Apple has released its latest PowerBook (sorry, MacBook Pro!). Powered by a dual core Intel engine, it runs up to five times the speed of the PowerBook G4 and has eight times the graphics bandwidth. It’s got a built-in webcam and it weighs just over 3kg. So how come I’m not desperate to replace my two year-old 17″ 1.33MHz PowerBook G4?
It is partly because Adobe aren’t going to be releasing their Intel-optimised applications until next year. It is partly because my current PowerBook G4 is plenty fast enough for most situations (and, yes, I know that once I’d used one of the new ‘Books I would soon change my tune on that one).
It is partly because Apple still aren’t implementing the new 160GB hard drives as a CTO option (I installed one in my current ‘Book, and it was like moving into a much larger house! 70GB of iTunes songs, a full suite of apps, and I still have nearly 50GB of free space!).
But mainly it’s because I’d have liked it to be just a bit bigger!
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Apple has released its latest PowerBook (sorry, MacBook Pro!). Powered by a dual core Intel engine, it runs up to five times the speed of the PowerBook G4 and has eight times the graphics bandwidth. It’s got a built-in webcam and it weighs just over 3kg. So how come I’m not desperate to replace my two year-old 17″ 1.33MHz PowerBook G4?
It is partly because Adobe aren’t going to be releasing their Intel-optimised applications until next year. It is partly because my current PowerBook G4 is plenty fast enough for most situations (and, yes, I know that once I’d used one of the new ‘Books I would soon change my tune on that one).
It is partly because Apple still aren’t implementing the new 160GB hard drives as a CTO option (I installed one in my current ‘Book, and it was like moving into a much larger house! 70GB of iTunes songs, a full suite of apps, and I still have nearly 50GB of free space!).
But mainly it’s because I’d have liked it to be just a bit bigger!
Don’t get me wrong, I know the 17″ form-factor is already pushing the definition of ‘portable’. But to me, screen real-estate is very important. Aesthetics-wise, the 15″ ‘Book is nearly perfect, a brilliant balance of performance and portability. But I’m quite willing to carry a weight/size penalty to enjoy a screen that has room for three application windows side-by-side, and to have a decent-sized Photoshop or InDesign window along with the myriad of palettes that I use with them.
So Steve, when next Spring rolls along, why not demo that Intel-optimised Adobe Creative suite on a 19″ ‘Book, say with a 1920×1080 pixel screen (perfect to view those hi-def videos at full screen), and maybe get rid of those speakers to the left and right of the keyboard and slot in a numeric keypad and forward delete key.
Contributed by: Brett
