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Long time lurker and potential switcher needs advice on 12" G4 Powerbook
- Thread starter uv23
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Def. worth it to wait and check them out in person!! I was all set on the 14" iBook, went to my apple store (for the billionth time) where the evil (devious and brilliant) apple store people put a 12" PB next to the new iBooks- argh, I've now got my heart set on the 12" PB. (the difference is monumental) I am a big instant gratification/impulse person, and it has done me a great service to wait, research and check them out in person so I don't regret my decision in a couple months.
Well I found quite a good store locally that had one of everything. The 15" PowerBook was nice but too big IMO. The main thing that annoyed me was bad keyboard placement - it's too far back on all of the PowerBooks but you really notice it on the 15" and 17". Just from the few minutes I tested out the keyboard, I was sure that I had scratched the case with the metal band of my watch; and I found myself typing gingerly because of it which is no good. The 12" is perfect, with the edge of my watch sitting just off of the base of the book. So tomorrow I'm ordering a 12" PowerBook and joining the Mac side! Hurray! 
I got it (12" PB w/ combo) this aft and I love it. Barring anything catastrophic, consider me switched. It's also my first experience with wireless internet and I'll never look at cables the same way again. Next week, my upgrade to 768mb will arrive and I'll really be flying.
Btw, the palmrest does get fairly warm. I guess they never fully figured it out since rev a.
It's also my first experience with wireless internet and I'll never look at cables the same way again. Next week, my upgrade to 768mb will arrive and I'll really be flying.Btw, the palmrest does get fairly warm. I guess they never fully figured it out since rev a.
I love my new 1 GHz PowerBook 12". The keyboard is perfect and the right distance away, and the screen is wonderful and bright and bigger than you think.
When all my PC-loving friends see it, they think it looks so small and stylish and are green with envy.
It does not get very hot, just warm (nice on a cold day). I was worried that the difference in temperatures (as it's metal it's cold to touch when you start it up) would warp the casing but it has not in any way. And it's very scratch resistant.
I'm looking forward to adding a 512MB RAM chip and getting Panther. It's great now but it'll be zooming along then.
My lecturer used a 14-inch iBook today to give a lecture. It looks kind of cheap in comparison!
When all my PC-loving friends see it, they think it looks so small and stylish and are green with envy.
It does not get very hot, just warm (nice on a cold day). I was worried that the difference in temperatures (as it's metal it's cold to touch when you start it up) would warp the casing but it has not in any way. And it's very scratch resistant.
I'm looking forward to adding a 512MB RAM chip and getting Panther. It's great now but it'll be zooming along then.
My lecturer used a 14-inch iBook today to give a lecture. It looks kind of cheap in comparison!
At my work we have a bunch of developers (myself included) on PCs and a bunch of designers who are all on macs. I had everyone's attanetion when I brought the box into work. PC and Mac users alike were oogling it. So far I'm getting around ok. Going to install all of the real apps when I get home. It came with Panther installed which is nice. The UI is very smooth and quick and responsive - I have to admit I wasn't expecting it to be with only 256mb of ram. So that's good news as it will only get better when I move up to 768 next week. Network config was a joke, I love how it auto detects wireless networks. I have one stupid newbie OSX question: when I go to the finder, I click on the last view so that I get cascading lists. But when I go back to the finder, I think it reverts back to icon or list view (can't remember for sure and it's packed away right now). Am I missing something? Oh, and expose was one of those things that I really had to use to appreciate, and I am already very very appreciative. God, I feel like a little schoolgirl. Can't remember the last time I was this giddy about a computer purchase (maybe when I upgraded my Apple IIe from 64k to 128k eons ago).
Can't remember the last time I was this giddy about a computer purchase (maybe when I upgraded my Apple IIe from 64k to 128k eons ago).
Glad you like it.
Yeah, Apple really ought to put a bit more RAM in these beasts. The 12" PowerBook should have 512 - it's not as if it's very expensive on their part! This is especially when OS X eats up most of it!
I'm still running Jaguar but there should be an option in the Finder preferences that allows you to have the column view as the default view. I wouldn't have thought it would be any different in the new metal version...
Yeah, Apple really ought to put a bit more RAM in these beasts. The 12" PowerBook should have 512 - it's not as if it's very expensive on their part! This is especially when OS X eats up most of it!
I'm still running Jaguar but there should be an option in the Finder preferences that allows you to have the column view as the default view. I wouldn't have thought it would be any different in the new metal version...
I had the 12 inch iBook for a year, and for the purposes of writing 5 + hours a day, the small screen size wore me down, drove me crazy, degraded my eyes (plus, I usually had more than a single document open at one time). I definately don't reccomend the iBook for writing any significant amount. That said, I imagine the 12 inch PB is sexier, quicker, and with expose of Panther, more useful for a writer.
But for me, the 17 inch was the only way to go. with my slender Booq carrying bag, it is highly mobile, and I have yet to find a place I can't use it where I used to use my 12 inch iBook. Really, I can't tell you how much I love this machine.
But for me, the 17 inch was the only way to go. with my slender Booq carrying bag, it is highly mobile, and I have yet to find a place I can't use it where I used to use my 12 inch iBook. Really, I can't tell you how much I love this machine.
I simply found the other powerbooks too large. The 12" is the only one that I truly consider a "laptop." And I have a nice big LCD monitor at home I can attach to. My eventual plan is to run the PB with a bluetooth kb/mouse combo and attach to the external monitor when I'm at home. That, combined with extreme portability on the road, makes me happy. I just wish the palmrests weren't so damn warm!!