I went to Fry's today to look at the new G3 (Bronze) first hand. The reason ... (this really isn't that far off topic, trust me) ... because I'm thinking about getting one as a replacement for my aging 6500 Desktop. Think of it a PowerBook to replace my desktop! And, it's fitting because the G3 PB is not much smaller than a desktop. O.K. that's unfair, but when I saw it I was impressed: Without the battery and CD-ROM which is how Fry's displays it, it actually weighs less than the 2400. With them, it only weighs about a pound more than the 2300 does now. Then I got to thinking. No matter where I travel with the Duo, I always carry my SCSI Microdock and an extra battery. That's about an extra pound. With the G3, I don't need the SCSI dock AND you get 5 hours of battery life on the thing from one battery (10Hrs if you have two)! With the 2300, both batteries are required if you plan on working for just over an hour. In effect, you don't really need to carry a spare battery with the G3. In addition, I'll never be caught without a CD-ROM (which increases the weight I would otherwise carry with the Duo) OR Ethernet (yet another dock to carry). To make the G3 even lighter, you could probably just leave the CD-ROM behind and travel with only one battery. Sounds great right!?! Then I looked at the size of the thing. It's wider than a legal file and almost as long. WHAT do you carry such a thing in?!?! I have a great leather bag that I can't use anymore because I need to carry legal size files, but the G3 wouldn't even fit in it. As for the legal sized soft briefcase I have, the G3 is too tall, by an inch, to close it properly! And it's a BIG bag!!! There's my quandary. What to do. On the one hand it's got everything I need and is lighter than what I usually carry with my Duo, but it's too big to fit in the same bags I carry my Duo & stuff in. Investing in a 2400 is old technology and doesn't reduce my weight any (some compared to the 2300) as is my desktop which also doesn't get replaced in the process. The screen is also too small to be a suitable desktop replacement. I'm not ready to get rid of the 2300 as the ingenious design of its PDS connector lets me continue using Audio Nubus technology for which there is no USB counterpart yet. On the other hand, I could learn to live with it since the weight is my most important concern. The desktop is replaced an if and when the sub-portable comes out, I could then sell the 2300 and buy it, since the screen size on it will probably also be too small for desktop purposes as well (I sit about 3.5 feet or more from my monitor now). So the really big question is ... WHAT IS APPLE going to do about it? I read somewhere that Apple's Japan PowerBook market is virtually nonexistent because the G3's are just too big. Japan has always been a cash cow for Apple, so something has to change there anyway (it's how WE got the 2400)! Is a pro sub-notebook coming? How long do I wait? Should I cancel my G3 upgrade card for my 6500 until we know? Advice anyone! ---------- Duo/2400 List, The friendliest place on the Net! A listserv for users and fans of Mac subportables. FAQ at <http://www.themacintoshguy.com/lists/DuoListFAQ.shtml> Be sure to visit Mac2400! <http://www.sineware.com/mac2400> Dr. Bott LLC | Get a LapBottom with new �GRIPPIER� gripper pads! | http://www.drbott.com/prod/lapbot.html $23.00 Midwest Mac Parts <http://www.midwestmac.com> | After-market parts for Macs. Fix your ticking dock for $59 w/ trade-in of PS. 888-356-1104 PowerBook Guy is | Click here! Everything PowerBook! | http://www.powerbookguy.com
