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12" vs 14" iBook?

MacBoyX

MacBoyX

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jan 3, 2003
406
0
East Coast, USA
Hey all,

I posted a thread last week asking if I should get a 12" iBook or 12" PowerBook and thanks to everyone's feedback and help, I have decided I should get an iBook but now I am wondering if I should get a 12 or a 14" iBook.

I currently have a 15" TiBook (667) and want something a little more portable and durable. Does anyone have or use both? Can someone provide some opinions on how portable the 14" iBook is?

Thanks as always!

MacboyX
 
i would take the 14 ', but i m some kind of a screen junky.
You really have to decide for your own. the 12'' comes with a native resolution of 1024 but i dunno which one the 14'' has got.
Hence, if you are only working on texts, or doing sometimes something in photoshop i would take the 12. if you are using dreamweaver or any other programm which uses lots of display place i would take the 14 inch one.
 
I had a 12" ibook until recently, and now have a 14" ibook. I decided to go with the 14" this time around because, truth be told, although I do take my ibook around with me, it mostly sits on my desk (it's my only computer).

The resolution on both is the same, meaning that things appear a bit bigger on the 14", but you don't have more room to open more windows than on the 12". That's fine by me; the text on the 12" sometimes seemed pretty small to me, especially if I had to write a long paper or something. You might wonder if images on the 14" get grainy since they are bigger but the same resolution, and to answer from my experience, no they do not. Everything is still razor sharp on my 14". Probably some people who are more particular about image quality will tell you they can notice a difference (just as I can't hear a difference between an mp3 ripped at 160 or 192, but some swear that it's a huge deal).

The 14" is only about a pound more, and it's still really easy to carry around. Having said that, however, if I had a desktop and/ or needed to carry my laptop around all the time, I would probably go for a 12". The 14" is hardly bulky, but the the 12" is like the size of a sheet of notebook paper while the 14" is more like a textbook (we're talking surface area here).

Having used both, it's really a toss up in my mind. You can't go wrong. I'd ask myself these quetions if I were you: are my eyes good/ will a small screen bother them? How often will this be on a desk vs. in a bag? How important is the $200 savings on the 12"?

Btw, great choice of computer. I absolutely love(d) both of my ibooks.
 
i was faced with the same decision, and ultimately chose the 12".

you're not actually gaining any real estate on the screen by going for the 14", so basically you're paying for things to appear bigger, but show the same amount of stuff.

the 12"er is plenty big for me to see everything i need, so i saw no reason to make things bigger.

with the money you save, you could max out the RAM, and maybe even have a bit left over to buy something nice for yourself.
 
Re: 12" vs 14" iBook?

Originally posted by MacBoyX
Hey all,

I posted a thread last week asking if I should get a 12" iBook or 12" PowerBook and thanks to everyone's feedback and help, I have decided I should get an iBook but now I am wondering if I should get a 12 or a 14" iBook.

I currently have a 15" TiBook (667) and want something a little more portable and durable. Does anyone have or use both? Can someone provide some opinions on how portable the 14" iBook is?

Thanks as always!

MacboyX
Click to expand...
I dont understand. You have a TiBook + you want to get a iBook. As good as ibooks are I would have stuck with a G4. I doubt there is too much of a difference in weight etc.
 
I'd buy the 12" version definitely..
I was asking the same question to myself for this summer and I made my decision for 12" iBook.. 14" gives you nothing more than bigger objects..

On the other hand, If you have money, I'd tell you "wait for 15" alubook". you say you have a 15" TiBook, so 15" alubook would be a definite upgrade for you... :)
 
Batery Life

Lets not forget that the 14 inch gives you an extra hour of battery life.

Dont know what thats wort to you, but i just thought i had better add it, since no one has mentioned in yet.
 
Re: Re: 12" vs 14" iBook?

Originally posted by Falleron
I dont understand. You have a TiBook + you want to get a iBook. As good as ibooks are I would have stuck with a G4. I doubt there is too much of a difference in weight etc.
Click to expand...

Well, he has an older G4. And a G4 isn't THAT much faster than a G3 for most things.

Personally I would suggest that you consider selling the powerbook and getting yourself a combo-drive iBook. Sure the powerbook feels more professional and cool (titanium casing, slot loading drive) but in the end it's a much more logical idea. You'd be getting a faster computer (900 G3 can handle alot of tasks better than a 667 G4), more hardrive space (40, 60 for only $70 more), a new warranty, and a whole new system. With the crazzy and illogical prices people buy used powerbooks, and retailers sell them, you are likely to get enough for the iBook, and possibly an external LCD screen or something else nice.

But if are attached to the powerbook (or NEED altivec) than I'd go with a 12" unless you really are travelling around alot.
 
Re: Batery Life

Originally posted by woodsey
Lets not forget that the 14 inch gives you an extra hour of battery life.

Dont know what thats wort to you, but i just thought i had better add it, since no one has mentioned in yet.
Click to expand...

well thats something I've forget.. you're right man..

but even with an extra hour of stand-by (which is not "an hour" in reality, it is less than an hour..) I wouldnt buy a 14" iBook with the same top resolution of 1024*768... I wished it would have 1200*800 or more... then it would be worth to buy 14"...
 
I'm more than happy with my 12' iBook. I got her in December 2001 and have never looked back. The 14' iBook is just to clunky and lumbersome. 12' iBooks are nice and easy to transport.

However, I am at the point on where I'm considering a 12' AluBoook - and it has nothing to do with it being G4 over a G3 processor. I'm more interested in the wireless capabilities (like Bluetooth) and that snazzy metal case...
 
If you really want this to be portable, then I would go with the 12". I think that the 12" is a better value too.
 
Hmmm?

First of all, thanks to everyone for the replies.

Let me say, I am only considering the iBook because my PB is 667 G4 and I felt the iBook might be better with the 900. What I do in photoshop (applying text to a pic, auto leveling resizing) doesn't appear to suffer for the lack of AltiVec.

The other reason is currently we live in an apt, and we are moving to a townhome and I have trouble in my apt with AirPort reception on with the TiBook but my boyfriend's iBook has none. We can even go to our friend's apt 3 doors away and get a signal!

My second crtieria was portability. My TiBook is bulky and fragile, I wanted something I can take on the train to NYC and not worry abt it gettign scratched etc. I am off to the Apple store to compare tmrw. Any more opinions would be welcome!

Thanks again to all who have helped!
 
Don't forget to look at them in a store before you purchase one (if you are purchasing from apple).

Personally I find the picture is sharper on the 12", the 14" (with the same resolution) looks a little too "blown up" for want of a better description. It depends on your eyesight really.

Saying that I wouldn't buy either now, since they've changed the enclosure from the lovely transparent on white plastic look of my old ibook to horrible (in my opinion obviously) completely white plastic inside and out.
 
12"

From my observations: the 12" has a brighter screen with a sharper / crisper image (smaller pixel size). I am sure that if the 14" did 1280*1024 that it would sell much better :( Not to mention that the 12" looks better, IMNSHO ;)
 
Still unsure, still waiting

I know that the 900 MHz iBooks just came out, so now is the time to buy them. However, I still feel like waiting. Too much seems to be in the air, and in flux, this year.

I've been reading all the iBook vs. Firebook posts and I'm still undecided. I went to CompUSA to look at them (but I would probably not buy one there). I really liked how sturdy the Firebook seemed. It didn't seem very hot, but then it wasn't doing much of anything except running the screen saver all day. I *really* liked the keyboard. The iBook keyboard is just weird--so squishy. My one and only laptop is a 2300c Duo I bought on Ebay for $180 (original MSRP $4000; I used it for a GPS computer in my Nissan Xterra, and it took me all the way down Route 66). Its keyboard is more like the Firebook. The only thing I don't like is that the Firebook's keyboard is painted "aluminum" to match the body. Paint is bad news on keys.

The only other thing I don't like on the iBook is the white case as was just mentioned. I like the "ice" case much better. I would probably end up putting hibiscus flower stickers on it or something. :)

The Firebook screen is very sturdy, and the 12" iBook's isn't bad either. The 15" PowerBook and the 17" AlBook flexed like mad. It was kind of scary--not firm or sturdy at all.

There seem to be lot of rumors about new Powerbooks, chips, and possible upgrades to the iBook that make me want to wait till about August. That's when memory is historically cheapest anyway, and I want to max out on RAM. We're overdue for a 15" Powerbook, and I can see the 12" 900MHz iBook replacing the 800 MHz at the $1000 price. I can also see the 12" Powerbook being fitted with a 1GHz processor too. Any of these things is possible right now, so I'm waiting a bit.

It's all about timing.

Parsa
 
Perspective

No matter what you buy, when... it will be out of date very quickly. The iBook is not a machine for those worried about the latest and greatest. That is what the PowerBook is for. iBook is to get the job done, as long as it is not a Altivec intensive (video editing or massive photoshop jobs) task(s).
 
Obsolescence

Hey, tell me about it. My main machine, still being used everyday, is a Power Computing PowerTowerPro 200. It's a tower, so I maxed it out pretty much, but it's becoming a mill stone. My Duo has no USB, only serial, and needs a dock for everything. I'm certainly no latest and greatest. My first Mac was an LCII (you know, a pizza box with color)! I've actually worked with Mac Pluses and SE30s, etc. and used an Apple II+ in my college synthesizer lab.
(I'm actually sort of amazed at people who say they are moving from an 800MHz machine to a 900Mhz. A lot of folks here seem to buy expensive computers every year.)

What I'm talking about is not obsolescence or buyer's regret. I'm speaking of catching a wave when it comes rather than wiping out (can you tell I live in San Diego?). I hate the idea of paying $1300 for a 900Mhz iBook, and then seeing it go down to $1000 a week later. In a year, that's OK...

I'm thinking of a laptop as a stopgap until I get a new tower in a year or so. The iBook may be good, as I can transition from OS9 into more OS X apps while I'm waiting.

Parsa
 
I thought about this long and hard when I bought my 12" iBook a few months ago. It is my main Mac until some o' them new 970s come within my price range.

My conclusion was very simple - a 14" iBook just seems to defeat the whole purpose of having one!
 
the 14" ibook is one pound heavier than the 12". Those who think the 14 inchers are "lumbersome," "clunky," or "defeat the point of having an ibook" have obviously never used one. For goodness' sake people, it's 5.9 lbs. and fits in any backpack. And to repeat, it is exactly *one pound* heavier than the 12".

Having used both, I can honestly say that the difference in carrying the 2 is barely noticable. That said, if a bigger screen doesn't appeal to you, then there's certainly nothing wrong with the 12" either.

Also- I don't notice any loss of picture sharpness on the 14" at all. Some swear they can see it; I can't.
 
[COLOR=dark-blue]
The 14 inch is basically the large-print version of the 12 inch...Don't get it...[/COLOR]
-void
343,000th post!! w00t w00t!
 
I think QCassidy352 may be being a little harsh with those comments...I played with a 14" iBook and just didn't see that it was as compact or convenient as the 12".

More to the point, I also have a 14" Toshiba notebook that is roughly the same dimensions as the larger iBook. I am pretty mobile with my computing, and I find that the size makes a difference for me.

I also, incidentally, have a 14" Compaq latop that I use at work. Plus I gotta Powerbook 540c, a 150 and a 145b in the attic. I gotta lotta laptops.

I find that the iBook, as well as not being an evil wintel piece of s##t ;) , is easier to fit into the mass of papers I carry around, easier to use in small spaces, and is a much better size for use on the couch etc.

In fact of all the Apple and other laptops I've used, I find that the 12" iBook hits a real sweet spot in terms of size.

The aesthetic is less important, but the 14" iBook looks like an over-sized, gawky older brother to the smaller notebooks, at least to my eyes.

That's just my view...but I've used a lot of notebook computers to get there!
 
Originally posted by bryng
Plus I gotta Powerbook 540c, a 150 and a 145b in the attic. I gotta lotta laptops.
Click to expand...

bryng,

Take all those old laptops to a local school and give them to a teacher. You can right them off on your taxes (at least you can in the USA). Kids can use them to do word processing and stuff for the class, or do HyperCard presentations, or lots of other things. Just make sure and give them to a Mac-savvy teacher who can load software on them as needed, and can attach them to a Mac printer if neccessary.

A teacher
 
Originally posted by bryng
I think QCassidy352 may be being a little harsh with those comments...I played with a 14" iBook and just didn't see that it was as compact or convenient as the 12".

More to the point, I also have a 14" Toshiba notebook that is roughly the same dimensions as the larger iBook. I am pretty mobile with my computing, and I find that the size makes a difference for me.

I also, incidentally, have a 14" Compaq latop that I use at work. Plus I gotta Powerbook 540c, a 150 and a 145b in the attic. I gotta lotta laptops.

I find that the iBook, as well as not being an evil wintel piece of s##t ;) , is easier to fit into the mass of papers I carry around, easier to use in small spaces, and is a much better size for use on the couch etc.

In fact of all the Apple and other laptops I've used, I find that the 12" iBook hits a real sweet spot in terms of size.

The aesthetic is less important, but the 14" iBook looks like an over-sized, gawky older brother to the smaller notebooks, at least to my eyes.

That's just my view...but I've used a lot of notebook computers to get there!
Click to expand...

I was being "harsh??" Sigh... I give up. Think what you want.
 
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