the exception of the Cube which was overpriced) is right before new systems come out. If all you need is a computer to do your work on, get the low end version of the last model. It is still an exceptional computer, and you'll be getting a great price on it too. Sure I want one of those new systems, but my current setup didn't all of the sudden become obsolete. I am still impressed with my machine and it does what I need it to do.

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Registered: Sep 1999
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What really caught my eye about the G4 Powerbook was the DVD player in a 1" thick laptop. Too bad it doesn't have the DVD-RAM drive.

I used to have disdain for the MacOS until I actually had to use it. I had the opportunity to teach computer literacy for a semester at a junior high school on Mac OS 7.5. With no prior Mac experience I was able to keep everything running smoothly. The only problem I ever had was MS Word 6 (which I've heard was horrible) "bomb" out almost daily on at least 1/30 computers. I just used that to teach the value of saving your work often.

That opened my eyes, and there have been plenty of times since then that I wished I had a Mac.

I don't play games on the PC (I have a Nintendo64 for that) and am sick and tired of IE crashing.

After OS X comes out I may take that leap.

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James Hromadka
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quote:

---

Originally posted by JHromadka
...and there have been plenty of times since then that I wished I had a Mac....After OS X comes out I may take that leap.

---

Sounds like your in the same boat I am. I was once a very prominent Mac basher. Gleefully, I would laugh out loud as Mac users chanted praise of their machines. Every time Jobs would strut on stage wearing his trademark turtleneck, I would sit back with a contemptuous grin on my face...well, I still do that. But over the past year the Mac has started to rub off on me, literally (do you know how hard it is to get those blueberry and strawberry stains out your clothes?). And in my line of work, Macs have a strong following that is not to be ignored. So far, I haven't seen any real compelling reason to switch to a Mac, other than the fact that my PC is becoming old and slow. I'm getting to the point now that I REALLY need to upgrade to a new system, but I am hesitant to buy a Mac (the current offerings just aren't compelling or cheap enough), but I can't bring myself to buy another boring beige PC running Windoze. Microsoft has taken the fun out of personal computing.

On a regular basis I find myself cheering on the "other guy". ANY other guy; Sun, Linux (well not Linux, it sucks even worse than Windows), Apple, Palm. Anything that doesn't wear the Microsoft logo.

At this point I really don't know what to do. Should I stay with PCs, go with a Mac, drink a beer, invest in steel, watch porn? Oh wait, that last one is a no brainier.

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Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Texan in Calgary for a while
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Ok, I did a comparison of the Vaio vs. PB 64:

Sony Vaio - $3249.98 (after rebate)

• Intel� Pentium� III Processor 750 MHz
  
• 256 MB SDRAM
  
• 20 GB2 hard drive
  
• 12.1" XGA TFT screen
  
• 10/100BASE-T Ethernet
  
• 56K internal modem
  
• External 8X max. DVD-ROM drive
  
• Two USB ports
  
• One FireWire port
  
• ATI RAGE� MOBILITY graphics chip with 8.0 MB SDRAM
  
• Microsoft� Word
  
• Microsoft� Windows� 2000

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James Hromadka
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Registered: May 2000
Location: St. Paul, MN
Posts: 1429

SwEEEEEEEEEEt

Let me just say one thing.
Slashdot people have Vaio's.
Visorcentral people have Titanium powerbooks. Which is better? (not hard to decide!)

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Registered: Nov 1999
Location: bright side of the moon.
Posts: 996

quote:

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Originally posted by foo fighter
invest in steel...

---

being in the steel industry, i can either say 'YES PLEASE!!! WE NEED THE HELP!!' or i could say 'NO!!! things are pretty bad right now!'


i think i'll say both.

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Registered: Mar 2000
Location: NJ
Posts: 517

I'm not sure if the Viao has an IR port or not, but on the wireless PB G4 page (on apples website) there is a picture of a Prism and says you can sync via the IR port. That would be a plus for a VC editor!

What about the weights of the two machines? You might want to compare battery life too (according to Apple it lasts over 5 hours, which seems very impressive to me).

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