Confusion re: IB updates

[stefan15]

I'm new the the board/Macs and I'm looking to buy an ibook 12" for school... I couldn't help reading all the rumours about widescreen become available in the near future. These articles are from late June.

My question is; has the "update" been given to the IB, with the next update being the switchover to Intel, or is there still an update planned for the ibooks? Thanks

 

[powerbook911]

The iBook was updated at the very end of July, so an iBook update is probably not imminent.

 

[cocozz]

What about the ibook screen ? Is as good as the powerbook one ? For the 12" only

 

[DaftUnion]

No, it's not as good as the PowerBook screen, but it's still a very good screen that's comparable to it. Check out an Apple store sometime and see if the huge difference in price is worth it for you.

 

[skippydumptruck]

I had been waiting for a PowerBook update for school since June of this year, and I finally broke down and picked up my iBook last month. I am glad I did - I think this laptop is great and wish I had made the switch that much sooner! I plan to run this machine (and perhaps a Mac desktop) until after the Intel change has been in effect for a while and things settle down.

The point being, I would highly reccomend the iBook as a laptop.

 

[TaKashMoney]

One of the previous posters could not be further from the truth. I hate when people are giving advice with false information!!! The 12"ibook has the SAME EXACT SCREEN as the 12"PB. I have even heard people claim that the screens on the new ibooks are brighter. I just purchased the updated ibook for school and absolutely love it. Durable, great wi-fi, great battery, plenty of speed. If you have any more questions though, it is always helpful to do a forum search because sometimes people have had the same concerns as you. I will also be glad to answer any further questions if you want to send me a personal message. I would hate for you to make a decision on false info.

 

[caveman_uk]

One of the previous posters could not be further from the truth. I hate when people are giving advice with false information!!! The 12"ibook has the SAME EXACT SCREEN as the 12"PB.

My understanding is that both the 12" machines have the same screen as you say. My personal experience is that the 15" screen is much better and considerably brighter than the 12" ibook (and consequently I expect the 12" Powerbook). Maybe this is where the original poster was coming from.

 

[jim.]

My understanding is that both the 12" machines have the same screen as you say. My personal experience is that the 15" screen is much better and considerably brighter than the 12" ibook (and consequently I expect the 12" Powerbook). Maybe this is where the original poster was coming from.

The 12" both have the same screen. The 15" does have a better screen, but it is irrelevant since the OP clearly stated he only wanted to know about the 12.

To the OP:

What type of work are you needing to do at school? The PB has a few performance enhancements over the iB. Also, I don't think that you can get an iB (12") with a superdrive. You can install a third party one yourself, though, but I think that the iBook is kind of complicated to disassemble correctly.

Overall, you will have the exact same screen, and roughly the same performance for most everyday tasks. Oh, one other difference is that if you use the PB for intense stuff, it will get HOT. The iB will get warm, but not so much that it can turn your skin red.

Hope that helps,

Jim

 

[devilot]

I swear I type my life story roughly 4 times a day here on MR.

I owned a 12" 1.33GHz PB for about a year then got a more powerful desktop iMac G5 and no longer needed the 'power' of my PB. Offered it to my older sister in exchange for a new 12" 1.33GHz iBook.

Yes I prefer the sleekness/ small/ slimmer compact form of the PB as well as its keyboard.

However, I love the fact that the iBook feels like it could take a beating and still look nice. Love the MUCH better wi-fi reception. Love the MUCH MUCH better battery life (roughly 6+ hours vs my PBs 4+ hours). Love the fact that the iBook only gets warm while my PB would get uncomfortably hot.

And truth be told, in my backpack, the weight difference is practically negligible. Also, the slight difference in front BUS (or whatever that thingiemajig is) doesn't make in impact for me and my simple needs in a laptop.

In short, I have grown to truly love my iBook and wouldn't trade it back for my PB (although, I feel a slight pang because I hate how most people will assume that a woman uses the iBook because she doesn't understand that the PB is the higher range or doesn't need a higher powered machine).

 

[bluemouse]

One of the previous posters could not be further from the truth. I hate when people are giving advice with false information!!! The 12"ibook has the SAME EXACT SCREEN as the 12"PB. I have even heard people claim that the screens on the new ibooks are brighter.

I disagree entirely. I have the most recent 12" Powerbook (mine) and the most recent 12" iBook (fiancee's) side by side right now. Showing the exact same website, I can guarantee you that the Powerbook is significantly brighter. The screen may be identical, but the backlight is not, and that can make a big difference. Perhaps you should be a bit more sparing with your hatred?

 

[Deepdale]

In short, I have grown to truly love my iBook and wouldn't trade it back for my PB (although, I feel a slight pang because I hate how most people will assume that a woman uses the iBook because she doesn't understand that the PB is the higher range or doesn't need a higher powered machine).

It is regrettable that those wildly irresponsible assumptions do seem to linger in the minds of some. My first conclusion would be that the person was intelligent enough to match up their needs with the computer in question ... until it was clearly shown that they are completely clueless.

 

[stefan15]

Thanks for the advice so far guys... But let's try to keep this thread to facts as opposed to discussion, because I'm pretty confused as it is. And I gather now that IB updates are essentially finished until Intel (am I right on this one? or is there some RAM upgrades planned at the least?)

To respond to jim., (Thanks for the advice btw)--
I will be using the ibook mainly in dark/medium light classroom areas, very little outdoors, so I am assuming the difference in brightness between PB and IB will be minimal. I also do not need a powerful machine at all. However I'll definitely be picking up 1gb of ram. And I have heard about the heat issue in the PB as well, so that's another advantage to the IB... And yes 12" is about the right size since desk space is apparently at a premium around the UofC. Also combo drive should be fine.

My home machine takes care of all my power needs (incl. dvd burning) (P4 640 3.2ghz 1066fsb 4x1024 DDR2 Windows x64 <-- not as bad as you might think).

 

[DaftUnion]

One of the previous posters could not be further from the truth. I hate when people are giving advice with false information!!! The 12"ibook has the SAME EXACT SCREEN as the 12"PB. I have even heard people claim that the screens on the new ibooks are brighter. I just purchased the updated ibook for school and absolutely love it. Durable, great wi-fi, great battery, plenty of speed. If you have any more questions though, it is always helpful to do a forum search because sometimes people have had the same concerns as you. I will also be glad to answer any further questions if you want to send me a personal message. I would hate for you to make a decision on false info.

When I was in the Apple store I thought there was a difference in screen brightness between the two. That's what I meant by a difference in quality. Maybe the brightness settings were just up on one and down on another.

 

[chaos86]

those of you considering firebombing each others houses because of screen brightness debates, dont forget that these nifty little machines have 2 features that could affect the scientificness of this argument.

1) the fn+f1 and fn+f2 keys that change the brightness (i hate the people who go around the apple store lowering the display brightness so I think for 5 minutes that 'the 30" is beautiful but a little dim..').

2) And of course, the battery saving feature that automatically dims the screen when unplugged (which btw, can and does get stuck in dim mode even after plugging it in since one of the recent OS updates).

 

[bluemouse]

those of you considering firebombing each others houses because of screen brightness debates, dont forget that these nifty little machines have 2 features that could affect the scientificness of this argument.

1) the fn+f1 and fn+f2 keys that change the brightness (i hate the people who go around the apple store lowering the display brightness so I think for 5 minutes that 'the 30" is beautiful but a little dim..').

2) And of course, the battery saving feature that automatically dims the screen when unplugged (which btw, can and does get stuck in dim mode even after plugging it in since one of the recent OS updates).

Which is where I have the advantage, I suppose. I can guarantee that both laptops are on maximum brightness and I have unplugged and replugged both to ensure accuracy. My fiancee agrees with me: the Powerbook is brighter, if only a little. But it is noticeable.