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12" ibook

R

ryan99

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Sep 4, 2002
5
0
OK, so I want to buy an ibook. My question is, will I be happy with the small 12" screen? I know this is probably personal preference, but I would still like to hear from those that use the 12" ibook.

Is it too small? Is it worth the money to go with the 14"?

BTW - I've never owned a mac before and I am a windows sys. admin. (I sound like the damn commercials)

Thanks for the help.

Ryan
 
Unless you are not very mobile, get the 12" screen. The 12" machine is MUCH smaller than the 14". Also, the 14" screen does not have a higher resolution than the 12" screen, and the 14" iBook has the same size keyboard, so it's not really worth the money. If you want a big screen get a TiBook.

As a side note, I am very happy with my 12" iBook. Right now, it iws acting as a router so we have the internet on this 933 G4 I am using (with 3x72GB SCSI:eek: ). The iBook is connected via Airport and the G4 is in turn connected to the iBook.
 
Welcome

I have an older blueberry (clamshell) ibook and I plan on upgrading soon. I will get the 12" again because portability is the most important thing to me.

I second the point about screen resolution being the same for both size iBooks.

Maybe an increase in res for the 14" is coming up. Who knows.
 
The 12" iBook I have is great. OS X looks great on it, too. I have absolutely have nothing bad to say about it. If you do plan on thinking about getting the 14", I think a better buy would be the cheapest TiBook out. I think they're both around the same price range, but I'm not sure.

12" is pretty good to start off with. Since this will be your first Apple computer, it should work out great for you.

and....

Congratulations on switching!
 
...and mac people are friendlier to! Thanks for the quick replies. I just wanted to be sure that I would be getting the full "experience" with the 12" ibook. Sounds like that is the way to go for now.

Thanks

Ryan
 
Ryan,
Go with the 12. I was a Windows 2000 LAN admin with one. It was perfect especially with 10.2

Just visit my site to buy it though ;)

Just click on the ad on the top of the page.

B2TM
 
What is the realistic run time of a fully charged battery? Apple site says 6hrs....?
 
I used to have a Pismo 400 with a 14" screen, and it was very nice, but it filled up my bag and left me with little room for lunch, headphones, and other things I liked to put in my bag. The iBook is just right, perfectly able to fit in my bag with plenty of room, and the smaller screen really isn't all that bad. I even watch DVDs regularly on it, and don't even really notice the size of the screen. I tried using the 14" and it just seemed too weird. The keyboard is the same size on both, making the keys look dwarfed on the 14". The screen is just a shoddy resizing of the LCD, giving the display a weird "stretch" effect that I really didn't like...

Get a brand new combo drive 12" for $1500....I am very happy with my purchase and would never consider going bigger.
 
Originally posted by ryan99
What is the realistic run time of a fully charged battery? Apple site says 6hrs....?
Click to expand...

I get about 3.5 hours in 10.2 on a fully charged battery on a brand new ibook 700

you should be able to get 5 or so hours in os 9
 
Originally posted by Backtothemac
Ryan,
Go with the 12. I was a Windows 2000 LAN admin with one. It was perfect especially with 10.2

Just visit my site to buy it though ;)

Just click on the ad on the top of the page.

B2TM
Click to expand...

Agreed with that, B2TM. General Cybernetics' special on the iBook is flat out the best thing out there right now. Top notch sales folk too - very friendly and helpful and quick to reply to emails. I purchased my new (when it gets here ;)) iBook through them and you should too, Ryan. [/non-employee sales pitch] ;) :D ;)
 
With JagWire I average about 3 1/2 hours of average use. ex- intunes running 80% of time, IM, internet, plus what ever programs I am using.

If I play dvd full screen and 100% brightness I get about 2 1/2. I can get it over 3 hrs if I turn down the screen brightness to the lowest setting sesides off. If you are in complete darkness the movie is still quite watchable.
 
ryan,
check it out. i bought a tibook a few months back and took it to japan with me on business. the thing was awesome and everybody loved looking at it, but it is too big for me. i returned it and bought a 12 inch ibook (16 mb video). i absolutely love it. I work on a cad station here at work and have a 21 inch screen. yet, when typing reports in word, i sometimes choose to use my little ibook. that is how smooth it is.

I am a big believer in getting the best screen you can afford. Smaller is not worse. The quality of this screen is awesome. The tibook has a better screen visually, but mobility-wise, it is just too big.

Another factor is scratches. How nice is that tibook when it gets tossed around in a security checkpoint at the airport, or in a bag? The ibook takes scratches and still looks great.

This is not jealousy. I had the money for a tibook and just didnt think it was needed. i took the cost savings and got airport cards for 2 comps ( i use software basestation) and loaded up on ram (512 chip +128 on board= 640 total).

You are asking the right questions.... dont let pride screw you up into thinking you need the "top of the line" to be happy. Get what you need.

best of luck to you,
buff
 
Originally posted by JamesDP


Agreed with that, B2TM. General Cybernetics' special on the iBook is flat out the best thing out there right now. Top notch sales folk too - very friendly and helpful and quick to reply to emails. I purchased my new (when it gets here ;)) iBook through them and you should too, Ryan. [/non-employee sales pitch] ;) :D ;)
Click to expand...

Thanks for the props there James. You the man!

B2TM
 
Thanks for all the great replies!

Now for the next question, I'm thinking that I don't really need the combo drive model. I have a CDRW in my PC and I don't really care about DVDs on my computer. Can I use my burned music cd's (MP3s) that I create on my PC, with the mac?

Thanks again

Ryan
 
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