iBook vs. 12in Powerbook

are you complaining that the PB is relatively underpowered or iBook is relatively expensive..?

i assume the latter... and i personally believe that unless you are really hurting for cash, 12" PB is a great buy over any iBook. (it can even be argued that 12" PB isn't really a PB but a G4 iBook... i don't really care as it's pretty much a matter of semantics.)

Re: iBook vs. 12in Powerbook

Originally posted by Schiffi
For $270 more you get 802.11g, G4 w/ altivec

Click to expand...

-Schiffi

Well, those are some pretty big differences in their own right.

It's a deal for $270 difference.

And don't forget that your extra $270 also buys you a significant keyboard upgrade and the option to make grilled cheese sandwiches on your toasty left wrist rest.

I've had my 12" PB for 43 days now, and I've yet to go hungry.

It seems to me that the screen on the Powerbook is brighter, but I haven't had a side-by-side comparison. The Powerbook has a slot-loading cd-drive, which some people may prefer.

The iBook is a low-power (as in wattage) and cooler (temperature) machine, and is supposedly more durable.

Performance-wise, they are very similar (but dissimilar enough to justify the price difference). The Powerbook only stands out in Altivec tests (see comparison tests here and here), but the faster clock-speed on the iBook gives it an advantage in most desktop tasks.
The 802.11g standard (airport extreme) performs only at about double the speed of 802.11b standard (airport) on mixed a/b/g networks. See slashdot article.

I'd agree that the PB 12" is an iBook with a G4, but a lot pf people want that. In a few months, both lines will be upgraded, and I think that if Apple keeps putting IBM's newer G3's in the iBook, it will soon close the gap.

Deffinately buy memory from a third-party. It'll save you money for other things, like an iPod, or a G4.