Powerbook G4 Now?

[jevau]

Hey guys, i am a freshman in college and a visual arts major focusing in photography and possibly graphic design and i'm currently looking at buying a new 17 inch PowerBook G4. i declared my major this october and found out that my school's computer labs are all mac (while i currently own all PC). i start my art and photograhy courses at the end of january and i wanted to buy a PowerBook to have for Spring semester, but the rumors about intel PBs at MWSF are really weighing down my decision.

the options im thinking about are:
1. after christmas, head on up to the Apple store and drop the money for a new 17" PB
OR
2. wait for MWSF and the posible release of intel powerbooks and then wait even longer for shipping (i heard even if they were released, you might not recieve one until may)

i've read a lot of other forums and threads about this same decision, but i really want to know if the current PBs will last me, say 3 years, of photo editing and maybe some graphic design. can i just buy one now and not really worry about the intel update?

[Brad]

Welcome to AppleNova! :)

Yes, the current PowerBook can last you for three years. If you use the battery a lot, you'll probably want to replace it half-way through that much time.

Yes, if you wait for Intel PowerBooks, you'll probably be waiting a long time before you actually get it in your hands. Not many people think about the months-long delay that often follow product launches when factoring their decision. I'm glad to see that you did. ;)

Yes, you can buy now and not really worry about the Intel PowerBooks. The next major update for Mac OS X (not due any time soon), all of Apple's own future apps, and the overwhelming majority of future third-party titles will continue to operate on the current PowerPC platform thanks to Apple's ingenious "universal binary" implementation.

[jevau]

thanks for the welcome and for the advice :)

that was the really straightforward information i needed to make my decision. i'll probably be standing in line at an Apple store within the next few weeks :)

[torifile]

I would wait. MWSF is soooo close now that something might change. Even if the intel pbook comes out and you don't want it, you'll likely be able to get a slightly lower price on the pbook you want.

[Brave Ulysses]

Welcome to AppleNova! :)

Yes, the current PowerBook can last you for three years. If you use the battery a lot, you'll probably want to replace it half-way through that much time.
.


I have to strongly disagree with you. At this time, the core technology in the Powerbook is already outdated, by at least a year. The lack of processor speed increases and technology is really rather sad. These machines were slow compared to their competition January of last year. Now they are very overpriced. I think these machines will hit a wall much sooner than other Apple products and that you are receiving very poor bang for the buck.

I would by all means wait for the next revision, hopefully Intel. Only then will you have a Powerbook that is capable of lasting 3 years without much grief and regret

[PB PM]

I would wait. MWSF is soooo close now that something might change. Even if the intel pbook comes out and you don't want it, you'll likely be able to get a slightly lower price on the pbook you want.
I disegree. This fellow sounds like he needed it by X date, and waiting till mid January doesn't sound like an option. The current 17" Powerbook is a great machine, I wouldn't hold off for a second if I knew it was what I wanted. The likelyhood of the Powerbook being updated is so small right its not worth waiting. If he needs it in January for school, waiting till May/June isn't an option.

[torifile]

I disegree. This fellow sounds like he needed it by X date, and waiting till mid January doesn't sound like an option. The current 17" Powerbook is a great machine, I wouldn't hold off for a second if I knew it was what I wanted. The likelyhood of the Powerbook being updated is so small right its not worth waiting. If he needs it in January for school, waiting till May/June isn't an option.
He said he "wanted" to have it by the end of January, not that he needs to have it by then. At the very worst, he waits until the middle of January and buys if it's not updated. It's still before the time he wanted it and he can rest assured that the powerbooks weren't updated at MWSF. It's just 2 weeks off now anyway.

Edit: OTOH, even if the powerbooks go intel, I'd hate to see Photoshop trying to perform in Rosetta emulation. It's likely that CS2 won't be updated until the second half of the year and I highly doubt that Adobe will be putting out universal binaries updates for their current suite. So, if they do go intel, it may be better for you to get a G4 for performance's sake. But you might be able to get a good deal on a G4 if that's the case.

[jevau]

i think i'm going to go to the apple store sometime in the next few weeks and try to get a PBook before MWSF. i do "want" the PB by the end of January, but I really don't want to wait until April or May to get an Intel PB. also, i've recently had a bad experience in onlne ordering and would much rather walk into the store and come out with a PB in my hands. hopefully from what i've heard and researched, a G4 PB 17 inch will last me a good 3 years of just photo editing, graphics creation and note taking and i'll just hold off on the Intel craze until later. :)

[Dave_D]

For me, even if the MacTels come out tomorrow I still wouldn't be the first guy in line. Hardware is just half the transition. Software is just as important. Both define the computing experience and the productivity.

Until I see all of the applications I use now available as Fat binaries, I'm sticking with the current line of Mac hardware.

[jwick716]

I would make sure that whereever you get it from that they offer price protection so just in case Steve Jobs announces price drops at MacWorld you will be able to get the difference.

[m4hl3r]

Well. I'm new here at AppleNova.com, but I've been at Appleinsider.com for quite a while. ;)

We have also had this discussion many times, but everytime we came to this conclusion : ››If you need it right now, go buy it. The PB / IB / Mini or whatever, that's in the market atm. is good - really good. But the PB is rather outdated, but is still good if you compare it to other laptops. But if you can wait 1 month of two, then wait. MWSF (MacWorld San Francisco) is coming up really soon - starting 9th of January. (In this case, it's a matter of 5 days, that should be possible.)

And if some of you are wondering "why on earth should I wait to MWSF? Let me say this, 1) there have been rumours about Apple switching to Intel - which would have them faster, a lot in fact. 2) PB might be 20 - 25 % slimmer. 3) It might get intigrated a webcam - iSight 4) New design?

I would bet $100 on the PB will get a opdate really soon. Some are saying that it's the IB that will get opdated first, which I find - rather stupid. Because, if the IB would get a opdate before the PB, it would - with out a doubt - be able to outpreform the PB. Because the IB is addressed to students or to low-power-needed-things, and the PB is addressed to pros - Graphic Designers etc. So we will see a PowerBook and iBook later or iBook and a PowerBook along or in a very short period of time after the iBook or neither of them. But it is possible that we will see that iBook and first see a opdated PowerBook later on, because Apple might wait untill Meron is avaliable. :eek: (pwnage ? :smokey: )

So, if you need a PowerBook right now, and you can't wait untill the 9th, then go buy one, but if you can wait, then wait. You can see if Steve Jobs will anounce a Intelbased PowerBook at MWSF and if he don't, then go buy. I personally think it would be c r a z y to go out and buy one now so close to MWFS, but again, it's your choise.

But then again, how long will it take to it starts to ship? Only Apple know that. But it might start the day after. But a friendly advise, don't buy rev. A (By that I mean, when it just comes out, wait untill it have been tested and maybe opdated to fix possible flaws. Remember, this Intel switch is a BIG thing, so there will without a doubt be some complications that Apple will need to be solved.)

I hope this post can help you jevau and you others out there asking yourself the same question. If not, just ask me and I'll try to explain it to you - it can be rather hard to understand. ;)

Well folks, Happy NewYear and remember to look out for MacWorld :smokey:

BTW, one last thing, if anyone of you live in San Francisco - GO TO MWSF, it's going to be wild :p

M4hl3r

[torifile]

The thing is, if there's an update next week, it probably won't be a price drop. SJ won't announce a price drop. The current line will just be discontinued. You won't have price protection in that case. If you buy from a 3rd party seller, you might be ok, but they might not have stock and not lower their prices either. I wouldn't count on price protection.

[shell]

The remaining stock of PPC powerbooks won't magically disappear tuesday morning if mactels are announced on monday. At this point I would wait until next week before buying anything from Apple, from an iPod to a Quad. Jevau, tell us what you decided to do, if you do buy the powerbook, or have already done so, you will not be disappointed, I bought a 15'' in november and couldn't be more satisfied.

[torifile]

The remaining stock of PPC powerbooks won't magically disappear tuesday morning if mactels are announced on monday. At this point I would wait until next week before buying anything from Apple, from an iPod to a Quad. Jevau, tell us what you decided to do, if you do buy the powerbook, or have already done so, you will not be disappointed, I bought a 15'' in november and couldn't be more satisfied.
That wasn't my point. My point was that there *would not be* an announced price cut that would allow him any sort of price protection. The update would come in the form of a new computer not in the form of a price cut on today's models. So if he bought from Apple, he'd be SOL. If he bought from a 3rd party reseller, he would have to hope that they gave him some money back. It's not a sure thing. That's all I was saying.

[jevau]

thanks a lot guys for the advice and everything and i'm happy to say i bought a 17 inch PB on monday at my local apple store :D

it seems the majoriy voted on waiting until MWSF unless the PB was needed right away, and while my PB was not needed *right* away, i still wanted to have it by the end of the month so i could start my classes with it.

i decided to get a G4 now just because i'm in love with the PB the way it is right now (as far as design, features and function). right now i'm studying photography (digital and lab) and this PB suits my needs just fine. i heard from Brad and from some people on other forums that the shipping times on the new intel PBs could possibly take up to months and i have to admite i'm kind of impatient when it comes to gadgets :p so i just figured there's no time like the present.

anyway, i absolutely love my PB and it's performance so far has been amazing. i'm still going to watch the keynote next week and i might be disappointed if a new PB is introduced, but i know i have a great machine that will do what i need it to do for the next 3 or so years and be reliable and quick. thanks again guys for the advice and the input! :)

[torifile]

Congrats! But PLEASE don't come in here next week and bemoan the fact that pb was updated. :p

[jevau]

Congrats! But PLEASE don't come in here next week and bemoan the fact that pb was updated. :p

:p yeaa, don't worry, i won't be doing any of that! i love my PB and i bought it knowing that it could possibly be updated less than 2 weeks later.

if they do update it, maybe i can hope for...
1. new case design actually being less attractive than the Aluminum design
2. just an intel processor boost
3. Rev A problems!

sike. although #1 and #3 are probably not likely, if it's just an intel switch and no real case changes (or just a lame case change) i would have no problem with that! i guess we'll find out in a few days...

[sirnick4]

Congrats on the purchase!

I'm glad that you like it :)

[Franz Josef]

Congratulations on the new addition, you're obviously a very proud Mac dad.