Questions about 12" PowerBook

I'm considering getting a Apple laptop before the end of the year is over. I plan to use it for internet, school work, iTunes, LIGHT photo editing, and multi-track recording with GarageBand. I'm thinking of possibly getting a PB12" 1.5GHz with it's specs maxed out.

However, I have a few questions and need some advice.

I plan to use this machine for 1-3 years. Depending on if a smaller size MBP comes out(I'm still hoping), or the MB's get something that I really want. I was planning on originally getting a MB(the middle model), but I thought that since I wasn't keeping it for so long why spend so much on it. A PowerBook would be significantly cheaper for sure. I like the PB's design much better than the MacBook's. It seems more sturdy and whatnot to me. I also like the small, compact design of the PB.

My questions are:
-Would the model PowerBook I'm looking at be able to handle the things I wish to do at ease?
-If Leopard entices me enough, will it be able to run well on the PowerBook?
-With the time I plan on using the laptop, would I be better off grinning and bearing and just get a MacBook, or should I stick with the PowerBook? I really don't want to invest much into this laptop I'm getting.
-Are the PPC G4 processors okay? This may sound weird, but it's just another one of my weird reasons of wanting to get a PB. I really like the G4 processors, I dunno why but I just like them. It feels more authentic to have PPC in a Mac computer to me than it does having Intel Inside. And there's just something about hearing of Intel Integrated Graphics in a Mac that makes my stomach churn.

Any opinions are much appreciated! Thanks a lot.

Naimfan said:

Form factor and design aside, the MacBook is (far and away) the superior computer. And I say that as a Powerbook G4 owner. I've worked with MacBooks during ProCare sessions and been able to compare them directly to my PB (1.33 GHz, 1.25 GB RAM, 15", etc) and there's simply nothing the PB does as quickly.

So to answer your question, you'd be better served with a MacBook, so yes, you should just grit your teeth and get one. A 12" PB might be a bit cheaper--look at what they go for on eBay!--but the MacBook is the far more capable machine. Plus, the MacBook is a lot more rugged than the PB.

Put it this way--if someone offered to swap my PB for any current or last generation MacBook, I'd do it in a second.

Bob

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I've been looking a lot, and I see an average between 650-850 on eBay for the PB12". May I ask what you mean by "more capable"? And I dunno... I just have this thought of the MacBooks having lots of problems with yellowing, chipping, screen issues, and all the other jargon posted in this forum about them. I just don't hear near as many people having problems with the PoweBook.

Thanks a lot for your input.

@ CRAZYBUBBA
Thanks for your information. I'm still not quite sure about Leopard. There's nothing in it that I feel that I must have. As far as backing up goes... I prefer to do that manually and on a separate hard drive as well. I'm just not really fond of this new glossy/plastic-like look that newer operating systems are creating. But that all boils down to personal preference I guess.

Naimfan said:

Grimm--

The 12" PB has a LOT of romance around it, because it is the smallest PB made and some people just love how they look. They are too darn small for me, but I can see the appeal. Just don't confuse the aesthetic appeal with actual performance.

What I mean by more capable is that the MacBook will do something in half the time the 12" PB can do it in. Take a look at some of the benchmarks that are out there. The MacBook will also be more future-proof, since software developers are concentrating on apps for Intel Macs, and Apple is likely to support the MacBook for farther into the future than the PB.

If you've looked a lot on eBay, you'll see that you can get a MacBook for not much more, if any, than a 12" PB. Essentially, you have to make a choice between aesthetics and computing power. If aesthetics are more important, get the PB. If it's computing power, get a MB. Of course, you could always get a MBP and have both...

Oh, and if you look in the old threads on the forums, you'll see PLENTY of complaints about the Powerbooks--whether 12", 15", or 17". There is, as I've suggested, a tendency to romanticize the Powerbooks. They were, and are, great computers. But don't make them into more than they are.

Bob

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Do you think it would be stupid of me to choose a laptop for aesthetics? I mean, I don't want to make a bad decision just because I thought something looked prettier.

I feel that that PowerBook will be faster than anything I have had, so I probably won't "feel" a lack of power/speed.
My current computer is 1.0GHz AMD Duron with 512MB of RAM
My last laptop was pathetic: 2.0GHZ Celeron Processor w/ 256MB RAM