OH MY GOD--G4 iBooks!!!

[Zech Marquis]

http://www.apple.com/ibook

starting at $1099 with Panther preinstalled:wow::wow::wow: YESSSSS!!!!!!!!:bounce:

[FlashHarry]

1. FINALLY!!!!!!!!

[LoneStarLiberal]

2. Is Apple Integrating Product Lines? I Thought So...

The iBook prices are getting outrageously good...from what I understand Apple is discontinuing their policy of producing dual lines of "consumer products" (iBook, iMac) and "power products" (PowerBook, Power Mac) in favor of producing one line with scales of the "power products."

I don't keep up with Apple information as much as I would like to, but I am in the market for a new notebook and the iBooks are tops on my list.

[Atlant]

14. There are still differences between the PowerBooks and the iBook

PowerBooks can be configured with a DVD burner; iBooks only burn CDs.

PowerBooks have double the L2 cache of the iBooks.

PowerBooks have FireWire-800; iBooks have FireWire-400.

PowerBooks can have bigger/faster disks.

PowerBooks can have more RAM.

(15" & 17") PowerBooks have a CardBus ("PCMCIA") slot.

(15" & 17") PowerBooks have Gigabit Ethernet.

(15" & 17") PowerBooks have the wide-format screen; iBooks are 1024x768.

(Some) PowerBooks have faster CPU chips.

(Some) PowerBooks have the glow-in-the-dark keyboard.

Some iBook optional features (bluetooth, WiFi) are standard on
all or some PowerBooks.

Atlant

[Zech Marquis]

3. well, I guess I'll have an iBook after all

I didn't see this one coming at all, right out of the blue, man! :wow: It has everything I want for m next Mac, and at the right price too. Just perfect:bounce: The only feature not included is a Superdrive, bu that would drive up the price, so no complaints here. The combo drive would be fine for me. Airport Extreme ready, Quartz Extreme ready and able with the Radeon 9200 (?)

Damn, now should I wait and save up for the iBook G4 (since Panther will be preloaded, and I don't NEED Panther at the moment)...I'll see how Panther is like at he store Saturday, but I'm saving up for the new iBook baby!!! And cancel my plan for a new iPod, don't need it now.

[hlthe2b]

4. I looked at them, though I'am handcuffed to Windows OS

If they have improved their virtual PC emulator, I may well go that route next time...

question: what is panther?

[FlashHarry]

5. Panther is the newest version of OSX. N/T

[Zech Marquis]

6. Panther

is the next verson of Mac OS x, 10.3 to be exact. Panther is the code name it was developed under, and thus the retai; box wil be black with a silver X on it.

Http://www.apple.com/macosx

Virtual PC is now a homemade M$ product, amde by M$ themselve, so you can expect ti to be much improed with XP.

[northzax]

7. well sure

it's a fire sale, they're outdated and being discontinued in favour of the G5 Powerbook.

Frankly, I'd live the 12 incher, perfect for my needs.

[Zech Marquis]

10. wrong

don't expect to see G5 Powerbooks anytime soon--they're toohot for 'Books rigt now. the 12 Powerbooks are still on sale.

[Atlant]

16. There is no "G5 PowerBook" yet. (NT)

[northzax]

32. er, seems I misspoke as usual

never mind me...

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

8. since OS X, I *love* Macs

Except they are too damned expensive!

[tekriter]

9. My cubemate thought the same thing...

so he bought a $2200 Dell because the $1800 iMac was too expensive...


:wtf:

[alfredo]

36. Get a 17" eMac for $799.

they are rock solid.

http://www.apple.com/emac/

You may be able to get a good price on the G4 towers now.

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

38. actually I have two imacs now

I will probably get a G4 tower used, but I really want an ibook. Apple makes the coolest looking computers *by far* and as an old unix geek, OS X was the greatest thing they've ever done!

[alfredo]

46. Since i got OSX, I rarely touch my Linux box.

Which is too bad, because I support the Linux community. When it appeared that MS was going to kill off Apple, some insiders urged us to learn Linux. They said that for two reasons, one was that they knew the direction of the Mac OS, and also a fallback if the worst happened. Linux gave me a leg up on OSX. I am grateful for that.

BTW, what version of freetype will come with Panther? I want to know so I can run scribus without having having to install a newer version.

[Atlant]

50. And tomorrow is Panther day!

> OS X was the greatest thing they've ever done!

I've been in computers a long, long time ("Why, when I
started, we didn't 1's AND 0's, we only had 0's!")
and OS/X may be the greatest thing ANYBODY has
done. Someone finally grafted a competent GUI layer atop
a competent Operating System!

And tomorrow is Panther Day! Too bad I'll be on a train
to D.C., and then back at a Dean event all-day Sunday!

Atlant

[tekriter]

11. My 2 yr old 600 mhz iBook was just fine until this morning.

And without even taking it out of the bag it suddenly got older and slower.

[FlashHarry]

23. Funny how that happens...

[wtmusic]

12. Just got my G5

Lawdamercy, I love this box!

[WilliamPitt]

13. Too bad Apple = garbage

*ducking, fleeing, deliberately starting stupid shit, giggling like titmouse*

[wtmusic]

17. Hey come back here

You lily-livered PC lovin' Bill Gates supportin' antagonizin' misfit!

[Atlant]

19. Do you have a .WAV file of that?

> giggling like titmouse

Do you have a .WAV file of that?

Atlant

[BigMcLargehuge]

20. don't you have a virus to clean or a security patch to download?

Sheesh... LOL... giggling like a titmouse? LOL...

I'm surprised you can even get online with Windows phoning home every two days to compare your computer to the registration number of the OS.

To each his own. I'll take a Mac anyday.

[GOPisEvil]

21. Ahhh...the titmouse...

Drunken Mad-libs gone horribly wrong. :-)

[Zech Marquis]

25. I have a few words for you WillPitt

1)"Aaaron Fuckin' Boone :evilgrin:
2)Let's go Yankees! (clapx5) Let's go Yankees!...

[alfredo]

37. You know Bill Gates helped pay Ralph Reeds fees

when he worked Bush's 2000 campaign. Gates/MS was a big contributor to John Ashcroft. Ever wonder why they got such an easy punishment for the DoJ case, and why they are not being punished for ignoring the remedies?

Enron was also paying Ralph Reed during that time. It saved Bush a lot of money by having those two pay for Reed while he worked for Bush.

Using the Mac is a rejection of Bush and his handlers.

which side are you on?

[ACK]

42. MS is also a Dean contributor

He plays both sides of the fence.

He is one of the top big money contributors to Howard Dean.

[alfredo]

45. that's why I am a Kerry supporter. Anyway, Dean's

eyes are too close together.

[ikojo]

43. Mr Pitt..you obviously learned nothing from

the Mac/WinBLOWS thread from last week?

One day you, too, will come to recognize the superior OS that is OS X as well as the superior computer that is the Mac...

I just bought my 12 inch powerbook in June and love it! It often goes to work with me and I listen to my music. Macs are wonderful. It doesn't crash or stop like my blows machine does.

Quality.

For those who complain about the price of a Mac...

Well...if you want Tiffany then you must be willing to pay for it!

If you want cubic zirconia go with a Microshaft product.

[MUAD_DIB]

51. You do understand that you are rating

Microsoft fairly high by comparing it to cubic zirconia?

[BlueJazz]

15. It looks nice but then again......

a notebook such as the one below has 3 times the power, a 15 inch screen, CD writer,DVD and more for only $899.97




Satellite A15-S129 Notebook
Intel® Celeron™ Processor, 2.4GHz, 256MB RAM, 40GB Hard Drive, 15-inch XGA TFT Display, 8X DVD / 24X10X24 CD-RW Combo Drive, Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition

Manufacturer: Toshiba

Price: $899.97

The Satellite A15-S129 features the Intel® Celeron™ 2.4GHz processor, 256MB DDR SDRAM memory, a 15.0" XGA display, and DVD/CD-RW multi-function drive — all at an affordable price. Integrated 10/100 Ethernet for broadband (DSL and cable) communication, V.92 modem technology and hassle-free upgrade to wireless connectivity, provide easy connectivity to the Internet.

Note: A 1.44MB Internal 3.5-inch Floppy Disk Drive is not included. An optional 1.44MB External 3.5-inch USB Floppy Disk Drive is available.

Note: The manufacturer states that both memory slots may be occupied.
Processor Class: Intel® Celeron™ Processor
Processor Speed: 2.4 GHz
Centrino Enabled: No
L2 Cache Size: 256 KB
Memory Speed: PC2100 (266Mhz)
Memory Technology: DDR-SDRAM (DDRRAM)
Installed Memory: 256 MB
Maximum Memory: 1 GB
Hard Drive Capacity: 40 GB
CD-RW Write Speed: 24 X
CD-RW Rewrite Speed: 10 X
CD-RW Read Speed: 24 X
DVD Read Speed: 8 X
Included Drives: DVD/CD-RW Combo
Hard Drive
Sound Support: 3D Audio
Video Chipset: Intel® 852GM
Installed Video Memory: 32 MB
Resolution: 1024 x 768 (XGA)
Display Size: 15.0 in
Display Type: Active Matrix LCD (TFT)
Port Connectors: • ECP Parallel printer
• RGB (Monitor)
• 2 Universal Serial Bus ports
• RJ-11 modem port
• RJ-45 LAN port
• Microphone port
• Headphone port
Card Slots: (1) Type II PC Card
Network Support: Ethernet (10/100 Mbps)
Modem Speed: 56 Kbps
Input Devices: Keyboard
Touchpad
Battery Life (average): up to 2.6 Hours
Number of Batteries: 1
installed Operating System: Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition
Included Software: • Microsoft® Works
• Toshiba Notebook Maximizer
• Intuit® Quicken Basic 2003
• Norton® AntiVirus™ 2003 (3-Month subscription)
• Adobe® Acrobat™ Reader
• Microsoft Internet Explorer
• Toshiba ConfigFree™ Software
• Toshiba Custom Utilities
• Toshiba Great Software Offer: Receive your choice of two software titles. The software selection includes titles from the follow categories: productivity, education/reference, creativity and entertainment.
Height: 1.5 in
Width: 11.5 in
Depth: 13.0 in
Weight: 6.1 lbs
Limited Warranty: 1 Year (12 Months)
Warranty Information: • Parts, Labor and Battery

[wtmusic]

18. But then again...

It uses Windows.

[BlueJazz]

22. Oh, I agree....I just think that if Apple is going to sell...

...a notebook with a fairly small processor and very small screen that
they can do a little bit better on the price.

Notebooks have dropped dramatically in price this past year and Apple
still wants an arm and a leg for their product.

[Atlant]

24. And Porsche still dares to ask 3-4x the price of a Toyota. How dare they!

By the way, please don't play the Megahertz game with us.
The G4 processor used in the Macs is no slouch.

Atlant

[BlueJazz]

28. Yeah, well if Windows had only 10 applications that would run on it

it wouldn't crash either.

As a repairman, 99% of the crashes by Windows are folks who load every file known to man on to their drive.

Any Windows XP computer will run like a fine watch if you don't try to put the entire world on it's hard-drive.

In fact, the computer I'm using now has had Windows XP Pro installed on it for 2 years and I've never had the first trouble with it
Plus the fact I've got tons of Audio, Video on the hard drive.

Mac users consistently brag about how their computers don't crash.
I'd never crash either if all I had to carry was a 2 lb box.

[Atlant]

30. You reveal your platform-bigotry with statements like this.

> "Yeah, well if Windows had only 10 applications that would run on it"

You reveal your platform-bigotry (and much more) with statements like
this. There are many applications that run on MacOS/X including the
Microsoft Office.

There are many more applications that used to live on Unix and
are now being ported to the X-Windows layer atop MacOS/X. These
include many scientific and engineering applications.

Atlant

[alfredo]

40. Compiling KDE as I type

On one virtual desktop I have Safari, the next Thunderbird, the third is Photoshop, the fourth is FinkCommander, and the fifth is a terminal running a distributed folding app.

A screenshot from a few days ago showing Xephem and Gnome.



when I get done here, I am going to play Tony Hawk 4 on the first virtual window.

[ACK]

33. That is the silliest thing I ever heard... you work for Compusa?

Seriously, the Mac section of those stores are tiny next to the available apps for the Macintosh. I live near a Mac store so I have a completely different perception of this.

There are thousand of apps available for the Macintosh.

Including many apps from MS like Office and IE for goodness sakes.

This type of silly FUD is very pervasive in a society very sure of themselves that because they own a computer they think they actually have a clue about the industry.

[Atlant]

34. "Hybrid software"

One of the best-kept secrets of "CompUSA"-type stores is that
a lot of the CD-ROMs in the "PC" section of the store are actually
"hybrid" discs that will mount and run on both Macs and PCs.
Naturally, these titles are counted as "PC" titles when someone
posts one of these "But Macs only have ten programs!" types of
rants.

Atlant

[BlueJazz]

47. God no....I don't work for Compusa

OK...I was being facetious when I said about the ten applications.
Sorry, I apologize.

I just get a little weary of Mac users consistently comparing their
$2000.00 Mac to a $699.00 PC that's been "dogged down" with half the files that are on the Kazza server.

Folks keep dissing Windows when Windows is not (entirely) to blame. I actually prefer Linux to anything.

but, most hassles with Windows are from people who just plain burden their computer with to much garbage.

I've gotten calls for customers that have attached to their computer:
1. Hp Scanner
2. Digital camera
3. Epson scanner
4. Modem
5. Video camera
6. wireless network
7. Cisco router
8. TV card
9. Fax Machine
10. Printer
11. Another printer!
12. And more....
And also have 3 kinds of Video editing stuff, 4 kinds of audio crap, a drive that's filled with every "Trial" software on the planet....
and they get pissed at Windows because their $699.00 computer is misconfigured.....Geez...

[Atlant]

48. BUt I have *ALL* that stuff on my Mac, and it's working fine!

(Well, okay, only one scanner, via the SCSI bus.)

Atlant

[BlueJazz]

53. Very True, ....but your Mac

isn't made with cheap parts.

I guess the point I'm trying to make is both Windows XP and Mac OS's
run fine on well made computers.
Fortunately, for Mac user's, the Mac OP's don't get a chance (or have to) try to run on Junk from Best Buy.

[mreilly]

41. Who says Macs don't crash?

I work in IT at a company which has among its equipment six Macs, ranging from older models to a new Powerbook G4 using OS X. Hate 'em, hate 'em, hate 'em. These goddamned things crash constantly such that I have invented foul new curse words to hurl at them. If they're not crashing they're refusing to print properly, refusing to see our proxy server and access the web, or braying about stupid Finder or Font errors that don't have any meaning. One of our directors has an eighteen-month-old Mac that freezes up to the point you have to yank the power plug out of the back, all because you had the nerve to load three or four programs at once. It's not a hardware issue or some kind of software misconfiguration; it's just the fact the thing is a worthless piece of shit and belongs in a dumpster, not on a desktop.

Personally, I don't really have a favorite OS since they all seem to have their issues and advantages. Windows is easy to use but buggy and virus prone so you have to be very diligent with it. Linux is hard to use, with a tough learning curve but stable and efficient once you get it running. Maybe someday someone will roll together all the advantages of the various operating systems and provide an alternative...

[Atlant]

49. You may want to buy your director more memory.

You may want to buy your director (with the freezing Mac)
more memory; there's an old saying that goes something like
"There's no substitute for cubic inches or physical memory".

Or buy him an hour or two of consulting time by someone who
knows and likes Macs; his experience is WAY out of the
norm; my now-ancient Wallstreet (with 512MB of physical memory)
has no problems running a ton of applications simultaneously.

Atlant

[Zech Marquis]

26. is it worth a litle extra? yes

Especially with Windows doing god knows what behind the scenes I'm going to skip the Pnather upgrade and just save up or the G4 iBook (since it'll have Panther on it anyway).

[TreasonousBastard]

35. And Celerons...

suck.

Really, really, suck.

Memory access and bus control is so bogged down that the clock speed is meaningless.

Same OS, and I've got an ancient P200 that actually outperforms a slightly less ancient Celeron 633 at most things.

[ikojo]

44. Aaaah the DU equivalent of a religious war...

Mac versus WinBLOWS....

[alfredo]

39. average 2.6 hours battery life? I wonder how long it will run under

normal real life use?

[FlashHarry]

27. How does a 933MHz G4 stack up against a 1.2GHz Celeron?

I bought a refurb HP notebook last hear (1.2GHz Celeron/WinXP Home/20GB HD/3xUSB 1.0/DVD/CD-RW/14.1" XGA/384MB RAM/32MB VRAM). It cost $799. So far, it's been pretty damn reliable, although it seems slightly slower than my old 500MHz PIII/Win98 notebook. (I suppose this could be due to the size and architecture of XP).

I have an OSX G4 at work and would love to make the leap to OSX at home. Would a 933MHz G4 compete with my current 1.2GHz Celeron--or are we talking apples and oranges here?

[Atlant]

29. The only honest answer would be: "It depends"

In general, I'd GUESS you'd feel they were comparable.

But if you want a technical answer, you'll need to compare the
software tools that YOU actually use. Some things will
probably run faster on the Celeron, some on the G4. It depends
on all sorts of details such as which software is optimized to
take particular advantage of which CPU hardware features.

(XP, BTW, is a much more "real" operating system than, say
Win98/SE, and there are definite performance penalties for
that "realness", but you get paid-back in much better overall
machine reliability and security of your data. MacOS/X is in
the same class as XP in this regard when compared with MacOS/9
and older systems.)

In all honesty, I switch between my old PowerPook/G3 (300Mhz),
my new PowerBook/G4 (1.25GHz), our minitower PowerMac/G4 (500
MHz), my wife's Sony Vaio (with a 650MHz Intel something-
or-other running Win98/SE), and my from-work Dell Latitude
(with a 500 MHz P-III running Win/2K) and the biggest speed
limitation on ALL of these machines is the speed of our
broadband connection. Oh, if you benchmarked them, you could
probably show that the new PowerBook is the fastest on most
applications (it certainly does iTunes CD imports a LOT
faster than the old PB and a bit faster than the PowerMac/G4),
but all these machines are "fast enough" for my use.

"Your mileage may vary." :-)

Atlant

[FlashHarry]

31. Thanks!

Actually, I mainly use MS Word, IE6.0 and Window Media Player. None of those should be too taxing... I've got a pretty fast cable connection, so I'm guessing I probably wouldn't see a huge difference, except maybe for the intuitive nature of OSX--though XP's a leap ahead of previous MS OS's.

[Zech Marquis]

52. on Panther

you won't need IE5--I'm using Safari (which is the best browser on OS X period), Word on Os X is actually a nice app :wow:, and if you're cheap like me, Panther's Textedit can open, do some editing, and save in Word format (I gues the next Appleworks or whatever they have waiting will tare of that). Windows Media Player...a new version is supposed to be out "soon"--whatever that means :eyes: (and from the way M$ was trashing iTunes, it'll be not so soon). And broadband with OS X is sweet.