[Ti] Re: PowerBook competition

[Ian Collier]

Er, looks like you got a bit carried away Chris. According to the  
link you posted the entry level model (at $799) has an "Ultrabay  
Enhanced CD-ROM" - ie not even a CD burner!

A DVD burner is a $279 option on that entry level model.

Also the graphics is an Intel graphics system that poaches system  
memory (up to 128MB) for video memory - a setup that is guaranteed to  
provide absolutely wretched graphics performance.

And it has just a 40GB hard drive apparently without the option to  
upgrade that. The 12" powerbook comes with 60GB.

This is a low end machine - barely in the ball park of an iBook in  
spec, let alone a Powerbook.

Oh, and just 256 MB RAM (vs 512 in the Powerbook). Going to run XP  
really well once we've handed over 128MB to video memory.

It may well be well built of course.

--Ian

On 21 Sep 2005, at 19:15, Chris Olson wrote:

> On Sep 21, 2005, at 12:15 PM, Chris Olson wrote:
>
>
>> Yes, one of the PC dealers in Rice Lake, WI has one and I saw it  
>> yesterday.  That's what prompted me to point it out.  The "look  
>> and feel" of the machine is like a PowerBook - attention to  
>> industrial design and detail.  It also comes with Firewire, one of  
>> the few PC notebooks I've seen that do.
>>
>
> One of the things I was impressed with is the price.  I would  
> consider this machine to be in the same class as a PowerBook, only  
> with a starting price of $799 - exactly $700 less money than an  
> entry level PowerBook.
>
> Comparing the two, the PowerBook doesn't have a wide screen aspect  
> ratio and has a 12" screen (1024x768) vs the ThinkPad's  
> 14" (1280x768).  It also has 3 USB 2.0 ports vs 2 on the PowerBook,  
> a built-in card reader, 128MB video RAM vs the PowerBook's 64, VGA  
> out instead of mini-DVI, a three year warranty as standard instead  
> of one year with two years purchased AppleCare, and comes with a  
> dual-layer DVD writer as standard vs the PowerBook's Combo Drive.   
> Finally it's .2kg lighter than the 12" PowerBook.
>
> I think Apple is due for some design changes and restructuring of  
> margins to keep from getting priced out of the market.  I knew  
> Lenovo was the commodity champion, they being the third largest PC  
> manufacturer on earth notwithstanding.  But I never expected to see  
> a ThinkPad this good for that much money.
> --
> Chris
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----------------------------------------------------
Ian Collier                      ian.collier at mac.com

+44 (0)121 472 2666        (cell) +44 (0)7866 510075
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