Best laptop for typing [Archive]

supergod

Mar 10, 2005, 08:59 PM

I currently own a 1.6ghz Power Mac which I use mostly for music recording in Logic and internet and such. I recently got some money and I would like to use part of it to buy a laptop for writing. The idea is that I don't want to spend much money on it: my main considerations would be a slightly used IBM, a used tibook or maybe albook, a new (bottom) ibook and possibly one of the new widescreen 12" dells. I really don't want to go with the Dell for the time being so I have a few questions about the other three.
Is the powerbooks keyboard better than an IBM. Which book had the better keyboard, the tibook, or the albook (disregarding the lightup keys).
Will the new iBook perform significantly better than an old powerbook. If it was fast enough I might want to use the iBook to run Logic 7.0 Express for doing gigs and want to know if it could handle running multiple plugins at the same time.
Other than these things, is there any feature of any one of the laptops that destinguish it, for instance the screen and durability.
Thanks for any help.

wnameth

Mar 10, 2005, 09:06 PM

I would go with the new bottom of the line ibook, it will give you same or greater speeds then a Tibook running at around 1GHZ. You will get a newer computer with a warranty. I think you would be happier with a new ibook than a 1-3 year old Ti book, that usually has a relatively small HD size (the ibook does a pretty small one though)

thats my 0.2$

mad jew

Mar 10, 2005, 09:15 PM

I would go with the new bottom of the line ibook...

Yeah, count me in for the bottom-of-the-range iBook. It's the greatest for battery life, powerful enough for most needs, and it looks way prettier than the PowerBook range IMO. :D

EJBasile

Mar 10, 2005, 09:17 PM

I have a ThinkPad (from the hospital) and I like it a lot. Its thin and portable and works well, but I must say I like my powerbook more. I have used the newer dell laptops and I for some reason cannot type on them. I think the keys are undersized or something, I'm much more prone to making mispellings on them. I do not like the iBook keyboards because I find them spingy and bendy. I really like my firm PowerBooks (12", same keyboard as in 15" and 17" Alus) because its nice and firm. Put it on a cool pad tha has an angle to it and get very good ergonamics.

How much are you looking to spend. Look at apples refurb department online or if your intrested in PCs look at IBMs ceritfied used/refurbished department.

brap

Mar 10, 2005, 09:18 PM

I know it's not exactly what you want to hear, but the clamshell iBook had the most comfortable palmrests ever. So nice to type on...

tykles

Mar 10, 2005, 09:45 PM

I have a rev D 15" powerbook, and I have to say I've never enjoyed typing on any keyboard as much. It's kind of a muted 'thunk', somehow very satisfying. With that said, it ends up being slightly uncomfortable because my wrist ends up sitting right across the edge. I'm thinking about getting some kind of wrist support that i can wedge up against it. If I were actually a writer or something I would probably get a 17" just so my wrists sat on top. I don't know if a 12" is out of your price range, maybe test drive one at your local apple shop...

Mechcozmo

Mar 10, 2005, 10:04 PM

For typing, a PowerBook is the way to go. iBook keys feel slightly too 'plasticy' and cheap-ish. PowerBooks are nicer than the Apple Keyboards that they ship with the new Macs these days :D (IMO of course, but I like my opinion)

The Dell laptops feel like the keys are coming off the keyboard. That is, if the laptop actually works first time around. OK, so I'm biased, but the keyboards on them are horrible. I did some work on one... eewww.

PowerBooks have an optical audio out port I think it is.. maybe it is an in port... anyway, PowerBooks have an optical audio port for audio and iBooks don't. Something to consider vs. the iBook.

tykles

Mar 10, 2005, 10:11 PM

I did some work on one... eewww.
LOL, it is too true. :p

Chrispy

Mar 10, 2005, 10:14 PM

If you are looking to stick to a budget but get good performance go with the iBook all the way. The keyboard is not "that" bad but it is not great either. I have a powerbook and I love the keyboard on it. I have never used a TiBook so I cannot give my opinion on that one. This thread will eventually spawn into an iBook keyboard vs. Powerbook keyboard debate tho... you can almost be certian of it ;)

Demon Hunter

Mar 10, 2005, 10:25 PM

Whatever you do don't buy a Rev. B (last gen) 15" Powerbook. Many plagued with keyboard issues. Other than that Powerbook's have the most comfortable keys ever... I love how they curve in. :)

zpmqxonw

Mar 10, 2005, 10:53 PM

About the Dell keyboards, NEVER BUY A DELL LAPTOP!!! I've had the keyboard on mine replaced three times, but it still decides not to type random letters. This is a huge pain because then I have to read through all my papers and find which letter I typed, that the computer decided to ignore. This is why I switched, but the long wait for my iBook hasn't really convinced me that Apple's that much better about customer service.

YS2003

Mar 10, 2005, 11:32 PM

I think Al PB has better keyboard than Ti PB. I used them both. But, for the ultimate typing experience, I use Apple Keyboards (both wired and bluetooth ones). Ti PB's keyboard flips open to show the inside (which comes in handy when you install additional Ram) and that may be the reason I feel its keyboard is flimsy side compared to Al PB.

CaptainCaveMann

Mar 10, 2005, 11:50 PM

If i were you, i would get a new 12 inch pb. I own a 12 inch ibook and i honestly think the key board sucks. Its rediculous actually. The space bar is crooked and has been since ive owned it. In fact all ibook space bars are crooked. Also the whole key board sits awkward. It rolls and bends and never seems to be quite flush. The pb has a much better key board and since you asked which laptop would be best for typing then i certainly recomend an alum pb.

Mechcozmo

Mar 11, 2005, 12:20 AM

Whatever you do don't buy a Rev. B (last gen) 15" Powerbook. Many plagued with keyboard issues. Other than that Powerbook's have the most comfortable keys ever... I love how they curve in. :)

Actually, that would be TWO revisions ago... we are on Rev. D PowerBooks now.

My 12" PowerBook has the best keyboard ever. Still waiting for something to top it. (Rev. C)

anotherjeff

Mar 11, 2005, 12:40 AM

I love the keyboard on my 12" PB rev. C. Nice full size, easy to type with, very satisfying, and I'm on it for most of the day. (I have big hands too).

My dad has a 12" vaio and it's a pain to type on, the keys feel too small.

iRez

Mar 11, 2005, 12:46 AM

I'd get a Rev C or Rev B 12" PB if money is a concern. The Alu powerbooks have the best keyboards that Apple has ever included with a machine.

eXan

Mar 11, 2005, 02:53 AM

Personaly I don't like iBook's keybord. PowerBook 12 " is your best choice here :)

supergod

Mar 11, 2005, 07:58 AM

Thanks for all the replies guys!

Well, sounds like Dell is totally out of the question. I'm looking to spend under 1500 CAN on this laptop, seeing as it is going to be almost strictly for typing. As far as refurbished options go, the Canadian applestore (online) still doesn't offer refurbished. However, I get a nice 11.5% discount on computers through the education discount (too bad I also have to pay 15% taxes, feh). There is going to be an Apple Store coming to Toronto, where I live, sometime this year and I hope that when it comes it will offer reburbished products, so that may still be an option.
My number one choice at this point would be to go for a Rev. C 12" powerbook, probably over eBay. I'm really not that worried about this as I've gotten lots of computer equipment over eBay and never been dissapointed.
My final questions are, simply, does the Rev. C have a better keyboard than a thinkpad (if any of you use both), and is there any expectation that the next, long over-due, iBook update will have an improved keyboard? I can still on buying this laptop because I always prefer first hand, but otherwise I'll probably just go ahead and get the powerbook.

iGary

Mar 11, 2005, 08:04 AM

I have a 12" 1.2GHz iBook that I love for writing.

I write about six to eight 2,000 word articles a month, and love the small size and long battery life of the little iBook.

I take it out on the couch in the living room with me to get out of the office, love the AirPort Express so I can do research on the Web while unhooked.

PERFECT for travel - I do a lot of traveling, and love not having to lug around big heavy notebooks. Fits perfectly on the tray tables on a plane, nice for lap size in the airport, and NOT heavy!

CaptainCaveMann

Mar 11, 2005, 09:44 PM

When i made my recomendation previously in this thread i was specifically refering to the pb vs. ibook keyboard quality. That being said; hey all you 12 inch pb owners! I have a question for you guys since im thinking about jumping from my 12 inch ibook to the 12 inch pb. Does the 12 inch pb palm rests get uncomfortably hot or warm when typing on it for lets say 2 hours or so, then resting then typing again for another hour? Your answers are greatly appreciated! Thanks

Jsmit

Mar 11, 2005, 10:04 PM

CaptainCaveMann

Mar 11, 2005, 10:08 PM

It has never bothered me, actually it is quite nice on a cold night . ;)I live in southern California. Im sure our nights arent nearly as cold as yours. Would it bother you on a warm night? Would the computer be warm enough to make your palms sweat?

brap

Mar 11, 2005, 10:09 PM

Would the computer be warm enough to make your palms sweat?Yeppers.

CaptainCaveMann

Mar 11, 2005, 10:14 PM

Yeppers.Care to dive into that a little further?

brap

Mar 11, 2005, 10:16 PM

Care to dive into that a little further?It uh, gets warm ;)

Warm enough to cause a little perspiration in warm surroundings. Especially the left side, over the hard disk - battery usually stays below 40c.

CaptainCaveMann

Mar 11, 2005, 10:20 PM

It uh, gets warm ;)

Warm enough to cause a little perspiration in warm surroundings. Especially the left side, over the hard disk - battery usually stays below 40c.Thanks ;) Man thats kind of a bummer. That almost inspires me to go with the 15 inch. Or maybe just the 12 inch with an external keyboard for long papers. :cool:

Mechcozmo

Mar 11, 2005, 10:53 PM

I live in southern California. Im sure our nights arent nearly as cold as yours. Would it bother you on a warm night? Would the computer be warm enough to make your palms sweat?

I live in San Diego, and quite honestly, it doensn't bug me a huge amount. But an external keyboard may be a good idea... depends on you quite a bit. I don't have an issue.

Chrispy

Mar 11, 2005, 10:55 PM

Actually, that would be TWO revisions ago... we are on Rev. D PowerBooks now.

My 12" PowerBook has the best keyboard ever. Still waiting for something to top it. (Rev. C)

Actually, we are only on Rev. D on the 12" and 17" powerbooks. The 15" is now on Rev. C since it did not come out until Rev. B was out for the 12" and 17" models. The original poster was warning about the 15" Rev. B and the keyboard issues so that is why he reffered to Rev. B as the previous revision. However, for the 12" and 17" you are correct that Rev. C was the last revision. Just wanted to clarify becuase someone pointed this out to me on another thread and I never thought about it until then. :p

ibilly

Mar 11, 2005, 11:24 PM

Does the 12 inch pb palm rests get uncomfortably hot or warm when typing on it for lets say 2 hours or so, then resting then typing again for another hour? Your answers are greatly appreciated! Thanks

Absolutely not. I have a classic 12" (lol) -- 867mhz. It's the hottest of them all and idles at about 135 F. The left palmrest is always warm, but never too hot to touch. It could get uncomfortable based on your environment, and current temperature preference. That's unlikely, however, because not even MS Word or Pages can stress a system that far. Heavy multi tasking during heavy typing... maybee, But I still say it won't get uncomfortably hot. This is, once again, coming from the user of the hottest Al book EVER (damn, I;m down to 126 prosc temp rite now! that's a chilly temp!).

I wouldn't worrk about it.

brap

Mar 11, 2005, 11:29 PM

Thanks ;) Man thats kind of a bummer. That almost inspires me to go with the 15 inch. Or maybe just the 12 inch with an external keyboard for long papers. :cool:Just a note - it's really not a big deal to me, but it does fulfil your criterion of causing perspiration every once in a while.

ibilly

Mar 11, 2005, 11:38 PM

Just a note - it's really not a big deal to me, but it does fulfil your criterion of causing perspiration every once in a while.

Maybee I jsut have temperature hardy wrists or something, but I've never gotten sweaty from my RevA 12" and i push it pretty hard. I'm also not new to long papers (i've written several 15 pagers in highschool, and I'm only a junior...)

CaptainCaveMann

Mar 11, 2005, 11:44 PM

Just a note - it's really not a big deal to me, but it does fulfil your criterion of causing perspiration every once in a while.Well if its warm enough to cause ur palms to sweat i wonder what it does to the screen when you close it? ;)

jayeskreezy

Mar 12, 2005, 12:14 AM

well this is a mac forum so.........I have a IBM thinkpad r40 and I love my keyboard...dell's keyboards are bad because the keys are kinda out of place....the delete key is like next to the ctrl and everything else

Mechcozmo

Mar 12, 2005, 12:53 AM

Actually, we are only on Rev. D on the 12" and 17" powerbooks. The 15" is now on Rev. C since it did not come out until Rev. B was out for the 12" and 17" models. The original poster was warning about the 15" Rev. B and the keyboard issues so that is why he reffered to Rev. B as the previous revision. However, for the 12" and 17" you are correct that Rev. C was the last revision. Just wanted to clarify becuase someone pointed this out to me on another thread and I never thought about it until then. :p

Oh, right... I remember that now that you mention it, and wondering when the TiBooks would become AlBooks....

Of course, it is easier to remember Rev. D in general 'cause I'm lazy :) But thanks for allowing me to remember.

Hopefully the G5 PowerBooks won't be like that :)

CaptainCaveMann

Mar 12, 2005, 12:57 AM

Oh, right... I remember that now that you mention it, and wondering when the TiBooks would become AlBooks....

Of course, it is easier to remember Rev. D in general 'cause I'm lazy :) But thanks for allowing me to remember.

Hopefully the G5 PowerBooks won't be like that :)Have you forgotton there might not even be a g5 powerbook?

Mechcozmo

Mar 12, 2005, 01:09 AM

Have you forgotton there might not even be a g5 powerbook?

Blasphemy!

IDANNY

Mar 12, 2005, 01:24 AM

I really like to type on my powerbook..

CaptainCaveMann

Mar 12, 2005, 02:38 AM

Blasphemy!Hahahah :D Oh right! The g5 powerbook! How could i have forgotton. :D :)

18thTomorrow

Mar 12, 2005, 08:08 AM

I hate my iBook's keyboard. Way too flimsy/cheap, and typing class I can make a lot of racket with it if i'm not careful and start going too fast. People don't appreciate that.

diehldun

Mar 12, 2005, 04:58 PM

I live in southern California. Im sure our nights arent nearly as cold as yours. Would it bother you on a warm night? Would the computer be warm enough to make your palms sweat?

I have a 17-inch PB, and boy, when I use several apps at once, the whole room get's hot! (I am NOT joking!); it's nice during winter though...

I'm really surprised how hot my PB can get... it's like having a personal heater! I am begining to wonder whether or not mine has a defect, or if most/all 17-inch PB's have this issue as well.

BTW: My palms get REALLY sweaty :)

Chrispy

Mar 12, 2005, 05:19 PM

I hate my iBook's keyboard. Way too flimsy/cheap, and typing class I can make a lot of racket with it if i'm not careful and start going too fast. People don't appreciate that.

Haha! I can completely relate to this. I had a G4 1.2GHz 12" iBook for awhile and it was really fast and overall I really enjoyed it. However, when I was in class the keys clicked so loud that I would get dirty look if I did not take extreme care to press quietly when I typed. The powerbook keyboard is more quiety but is also not easily replacable like the iBook if something was to happen to it. But man was that iBook fast for the price.... :)

brap

Mar 12, 2005, 06:48 PM

Well if its warm enough to cause ur palms to sweat i wonder what it does to the screen when you close it? ;)Nothing, the two never make contact (even if I did leave it to oxidise - which I don't). I've never had keyboard marks on the screen, either. :rolleyes:

debroglie

Mar 12, 2005, 11:58 PM

Absolutely not. I have a classic 12" (lol) -- 867mhz. It's the hottest of them all and idles at about 135 F. The left palmrest is always warm, but never too hot to touch. It could get uncomfortable based on your environment, and current temperature preference. That's unlikely, however, because not even MS Word or Pages can stress a system that far. Heavy multi tasking during heavy typing... maybee, But I still say it won't get uncomfortably hot. This is, once again, coming from the user of the hottest Al book EVER (damn, I;m down to 126 prosc temp rite now! that's a chilly temp!).

I wouldn't worrk about it.

I have owned a 867 12" before, and boy did that thing get hot! I honestly was scared to touch the left side of it after doing processor intensive work. I ended up getting an iCurve and an external keyboard though, so that remedied the problem.

Now I am on a Rev. C 12", and this thing runs cool! :)

panphage

Mar 13, 2005, 03:26 AM

I have an albook and man, I think this is the second best keyboard I have ever typed on. The spring and resistence are perfect, and the keys just *feel* good beneath my fingers. And I type A LOT.

Of course the best keyboard I've ever typed on is the Tactile Pro by Matias, so if you want an external give it a go.

Abstract

Mar 13, 2005, 04:26 AM

....However, for the 12" and 17" you are correct that Rev. C was the last revision. Just wanted to clarify becuase someone pointed this out to me on another thread and I never thought about it until then. :p

Oh snap! Never thought about it either. :p

Okay, the iBook keyboard feels like a trampoline, but that's in comparison with a Powerbook. Compared to laptops from other companies, its pretty much the same. There are some companies that have started offering laptop keyboards that "don't suck", as they realized that people type on their machines, but generally, the iBooks' isn't poor in comparison. :)

IBM Thinkpad T-series keyboards are supposed to be tied with the Powerbook in terms of super fantastic-ness. They offer the 2 best keyboards in the business. Not sure about IBM's other series (G or R or X series), but they're a safe bet. They make some fine machines.

The Alu Powerbooks are either the top, or tied with the IBMs, so yeah, they're great if you haven't used one before. And ALL the PB models share the same keyboards, so I don't think the 15" ever had a problem with THEIR keyboard. Maybe people just kept poor statistics. ;)

I'd get a new iBook, or possibly a rev B or C Powerbook. I love my rev B Powerbook and yes, the palmrests get a bit warm.

jmsait19

Mar 13, 2005, 10:29 AM

I have a 15" Rev. A AlBook and I must say that the keyboard is awesome. It feels so solid. No flimsyness at all. As far as palmrests, mine don't really ever get that warm, but the hinge by the screen does, it gets pretty toasty, as does the bottom side of that section as well. And as someone stated earlier, there is a decent gap between the screen and the palmrests when the book is closed.

Overall, I think the PowerBook is the way to go if you are totally going for typing. The keyboard isn't removable which is why it is more solid and feels so nice.

supergod

Mar 13, 2005, 12:29 PM

I haven't checked back to this thread in a while, and might I say: this is one of the most ridiculous conversations I've seen on these forums. A whole back and forth dialogue on the *proper* REV names and the temperature of palm rests: very funny stuff. At this point I think I'm just going to keep looking until I find either a powerbook or iBook for very cheap. I decided to stick with mac as I have fallen in love with the Word 2004 for mac.

azrussell132

Mar 13, 2005, 02:05 PM

Thinkpads have always been my all time favorite for typing. Have owned 3 of them in the past and just LOVE the feel of that keyboard.

RS

CaptainCaveMann

Mar 13, 2005, 02:16 PM

crowdaddy

Mar 13, 2005, 03:17 PM

I read a story online where a fellow who used his laptop, on his lap, constantly (at home, on the bus, etc.) and he developed errectile problems because of the constant heat around his crotch caused some circulation problems. I will find the link for you to see for yourself! Kinda scary!

EDIT: http://www.azcentral.com/health/men/articles/1208laptops08-ON.html
one study

EDIT (2) : http://wplg-tvhealth.ip2m.com/index.cfm?pt=itemDetail&Item_ID=115767&site_cat_id=6

another..

Mechcozmo

Mar 13, 2005, 03:31 PM