iBook 12" or Powerbook 12"

The case of the iBook is plastic and much more durable in the long-run than the soft skin of the PowerBook, if you are a bit rough on the electronics you carry around you may want to lean towards the iBook (even though Polycarbonate scratches easily).

The iBooks and the PB12 do have one other side-benefit over the rest of the PowerBooks -- the screen comes apart, so it'll be a lot less expensive to change the LCD or backlight in the future, if needed.

kerb said:

So if you had the money for both, which would you choose?

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Powerbook, definitely.

I was in the very same situation a couple of weeks ago. Im about to take off for college. I needed a laptop, wanted a mac, could afford the ibook, but I also do multimedia work and had the same concerns. Well, a week ago today I received my 12" Powerbook by FedEx and I could not be happier.

Even though it was a push to afford it, I know that I wont be in the position to buy a new laptop for a long time and the Powerbook offers a much longer lifetime than the current ibook. And I don't want my work with music or photography to be constrained by my machine. Im confident that my PB will let me get things done for a long time.

In terms of physical durability, I have a Second Skin sleeve from www.tucano.com that I use when I want to toss my powerbook in my backpack and bike to work. No hardware problems yet!

So obviously my vote is for the powrbook. I really think that ibooks are best as secondary machines, or when you are doing something extremely hazardous and need that extra bit of durability (and the smaller financial setback if it you break it 🙂 ) And of course they're great for kids.

Bottom line: an ibook may very well fill your needs, but a powerbook will please you and ensure that you do not regret your purchase.

Good luck!
Charlie

kerb said:

wel I'm pretty careful

how flimsy exactly is the powerbook?

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Not exactly flimsy, but chances are that in case of a fall pb would get dented, whereas iBook may escape with just a scratch.
I have the pb. If you have the money, you should go for the pb. But for the things you said you were gonna do, iBook will suffice.

cheers

If you're doing Logic, then it sounds like you might be a bit of a musician. Sound processing can tax a system, so keep in mind that:

1. The PowerBook CPU is 1/3rd faster
2. The system bus on the iBook is 133MHz; 333MHz on the PowerBook
3. The iBook has no built-in audio input port

Normally I recommend the iBook over the PowerBook, but you're gonna want the horsepower if you're playing with audio.

jcook793 makes some very good and valid points. Just to correct a little bit, system bus of the pb is 167 Mhz not 333Mhz. 333Mhz is the speed of RAM in pb, as opposed to 266 (I think) on iBook.

i wouldn't mind a 333mhz system bus 😉

dav said:

i wouldn't mind a 333mhz system bus 😉

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The you'll have to buy a PC. 😉

I don't know how often you replace your portable computer. But if it is every 2 years or so you should go with the PowerBook. It is obvious that it will last longer than the iBooks.
The aluminum case isn't too flimsy. Compared to my Sony V505EX, this thing is a tank. And that goes for many notebooks out there. Also, I like the solid build quality of the PB compared to other notebooks I own and I see on the market. I considered iBook for a while for the price, but after you add some stuff on, it is close to 12" PB. What I did was to buy the stock PB(I am very impatient and rushed to the store as soon as I thought I would get one). This was a mistake. I knew I could upgrade the HDD myself, but was not aware of the RAM integrated on to the motherboard. So I am stuck with 256MB, but just purchased 512MB from Crucial(best price I could find that I trusted).
Spend a little more money to be satisfied with your Mac, you will always wonder why you didn't go for the better stuff.
This is my first Mac and I am getting used to it slowly. I just read the Mac OS X book for PC users today and I think I am getting the hang of this. I guess I would never switch my desktop(for a number of reasons, not because i think Macs are inferior), but for portable unit, I need the stability while performing basic tasks(word processing,....).
I was getting help in store with my defective iPod and I saw the "Genius" using the Mac and the fast transfer speed and application loading. I thought I would give it a try and I am not regretting it yet. I guess I will wait for my credit card bill to be let down about this purchase a little.
Hope you enjoy your 12" PowerBook.
BTW, I have spent $1701 on 12" PB SuperDrive (student) and $102 on 512MB Crucial, $27 iSkin keyboard cover and etc. Just giving you some figures on what it cost for me so far.
I should be getting $200 back for iPod upgrade purchase. If you do this, make sure you have both on the same receipt. I ordered my iPod from Apple.com when it was available and had to go back to the Apple store again to add it on to my PB receipt.

abhishekit said:

Just to correct a little bit, system bus of the pb is 167 Mhz not 333Mhz. 333Mhz is the speed of RAM in pb, as opposed to 266 (I think) on iBook.

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Oops, my bad. You're right. Powerbook is 167, iBook is 133. The RAM is indeed 333 on the Powerbook and 266 on the iBook.

Well crud. That actually makes my argument a little weaker. I didn't realize that the system bus was so wimpy on the Powerbooks compared to the Powermacs.

I have a 600 Mhz iBook that's been dropped on the floor a couple of times and worked better after being dropped and runs Panther like a pro. And I have a 1 Ghz PB that I just recently got that I like just fine.

I don't do music so can't speak to that, but I do a lot of programming and general keyboarding and if I could have the iBook keyboard on this PB I would be a happy camper.

I'm not exactly a touch-typist and in dim light I can't see the keys on the PB. Wish I had known that before I bought it or I would have gone with another iBook.

m

winwintoo said:

I have a 600 Mhz iBook that's been dropped on the floor a couple of times and worked better after being dropped and runs Panther like a pro.

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Is that a G3 iBook? Becuase I just bought one that has Panther on it, and hearing that makes me feel really really good about my purchase!

Mike

Brother Michael said:

Is that a G3 iBook? Becuase I just bought one that has Panther on it, and hearing that makes me feel really really good about my purchase!

Mike

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Yes it is a G3. I was a bit leery about installing Panther at first, but it installed like a dream and made the computer purr along way faster than it ever did before. Mind you I had maxxed the RAM on it prior to installing Panther and I think that might have made a difference.

Keep in mind that I'm retired and not a *gamer* so my expectations are modest compared to some folks but I was never disappointed with it.

Take care M