New ibook G4 12inch or refurb G4 Powerbook? Advice please.

[amberashby]

Hi everyone.

I currently have a dual G5 2.0 as my desktop and now I'm in the market for a laptop. I'm a recent switcher and I've decided to ditch my Dell laptop and get a real portable.

I'm looking at the 12 inch ibook and the 12 inch Powerbook refurb. I would use my laptop mostly for web, mail, website design and publishing (when I'm away from home), Photoshop, iPhoto, and maybe just a little video editing. I have a DV camera and plan to take it on vacations and I may want to do a little editing on the road, but mostly it would be at home on the G5.

I qualify for the educational discount on a new one, so here are my options:

ibook G4 800
60gb HD
Airport Extreme
Bluetooth
Applecare
Upgrade to 640K (crucial)
Total = $1433


Powerbook G4 867
40gb HD
Airport Extreme
Applecare
Upgrade to 640K (crucial)
Total = $1539

What do you guys think?
Thanks.

[niter]

If you have a G5 at home, you really do not need the PB for what you are doing. I have a 12" iBook with the exact set up as you want (right down to the RAM from crucial) and it is very zippy and powerful. I love it. In the future, I am going to get a G5 for video stuff (after I get a camera too).

The iBook is plenty for your laptop needs and you will save a bundle too.

[amberashby]

I was leaning towards the iBook. I think you are right. Since I have the G5 at home the iBook is probably all I need.

[amberashby]

I do think I'll wait until Macworld. Just in case there is any sort of update/price cut.

[latergator116]

They were just recently updated, so I doubt they will be updated at MW, but it definately can't hurt to wait 2 weeks.

[QCassidy352]

looks like 6 of one, half dozen of the other to me. The original 12" PB and the new 12" ibook are really really similar... it hardly matters which one you get, IMO.

I guess I'd go with the ibook because it saves $100 and is just as good. I dunno, i just really like the new ibook, not sure why (even though i have a rev. B PB).

[johnnyjibbs]

Yes I'd say those two are just about evenly matched. The slight increase in processor in the 867 PB will offset the slightly better video card in the iBook 800. I think the iBooks look cheap in comparison to the PowerBooks, but that's my preference. They are pretty evenly matched on features, although the PB has audio line in and built-in bluetooth, while the new iBook has USB 2.0 (not that big a deal, I've found out!). I did hear some stories of the old PB getting a little warm, but my rev B has had no such problems. The PBs are very scratch-resistant too. Oh, and the iBook can only support video mirroring, unless you use a hack.

In fact, I've just put in an order for 512MB RAM from crucial. I've been using the stock 256MB for the last 3 months. Fine, even for video editing. Hope it's worth it...