hardware predicament redux

Last week I wrote:

For the current models, the prices look like:

Eur 1,329.75 ex VAT iBook 14″: 1.33GHz G4 (512 MB SDRAM)
Eur 1,924.79 ex VAT PowerBook 15″: 1.67GHz G4 (512 MB SDRAM)

Six hundred euros in the difference.

Well, I was incorrect about the rumours, new iBooks came out all right but not the fabled widescreen model, only modest speed bumps and 512 MB RAM as standard. The prices now look like:

Eur 1,131.40 ex VAT iBook 14″: 1.42GHz G4 (512 MB SDRAM)
Eur 1,924.79 ex VAT PowerBook 15″: 1.67GHz G4 (512 MB SDRAM)

So for the new iBook: a modest speed bump, faster graphics, the motion sensor thingumajig in case you drop it, the scrolling trackpad, bluetooth (can’t remember if it’s in the previous version).

What concerns me most though about this machine is its resolution: 1024×768 is just too shaggin’ small, considering I’m editing images which are (natively) more than twice the width. That’s a problem for me. From what I gather, the VGA video output is still stuck at 1024×768, so there’s no scope for hooking it up to a bigger external display.

I just want another PowerBook.