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Slow-playing Aces! |
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 For the last month or so I have been looking at the possibility of getting a new Mac. I currently have a Rev A 14.1 G3 600 iBook that i ordered shortly after they were first announced at the Macworld Expo in January 2002. The iBook has been a great computer for me. It has also been the most reliable computer I have ever owned.
The iBook started with 10.1 and through 10.3.5 it has run just about every application I have tried with virtually no problems. However, it is now getting to the point where some of the multimedia apps are starting to run at a crawl. The only other problem I have had was that I had to replace the hard drive in January 2004. Jonahan and I spent a Sunday afternoon replacing the hard drive. I think we did a pretty good job even though we had 7 screws left over when we were done and the track pad quit working due to the fact that i accidently pulled the ribbon holder off the mothe board. Nothing a good soldering would not fix. But overall, my first Mac purchase was the best thing I could have ever done.
If buying a new Mac were like playing No Limit Texas Hold'em, I would currently be holding a pocket pair of Aces. The Ace of Spades and Ace of Diamonds to be exact. The reason I have this pair of Aces is that I currently have the money sitting in reserve for this purchase. This is the best position anyone could hope to be in because all i have to do is choose which of these beautiful machines I would like to take home.
Before the flop I was considering getting a 15-inch Powerbook with a Superdrive. I really love the looks and power of this laptop compared to my G3 iBook. The G4 Powerbook would allow me to greatly improve my productivity and allow me do video editing, graphic design and Web design from anywhere I would like to work.
The Flop came out and we saw an Ace of Clubs, Seven of clubs, and the Jack of Hearts. I got a set of Aces and feel as though I am going to win this hand no problem. The other Ace that came out was the G5 iMac. This is another truly beautiful machine. The entire computer enclosed behind the LCD screen and less than 2 inches wide. Not to mention the fact that it has a G5 processor in it. The iMac G5 offers some serious computing power for a great price. For less than $1500, a person can get a G5 processor, a 17 inch LCD screen, a Superdrive, and the ability to use the greatest operating system ever created in Panther and the forthcoming 10.4 Tiger. The G5 iMac is really a great value. I should go all in but I think i want to try and draw more value into this pot.
On fourth street we are dealt a Five of Clubs. With this card I begin to worry. There could possibly be a club flush out there that could beat my set of Aces. This card also signifies the recognition of my need for the portability of a laptop and more specifically the aforementioned 15-inch Powerbook G4. This card also represents the gamble I am about to take.
The Powerbook line is at a crossroads of sorts. It has been about seven months since the last update of the Powerbooks, and if history means anything to the revision schedule, the Powerbook is normally updated every seven-and-a-half to eight months. There are a lot of questions about this Powerbook update.
The biggest question is whether we are close to seeing a G5 Powerbook. Most people seem to think we are still about a year away from seeing this dream come to reality due to heat issues and power consumption questions.
The other question is whether we will just see a speed bump or perhaps the implementation of the dual-core G4 processors. I really think that the speed bump is probably the most likely scenario.
The only card that can help me now is the Ace of Hearts. The real gamble is whether this update is going to take place here in October or early November or be held back until Macworld San Francisco in January. The only thing I have to lose by taking this gamble is the ability to use my new Mac a lot sooner, however I think this gamble may be worth it.
I just hope the Ace of Hearts comes on the River and the update happens sooner than later. |
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October 5 2004, 0:15 AM EDT, by |
Comments:
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| HTML Samurai |
10/5/04, 9:48 AM EDT |
Or... The board could pair giving you a Full House, which would also beat a Flush.
Sorry, I just had to be a smart ass! ;-)
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Jedbeck
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10/5/04, 10:06 AM EDT |
Thanks Samurai, for ruining the suspense of my article. ;)
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| Shawn |
10/5/04, 11:45 AM EDT |
I tried to replace the hard drive on one of those iBooks once and I pulled the ribbon holder for the track pad off the motherboard too. It must be a defect! I think it's time for another iBook motherboard recall.
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Jedbeck
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10/5/04, 12:06 PM EDT |
Shawn I think you may be right. I still need to get mine fixed. I just haven't trusted myself to do it.
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| sweetjimmyhugs |
10/5/04, 2:57 PM EDT |
I know I'm going to sound like a Richard, but:
[rant]
Yeah, whenever I do something wrong and break a piece of gear I figure it must be a defect.
Don't you think that if you would have taken your time when you were "fixing" your iBook you wouldn't have broken it? Next time, don't try a repair that is obviously beyond your ability. Spend a few bucks and take it to an authorized repair facility. That way, you have insurance that it will get done right.[/rant]
Nice article BTW. Even though I didn't quite get all of the poker references.
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| nhmacusr |
10/5/04, 4:36 PM EDT |
Damn sweetjimmyhigs you are in a harsh mood today!
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| nhmacusr |
10/5/04, 4:37 PM EDT |
Hugs! Hugs! Hugs!
I just suck.
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| Jonahan |
10/5/04, 5:01 PM EDT |
Whoa SweetHiggenBottoms! Good point not to blame Apple, but daaaaaamn, girlfriend!
I was there and the little piece came off reallllly easily. I think all Jedbeck meant to say was maybe Apple should have constructed it a bit differently. IF 2 people had the same problem doing the same repair, well, maybe Jonathan Ivie could have done a better job. Jobs being the perfectionist he is, I would think he'd say the same thing.
But I dunno. I think you should give Jedbeck one of your "SweetJimmy" hugs. He's still crying in the corner.
;-)
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| ZackMac |
10/5/04, 5:14 PM EDT |
I [edited]naughty word[/edited] ing [doodoo] in my pants after reading about that trackpad problem! The same [edited]naughty word[/edited] ing thing happened to me when I [edited]naughty word[/edited] ing tried to replace that shame [doodoo] hard drive, but this was in my shiznit PBG4 12".
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| nhmacusr |
10/5/04, 8:45 PM EDT |
Ouch!
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| speedyrev |
10/5/04, 9:58 PM EDT |
I just got rid of my 15" 550mhz G4 powerbook (yes it was my first Mac and the best computer I ever bought!) I purchased a 15" 1.5 Ghz Superdrive powerbook. I could have waited, but there is always something better 6 months away.
Macs seem to have a pretty good resale value. I'll keep this one for 2 years and trade up!
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| Jedbeck |
10/5/04, 10:31 PM EDT |
speedyrev - I agree something better is always only six months away but how close are we to the next update. According to the history of updates we are not far off.
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| sweetjimmyhugs |
10/6/04, 11:21 AM EDT |
yeah, sorry 'bout that. I was in one of those moods yesterday.
As far as giving Jedbeck a hug... not until he shaves that rugged, manly beard that he has. That thing scratches my thighs.. I mean, uh... :runs away:
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Jedbeck
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10/6/04, 5:43 PM EDT |
Thanks SJH. But I cannot shave winter is approaching...... screw it I live in Florida now. Razors here I come...
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| Jonahan |
10/7/04, 1:54 PM EDT |
Whoa people, be on your best behaviour, we have guests! I.E. People from Spymac ;-)
(* Flings poop randomly *)
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| serpico |
10/11/04, 12:17 PM EDT |
I'm at the same point right now too. I got a May 2002 12" screen iBook G3/700 loaded with ram, airport and all. But the multimedia apps, like Garageband, can't run more than 2 tracks. It's a great mac, my second. But now I don't know whether to get a new portable or desktop.
I was thinking a desktop mac and portable pc for work purposes. Probably cost me the same as a new Powerbook 17" model. I love the portability of my iBook, but haven't used it alot out of the house. The powerbooks cost alot too if I'm looking at the 15" or 17" models, I don't want another 12" model. The iBook fixed res bugs me and just video mirroring. I wonder if I should try the hack ????
Have any of you tried the hack to span the screen like the powerbook on your iBook ? I think you know which hack I'm talking about.
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Jedbeck
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10/11/04, 4:30 PM EDT |
I thought about using the screen span hack but did not want to take the chance of frying anything.
I think the 15" Powerbook is the perfect size. Not too big, not too small.
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| Jonahan |
10/13/04, 2:48 PM EDT |
The hack wasn't supported on my type of iBook, but actually the PowerBooks don't need it, they do it anyway.
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