Powerbook Update!, comming Oct. 19th? Options

[miaba]

So has anyone heard about these updates that apple scheduled to announce this afternoon? I heard mention of duel channel ddr2 included with the new computers. I am in the midst of purchasing a powerbook as soon as possible but I'm not sure if I should wait. Waiting kind of makes me nervous as I know that I can get by with a time-tested machine at a cost that I can afford. Maybe I could get a word on if I should wait to purchase or not. Does this mean the current powerbooks will disapear? My student discount is good only through the applestore!

[formatj]

The announcement is in about 17 hours, I'd wait.
There may not even be any new powerbooks.

[miaba]

THANKS I'VE BEN GOING CRAZY because i cant afford a more expensive powerbook and new tech. always has glitches to iron out but waiting just in case could prove to be a big benefit. What exactly does the duel ddr2 mean for digital audio?

[lepetitmartien]

It means not a lot as far as I know. It's not faster by far, but I recall something about the chips capacity which can be larger.

Now formatj is right, we'll know in a few hours.

Heaven would be new powerbooks with the new G4 chips and G5s with dual core, DDR2 and PCI express but we don't know, as Steve as usual didn't ring us before.

Anyway, save for the RAM, you'll need some anyway.

[keybie]

I started slowly looking around for a new computer almost 2 years ago, deciding to get a laptop this time, and the Powerbook (12" or 15") seemed to be it
Since then I've been following the suggestion given by others: "If you need it, buy it now, if not -wait!"

There's always going to be something better just around the corner, but to me the 15" that I've decided on seems like a good buy now. It's a little cheaper than before and has the features of the top end 17" model and then some (dual-layer DVD burner and bigger, better screen), so I think this is it. I'm just going to wait a couple of weeks to hear what others say -if there are any bugs or issues that need to be ironed out.

But having searched the web for more information I hear nothing but whining and complaining, and frankly it's a little off-putting

Are all you guys saying that they're crap? I'm certainly not prepared to wait another 2 years for an Intel based Powerbook (and nobody knows how well they'll work anyway). The question is: is the current 15" Powerbook good enough, and is all the whining about numbers and specs, while in "real life" it's a very powerful and nice computer?

So, if the newly updated 15" Powerbook is a worthless pile of crap, what alternatives are there? I'll be using it for the usual things (web, mail, word-processing etc.) but also for creating music (audio/MIDI) and video-editing, most likely with an external hard-drive.
Are current PC laptops so much better?

[dwwave]

I think that the current laptop offerings are fine

the prices are lower than I have ever seen

I think people (me included) are wary of buying now with

Intel now on board and Apple does not tell the public when stuff is coming down the pipe

Personally I do not think Intel powered laptops will not be here

till 2006 but I think they (laptops) will be the first to go

after speed increases verus desk tops

If you get a lap top put the max amount of ram it will take

and you will be fine

I mostly have desk tops , is that a option?

IMO laptop users whine more than desktop users(both formats)

[keybie]

A laptop would be great for me since it'll allow me to change working environments and I can do without all those bulky peripherals

I can probably wait forever for something even better (e.g. the Intel Powerbooks), but even then there's going to be something better right around the corner, so the real question is if what I can buy now is good enough for my use? (general stuff in addition to video-editing, music (audio/MIDI) etc.)

To everybody using the latest (or almost latest) Powerbooks: are there any drawbacks to them, and if yes -what are they?
It seems like even a few years back, professional musicians were using Powerbooks (with much lower specs than the ones sold today) to make music and edit videos, so even though they'll probably be outdated in a year or two they surely won't stop working and be useless for tasks like that?

Anyone here who's just bought the very latest Powerbook? Any issues that need correcting so that I should wait a bit longer, or do they seem to work fine?

[dwwave]

The only issue I am aware of is temperature when you use

the laptop on your laptop, aftermarket companies sell platforms

to shield your legs from the heat.

From what I have heard when Apple was using the current chip

maker to attempt a G5 laptop the laptops grossly overheated.

Intel is supposed to fix this. Should you wait?, only you can answer

that. I am using a desk top unit a eMac of all things 1.25ghz

with 1GB ram 80gb HD and a Lacie 160MB external Firewire hardrive

I use Gargaeband and Tracktion, midi controller, tascam US-122

interface, M-audio monitors, a podxt for direct recording as well

as a Vox Tonelab and Roger Linn Adrennalin(2)

No latency issues, very satisfied.

[lepetitmartien]

In fact our friends from macbidouille/hardmac found out there's a G5 chip suitable for a laptop since july, but maybe the power is not interesting regarding the current G4 offerings (altivec is better in G4 chips, but G5 can have frequencies going higher up).

First we don't know when the macintel laptop will come in, we only know the first macintel will be in June 06, but which ones…