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Anyone else caught between getting an iMac or PowerBook 15"

Chrispy

Chrispy

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Dec 27, 2004
2,270
524
Indiana
Hey all! Here is my Dilemma... I am in the market for one of the new macs that came out in the last few weeks. I am really torn between getting a 17" iMac and having some extra money in the bank or getting a 15" powerbook and spend all I have available or buying a new system. I have a portable now and I have used a laptop for the last 2 years. It would be a change to switch back to a desktop system after having portability for so long.

However, I realize that the only time I really take my laptop off of my iCurve is when I go to the library (rare occasion) or when I go home from college on breaks. The reason I am considering the 17" iMac is the price is amazing for what you get and I would be able to haul it around to home and back without too much trouble. Then again, the 15" powerbook has the higher resolution displays and the 128MB Graphics card that I would love to have in a portable. Is anyone else in the same situation of being tempted to go the iMac route after being a portable user. What are all your thoughts on this situation? Thanks!
 
I was in the same situation. I decided to keep my older laptop, and get an iMac. I went with the 20" refurb though. 20", 250GB, 512GB (i ordered a 1GB stick for $100), super drive and 9600 128mb for $1299 + the $100 for the ram. the 20" screen is (from the specs I've seen) is actually a bit better than the 20" ACD. The laptops are all still G4, and I know I wouldn't have been satisfied with their performance.
 
i was caught between the moon and new york city once. :)




srsly tho, i got an iMac and i was kinda wishing i had a powerbook. but after a while the imac was doing very well andmeeting all my needs. then i got a little treo 650 and does what i need for email and the like. So unless you want to be truely mobile. bet the imac
 
I'd definitely say go for the iMac but that's because I prefer working w/ desktops... and as you said, Chrispy, you don't really need the portability of a laptop. W/ the iMac you get the G5, ;) but more importantly is the gorgeous screen, Frontrow and Photobooth, built-in isight and let's face the facts-- nobody knows if those will ever be available to retrofit, so if you think you'd like it... get it!

You could always wait a few weeks... the way I figure, there will inevitably be some refurbs of the newest machine on Apple's refurb site. :p Ah, wait, n/m they probably wouldn't be any cheaper than edu discount anyway.
 
iMac, just the sweet spot for me right now.
I was thinking of a PB, giving my wife the iBook. But after the last upgrades, I think the iMac is the winner.
Decisions, decisions :rolleyes:
 
I'm actually selling my 2 month old powerbook for a new iMac G5. It's on eBay right now. I'm looking forward to a larger screen, better video card, and faster processor. That along with a much larger and faster hard drive make it worth losing the portability. Especially when I'm not needing the portability that often.
 
You guys are great! Thanks for the help in making the decision as I think I'm going to place an order for an iMac G5.. now I just need to decide between a 17" and a 20".... I'm going to an apple store tomorrow to check them out so I can decide then :) I had a 20" monitor before and, while it was nice, I didn't use all the space so I should probably just get a 17" :) Anything is better than the 1024 x 768 I have right now LOL
 
If I didn't want a separate monitor, I would go for the new iMac in a heartbeat... wouldn't even have to think about it. As it is, I'm going with the updated mini (as my web server, photo and music storage, e-mail, general-use station), a 24" inch dell, and a gaming PC (dual-SLI, etc... the works).
 
Chrispy said:
You guys are great! Thanks for the help in making the decision as I think I'm going to place an order for an iMac G5.. now I just need to decide between a 17" and a 20".... I'm going to an apple store tomorrow to check them out so I can decide then :) I had a 20" monitor before and, while it was nice, I didn't use all the space so I should probably just get a 17" :) Anything is better than the 1024 x 768 I have right now LOL
Click to expand...

I did the same.. unfortunately I came out of the apple store knowing I *needed* at 20". my poor, poor wallet.
 
BrandonSi said:
I did the same.. unfortunately I came out of the apple store knowing I *needed* at 20". my poor, poor wallet.
Click to expand...
Well, that's the truth. Everybody needs the 20" over the 17"... for an extra bit of money you get an incredible display (which can't be upgraded later, duh! ;) ), more HD space, and um... umm... bigger juicier display... umm...

Honestly though, before I got my 20" I was horrified at the size. Within a week's duration, I could no longer imagine working w/ a smaller desktop display. :eek: You get acclimated to the size in no time.
 
Went through that decision a couple weeks ago

A couple of weeks ago I was wrestling with that decision, too: iMac or PB? iMac or Power Mac? iMac or Mac Mini? I really like a desktop for home use and like having a monitor that is larger than is available on laptops, but i did also debate about the flexibility and portability issues. I already have a PC which I plan to keep up and running for the occasional times I might want to use it, so couldn't cannabalize it for the monitor, keyboard and mouse. That pretty much ruled out the Mac Mini in terms of having to buy all those things new and I wasn't sure it would be able to do what I wanted in terms of Photoshop and other programs.

I thought about getting a laptop and spent some time looking at the PBs and the iBooks, but I've already got an older 12" Windows laptop. I really liked the 17" PB as a desktop replacement but somehow it didn't feel "right" as my first Mac. If I have a laptop I really want it to be portable and something I can take with me when I'm travelling or when I'm going to the local coffee shop. The 17" looks just a bit too hefty for that. The 15" PB really appealed to me. I liked the looks of the iBooks but really was more drawn to the Powerbooks in terms of functionality and appearance. At that point in my decision-making I also was hesitating about getting anything because I knew via this and other sites that there was to be a Big Announcement from Steve Jobs....

Once the new iMacs were announced on October 12th, that made everything fall right into place. I took one look at the specs and the photos of the new iMac and said, "but I liked the other version better!" I realized that of all my choices at this particular time, that it really would fit my needs the best. Didn't hurt to realize, too, that they'd be knocking the prices down on the "older" iMac models to make room for the new ones coming into the store... I immediately hied over to the local Apple store and brought home a beautiful 20" Rev B iMac, which is what I'm now using to participate in this forum. I love it! It more than meets my expectations. More than that, I am surprised at how much I like the Mac OS and the way the Mac system works.

Eventually I would like to have a Power Mac tower but I was hesitant about getting that right off the bat, as I wanted to see if I would like the Mac system and the X 10 OS, etc. I am a newbie in the Mac world. I didn't want to drop a bunch of money on a tower machine, new ACD monitor, etc., and then discover that for some reason I hated the Mac.... hence my looking at the other machines that Apple has to offer before making the big plunge with an expensive tower and all its accompanying gear.

I had not even had my new iMac two days before I realized that I really, really, REALLY love it and the OS and the whole Mac way of doing things.... This is it, I'm a convert, I'm a Mac devotee for life! LOL! I can't believe how easy it was to set up things in this new machine, transfer files and folders from my old PC, etc. Everything in the Mac just works together so nicely -- it's so well integrated with seamless interactions between the hardware and the software. Love it!

OK, yes, well.....so then this past week was the announcement about the Powerbooks. Funny thing: now that I'm so thoroughly hooked on Mac, my old Windows machines look.....yuck. Don't wanna mess with 'em any more. The laptop has had some problems anyway and I know before my next trip I'm going to have to do some serious tinkering in it....

Yep, you guessed it -- this morning i went ahead and ordered me a new PB, too! Just couldn't resist it, justified it to myself nine ways from Sunday and then went ahead and placed the order. Next week Apple will be shipping me a 15" PB with the 7200 rpm 100 GB hard drive and 2 GB RAM.....

Guess I'll be putting that Power Mac on the back burner; I think in the meantime these two new Macs will more than take care of my computing needs for a long, long time...

OTB
 
20" monitor on iMac is GORGEOUS!

If you can afford to do so, go with the 20" iMac; it's just beautiful and gives you a little more screen real estate. The 17" iMacs are nice, but that 20" really has the edge.

If you also increase the RAM a bit, too, that would be a good investment, as more RAM can really make a difference in how a computer functions and handles even routine tasks, much less the more complex ones.

One thing I like about the iMac's all-in-one design is that it is easier to find a place to situate it, since you're not dealing with a tower or box, too. Right now mine is sitting on my dining table (until I clear out the space in the computer workstation where my oldest PC is still sitting, fully hooked up). It is so pretty that it actually doesn't look all that bad here! LOL! Any room in which you place it will be graced by its beauty as well as its functionality.

Let us know what you get -- I know you will be very happy with it!

OTB
 
Go iMac unles you *NEED* portability. For the price, you're getting 3 x the computer with an iMac than you're getting with a PowerBook.
 
I would compare the 20” iMac and 15” PowerBook. If you are going to use your computer as a multimedia machine to play music, watch movies and video, you’ll want to go with the 20” iMac. I have been using a laptop for almost 2 years now and I could never go back to a desktop. Being able to move around the room and take my computer places is something I couldn’t give up.

I think the 15” PowerBook is a great machine. It has the resolution of the 17” iMac, a 128MB graphics card, and dual layer super drive. I’d say go with the PowerBook. It is a great machine.

lasuther
 
I'm in the exact same boat and am planning to make a purchase in the next week.

I have an older 700mhz iBook right now and just love the portability of it, and would love to have a new PowerBook, but then when i really look at my situation objectively i realize the only time i take my ibook out of my dorm room is when i go to the library to write papers or just have it with me while i'm there. Soooo as I write this i'm convincing myself to go with the iMac, you get sooo much more computer for such a better price it's absurd. And the new iMac updates were sweet.

Hrmmm, now, to go with the 17" or the 20".... gonna have to check 'em out at the store to figure this one out.
 
Let's see, I'm in a similar predicament.
17" or 20" iMac? Basically, I work on most of my projects late at night and I was concerned that the 20" could be a bit much on the eyes.
When I compare the 2 at the local CompUSA it's obvious to spend the extra $$$s for the 20" but that's in a fully lit store, but in a real world situation (home office, little or no light) is it easy on the eyes, say after a couple of hours or should I wear sun glasses?:)
Thanks
 
Chacala_Nayarit said:
Buy both and go into debt - it's the American way! :p
Click to expand...

LOL! So true.... But in my situation right now I am fortunate enough to have some extra cash on hand. Yeah, it feels a little extravagant and over-the-top to me at the moment, buying first a brand-new iMac and a week later a brand-new Powerbook, both for cash -- I've never done this kind of thing before in my life (never been able to, actually), but I think that in the end it will prove to have been money well spent... I'll be using both for a long, long time!

OTB
 
The only thing about the iMac that scares me is the fact that they are on such a shipping delay. The 20" still shows 7+ days in the Apple online store. The 15" powerbook is in stock at my local store as well as on apple.com. I need my computer by one week from today.. hmm.... If I did get the powerbook would the 7200RPM hard drive make a huge difference? If I got an external for video storage and what not that should make up for the 5400 right? Thanks!
 
Admit it, you want both.

If you buy the iMac 17", you've saved nearly enough on the PowerBook difference to get an iBook too.

Aw Heck just face it , you won't really be happy unless you can have both.
Get the iMac for now and spend your tax return of a 15" PowerBook.

You're doomed like all of us and you'll end up with a PowerBook and a QuadraMac before your done.;_)
 
Chrispy, get the imac. It is awesome. You and I seem to switch macs on a regular basis, so I think my input is valuable.:p JK. Seriously though, I LOVE mine. I was all for the 20" on REV A and B because the screen was much nicer, plus the bottom of the line did not have a superdrive. But, the new 17" has a fantastic screen. It is definately more crisp than the Rev A and B 20 inchers. I have not seen the new 20", but it is supposed to be even nicer!! I just think that with the updated screen and the standard superdrive, that the 17 is the way to go. So my vote is the 17 and then buy yourself a new ipod!:eek:
 
The last two posts just make me laugh out loud :) Thanks for the input guys... yes, I do really want them both!!! I know I should get the iMac and wait and get a portable down the road so I will probably do that.
 
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