iBook 14" VS. pBook 12"... need advise.

Go for the ibook and mini. Together they should be enough power to do what you want. The mini is pretty fast, it could handel a lot of stuff, i'm sure it would be able to handel video just fine. Mabey a little slow, but if you stick a lot of ram in it, it should do the job.

except for the part about the mini, we just got through a thread asking about the exact same comparison, if you're interested. Sorry to be a cranky pants, but a wee bit of searching might have helped you out here.

You can only pile on the mini if you take the iBook stripped, and the mini as well, and realistically I'm not sure you want to do that.


edit: wait a minute, the retail price diff. between the 14" iBook SD and 12" PB SD is $200 ... is there a mini-mini out there, because I don't know of any Minis for $200.

my advice...

go for a 15" powerbook, superdrive even. why? the current line of powerbooks are really great at the moment, and will be for upcoming years. video card powerful enough to run a 30" cinima screen (something to look into perhaps in the future). extra ram is installed, "smarter" touch pad, ect.

14" ibooks are nice, but they're just a bigger version of the 12". what do i mean? the screen resolution are the same. its kinda pointless to have a big screen with the same res as a 12", unless you're old and blind.

mac mini is nice, but again closely similar to an ibook (either one besides no monitor). this will just be a basic machine that will be able to do the same load as the ibook. upgrading will be slim and future run, that video card won't last.

if you're someone who gets new systems every year, yeah go for the ibook and mac mini. if you want something that lasts for 2-3+ years, get the 15 or 17 powerbook (12 even if your budget calls for it). always look further into your purchases. what would happen if you saved a couple hundred more? how long would that system last me? is it capable for what i want to do now, and in the future?

Let us look at this more closely. You get a Mac Mini and iBook for the same price as you could get a PowerBook. With the PowerBook you have a system that is more powerful than the iBook or Mini. Not a lot more powerful, but more powerful never-the-less. I believe that you will find that the screeb in the 12" PowerBook is more crisp than the 14" iBook. The screen resolution is the same on both, so screen realestate is also the same.

Are you planning on selling your current iBook? If you plan on keeping it then just get a desktop and use your current iBook for your portable needs. You would appreciate the extra power of an iMac G5 when video editing.

Jsmit said:

... You get a Mac Mini and iBook for the same price as you could get a PowerBook. ...

Click to expand...

sorry, I'm still not seeing this ... something in the math is wrong .. anyway the extra $200 (not $499) buys you a larger, faster HD, faster processor, faster video card, twice the VRAM, BT built-in, audio-in, HD drop protection, arguably nicer keyboard, more stock RAM, true clamshell mode, no-hack screen spanning, all in a smaller and lighter computer ... so unless you need the bigger screen (but at the same resolution) ....

The search function could be better, but even just looking over the last couple pages of this forum can help. A search just for "iBook" turns up a lot, of course, and you can sift through it if you want. Searching within a specific forum, such as this one about Buying Tips, could narrow things down too. I'm no moderator, and you can post all you want of course, I just believe it would be helpful in answering your own questions to look more first. Just a suggestion; sorry if I sounded too harsh.

If you really want the Mini too for roughly the same price as a 12" PB with SuperDrive, maybe consider the 12" iBook instead of the 14." Closer, though both iBook and Mini will still need RAM upgrades, most likely, plus probably HD too, and only the Mini could have a SuperDrive. Not sure this is a great idea .... but sounds a little better than the same thing with a 14."