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12" iBook or 12" Powerbook

T

tembusu

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 15, 2004
14
0
Making a switch from PC to Mac and am looking at 12" ibook or 12" powerbook. Main reason for 12" is portability for doing fotos, email, surfing, word processing & spreadsheets, music and eventually converting some videos to DVD.

Where I am, there is price difference of USD500 between the basic config of the 2 books and was thinking of basic ibook and increasing RAM and hard disk. Would this make the ibook closer to the basic powerbook with the exception of BT and AE?
 
For everything but the last bit (obviously) the iBook will be more than ample for your purposes. You could always get an external burner for the DVDs. But the important thing is that that process takes a lot of juice - the Powerbook will obviously do it for you faster, but the iBook can still do it, and not that much slower in the current revisions.

If it comes down to cost, go the iBook because it can do everything the Powerbook can anyway and is much better suited to the other tasks you noted.
 
faced with the same dilemma i went with the powerbook.
i budgeted before the revisions and because i was using my mother's credit card (birthday gift) the powerbook was originally out of the price range she gave me. after revisions though i had the option of a powerbook + ram, or ibook + more ram +isight.
i picked the 12" powerbook because it will "keep" for just a little bit longer, and because it looks so much nicer. if it was my money that i was dealing with looks would have been thrown out the window and i'd probably have stuck with the ibook.

you'll be happy either way and probably wouldn't even notice much difference between the two.
 
I'm selling an iBook that's 2.5 months old, if you're interested.

Now, back on topic. I originally bought the iBook because of the pricepoint, pricepoint, and the pricepoint. In looking at it, it had nearly all the same features as the PowerBook 12', yet cost several hundered dollars less. As it was my first laptop, I had no real-world experience with it. So, as an Art-Graphic Design major, I am choosing to sell mine and get a PowerBook, for the sole reason of the video card. The iBook is a great machine for everything. I've used it heavily in Illustrator and Photoshop and it runs them great, and I still do love it, but I'm going to make a gamble to get more power! ;)

Therefore, my unbiased opinion to you, is to get an iBook. It packs quite a bit of power, and If the extra cash is an issue, just get the iBook. Look at it this way: You can get *almost* all of the features/specs of a PowerBook, at the price of an iBook. (i.e. Portability, G4 processor, etc...)
 
Anyway, I'd go for the IBook, out of the two the price on the PowerBook just doesn't justify the difference, or lack of differences between them. And as Micheal mentioned it will run everything you want to throw at it resonably well, and with its bullet proof case will stop just about everything you throw at it too ;). Max out the RAM and this machine will last you for years!

Get the IBook. You won't regret it i'm sure!

Take care,

Mark.

P.S. If you're looking for a nice complete notebook and don't care about it being the latest ask Micheal about his! It's a Rev. behind the current IBook version but shares all the looks and grace. You're getting everything you could want built-in including BT and APExtreme :). Plus you can save some money for later :cool:.
 
I get the impression from most of the opinions on this forum that the 12" Powerbook isn't really worth the money. Power users seem to want the 15" Powerbook, while home users/hobbyists lean towards the 12" Ibook. I'm another prospective buyer that is struggling with this decision, and I'd already have the IBook if the keyboard was better. I don't really need the extra power that the 12" PB provides, but I do a lot of writing and the Powerbook's keyboard just seems far superior to me. An external keyboard isn't really an option, as I do most of my writing away from a desk.
 
You picked up on the over welling feeling that the 12" PowerBook is a rip off eh'. I'm inpressed ;). In any case i havn't heard any of the IBook users complain about the keyboard - only the PowerBook users bragging about how good theres are hehehe - so i dont think that it can possibly be all that bad.

I mean, if you go into internet cafes and look at the keyboards, they are about the lowest priced keyboards you can get in most cases and there still very usable so i dout that any expensive notebook would come with a keyboard worse than these things :). I mean, its a keyboard.. how are we grading how good a keyboard is?

I surpose the finally question you should be asking is, would a PC laptop have a better keyboard than this lol. To which the answer should be obvious.

Mark.
 
Also, note that there are many programs that let you use the monitor out as a second monitor, such as this one, instead of simply as a monitor mirror, thus removing one more PB "plus".

The PB is nicer. No doubt. Hands down. Granted. But... the iBook is pretty darn nice and is a lot cheaper. Plus, you won't feel so bad upgrading to a G5 PB when they come out... in 2005. Or 2006. Or 2007.

And personally, I don't think the keyboard is all that bad.
 
Do'h! I didnt think about the DVI-out.. though since if an external keyboard isn't an option i didnt think bannor would wana walk around with that second monitor ;). No dout the PowerBooks are better i agree with you fully, but if i was to go for one i'd be aiming more of the 15", the IBook rules the 12" relm if only because of the price IMO.

Mark.
 
The only external display that I'd likely be connecting it to would be my projector. The ability to select higher resolutions is moot because the max res. my pj will display is 1024x768 anyways.
 
Also a mood point because you can just move the projector back a bit and you get a bigger picture hehehe. its all about what you really want to to with it.

Mark.
 
12" iBook or 12" Powerbook

Thanks for the views. Think I will be going for the ibook with ram, bigger HD, AE and as indicated maybe later make the upgrade to a G5 powerbook when it comes out or if I need the jump in power
 
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