Apple puts questions to rest as it polishes the PowerBook line

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The Daily Breeze

Monday, March 28, 2005

Apple puts questions to rest as it polishes the PowerBook line
By Matthew Fordahl
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Apple Computer Inc.'s PowerBooks have long been considered the Rolls-Royce of laptops with their stylish looks, powerful engines and hefty price tags.

But with two years passing since its last major update, the line was at risk of being eclipsed by upstarts running on Microsoft Corp.'s Windows platform.

Any fears that PowerBooks' reputation as the best in the business might have been eclipsed were put to rest after the revamped lineup appeared Jan. 31. The company even cut prices on most models a bit.

The machines haven't undergone a total transformation. They're still powered by PowerPC G4 processors, not the newer G5 found in most of Apple's desktops. The bump-up in speed isn't tremendous either, though the latest PowerBooks are anything but laggards.

Prices start at $1,499 for a model with a 12-inch screen, 1.5 gigahertz processor, a souped-up combo DVD burner and CD writer, and a 60 gigabyte hard drive. The priciest model, for $2,699, features a 17-inch screen, 1.67 GHz processor, DVD-CD burner and a 100-gig drive. Previously, prices ranged from $1,599 to $2,999, with speeds starting at 1 GHz and topping out at 1.33 GHz.

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