Would you consider the new Unibody the new Powerbook 12"! - The white macbooks were never in the 12" Powerbook league because: a) Intel graphics b) Made from lower quality plastic The new unibody macbook shares with the Macbook Pro: a) Same build material, also same build quality b) Way better graphics then the old white macbook c) 2.4ghz model has backlight keyboard d) Similar keyboard Now I know the Unibody Macbook is missing pro features: a) Firewire b) express card slot c) decent display But for the price I would consider the new Macbook to be a good 12" powerbook replacement!
you might find these interesting: http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=628657 http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=587122
I still don't think the Macbook is in the same league with the Powerbook. For it's time, the 12 inch Powerbook was one sexy beast. It still looks remarkably hip even today. It was an amazing balance of beauty and power.
I'm still using my 12" PB and I am waiting for Apple to release anything that I can replace it with. I won't use a glossy screen so the MB (which is ridiculously glossy) is out. Also, the MB has a larger footprint compared to the 12". In fact, the 12" PB is the latest Apple laptop that combines small with a matte screen
I loved my 12" PB G4, it still works, I gave it to my little sister and she loves it. IMO it was the best portable notebook of its time. Speed, power, weight, you couldn't ask for a better computer squeezed into that footprint. As of now though, I really don't think there's anything like it, if there were, it would be a uni MB with pro specs. As for the white MB I would agree that it's not even close. PS It ran Tiger and you couldn't phase that thing, the only programs that ever froze were Microsoft Office (usually) and Safari (once). Otherwise the OS never failed or even had a hiccup. That's more than I can say for 10.5.6.
I think that today, yes, the uni macbook is the new 12" powerbook, simply because they don't make a 12" non-widescreen portable. The 12" was a few hundred dollars cheaper than the base model 15" powerbook, much like how the 2.4 uni is today. The uni will do things that the pb can't do. Duh. They quit making the 12" four years ago, and in computer years, that qualifies it for membership in the AARP. Encoding a video on one is downright painful. That said, as you can tell from my avatar and signature, I still love the form, function and features of the 12" powerbook. Max the ram out on one, and maybe a larger, faster hard drive, and it is quite capable for doing basic consumer tasks today. I can pick it up and take it around the house, or to a coffeeshop without a moments hesitation. THAT being said, if they came out with a 12" model with a core duo chip and nvidia 9400 graphics, I would buy one in a second.
Couldn't agree more My 12" still gets looks and I even had a 20-something ask me "is that the new Apple netbook?" My 1.33 GHz PG G4 will be 5 years old in August and has performed flawlessly. Unfortunately, now that I'm into HD video editing it's almost time to upgrade. Fortunately there's still a demand for these little gems - a month ago a 12" sold for $455 on eBay!
I replaced my 12" Powerbook with a 13" unibody Macbook and I think it makes a fine replacement. It runs everything I need it too and quite well (was really blown back by the graphics card under Bootcamp! just wasn't expecting Apple to put in such a capable card on their cheapest laptop).