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OutThere

macrumors 603
Original poster
Dec 19, 2002
5,730
3
NYC
I have been a mac user all my life, and I am ready to get an iBook, my question for y'all ;-) is this: If I buy an iBook in early sept. will I be disappointed by an upgrade soon after I buy it (i.e. upgrade before December) I'm dying to buy it now, but I don't want to have the annoyance of getting it and then a month later a much better comp for the same price. Thanks for your input!
 

tazo

macrumors 68040
If the current specifications ar eto your liking than you will not be disappointed by an upgrade; as someone else has already said on the message baords "your computer doesnt get any slower because of an upgrade". Words to live by.

:D

Hope that helps.

And please for the love of god get the 12" ibook, the 14" is an abomination :eek: ;)
 

OutThere

macrumors 603
Original poster
Dec 19, 2002
5,730
3
NYC
thanks for the input , come to me my fair iBook!

(I've always been planning to get the 12 incher)
 

Daveman Deluxe

macrumors 68000
Jun 17, 2003
1,555
1
Corvallis, Oregon
I know how you feel. I needed an iBook to take with me to college last year. I was going to get it on my 18th birthday since I could get a credit card and pay for it (I paid it off, last month, BTW :) ). At any rate, I was sitting there biting my nails because I was worried I might have to wait until the summer to get the updated models (I also needed it for work in the summer). Well, they finally came out with updated models a week and a half before my birthday.

My advice? If you think updates may come soon and you can afford to wait awhile, go ahead and wait. Not only will the resale value be somewhat higher when you eventually sell it, but the anticipation of an event only makes the event better. Think carefully about how long you can wait and then buy it at the last possible moment.

One last bit of advice: definitely max out the RAM, but do it yourself. Also, you can get an extra 20 GB of hard disk space for only $50, so put some serious thought into it.
 

ColoJohnBoy

macrumors 65816
Mar 10, 2003
1,129
0
Denver, Colorado
I'd get one now (A 12") with 900 MHz processor, 60 GB hard drive and maxed RAM. They're great machines, and everything about them has been improved with this last update, plus with the student discount and the recent 5-15% discounts in addition, they're bound to be quite cheap.
 

solvs

macrumors 603
Jun 25, 2002
5,684
1
LaLaLand, CA
There may be an update before the end of the year. There is a rumor that IBM has a new G3 coming out that will have Altivec, but that won't be in this next revision. They already have a 1 and 1.1 GHz G3 that should be out by November. But we don't know when Apple will update the iBooks with them. According to the MacRumors Buyers Guide, they were last updated on April 22nd, so it may be awhile before they get updated.

If you need it now, buy it now. Something better is always coming. There was a discussion about this awhile ago were I recommended someone buy an iBook, and someone who got a bad one was trying to tell everyone not to get one because of a bad logic board. Some people were hit with that problem, but Apple seems to have fixed it. I was playing with one at the store, I liked how rugged it felt, and was surprised at how fast it was.

I'm still leaning toward the 12" PB, which should be updated soon, but that iBook was really tough. And cool. For portability, I might just do what my Mom did and buy a used one from the studio my step-dad works at. Play around with it for awhile. I just wish it had 2 user upgradable RAM slots. With 128 MB it's usable, with 256 it's ok, and with 640 it's pretty responsive. Can you imagine how fast it would be with 1 GB+?

You know, without having to pay $699. (edit: currently only available to the 17" PB)
 

QCassidy352

macrumors G5
Mar 20, 2003
12,028
6,036
Bay Area
Originally posted by tazo
And please for the love of god get the 12" ibook, the 14" is an abomination :eek: ;)

That debate has been had enough times without you restarting it where not appropriate.
 

OutThere

macrumors 603
Original poster
Dec 19, 2002
5,730
3
NYC
Thanks for the input everyone, I plan on getting the 12" iBook with DVD 128 MB ram and 40 GB HD (I have an 80GB external) I'll add RAM later when I have more money.
 

Kwyjibo

macrumors 68040
Nov 5, 2002
3,809
0
adding ram is cheap and neccesary, i'd even sell you an SODIMM 256mg for the ibook from 18004memory.com for like 20 bucks
 

QCassidy352

macrumors G5
Mar 20, 2003
12,028
6,036
Bay Area
Originally posted by tazo
The guy did not mention what size iBook he was getting, which would make my comment appropriate. And if you have a problem with my post kindly report it to a mod :)

Who said anything about mods? Your comment was stupid and out of place, but not against any rules.

and since he only asked about this rev. as opposed to the next one, a comment about 12" vs. 14" was not in fact appropriate.
 

tazo

macrumors 68040
Originally posted by QCassidy352
Who said anything about mods? Your comment was stupid and out of place, but not against any rules.

and since he only asked about this rev. as opposed to the next one, a comment about 12" vs. 14" was not in fact appropriate.

LOL He didnt mention which model he was going to get. I wanted to make sure he didn't buy the 14" which is just more money for 1 extra hr of battery life.
 

mwpeters8182

macrumors 6502
Apr 16, 2003
411
0
Boston, MA
I've had the 12" iBook for about a month now. I do some calculations in excel, presentations in powerpoint, word processing, play some yahoo games and the occasional game of WC3, and it's been fine for me. It's been a great 'book for the price I paid.
 

X-Baz

macrumors member
Dec 11, 2002
74
8
Leeds, England
Panther

I'm looking to get an iBook soon (12" and I'll up the RAM) - two questions: is the maximum RAM 640Mb (ie buy a 512Mb stick)? and is it worth waiting a while till Panther comes out, rather than paying for the OS twice?

thanx in advance,
x-Baz
 

Daveman Deluxe

macrumors 68000
Jun 17, 2003
1,555
1
Corvallis, Oregon
X-Baz: Yes, the maximum RAM is 640 MB, and it's definitely worth it. Reports indicate that Panther is coming out in September (though it's far from certain), so you should weigh your desire to have an iBook now against paying $130 for Panther when it comes out. If you can wait, do so since it will save you at least $110. Determine when you need/want to buy the iBook, and then just do it and don't look back.

As for what you can do with an iBook, I do web publishing, Photoshop, email, web surfing, and the typical student stuff. I play Baldur's Gate II and get great frame rates at 1024x768, I play Neverwinter Nights at 800x600 and get good enough frame rates, and I used to play Age of Empires II and that worked great too. All this on a 700 MHz iBook with only 16 MB VRAM! :D
 

X-Baz

macrumors member
Dec 11, 2002
74
8
Leeds, England
thanks ... I think I have to wait, as that $110 will probably translate to £110 ... but I'm drooling.

Now to persuade the wife to buy a G5 ....
 

Potus

macrumors 6502
Jul 31, 2002
303
0
Originally posted by X-Baz
thanks ... I think I have to wait, as that $110 will probably translate to £110 ... but I'm drooling.

Now to persuade the wife to buy a G5 ....

$110 is about 70 pounds
 

Potus

macrumors 6502
Jul 31, 2002
303
0
Originally posted by X-Baz
thanks ... I think I have to wait, as that $110 will probably translate to £110 ... but I'm drooling.

Now to persuade the wife to buy a G5 ....

$110 is about 70 pounds
 
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