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maise

macrumors member
Original poster
Aug 7, 2003
40
0
My father is in the market for a new laptop and it might work out where I give him my 3 month old 15 in 1.25 pb and buy a new 12 inch for myself. I love my 15 inch but everytime I see a 12inch I regret not getting it in the first place. Now that I am actually presented with the option of righting my mistake I don't know if I really want to go through with it. The specs would be identical so I am basically looking at trading screen size for computer size. What do you guys think...will is it worth doing?
 

niter

macrumors 6502
Sep 9, 2003
324
0
Re: Should I trade a 15" PB for a 12"

Originally posted by maise
I love my 15 inch but everytime I see a 12inch I regret not getting it in the first place.

I think you have answered this question yourself. If the specs of the computers are identical, then it is only down to an issue of screen size....and if you regret not getting the 12" in the first place, then what do you have to lose?

However, I do not think the new 12" PB has the same specs as your 3 mo. old 15" PB. According to the Apple website, the 12" has a 1 GHz processor, less HD space (unless you pay more), and less RAM (again, unless you pay more) standard. The processor cannot be taken up to 1.25 GHz.

If you can live without the extra processor speed, as you can increase the rest, then your decision is easy. If your 3 mo. old 15" means literally 3 mo.s old and not a 3 mo. old refurb , then you are also giving up the backlit keyboard. Again, this might not be of importance for you.

I have a 12" iBook because I wanted the smaller size and I did not care for the 12" PB price...sometimes I wished I held out for the 15", but the 12" does everything I need and I love it. The size is perfect for carrying around and the screen size does not bother me at all. If you want the 12" PB for the size, you will be very happy provided you can give up the extras.
 

Savage Henry

macrumors 65816
I'd be torn between a laptop that I love and the joy of opening a crisp new Apple straight out the box, all for me.

Personally, if it ain't broken don't fix it. But man, if you've had the kid only 3 months and you are ripped with regret, then the 12 inch will at least ensure your return to normal sleep patterns.

So, despite my better judgement, and for the sake of your delicate health, I suggest you buy yourself the 12, give your Dad the 15 and charge him a little extra for "running it in".
 

maise

macrumors member
Original poster
Aug 7, 2003
40
0
Thanks for your thoughts....my pb is literally 3 months old with the backlit keyboard and all. I was planning on upgrading the memory and the hd on the 12 but I didnt realize that the processor couldn't go up to 1.25. I guess I just need to sleep on it for a few days.
 

Panopticon

macrumors newbie
Oct 9, 2003
25
0
Toronto, ON, Canada
Yeah, sleeping on it is probably the best solution.

I have a PB like yours - I've worked on 12"s and 17"s for school, and as I've said I have the 15" - I considered all of the options and am glad I chose the middle of the road.

Sounds like what you have is already what you need. If your dad can sit for a while, I'd recommend holding out 'till May to see if they release rev. 2 PBs... then make a decision. Perhaps they'll have a 1.25 12" by then... or if you like the rumors - maybe there'll be a 15" G5 Six Billion GHZ model... ;-)
 

mymemory

macrumors 68020
May 9, 2001
2,495
-1
Miami
Or you can do this

I got mine the other day.
-12" PB super drive.
-20" Display.
-Wireless mouse.
-Wireless keyboard.

I'm going to upgrade the ram soon and I'm going to work with After Effects and FCP 4. All I need is an external hard drive.

The only problem is that the 15" comes with Firewire 2 and I would need that one. But with the regular firewire I think is gonna be ok for now.
 

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nospleen

macrumors 68030
Dec 8, 2002
2,719
1,560
Texas
WOW! Sweet set up. I think it is time you change your sig. You must have found a job to get those sweet toys!:D
 

KC9AIC

macrumors 6502
Jan 31, 2004
316
0
Tokyo, Japan or Longview, Texas
I would agree with Panopticon about waiting before getting a 12" PB. Even if, horror of horrors, the G5 PowerBooks aren't available in 12", you can get a great deal on clearance 12-inchers, leaving you the money to take it to 1.25 gigs of memory.
 

CmdrLaForge

macrumors 601
Feb 26, 2003
4,633
3,112
around the world
Re: Or you can do this

Originally posted by mymemory
I got mine the other day.
-12" PB super drive.
-20" Display.
-Wireless mouse.
-Wireless keyboard.

I'm going to upgrade the ram soon and I'm going to work with After Effects and FCP 4. All I need is an external hard drive.

The only problem is that the 15" comes with Firewire 2 and I would need that one. But with the regular firewire I think is gonna be ok for now.

OMG. I am really jealous ! How is it working ? How is the image on the screen ? Is it as good as from a G5 ?

I guess I like to do the exact same thing. ( if I can afford it )

Cheers
 

dwsolberg

macrumors 6502a
Dec 17, 2003
843
824
I vote for the 12" too

I have the 1.25 Ghz 15" Powerbook, and it's perfect for me. I see those 12" screens, and the first thing I think is, "How can they do any work on those little screens?" I do a lot of graphic design, and the screen is so much bigger than my girlfriend's 12" iBook.

That's me. If you keep on thinking, "I'd love to have something that small and portable," then you should probably get the 12". The extra 0.25 Ghz will probably be slightly missed, but having something that suits your lifestyle and needs is important. For example, I don't take the PowerBook on trips very often because it's so big. Portability might make the PowerBook much more useful to you.
 
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