Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

---12" or 14" ibook???---

S

Shirley-

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Aug 9, 2005
12
0
So with your help I've decided to go with the ibook instead of the pb. now I need to decide between these two.

I will use this mac primarily for word processing and web surfing. I might play games like sims 2 and sacrifice. I am a small person and I'd appreciate the portability. However, this will also be my primary computer. A bigger screen and faster processor would be nice. the 14" is 1.42 ghz while the 12" inch is 1.33 ghz. I don't need a superdrive... I don't know if 1.33 would be too slow for the games I'll play.. but the weight difference seems significant (1 lbs) That's why I can't decide...

thanks guys for helping me out :)
 
The 14" and 12" iBook's have the same exact resolution (1024x768), meaning they both have the same workspace but the 14" is just enlarged. I would get the 12" or the 14" if you really need the superdrive.
 
Personally, I see no use in the 14". Without an increase in resolution, you basically gain nothing in terms of real estate space. You just end up with a slightly more blurry screen than the 12" because the pixels are stretched out.
 
I'd go with the 12 for portability. Now if it were the 12 powerbooks vs the 15inchers, I'd go for 15 since has better resolution.
 
I have a 12" Powerbook, and it's pretty much the perfect size. When I look at a 14" iBook now it looks huge. Everything looks crisper on the 12" as well, whereas the 14" looks a tiny bit blurry to me. I would definitely go with the 12". Trust me, you won't regret it.
 
goodtimes5 said:
Personally, I see no use in the 14". Without an increase in resolution, you basically gain nothing in terms of real estate space. You just end up with a slightly more blurry screen than the 12" because the pixels are stretched out.
Click to expand...

I would really urge you to try both before you buy. I "personally" see no use in a 12" screen. The eye strain gives me a headache. So what if it's the same resolution- the 14" is still physically LARGER. Try both and see what works for you.
 
I don't know about you guys, but I like to use my iBook on my lap or on a desk right in front of me. There really is no need to squint.

In terms of portability, the 12" is most portable.
A comfortable screen size will depend on personal taste, as we have seen by the responses to this thread.
 
i was thinking of getting the 12" but after a visit to the Apple store, i decided to choose the 14" for comfort and viewing DVDs. To those who say that the screen is bad on the 14", I personally like mine. Crisp, bright display. I love my new Mac.
 
goodtimes5 said:
I don't know about you guys, but I like to use my iBook on my lap or on a desk right in front of me. There really is no need to squint.

In terms of portability, the 12" is most portable.
A comfortable screen size will depend on personal taste, as we have seen by the responses to this thread.
Click to expand...

There's the rub- sometimes I use my PowerMac and my iBook at the same time. I'll have them both working on something and I usually have the iBook off to the side somewhere. It's not right in front of me, but I can reach it to work on it, usually with one hand. The bigger screen helps a lot.
 
goodtimes5 said:
You just end up with a slightly more blurry screen than the 12" because the pixels are stretched out.
Click to expand...
Are you sure that blurry and stretched out are the right words here? I'm not. I find a 14" iBook screen to be razor sharp, just with pixels that are each a bit larger than they are on the 12".

As a result, the 14" is good for people whose vision might not be perfect or suffer from eyestrain. Having said that, I don't, and prefer the size of the 12", hands down.
 
I say, if you don't need the superdrive, get the 12" iBook save the money you were going to spend on the 14" (a couple hundred bucks), use it to get Applecare and buy another 512 (or 1GB) RAM from Crucial, which should help you more in the performance department, as opposed to the 110 extra MHz's...just my oppinion though, I like the smaller machines :)
 
Ok... Basically..
From 12->14:

Cons:
The speed increase is NOT significant.
The weightt increase is.
The price increase is.
The resolution doesn't change.

Pros:
The screen is bigger.
You get a superdrive.

Think about that... Try them in a store.. try to type on both, check how compfortable enough they are. :)
 
I had the same dilemma... until I went to a store near here and decided to go with the 12''.

I am a big guy ( :p ) and my hands are not exactly tiny... but the comfort in typing did not decrease in the 12'' version, and... you know... I guessed I'm not gonna really need to burn many DVDs while I'm out... and if so, I'll get an external firewire/USB2.0 burner and I'm gonna share it with my PC at home, too :D

12'' it is. Wayne has spoken. :D
 
leekohler said:
I would really urge you to try both before you buy. I "personally" see no use in a 12" screen. The eye strain gives me a headache. So what if it's the same resolution- the 14" is still physically LARGER. Try both and see what works for you.
Click to expand...

I agree totally. I went to the Apple store to pick out my iBook and the 12" screen looked too small to easily use for a few hours. Plus, I really needed the 60GB Hdd in the 14" and I wanted the Superdrive. I am very happy with my choice of the 14" and I have no regrets.
 
CoMpX said:
I agree totally. I went to the Apple store to pick out my iBook and the 12" screen looked too small to easily use for a few hours. Plus, I really needed the 60GB Hdd in the 14" and I wanted the Superdrive. I am very happy with my choice of the 14" and I have no regrets.
Click to expand...

Good for you! I love mine too, and will buy another.
 
I would go to an Apple store or CompUSA and compare the 2 for yourself. Thats what I did and could not be more satisfied after comparing the 2.
 
Well I'm gonna take the side of the 14". Before I would have said 12" all the way but now I would say consider the 14. I had a bad run of luck with powerbooks so I went with an iBook. I went into the store to get a 12" iBook but then noticed how bright and crisp the 14" screen was as well. I really don't mind the extra size and having a 60GH HD and Superdrive standard is a really nice bonus. The extra speed is so little you would probably not notice but the other features are great. The screen is the perfect size and is easy to read for a decent distance. I have to say, the 14" is much better than I could have ever thought! And it play WoW fairly well too :D
 
I got a 12". I'm a small person too and I wanted the portability of the 12.
I bought a sleeve for it and put it in my backpack to walk to my building at work and it was heavy for me! I can't imagine the 14". I have another case that i can carry (not on my back) and it works great.
I haven't had a problem at all with the screen size.
 
Cindy said:
I got a 12". I'm a small person too and I wanted the portability of the 12.
I bought a sleeve for it and put it in my backpack to walk to my building at work and it was heavy for me! I can't imagine the 14". I have another case that i can carry (not on my back) and it works great.
I haven't had a problem at all with the screen size.
Click to expand...

Cindy does bring up a good point. If you are going to be walking a long way or taking the iBook with you a lot then consider getting the 12". For me, mine will be sitting on my desk or in my bed more than I will be making long trips with me so I went for easier screen on my eyes. It all depends on your needs. :)
 
On the rebate coupon for ipod it says: The 12-inch iBook
with CD-ROM drive is also excluded from this offer. is that the new ibook with the combo drive?

thanks guys I will walk around with the notebook to classes but I'm worried about my eyes too.

I am still confused:/
 
I have a new 12" iBook and my wife uses a 14". My job is only 2.5 days a week and requires quite a bit of mobility as I will be taking lots of notes in meetings, etc being a school principal. My wife uses hers primarially at her desk 3+ days a week surfing, emailing, etc. but does need some mobility. The times she has to lug around the 14" she of course would prefer the smaller one, but she really enjoys the larger screen size, espcially for reading so many emails and doing so much educational research online.

I think you have to look at how often you have to move the thing around- if it is once a day for not too far then the larger one might be of benefit- if you are taking it around many times a day, carrying it to lunch with you, etc. the smaller one may work better. I do know if I was working five days a week I might think about either the larger one or using an external monitor which is another option- if there is one place you are going to be using the computer at most often, maybe a cheap but larger external monitor can be had used for not too much. Just another idea.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back