Filed under: Hardware, OS, Retail
Get your brand new PowerBook with Win98 from Best Buy
MacBook Pros and Mac OS X are so three weeks ago. I'm all about getting a brand new PowerBook from Best Buy with Windows 98. While the product description says OS X ships on the PowerBook, its accompanying image certainly says otherwise.
While this could easily be an Apple-hatin' designer or maybe just a design department goof, it's at least good for a snicker, especially since it's Best Buy, of all places.
[via The Apple Blog]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Marty Consuelez said 7:17PM on 2-01-2006
guys, that is totally the macbook pro that is photoshopped - the powerbook only has one latch in the center whereas the macbook pro has one on each side of the isight...c'mon best buy!!!!
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James said 7:42PM on 2-01-2006
It's a 17" PowerBook G4. Two latches, the high slot for the optical drive, no iSight, and the old style sleep light in the lid release.
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Dot Flowers said 7:43PM on 2-01-2006
Who would buy a Mac from Best Buy anyway? I would rather go to the nice, clean, smart Apple store.
Best Buy is great for getting a TV, but we should all get our Macs at the Apple Store.
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david said 7:45PM on 2-01-2006
actually the 17" powerbook also has two latches on the lid too...so this probably is not a macbook pro.
plus the name under the display obviously says powerbook g4.
not a photoshop job, sorry!
but i agree...whats the deal best buy! ridiculous!
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Dennis said 7:51PM on 2-01-2006
Actually that is a 17" PowerBook G4. It's had two latches from the very beginning. Another way you can tell is the position and materials used for the optical drive bay.
That being said, the 15" MacBook Pro certainly takes a lot of design cues from the 17" PowerBook, perhaps more so than from the old 15" PowerBook: double latches, 1" thin, RAM slot location, battery latches that require no tools (or coins), battery shape and position, trackpad size and shape, etc. From what I've seen, the MacBook Pro looks very much like a slightly smaller 17" PowerBook.
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Ian said 8:05PM on 2-01-2006
The person who photoshopped this deserves free lunch for having a good sense of humor and sneaking this past QA.
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ryan olsen said 8:40PM on 2-01-2006
It says PowerBook G4, and they have been doing this for ages. Come on, shouldnt be new news.
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L said 8:50PM on 2-01-2006
I noticed this on Best Buy quite a while ago (last summer, when I was deciding between a Powerbook and various Windows PCs Best Buy had in stock. The PB I'm typing on now won that contest).
I think they Photoshop the same image into all of the computer screens on the Best Buy website. I personally don't understand editing in a fake desktop image on any computer, much less one that doesn't come close to showing the computer's real capabilities. All for the sake of continuity, maybe...
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jonathan said 8:54PM on 2-01-2006
Hey all. sadly im still a pc user (dell nonetheless) and am making the switch this june to a 17 inch powermac. Recently a friend of mine got a new ibook and asked if I wanted to buy his old Tibook. The HD is shot, and i think it may have some hinge issus, along with some possible port damge (on the right side). my question is should i buy it for $100, and then 50 more on the harddrive, or just wait till june?
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Derrick Goodfriend said 8:57PM on 2-01-2006
If you go to the Best Buy site, apparently all of their computers come loaded with Windows 98. I used to work for Best Buy and I can certainly believe this kind of thing can happen. I'm surprised the Nintendo DS isn't shown with the original Mario Brothers from the first Game Boy. Ironically though, I did buy my Mac mini from Best Buy only so I could get the Reward Zone points.
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Pieter Ouwerkerk said 9:09PM on 2-01-2006
You may notice that all the laptops for sale from Best Buy have this screen-shot on their display on the website. Yes it is a 17-inch PowerBook, since the disc drive is also moved up right underneath the metal and the keyboard.
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FritzLaurel said 9:42PM on 2-01-2006
Isn't that a little expensive ($2499) for a 1.67Ghz model? Seems not only can Best Buy not get the graphics right, they can't even get their pricing straight.
Some snot-nosed punk refused to sell me a TiVo once at a Best Buy b/c I didn't want to give him a sperm sample my address and phone #. So, I went 5 miles down the road to the next BB and 5 mins later, TiVo was in hand.
Best Buy is like the Windows of electronics retailers. Third rate.
FL
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Mac Diva said 10:56PM on 2-01-2006
Jonathan, a TiBook for $100 is a good buy. It can become your backup computer if you buy a new Mactel laptop later. Expect to pay about $100 for 60 GB hard drive, which you can install yourself.
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Virtuous said 12:16AM on 2-02-2006
It's not Best Buy, it's Crap Buy!
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Blue Balloon said 1:00AM on 2-02-2006
I am going to print it out and show to Best Buy. I will said "Hey! I want to buy PowerBook G5 with Windows 98!"
Wonder what staffs would say... heh.
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Aaron Yates said 1:12AM on 2-02-2006
Best buy sells computers that can CLEARLY dual boot Windows and OS X...so where is my prize money?!
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RedDrumMaster said 4:59AM on 2-02-2006
LoL, though it's Windows 95 you n00b! ;-))
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David Chartier said 7:36AM on 2-02-2006
Jonathan: $100 for a TiBook is a horrible buy. Don't do it!
Now what is your friend's phone number again? :)
Just kidding, I'm with Mac Diva: that's a great deal, and if you can afford the cash for it and the new hard drive I'd recommend jumping on it too.
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tdungan said 7:55AM on 2-02-2006
Jonathan, I agree with Diva. If you know it's salvagable there's no reason to pass up any laptop/notebook for $100. It's a great investment for an interim computer.
When you finally do get that Mac you really want in June, you can always keep the Ti, as a second machine or pass it on to somebody else that can use it. Heck, even if it doesn't work, you can always part it out on eBay. If the LCD still works, it's worth at least what you're paying to take it off your friends hands.
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Shig the Unmentionable said 8:34AM on 2-02-2006
Ironic, no? Once upon a time, any screen grab that appeared in an ad was of a Mac screen. I know times have changed, but I still break out in hives at the thought of doing design work on a Windows machine.
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