[fryke]

There's also yet another reason why I think it's important for Apple to move on with the PowerBooks. Two, actually...

First: The current PowerBooks are old. They're good, but they've been around for too long a time. I have one, I know they're 'good', but Apple should've been able to go 1.6, 1.7 and 1.8 GHz with the G4s by now in my opinion. Might not be their fault at all, but those 1.5 GHz models are, in fact, old models. It shouldn't be that the 'Power'Book is lower spec than the iMac for such a long time, too. Both in processor generation and pure GHz speed as well. I think it's just somehow wrong.

But there's a second reason. The iBooks. Their performance is MUCH too close to the PowerBooks' now, compared to the price difference. I don't have any numbers (and Apple doesn't exactly give them out), but I don't think Apple will sell many PowerBooks these days. Sure, if you're on a Pismo and it's finally giving up on you (for whatever reason, be it performance or because you've lost it, it was stolen or it just dies...) and you absolutely need one, why not. But I guess many of those would also consider an iBook now. Because the extra they pay for a PowerBook just doesn't seem justified.

Overall, I don't really care whether the next PowerBook is a G5 or a G4, but they ought to replace them faster. That's my opinion. Don't let those PowerBooks be 'new' for more than 9 months. Rather, replace them after SIX months, please. Be it faster optical drives, a mere hundred MHz, a better basic RAM configuration and/or a faster video card... I say: Advance faster.