New Macbook, Refurb., or Upgrade The Pismo? - Unravelling The Dilemma
by Charles W. Moore
'Book Mystique reader Rick Taylor tendered the following questions this week:
Dear Charles,
I have been reading your reviews for years and appreciate them more than any others I read. I respect your opinions because I believe you have great technical insights, but even more importantly I believe your moral and spiritual stands carry a trustworthiness I can rely on.
After reading your reviews on 5300s and 1400s I purchased those and used them for years (I am a teacher) and your more recent advice led me to the Pismo, which I love. Wow, what a great machine.
My question for you is is it worth it to upgrade my Pismo to a G4 and just stay with it for awhile or maybe invest in my first "new" computer in about 15 years and get one of the new Macbooks.
I also notice that the price on other Mac laptops is dropping so do I opt for one of those. I do not have SuperDrive in my Pismo and my SuperDrive just went out in my iMac so I guess I will have to replace it, so that works a bit into the equation.
I am also wondering if the MacBook can hook up to a larger monitor or keyboard so that my office work is easier on my eyes and fingers (I am still a lot slower on the Pismo keyboard). Lastly, can you recommend a good remote for my Keynote presentations in the classroom?
There are so many options out there that I get rummy reading them. I know you are incredibly busy, so if you cannot write back, I understand. Thanks for your insights.
Rick
There's a lot of ground to cover in that query, and a column-length response is in order, so here goes.
The short answer to Rick's question would be: 'get the MacBook.' In Paris off power and features for the price, there's never been a better laptop... Err... Sorry... "Notebook" value offered by Apple. Speedy is in a whole different lead from any pre-Intel 'Book, the screen and keyboard that initially caused some misgivings are on closer scrutiny very decent units indeed, and of course, entail is the Mac OS future.
The MacBook's Intel GMA 950 graphics processor with 64MB of video RAM will support up to 1920 x 1200 pixels resolution on an external display at millions of colors, and the machine has a Mini-DVI out port and optionally available adapters for DVI and VGA monitors, and also supports both extended desktop and video mirroring modes. Pretty well any USB keyboard will work fine with the Macbook as well, and it comes with an Apple Remote That should be very convenient for those Keynote presentations.
However, it's not quite that simple. Heat is an issue with all of the Intel 'Books, although some users seem to be more bothered by it than others, probably attributable to a variance in personal tolerance, and also perhaps to some individual examples of these machines heating up more than others. There's also the infamous "mooing" noise, which is reportedly caused by the cooling fan cutting in momentarily when the processor temperature hits a certain point.
How much those things are likely to annoy one is something each individual will have to judge for themselves. Personally, I'm keeping my fingers crossed in hope that Apple and Intel will be able to positively address the heat issue with subsequent revisions. I prefer cool-running machines, and hate fan noise. The fan cuts in way too often for my liking on my 1.33 GHz PowerBook, which tends to run in the mid to high 50¡s Celsius (processor bottomside), whereas the MacBook reportedly hits the 70¡s Celsius.
Another point for Rick to consider is that since his current machine is a Pismo, he probably has a substantial investment in Power PC native software, and perhaps even still uses some even older applications in Classic Mode. A MacBook will not support Classic at all, and non Universal Binary applications will not take full advantage of the Core Duo processor's speed potential (although they will still run significantly faster on the MacBook under Rosetta emulation then they do on a G3 Pismo). Rosetta performance is reported to be roughly on par with a 1.2 GHz G4.
So while the MacBook at $1,299.00 ($1,099 if you can live with a combo optical drive) is an enticing package notwithstanding the caveats cited, there is still a case to be made for upgrading the old Pismo, if it's still in good working condition. A 550 MHz G4 processor upgrade will run from $199.00 to $289.95 (Wegener Media, FastMac, Daystar), while a FastMac 8x SuperDrive expansion bay module will add another $149.95. That works out to $348.95 to $439.90, which is a whole lot less than $1,299.00, and remember that you should factor in a RAM upgrade to at least one gigabyte for decent OS X and Rosetta performance with the MacBook ($100 Apple BTO price), so the real working figure is $1,399.00/$1,199.00.
A third option alluded to by Rick would be picking up a used or refurbished G4 iBook or PowerBook as a way of upgrading to more speed, better video support, and modern features like USB 2, BlueTooth, Airport Extreme, etc.., while still retaining Classic Mode support. My personal picks for best value in this context that the 12 iBook 1.33 GHz and the 12-inch PowerBook 1.5 GHz, the latter if you require a SuperDrive. Personally, I opted for a refurbished 17-inch PowerBook back in February, with which I am extremely pleased so far, but I have to concede that if I were in the hunt for a system upgrade today, the MacBook would be tough to resist in comparison with a refurbished 15-inch or 17-inch PowerBook for the same or more money. I'm glad that I moved when I did, which excused me from having to deal with that dilemma. I figure that the 17-incher will be enough computer to satisfy my needs for a year or so yet at least, especially if I can tear myself away from it long enough to send it for a 1.9 GHz Daystar G4 upgrade installation. We'll see.
My personal upgrade roadmap (subject to revision) is now looking toward waiting at least until refurbished Revision B Mac books are available, which could be around mid-2007. As a general rule, I'm wary of buying Revision A/version 1.0 of anything, although the price/value equation of the MacBook makes a case for exceptionalism. Time will tell if the case is valid.
At the end of the day, Rick Taylor probably won't go too far wrong, whichever choice he makes, although in his case, since he seems to be reasonably satisfied using equipment well back from the bleeding edge, the most satisfactory course might well be to upgrade his Pismo or take the middle ground of a newer G4 machine, and wait one more upgrade cycle before taking the MacIntel plunge. I'm certainly satisfied that was the right option for me. Your mileage may vary.
And oh yes; Rick's question about a good remote to use with Macs. As noted, the MacBook comes with one, but for older Macs, the Keyspan Digital Media Remote seems to work well. My daughter uses one with her iMac, and it does the job nicely.
Essentially, the DMR is an infrared remote control and receiver for computer multi-media applications that can support any Mac or PC with a USB port running Mac OS 8.5.1 or Windows 98 or later. It will support remote operation of QuickTime, iTunes, Microsoft PowerPoint, and other DVD, C.D., MP 3, VCD, and other software player applications in essentially the same way that you control your TV and VCR.
The Digital Media Remote package consists of a hand-held remote unit, and infrared receiver unit, and a USB cable to connect it to the computer. A bundled CD-ROM contains an installer for the DMR driver software, and an HTML user manual.
The Keyspan Digital Media Remote sells for $29.
For more information, visit:
http://www.keyspan.com/products/homepage.2.productList.Remotes.spml
Find the lowest price on a new MacBook at PCPrices.net/Mac (formerly MacPrices.com).