12" powerbook advice

[twoodcc]

ok, i already have a mac pro (2.66) and 15" mbp (C2D 2.16). but i am very desordanado - or disorganized.

right now my g/f leaves her C2D 2.16 MB at my house also, and i have gotten used to using all 3 machines. but eventually she will take it home, so i'm thinking of buying a 12" powerbook - latest edition with 1.25 RAM and all.

but back to my desordanado problem - i have madden 08 for mac. it will not run on my mac pro, for whatever reason (probably heating issues), so i run it on my mbp. and i keep it running this game 24/7 basically. when i'm not playing the game, it's playing by itself.

and i've had problems with my mac pro. it's barely stable.

when leopard gets here, i can have a lot of stuff running in different spaces on my mac pro, while just having madden 08 on my mbp.

but what if i do get this 12" pb? then i could have my main stuff, like email, web-surfing, iCal, running log, ect.

then all my iLife stuff and video editing on my mac pro.

what do you think?

 

[ucfgrad93]

My vote is for the new macbook.

 

[26139]

12" owner

I have the latest 12" powerbook and I absolutely LOVE it. Small, great battery life, works great for most of what I do...

But I don't think I'd buy one right now. They have held their value quite well (I've seen pristine ones sold for around $900) and for a just a little more you could buy a macbook, which kicks its ass in nearly every category.

That being said...if you can find one that still has a year or two of applecare on it, is in great condition and less that $800, it might be a good deal.

 

[twoodcc]

I have the latest 12" powerbook and I absolutely LOVE it. Small, great battery life, works great for most of what I do...

But I don't think I'd buy one right now. They have held their value quite well (I've seen pristine ones sold for around $900) and for a just a little more you could buy a macbook, which kicks its ass in nearly every category.

That being said...if you can find one that still has a year or two of applecare on it, is in great condition and less that $800, it might be a good deal.

yeah, i wouldn't spend $800 on it. so that's another thing to consider. a macbook and stuff would cost more.

is that your main machine?

 

[26139]

yep

yeah, i wouldn't spend $800 on it. so that's another thing to consider. a macbook and stuff would cost more.

is that your main machine?

Yes. But I have ready access to a quad core g5 and a few iMac G5s, but I seldom need to use them (save for longer movies or games).

As soon as they bring out a macbook pro smaller than a macbook...I'm jumping all over it...but I won't stop using my 12" powerbook until it dies. I still get 4.5+hours of battery life. Only on my second battery (mine was replaced over a year ago during the recall).

 

[Reflow]

Well I'm still on my 12" and loving it. I just can't give it up since it still has apple care until 09, so until then I guess this will be my baby.. I do have friends that have MB and MBP but I still can't get over how small my PB is.

 

[twoodcc]

Yes. But I have ready access to a quad core g5 and a few iMac G5s, but I seldom need to use them (save for longer movies or games).

As soon as they bring out a macbook pro smaller than a macbook...I'm jumping all over it...but I won't stop using my 12" powerbook until it dies. I still get 4.5+hours of battery life. Only on my second battery (mine was replaced over a year ago during the recall).

Well I'm still on my 12" and loving it. I just can't give it up since it still has apple care until 09, so until then I guess this will be my baby.. I do have friends that have MB and MBP but I still can't get over how small my PB is.

yeah, that's what makes me want one.

 

[afd]

I have one and love it. My wife also likes it, has never used any of her work laptops at home, always asks where my "wee computer" is. Apple must have got something right when they made the 12" PB.

 

[twoodcc]

I have one and love it. My wife also likes it, has never used any of her work laptops at home, always asks where my "wee computer" is. Apple must have got something right when they made the 12" PB.

glad to hear it

right now i'm leaning towards getting it. if i can

 

[dooker777]

I have a PB12. It's a good computer that should be good for a while. I have retired mine to be the home computer to store iPhoto and iTunes for the family. It's been great for both work and now as a home computer. The size is the best feature, and it's rock solid.

I wish Apple made a laptop that size right now with a slower C2D for longer battery life, a decent vid card, and a brighter screen. People like me need portability and don't need to have a super fast machine in a portable. The MB isn't that much smaller than the MBP, and doesn't come with a matte screen option. So that is why I have a MBP. The MBP is a fine computer, but I prefer a smaller form factor + external monitor.

 

[twoodcc]

I have a PB12. It's a good computer that should be good for a while. I have retired mine to be the home computer to store iPhoto and iTunes for the family. It's been great for both work and now as a home computer. The size is the best feature, and it's rock solid.

I wish Apple made a laptop that size right now with a slower C2D for longer battery life, a decent vid card, and a brighter screen. People like me need portability and don't need to have a super fast machine in a portable. The MB isn't that much smaller than the MBP, and doesn't come with a matte screen option. So that is why I have a MBP. The MBP is a fine computer, but I prefer a smaller form factor + external monitor.

thanks for the reply.

yeah i agree. if only they made a smaller notebook.

 

[26139]

Battery life

I agree. With a small notebook, battery life is paramount. The new macbooks have about half the battery life my 12" Powerbook does and that's the main reason I am holding off on buying one.

Those Core2Duos are fast but too power hungry for my needs. Here's to hoping something better comes along soon!

 

[r6girl]

i had a 12" powerbook - it was a rev. A and a bit slow, but i loved that thing! i sold it when i upgraded to a macbook late last year and i do miss it, enough to think about getting another one. but i think apple may release a smaller macbook pro, so i'm sitting tight until then. so, as much as i love the 12", i recommend the same to you - wait for a new model from apple...

 

[twoodcc]

I agree. With a small notebook, battery life is paramount. The new macbooks have about half the battery life my 12" Powerbook does and that's the main reason I am holding off on buying one.

Those Core2Duos are fast but too power hungry for my needs. Here's to hoping something better comes along soon!

i had a 12" powerbook - it was a rev. A and a bit slow, but i loved that thing! i sold it when i upgraded to a macbook late last year and i do miss it, enough to think about getting another one. but i think apple may release a smaller macbook pro, so i'm sitting tight until then. so, as much as i love the 12", i recommend the same to you - wait for a new model from apple...

thanks for the replies guys! making me want one even more.

i don't know about the new one. not only could it be awhile, but it'll be a lot of money also.

 

[jelloyacket]

I've got a late-model 12" PB also. The only thing I find it lacking is the processor horsepower of the newer MB/MBP models and a webcam. Oh yeah, it also lacks about 20% of the weight. For pure sexiness, I think it's about as good as it gets. It's almost exactly the size of a sheet of paper, and I have a Tucano Cobra bag that's made for it, so my traveling package is very tidy. I love it, and I have yet to have any problems, coming up on two years of ownership.

The only thing that may make me sell it is if Apple comes out with a small MBP. Or I needed something with more horsepower. But then I'd just buy an iMac.

 

[Roba]

I think that the last gen iBook 12 inch is better than the PB. You get a better graphics card and the computer can take up 1.5GB of ram.

 

[powerbook911]

I have the last 12-inch Powerbook, and it is amazing. I have Core 2 Duo machines too, but my Powerbook is still my baby. ha-ha.

It is also the lightest Mac notebook ever made. Even to this day. Almost a pound lighter than the Mac Book.

However, I must say, unless you found one in beautiful condition like mine, I think I might go for a brand new Mac Book instead. At this point, the computer is going to be a bit older, and unless it is hardly used and never taken out of the house (like mine haha) it might show some signs of aging?

 

[Roba]

The MacBook weighs 5.1lbs and the PowerBook 12 inch weighs 4.6lbs. There is .5 difference in weight between the two. The iBook 12 inch weighs 4.9lbs.

I owned a iBook 14 inch 1.42 briefly this year. It was my main computer for a while. I would have kept onto if i could have run some Windows programs decently on it but it was not possible. For every day stuff the iBook was fine. I have also owned a MacBook Pro as well and for every day tasks the iBook compared well and i didn't notice a big difference in doing every day stuff web surfing etc. I maxed out the ram to 1.5GB as well.

People can also run Front Row and Photobooth (if they buy an external webcam) on these PPC Mac's as well but whether it is legal to do so i have no idea.

 

[alexm13]

I've had my PB, for about 3.5 yrs now, and its still solid! I just added a gig of ram for Leopard, which puts me at the max (1.25). So far, so good with it running Leopard! I use it as my main machine via external monitor. I just need something to run fcp and after effects, w/o the render times, so I'm gonna pick up a MP as soon as the update, and then a MBP after its next refresh. But I plan to keep the PB around since, it is so portable, and in my book just as good as a MB.

 

[twoodcc]

thanks guys. looks like it's still a good buy if i can get ahold of one

 

[CRAZYBUBBA]

I think that the last gen iBook 12 inch is better than the PB. You get a better graphics card and the computer can take up 1.5GB of ram.

???? some people clearly post without checking their facts. No, the ibook has a 32 mb ati card, and the powerbook 12" has a nvidia geforce 5200 64 MB