Apple rolled out their new line of cheaper professional PowerBook notebook computers yesterday. Unfortunately they do not feature the faster G5 processors yet but they do offer a much welcome revamp to the range.

It is thought the G5-based PowerBooks will arrive around Q2 this year.

The new PowerBooks come with 512MB of SDRAM standard memory, Wifi 802.11G (54Mbps) and Bluetooth 2.0. Prices start at $1,499 up to $1,699 for the 12-inch models which also feature 1.5GHz G4 processors.

Going up in scale are the 15-inch models which start at $1,999 up to $2,299 with 1.67GHz G4 chips.

Finally, the top of the range model sells at $2,699 which features a 1.67GHz processor and a large 17-inch screen.