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Buy Now or Wait? PowerBook G4?
November 2, 2000
by Stephen Hildreth
Editor-in-Chief
Looking for a new PowerBook? Wondering about the possibility of a PowerBook G4 at Macworld SF on January 9th? Here's how we see it. Right now, including Apple's rebate, you can get a PowerBook G3/500/20GB or PowerBook G3/400/10GB for $3124 and $2140 respectively, at ClubMac. Those are the lowest prices we've seen from an Apple Authorized Reseller (and you have to buy from an authorized reseller to get the rebate). Those are pretty good prices, and you aren't going to be able to beat them unless you're a student or educator.
Both of these machines are as good as it gets in the world of PowerBooks right now. They come fully loaded with just about every conceivable option and can easily replace a desktop. Outside of their size and weight, very few faults can be found with the current PowerBook G3.
So what can we expect on the PowerBook G4? A slightly faster processor (perhaps a 20% increase in speed) is for sure, but it won't be a huge increase. Motorola doesn't seem capable of supplying chips much faster then 500MHz. Frankly, the current line of PowerBooks is fast enough that if all you do is word processing, e-mail, and web surfing, then you probably wouldn't notice much of a difference between the G3 and G4 anyway. Photoshop and game gurus will get the most benefit with a better ATI graphics card and faster processor.
Larger hard drives? Probably. More standard memory? Maybe. Perhaps the most compelling feature is the rumored 15" screen capable of displaying 1280x1024 pixels. That alone would be a good enough reason for me to give up my PB G3/400 (Lombard) for a new PB G4. We'll also see a new form factor and (perhaps) lighter weight.
As for prices, I'm guessing that they'll fall in the same neighborhood as the current models. With the iBook/SE sitting at $1799, don't look for the low-end PB G4 to drop below $2000.
As always, if you need a new PowerBook now, buy it and be happy. You'll be getting a tremendously capable machine. If the PowerBook G4 turns out to be something to die for, you can always cross that bridge in the spring.
What do you think?
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Stephen Hildreth has been the Editor-in-Chief of PowerBook Central since its inception in 1996. When not working on his Mac, he shares his love of the outdoors with his family and can be found biking, snow skiing, or educating students on the internal & external processes of our planet.
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