by MacEdition Staff (feedback)

Pismo owners by now must be feeling a bit of Titanium envy (paint flakes notwithstanding) as their G3 systems struggle to render all the eye candy that is Mac OS X. Apple claims that Mac OS X 10.1.5 (and Jaguar when it's released) should help considerably with this (no, really). But for those folks who remain skeptical and want some G4 oomph, while keeping their dual FireWire ports and expansion bays, the following news from NewerTech should be heartening:

WICHITA, Kan. and WOODSTOCK, Ill. - June 14, 2002 - Newer Systems Technology and Other World Computing today introduced the NuPowr G4 Pismo upgrade, the first-ever upgrade available for the Apple PowerBook G3 FireWire system, originally code-named Pismo. The G4 Pismo upgrade, which is available immediately for $299.95, allows owners of PowerBook G3 400MHz and 500MHz systems to upgrade to a G4/500MHz processor. [...]

Customers interested in purchasing the upgrade can do so exclusively through OWC at www.macsales.com. Customers will be required to send in a component to NewerTech in Wichita, Kan. NewerTech will test the customer's system prior to and following the installation of the G4 Pismo upgrade to insure the system is running optimally. NewerTech is committed to completing the install and testing, and return the systems within two weeks of their receipt and will also cover freight by FedEx 2nd Day for the customers to send in their components and for the return of their systems.

Yes, a 500MHz G4 is not cutting-edge fast anymore, but at $300, it's a lot cheaper than a new TiBook. For more info, check out: www.macsales.com.