Apple Laptops

An imminent G5 (or otherwise-named next-gen) PowerBook has been rumored since January 2004. Sooner or later, the rumors will be true. But I'm not going to hold my breath.

As far as the value goes, the OS is a nice perk that you can only get with an Apple laptop. As is nigh-invulnerability to malware of all kinds, for which I'd happily pay a one-time fee of, say, a few hundred bucks.

Beyond that, the 1.67gHz pbooks actually stack up pretty well against similarly configured "stylish" PC laptops (e.g., Sony VAIO with Bluetooth/wifi/80GB HD, DVD-RW). They're just less customizable and there are fewer "budget" options.

A thin'n'light would be more apples-to-apples, and the lowest I can get in comparably configured would be about $1700, saving a pound or so on a pbook but giving up a diagonal inch of screen.

Anyhoo, I freely acknowledge that you can get a PC box for less. Just not so much less, all things considered.

Of course, OS X for Intel is already rumored to have leaked into the wild, which could make this whole conversation moot (no matter how staunchly Apple insists that OS X will not be licensed for use outside of Apple machines...)

i'm not going to be doing any real graphics work but i'll be doing lots of matlab/mathematica and lots of desktop publishing.

so, um, what's better criteria?

Comparing "1.5gHz w/1GB vs. 1.67 gHz w/512MB" makes not so much sense, as the 1.67 is just as easily upgradeable. If you get the machine from Apple and opt for the 1-stick upgrade to 1GB it's actually kinda reasonably priced. Otherwise, Crucial/Other World is definitely the way to go.

The point is, it's a cheap, easy upgrade that you can do any time. So it makes sense to go for the machine with greater expandability (15"). And for desktop publishing you'll appreciate the screen (and potentially the VRAM upgrade as well (ONLY available if you order from Apple).

Haha purple money!!! Thank god only you think like that or I'd be just another drum machine busker.

OS X VNC could give you a little more time to figure out the answer, I would think.

http://www.redstonesoftware.com/vnc.html

Tom that's interesting, but I would still need a... screen.

Ed, ditto, but what the hell am I serving. Oh yeah, nothing.

There's a 1.33 GHz powerbook here for $200 less than the 1.5, except it has a Spanish keyboard!! I seriously think I might get it. Are there any other major diffs between them? I can't really tell and the staff here is a little overwhelmed.

No real diff between the 1.33 and the 1.5, other than the bleeding obvious.

Tell the salesduder @ tekserve you'll take the Apple Store offer! Show it to him! Fuck you pay me etc.

Tom I don't get it though, I would need to like, go over to a friend's house in order to use my computer, right? Unless you are talking about the SHHHH OPTICAL IMPLANTS SHHHHH I NEVER SAID THAT.

Assuming the other specs are the same, this should be a no-brainer.

A. It's a more recent vintage.
B. It has a keyboard en ingles.
C. iirc, the Apple refurbs come with a full warranty and are AppleCare eligible. (Which would be the clincher!)

Apple recalls laptop batteries
Bobbie Johnson, technology correspondent
Friday August 25 2006
The Guardian

Apple is recalling almost 2m laptop batteries as fears of computers catching
fire spread, following a recall by Dell last week.

The company said yesterday that it had received nine reports of overheating
laptops, and was issuing an immediate global recall of 1.8m batteries in
cooperation with the US consumer product safety commission (CPSC).

Last week Dell, the world's biggest computer maker, issued a recall of more than
4m batteries after laptops caught fire.

Apple said it knew of two cases of minor burns from overheated laptops, and
asked customers to check with its website to find out if they are affected. The
recall affects a large number of 12-inch iBook G4, 12-inch PowerBook G4, and
15-inch PowerBook G4 laptops sold since October 2003. The CPSC said most were
sold in the US, but 700,000 were sold elsewhere. It is not yet clear how many
went to Britain.

Both recalls are batteries made by Sony.