NotebookForums.com › Forums › Notebook Manufacturers › Apple Forums › Apple Notebooks › Should I Buy An Apple Powerbook?
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Should I Buy An Apple Powerbook?

post #1 of 17
6/13/05 at 10:24pm
Thread Starter 
Hello,

I'm really dead set on buying a Powerbook for college, but I'm worried about it not holding up its value. I have two key questions...

-- If I do buy it, is there any chance of some sort of upgrade (even if minor) by the end of the summer?

- And, is it worth it to buy a product that will be obsolete within a year?
Reply
Reply
post #2 of 17
6/13/05 at 11:24pm
First, the PBs were just updated and likely won't see another one until at least October possibly later.

Second, any computer you buy is obsolete the minute you get it. As far as practical obsoletion...well, programmes are going to be available for PowerPC Macs for a long time to come. If you need a laptop now get one. By the time the Intel Macs come out you'll probably be in the market for a new laptop anyway regardless of Apple's having decided to switch to Intel.
Reply
Reply
post #3 of 17
6/13/05 at 11:27pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kakaze
First, the PBs were just updated and likely won't see another one until at least October possibly later.

Second, any computer you buy is obsolete the minute you get it. As far as practical obsoletion...well, programmes are going to be available for PowerPC Macs for a long time to come. If you need a laptop now get one. By the time the Intel Macs come out you'll probably be in the market for a new laptop anyway regardless of Apple's having decided to switch to Intel.
I was hoping for at least two years...
Reply
Reply
post #4 of 17
6/14/05 at 12:07am
Quote:
Originally Posted by bdawgxl
I was hoping for at least two years...
Are you hoping the notebook will last for two years before it is totally obsolete? The switch from ibm to intel will take 2 years. So you may see a new PB before 2 years, or at the end of the 2 years. I'm guessing they'll start the switch with the powermacs first. Notebooks may be the last thing they switch due to heat issues they may run in to.

I myself am planning on getting a PB too
Reply
Reply
post #5 of 17
6/14/05 at 12:24am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jk_baller23
Notebooks may be the last thing they switch due to heat issues they may run in to.

dude...P-M makes MUCH MUCH less heat than a G4, so if anything, going the intel route will RESOLVE heat issues.

and this will be the order of upgrades:
mac mini, emac (if still on sale), iMac, PowerMac, iBook, PowerBook
Reply
Reply
post #6 of 17
6/14/05 at 12:32am
What happens to a notebook computer within a year to make it obsolete, does it explode?
Reply
Reply
post #7 of 17
6/14/05 at 12:42am
Quote:
Originally Posted by abf
dude...P-M makes MUCH MUCH less heat than a G4, so if anything, going the intel route will RESOLVE heat issues.

and this will be the order of upgrades:
mac mini, emac (if still on sale), iMac, PowerMac, iBook, PowerBook
True, the P-M's are a lot cooler then the G4's. Maybe the PB won't be at the end of the upgrade list since many are waiting for the G5 PB's whether or not they come. The P-M in the PB's may be an earlier upgrade then expected, or newer processor may be out in 2 years if the PB is the last to be upgraded.

Yep, notebooks will explode. There is an internal clock, and when it expires, BOOM!!!
Reply
Reply
post #8 of 17
6/14/05 at 1:23am
i am just going by what i read, top of the line computers (meaning powermac and powerbook) will be the last to get the intel. The cheapos will grab it first (mac mini being the #1)
Reply
Reply
post #9 of 17
6/14/05 at 1:32am
as kakaze noted, go ahead and pick one up if u need it. my speculation is that if a product refresh isn't out by the end of the month, it'll be ~Oct. as suggested b4 we get one. yes, you'll get 2 years out of your new PB if bought today, easily. u'd likely get 2 yrs of value even if u bought the very last PPC PB made.

arguably, i'd say the notebooks will be the first products that will get converted. it's simply a matter of economics, Apple needs faster and more power efficient laptops yesterday. that and the fact that notebooks finally outsold desktops last year makes it a no-brainer. also, switching over server software and support is likely to be more complex than just the usual desktop switch for someone wanting to play w/ iLife etc.
as noted in a number of articles, intels roadmap doesn't really look viable (beyond P4 architecture) for powermacs, etc. until the latter portion of the transition period.
Reply
Reply
post #10 of 17
6/14/05 at 2:19am
Quote:
Originally Posted by bdawgxl
I was hoping for at least two years...

Just get the laptop; you'll be fine.
Reply
Reply
post #11 of 17
6/14/05 at 4:02am
I'm thinking the laptops will be the first to see the Intel chips. People have been wanting a new powerbook a lot longer than a new powermac. Hopefully, the release of a new powerbook will help kick off the Intel wave with "a bang." As for the powermacs, I'm thinking they'd utilize dual Xeon processors. Actually, probably the only thing I could see a P4 going into would be an Imac.
Reply
Reply
post #12 of 17
6/17/05 at 11:15am
there will still be a few more products running on powerpc chips coming our way this yr... and IT IS TIME for an ibook update...
Reply
Reply
post #13 of 17
6/17/05 at 1:02pm
ah, who know's when the intel chips will finally be introduced and to what model. If you need a notebook, get one, because you don't know how long you might actually have to wait until you see an intel chip in the PB's.
Reply
Reply
post #14 of 17
6/18/05 at 2:00am
besides apple's new revisions do have many bugs... wait for em to be cleared b4 u buy em
Reply
Reply
post #15 of 17
6/18/05 at 5:15am
I think really that the Powerbooks are in need of a bit more power. I reckon that they'll be one of the first to switch to intel going with the yonah platforms early next year, giving the ibooks an update to either a much faster G4, or a single core yonah/vanilla Pentium M.
Reply
Reply
post #16 of 17
6/18/05 at 2:07pm
as havocide said, there will probably be a lot of bugs in the first notebooks introduced with the intel chips, so it may be better to wait after they are released until a few revisions have been made to make the purchase. This extends the waiting period of however long it may be, so it may be best to just get the PB now, I am probably going to make the purchase now.
Reply
Reply
post #17 of 17
6/18/05 at 9:30pm
i think it might be possible for a different process for the new mactel PBs and iBs. granted there could be bugs present in the chipset, however i'd say it'd be more likely that the casing and engineering would be more likely culprits, given the fact that it won't be a proprietary chipset (per intel).
Reply
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Apple Notebooks
NotebookForums.com › Forums › Notebook Manufacturers › Apple Forums › Apple Notebooks › Should I Buy An Apple Powerbook?