Macopinion

The Road Warrior Mailbag - March 10, 2008

Best System Version
Apple And The Magical Colored Laptop
I Want "Grandson Of Pismo"
MacBook Penryn Changeup More Than Just A Speed Bump

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Best System Version

From James

Thanks Charles.

On your recommendation, I'm going to actually try out Tiger on my G4 1.25 Mac mini on either a separate partition or external drive and compare the performance. I usually wait until after Apple has moved on one release version. I'm a fairly liberal minded person but VERY conservative about adopting technology before it's been field tested. Let someone else have the headaches!

By the way, I'm looking at buying a new machine and very happy to find the entry level mini (now Core 2 Duo I see) is still a really good value for those of us with monitors and keyboards. I've seen it new for 569.00 with rebate. I think it's one of the best deals Apple has going.

Also, here's a good comparison of the various mini models. I was shocked to see the actual overall performance scores double from my G4 1.25 to the 1.5 intel Core Solo, triple to the Intel Core Duo 1.66 and nearly quadruple to the new 2GHz Core 2 Duo. Here's the link: http://www.primatelabs.ca/blog/2007/08/mac-mini-performance-august-2007/

If I end up getting a new machine, the G4 (running Tiger?) will go to my wife for her business. Should be a very nice upgrade for her from the Blue & White G3 running Panther!

Take care,
James

P.S.
I agree on the Pismo. I loved that era of Apple design and still have a 266 Wallstreet running Panther. Short of the hinges, these seem to be the best laptops Apple has ever made - very user serviceable and an exception to more than a few rules when compared to the disposable iBook and MacBook that have followed. I stopped using laptops completely since the mini came out. It's super quiet, travels well and can drive a huge monitor!

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Hi James;

I hope Tiger works out well for you. It's a rock of dependability on my Pismos. I've never had a hint of hinge problems with the Pismos ( of course the latest addition to the fleet appears to have been hardly used).

I agree with your thet the mini is a great value if you already have a suitable monitor and peripherals. It's tempted me, but I tried that once before with a G4 Cube, and found that I miss portability and battery power too much.

If you're in the hunt for a mini upgrade, there's a rumor afoot that a Penryn mini and iMac are in the works, so you might want to wait for that.

The Primate Labs benchmarks are interesting. I'm planning to get a MacIntel soon (probably a MacBook), and I imagine the extra speed will be fun, although I don't find my style much cramped by this 1.33 GHz G4 PowerBook. It's such a great machine that there's not a lot of incentive to move on.

Charles

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Apple And The Magical Colored Laptop

From R. Mansfield

Charles, a year or so ago, my wife finally decided she saw the value of a laptop computer after insisting for years that she didn't need one. I was going to buy her a white MacBook, but she said, "No, I want one of those colorful ones." I realized she was talking about the original clamshell iBooks. I asked her what color and after showing her the options, she selected the indigo blue model. I waited until a nicer one showed upon on eBay, bought it, and upgraded it as much as I could including giving it wireless capability and OS X Panther.

She and I will go out to a coffee shop, and people will totally ignore my sleek black MacBook. But total strangers will come up to her and comment on how cool her iBook looks and ask her where they can get one.

Apple is really missing out on a potential market by not offering some variety in its color options. In a sense, they've become as bland as the offerings the original iMac was in reaction to.

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Hi Rick;

I agree. Dell ( mirabile dictu! ) has a very attractive selection of eight colors available in their laptops these days, and I think Apple, after pioneering brightly colored computers, is now missing the boat (and probably a fair few sales) with the white/balck/metal only livery.

Personally I'm partial to white, so it's not a big issue for me, but I'm sure it is for some folks. On the other hand, car-freak that I am, those Acer Ferrari and Asus Lamborghini laptops make me salivate.

Charles

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I Want "Grandson Of Pismo"

From Christopher

Amen, brother.

I'm writing this on my 8+ year old Pismo with The Beatles humming in the background (fittingly, 'Get Back'). What could be sweeter.

Except, of course, an updated Pismo. With, in order of importance, more VRAM, expanded memory, G5 (at least) or Mac-intel processors, integrated wireless, and SATA (or even better SSD) support. I love the keyboard and can't really image a better one. The 'stiff' mouse button works for me, in that it requires complete conviction and therefore prevents the errant click.

I think I'll throw on Dylan's 'Time out of Mind' and ponder the possibilities...

Best,
Christopher

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Hi Christopher;

Yup.

Apple never managed to get the G5 to work satisfactorily in a Laptop, so it would have to be an Intel chip. The new Penryn with its lower power demand and heat generation would be great.

I still don't like the mouse button, though. Don't use it much anyway, as I keep all the tappability options enabled.

We can dream.....

Charles

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MacBook Penryn Changeup More Than Just A Speed Bump

From ncbill

I do expect the next MacBook revision to include LED backlights.

IIRC it was Apple's goal by the end of 2008 to eliminate "bad" things like mercury (in the flourescent backlights) from their portables.

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