Good morning, Listies, Today you are waking up all excited, and if you own a highly upgraded 2400, your excitement is tempered by some trepidation at the thought of losing a good and faithful friend. I thought about placing my order based on too-quick assumptions and, meanwhile, my brother (in Microsoftland, USA) went ahead with his iBook order to supplant an aging Wallstreet (which he elected not to upgrade). Well, I alternately waxed enthusiastic and waned in irritation as I examined the virtual version of the iBook. After some deliberation, here's my take which I also just posted to Powerlist. In short, despair not, there's a lot of life left in that PB2400c! Read on and I'll look forward to all of your thoughts/flames right here on good ol'Duolist... ---------- OK. Great! Fantastic! Stupendous! The digital airwaves will be clogged for weeks as we, the plebian masses, kowtow to, oohh, aahh and otherwise inventively gush over the (undoubted) magnificence of Apple's latest "compelling" offering. On its own merits the new iBook is a convincing no-brainer BUY NOW. On partisan grading by Apple fans, it rates an unbridled 5/5 or 10/10. Pure and simple it has nearly everything. NEARLY... That's the part that I, a multiple Powerbook user, still choke on (with allowances that Apple had to keep costs down). Bear in mind I can hardly be objective myself so I should clarify my "user profile" which I'll do below for those who might make it that far through my tedium... First, the "minor" but significant criticisms: G3-500 mhz--Apple has been stuck on this number for a lo-n-n-g time. 600 mhz could have been easily delivered, but for misguided fears that "marketing" perceptions would have detracted from the G4-500 positioning. Hey Apple! This is 2001 and Pentiums and Athlons are running from 1 ghz to 1.8 ghz. I'm not tired of the G3 because there is not enough Altivec enabled stuff out there yet, if ever, (I'm well aware of the CPU clock speed debate, including both sides of geeks' views) but rumors have long had IBM capable of delivering 600-750 mhz for the past year (please). L2 Cache--an anemic 256 kb, irrespective of its 1:1 clock speed integrated with the CPU. (I'll await the "indicative" benchmarks on this, please). 66 mhz bus--we saw this way back in 1998 with Wallstreet. There is no excuse whatsoever in 2001 for such an artificially constricted pipeline. Apple! You actually had to work harder at higher cost to purpose(less)ly choke this down. And earlier crimped bus speeds prevented 3rd party vendors from overcoming the 8-10 x bus multiplier restriction on maximum CPU speeds. How lucky for Apple! Yawn...so we've lived so long with G3-500 mhz speeds I'm kinda bored... (100 mhz minimum on the bus, please, a real shame on you for this cowardice). Video--OK, ok, I'll grumpily survive with mirroring instead of dual monitor support, but be less chintzy and I'll happily pay more... However, mucho KUDOs for a DVD/CDRW integrated in the new iBook form factor--a GREAT tradeoff for the slightly larger size and thickness than what otherwise might have been achieved...which has left a lot of (physical) room for satisfying my upcoming gripe: BUT, NOW...the MAJOR and lamentably overlooked missing item: The underrated technology I really miss is the unfathomable withholding of the PCMCIA card slot in a 2nd generation iBook. Yes, I'm well aware that the "generous" provision of ports (seemingly) eliminates this necessity, and that Apple's distinction between (patrician) PRO and (plebian) CONSUMER users mitigates against providing too much in an iBook. I can live without using a Merlin or Ricochet card, but I have a VERY TOUGH TIME IN THE REAL WORLD quickly transferring data, including large CAD and graphics files with PCs, or GLADLY passing off printing some onerous responsibilities to PCs. Why network in a PEECEE world when I have such a convenient excuse to blame myself for being so-o-o stoopid to use Apple (and stay above the fray)? Gosh, I'm forced to humbly "rely" on my more "perspicacious" PEEECEEE bretheren and (smirking and surreptitiously) foist the drudgery onto them whilst sadly (gleefully) pleading "incompatibility". Not to mention my considerable investment in Type II flash cards, compact flash and Smart Media, or my inability to use the coming IBM Microdrives at 4 gb etc. Why should I USB or even Firewire digital images in the field--EXACTLY when I need my camera-- especially while the ACTION is still going on and the PCMCIA slot is much better doing its work on its own??? AND, Apple, if you're promoting all of this digital lifestyle stuff, MP3s, music and what not, damn it!, give us a way to move it fast in ANY FORMAT, to ANYBODY, ANYWHERE!!! (The turkeys using Sony's Memory Sticks can pass me their PC adapter;-). But I still gotta say, provision of a DVD/CDRW combo is strong reason alone at this point in time (in my POV) to buy an G3-iBook over a G4-Titanium (still correspondingly crippled in its own way). Both are great but still unnecessarily and cruelly handicapped! Stop shooting yourself in the foot, and (some of) us too! Now Apple, since you managed to coax $6500 outta me for a really sweet PB540c and then, after a loyal and interminable wait, stiffed me for $6600 on a maxxed out PB5300c sporting the abominable System 7.5.2, you can still nail me (a most willing victim) for well upwards of $3000+ for an "Pro"* or "Super"* iBook. Preferably in Powerbook grey, please, since I don't go out of my way to protect or abuse the surfaces of my computers. (Getta life, Powerbooks get scratched, too!) I travel, work and play hard. Powerbooks are a great part of my life so merely add a PC slot (and hopefully it can use 1024 gb of ram). I can live with a G3, even at 500 mhz. I wanna continue to look cool but not too trendy, and I hate looking obvious in airports and on airplanes. I wanna have the INSTANT GRATIFICATION (and better controlled security) of leaving the drudgery of computing behind me with a PC card so I can have more free time and fun. (I don't want to get into networking or CD burning or the not-always-available online/wireless options--those PEECEE guys n' gals can do the real work! ;-) Apple, you indoctrinated me in 1984 against Big Brother and it was you who again exhorted me recently to "Thiimk Different" or "Tinker Different". You deny me my privileged entitlement (by power-using Apple), and the pass-off, cut n'run luxury of leaving the rest to the PC drones...ASAP. Isn't that a good part of what it's all about? Everything would be nearly picturebook Powerrrbook purrrfect!!! Don't worry...I don't expect it perfect. Neither you, Apple, or anyone else will EVER get it perfect. But I'm challenging you! To get this over-eager fool to part with his money, just get it a little closer. I'm ready to spend more than you are asking! ------- BTW this nutter primarily uses 3 x PB2400s (variously upgraded through every iteration of 240, 320 and 400 mhz G3s, ram, 3rd party translucent keyboards and 20-30 gb HDs) and a G4-450 tower. I also have some semi-dormant underused G3 full size Powerbooks and support a host of (aging) Legacy devices--so I'm biased, but obviously not compelled to use the latest and greatest, even if overly desirous. I even keep a fully configured G3-PB2400 n.2 on the shelf, ever ready, just to forestall Murphy. He's a guy who's often bit me just before departing on extended critical overseas missions competing for big contracts. I've field stripped a 540c bumping along a 3rd world dirt road and dismantled/upgraded my 2400 in a taxi on the way to LAX. I've quelled my Titanium lust while waiting for a Rev.2 G4-600+, and a less quirky OS X. I've petitioned Apple to restore a bootable PC card in its startup ROM (just for greater safety margin in the "unsupported" field, again, because my clumsy business partner Murphy blindsides me--and because I dream of 8-10 hours battery time on a ram disk saving to flash memory). I'm ready to throw big bucks at Apple, soon, for a whole bunch of desktops and Powerbooks...if Apple will just let an ingrate like me do so...Sooner than later should suit us both jus' fine... --Apple....Apple? Apple?? Yo, Apple??? Close, but are you really listening? Make mine "iBook Super Pro"!!! I'll gladly pay ya anything you ask...anything...just do this: --*PRO = add a PC card slot (preferably Type III because you have enough thickness to get it all in and I'm not happy unless I'm multi-multitasking) --*SUPER = G3/600+ and 100 mhz bus (with PC card slot, of course) Sidney Ho (ungrateful curmudgeon, still trying to be an upwardly mobile status seeker; meanwhile perversely satisfied by keeping a 5 year old 2400 competitive... ) --hence sticking with his PB2400c/G3-400/112 ram/30 gb and cardbus upgraded Type I,II,III PC card slot(s), which has save me an amazing amount of drudge work and lets me stay compatible with everyone, everywhere, everytime --oh, yes, I hate the people sitting next to me on airplanes looking over my shoulder while I work on a (not yet mine) oversized, unergonomic G4-Titanium --plus, I've got better things to do than watch DVD reruns on transcontinental flights (it's gotta be home theater for first time viewing) Thanks, Apple, if you're REALLY listening... ---------- Duo/2400 List, The friendliest place on the Net! A listserv for users and fans of Mac subportables. FAQ at <http://www.themacintoshguy.com/lists/DuoListFAQ.shtml> Be sure to visit Mac2400! <http://www.sineware.com/mac2400> To unsubscribe, E-mail to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To switch to the DIGEST mode, E-mail to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Need help from a real person? Try. <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> ---------- Dr. Bott | 10/100 Ethernet for your 2400 is finally here! MPC-100 | <http://www.drbott.com/prod/mpc100.html> NineWire | If they are cool enough to host this list... Digital Solutions | ...you should check them out! http://www.NineWire.com/ Midwest Mac Parts ][ <http://www.midwestmac.com> After-market parts for Macs. ][ 888-356-1104 ][ MacResQ Specials: LaCie SCSI CDR From $99! PowerBook 3400/200 Only $879! Norton AntiVirus 6 Only $19! We Stock PARTS! <http://www.macresq.com>
