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PBook or Ibook

S

swollenfingers

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Hi All,
I am lookiing to buy a new notebook. My needs are as follows:

* Word/Word processing
* Email
* Web Browsing
* Authoring (simple html/css)
* Music
* Hotspots (drink coffee or read a book and work on notebook)
* Some programming/database stuff
* No games

I'd like to get a refurbished model, but I'm ignorant of the speed differences between G3 and G4 chips on the iBook and Powerbook.

Also, I want to work wirelessly (Airport) but I don't know if the newer Airport Extreme is what I should shoot for. I know its like 802.11b and 802.11g but does anyone notice the speed difference? All I want to do is some simple webbrowsing at hotspot locations. I won't have a home network.

Is a G3 iBook a bad choice?

How about an older g4 ibook?

What about the titanium pb? (it only has Airport capabilities)

Please help, I am sooooooooo confused.
 
An iBook should do you just fine.
* You are taking it out often, so if it gets snatched it's less expensive than a powerbook
* iBook's generally have better reception with wireless internet
* iBook's have a longer battery life

The TiBook's have very poor reception so I hear due to the antenna being encased completely by the titanium unlike the AlBooks. I reckon an older G4 iBook would be the way to go. But of course, have a look around and see for yourself in terms of performance vs price vs your needs.
 
if you won't have a home network, airport or airport extreme won't make any difference.

i'd go with a refurbished g4 iBook - just in case your use for the laptop expands (as did for me), you'd be better equipped than a g3 iBook.

make sure to put in ~$100 for a 512 MB RAM in your budget...
 
swollenfingers said:
Is a G3 iBook a bad choice?

How about an older g4 ibook?

What about the titanium pb? (it only has Airport capabilities)
Click to expand...

If I were in your situaiton I'd get a refurb 12" iBook. I would not go any older than the 1 Ghz G4. Pick up a refurb Airport Extreme card and you should be set. Trying to save money by buying an older model just doesn't work. These two items, with an additional memory stick (256 or 512) will make an excellent system.
 
A refurb iBook G4 is probably the way to go for you. Unless you like screen realestate and would prefer a refurb 15 inch powerbook, a 14 or 12 inch iBook should be good for you, with better battery life and airport reception typically than the pbooks to boot. i'd go for at least 900 mhz, and 512 ram. for your needs, regular airport (b) would be fine.
 
Also keep in mind that if you get a G3 iBook, that they only take standard Airport cards, and not Airport Extreme. The original Airport cards have been discontinued by Apple, and they are typically going for over $100 USED on eBay.
 
As others have said I would go for a 12" 1 GHz G4 iBook, don't bother with the 14" as the screen resolution is the same. The G4 iBooks can only take the newer Airport Extreme cards anyway, so 802.11g is your only choice. I would avoid the G3 iBooks. Make sure you budget for some additional RAM. Try and aim for 512MB at least.
 
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