ibook/ imac conundrum

[jennysbelly]

Hello all,
Some of you may remember my post a while back with the ubiquitous ibook vs. powerbook debate. I decided to wait until after Jan. 10th and on the ibook. In the interim, I got myself thinking about the imac, and realized that the ibook and imac combined would not be much more than the 15" powerbook i had considered.

I currently have a cheapo compaq desktop that I share with my boyfriend. It's hard drive crashed not that long ago and we lost all of our pictures from our 4 years together (this happened as we returned back from the store with the external drive to back them up). I have a desire to have my own computer for when we both want to be on at the same time. He will continue to use our PC until he can afford to upgrade my powerbook g3 firewire with a dead battery (a slight obsession of his).

I'm thinking the 12"ibook and the 17" imac. I would definitely bring the RAM on the imac to 1.5GB. I dont' know about the ibook. Everything else stock except for the wireless mouse/key board. Also is Applecare worth it on the imac?

I like the idea of being portable and if i had the 12" ibook I would probably use it in several rooms of my house and possibly take it with me at times, most certainly on trips. I also have some interest in studying graphic design in the future, am used to the desktop and the features of the imac most definitely appeal.

The questions I pose to you all, as I am not a knowledgeble Mac person, although hope to become one (especially to those of you that may work in design because I haven't started getting my feet wet yet), which Mac would you get first? Part of me thinks the ibook, since it is cheaper and portable and there is already a desktop in the house, and part of me thinks the imac since it is a g5, and then i could wait for the intel ibooks. OR is the whole thing stupid?

Thanks,
Jenny

 

[mad jew]

I have that exact set up and I love it. I wouldn't swap it for anything.

I got the iBook first. The iMac is considerably more powerful so if you get the iBook first, then you'll appreciate the speed of the iMac more IMO. However, considering you have a desktop already, maybe get the iBook. Plus, if I had to choose one over the other, I'd take the iBook. Wait until January 10 before deciding on anything though.

Oh, I see the extended AppleCare as a waste of time but that's just me. Irrespective, you get it free for the first year and you can buy the extra two years at any stage within that first year so you don't have to make the decision straight away. I reckon warranty-based problems occur mainly within the first year though.

 

[jennysbelly]

Re: ibook/imac conundrum

How would Intel ibooks being announced next week change your opinion? Would you recommend I still get the ibook g4 first? Or would you recommend I get the imac and wait for a rev b intellibook?

 

[mad jew]

Well, I'd wait to see what happens. It's hard to say whether the G4 would be a better idea than the Intel iBook but I suppose that with computers, it's always a good idea to get the latest. The Intel transition probably won't be trouble-free so the iMac may be the safer buy, irrespective of how good the Intel iBook specs may be (assuming they'll be released then).

I reckon waiting for the second batch of Intel iBooks might be a good idea in your circumstances.

 

[ibook30]

I have that exact set up and I love it. I wouldn't swap it for anything.

I, like mad jew, have this set up (maybe I should re examine things in my life....). 'Cept my imac is a huge 20 incher. It's a great way to go. The iMac's huge HD and screen allow room for creative endeavors - including Garageband which was toooo slow on the ibook.

If you can afford it without selling your soul, go for it! The extra dash for the 20 inch screen is well worth it in my opinion. Also- I went for the extended applecare program on the imac. God forbid both machines should go down, at least I have a safety net (of sorts) on one.

 

[theBB]

Amazon MIR

I am also considering an iMac 20''. Assuming you live in the US, Amazon offers a $150 mail-in-rebate and no sales tax. That's about $300 discount, not bad...

Has anybody had a bad experience with buying an Apple from Amazon?

 

[jennysbelly]

I, like mad jew, have this set up (maybe I should re examine things in my life....). 'Cept my imac is a huge 20 incher. It's a great way to go. The iMac's huge HD and screen allow room for creative endeavors - including Garageband which was toooo slow on the ibook.

If you can afford it without selling your soul, go for it! The extra dash for the 20 inch screen is well worth it in my opinion. Also- I went for the extended applecare program on the imac. God forbid both machines should go down, at least I have a safety net (of sorts) on one.

Would you get the imac before the ibook or the ibook before the imac?

 

[Danksi]

Would you get the imac before the ibook or the ibook before the imac?

What do you need the most use of first?

I got my iMac, since at the time I wanted a desktop with power/storage space for hobbyist video editing etc and to act as a daily background media server for our tunes (using a Slimdevice).

It wasn't until I really got into the Mac OS & apps that I went for the iBook 12inch, for use on the road for the UK trip we're just coming to the end of - the trip's been a shock to the system, but the iBook's been brilliant!

 

[ibook30]

Would you get the imac before the ibook or the ibook before the imac?

I bought my ibook first- but that's because I needed a portable. Danksi is spot on- it depends on what your lifestyle and needs are.

My ibook has a 30 gig hd and it is full ! So keep in mind the volume of data/ music/ etc when you select the machine and it's attributes.

 

[Danksi]

My ibook has a 30 gig hd and it is full ! So keep in mind the volume of data/ music/ etc when you select the machine and it's attributes.

I would definately suggest getting a larger hard drive, 60 or 80Gb.

Even if, like mine, it's not your primary machine. You can fill it with photo's, home-movies and even DVD-Rips for trips etc... it soon fills up.

For me the larger hard drive was more important than upgrading the memory.

 

[jennysbelly]

What do you need the most use of first?

I got my iMac, since at the time I wanted a desktop with power/storage space for hobbyist video editing etc and to act as a daily background media server for our tunes (using a Slimdevice).

It wasn't until I really got into the Mac OS & apps that I went for the iBook 12inch, for use on the road for the UK trip we're just coming to the end of - the trip's been a shock to the system, but the iBook's been brilliant!

It's hard to say. Right now all I do is web browsing, word processing, and blogging, but that's because it is all I'm capable of doing. I work full time and use the computer at night and on the weekends, but I have an interest in studying graphic design in the near future.

As for the HD size, I'm not worried about the 40GB on the ibook. We have an 120GB external drive for music and photos.

I'm just curious how the intel thing would affect my decision . . .the imac seems like a great product, and as I said I don't currently use a computer outside of my bedroom because I can't .