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Decided on an iMac over a PB. Why, you ask?

P

Plastic Avatar

macrumors member
Original poster
Jan 26, 2004
52
0
West Virginia
I was all set to order a 12" PB.... but then I started thinking....

"Self, you've got a 400mhz Pismo with a big hard drive, lots of RAM, and a new battery that gives you close to 7 hours of run time when used frugally (4.5 running at full blast)."

"You're going to be at home minding the new baby soon, so why replace the laptop you have now with another? 'Just because it can handle Final Cut and RAW files?"

"Why not get a kickin' home machine to handle all the big stuff, and use the old PB for mobile, non-processor-intensive work?"

Well, long story shortened, I bought the mid-range iMac G5, Applecare, a FW CF card reader, a copy of Tiger for the missus, a copy of FCEx HD for me, an extra 1GB chip from Newegg, and a giant spindle of 100 8x DVD-Rs.... all for a hair over $2000.

I feel like I made out like a bandit =)

And with that iMac/iBook spanning hack, I can add another 17" monitor to my setup if I want (so I personally won't miss the extra screen the 20" iMac provides).

The 17" Superdrive iMac G5 and the Powerbook 12" are, imho, still the best deals Apple has out there. Maybe I'll get an Intel PB down the line, but, for now, I can't wait for my new machine to arrive =)

And I can get a great carrying case for the iMac, should I need it, from:

ilugger.com

Sorry for the rant, but I'm pretty excited.... *and* I wanted to share what I thought was a great deal on a great setup =)
 
Thanks for posting your thought here. Very useful and troublesome indeed. I'm now back to square one! I first wanted to buy an ibook + external display, then after a long wait for updates i started thinking of 12" power book + external display. And now after reading your post i'm starting to question my needs for portability.. the Imac G5 seems a nice alternative especially if i just want to take it when i go on holidays. The ilugger bag looks great and makes the imac looks very portable (eg. on holiday!). Has anyone used this bag? I'd love to hear your feedback.
 
Solafaa said:
The rev B iMacs G5 are very good indeed, my friend got one and he enjoys it so much. Good luck with your mac.
Click to expand...

Thanks.

Yeah, they are nice.

Glad to hear your friend enjoys his, too =)

I was thinking today about the last batch of new Macs my wife and I bought in 2000. She got the Pismo I'm using now (she got a 12" PB last Fall, so I inherited this) and I got a Cube + 17" ADC CRT. The Cube/monitor was $2000 as an education special.

I'm amazed comparing the specs of the Rev. B iMacs and my Cube. I'm amazed comparing the specs of the iMac with the Quicksilver Apple replaced my broken Cube with. I'm amazed all the way around =)

I can't really wrap my head around what Apple will offer in 2010, since that's when I'll probably need to upgrade again ;)

'Course, you've got the kicka$$ setup in your sig! You've got access to the total package. I'm a little envious =)
 
lion said:
Thanks for posting your thought here. Very useful and troublesome indeed. I'm now back to square one! I first wanted to buy an ibook + external display, then after a long wait for updates i started thinking of 12" power book + external display. And now after reading your post i'm starting to question my needs for portability.. the Imac G5 seems a nice alternative especially if i just want to take it when i go on holidays. The ilugger bag looks great and makes the imac looks very portable (eg. on holiday!). Has anyone used this bag? I'd love to hear your feedback.
Click to expand...

OMG, sorry for casting doubt on your purchase!

I know the feeling. I was 99% decided on the 12" PB until I started paging through some last minute posts this morning.... then I looked at the iLugger site/video and I was sold =) I just don't need everyday portability in my new machine.

The 12" PB is still an awesome machine, I'll just get more life out of the iMac. The updated specs rock, don't they?

I don't remember exactly where I found the ilugger site, but somewhere through it I saw a demo of the maker putting a 20" iMac in the bag. It's sooooo easy! And the bag has got to be made well- these people make parachuting stuff, and those kind of people don't skimp on quality.

If I didn't already have this old PB, I might have convinced myself to beg, borrow, and steal so I could get the iMac *and* a refurbished iBook for another $850. I've bought refurbished Nikon and Apple gear in the past, and it's never disappointed me.

I think the next $135 in fun money I get will go for an iLugger. I can just see too many opportunities in the near future where being able to take my iMac to the parents' house for weekends with the new granddaughter would be welcome =) If not for my sanity, then for editing photos and video for familial distribution ;)
 
Good call. I would do the same. PB's don't quite cut it anymore. The performace on my parent's imac is very impressive. I almost want to trade with them.
 
Steven1621 said:
Good call. I would do the same. PB's don't quite cut it anymore. The performace on my parent's imac is very impressive. I almost want to trade with them.
Click to expand...

I've never understood the need many people have for notebooks. Sure, if you're mobile (college student, travel a lot, etc.) it's a great benefit and makes sense. But there are a lot of people who probably never move the laptop from their desk in their home office. Why pay more for compromised performance? Get the desktop and blaze away!
 
cgratti said:
You bought the 17" iMac?
You should you should have gotten the 20", the larger screen kicks arse man.
I love my 20" iMac, glad I spent the extra $$ now.
Click to expand...

Yeah, the 20" is gorgeous. That 170/170 horizontal/vertical viewing angle is amazing.... but I had a budget of $2000.

When I first filled my online cart, I was going to get the 20" and figure out how to get the RAM, Tiger for the wife, and Final Cut Express later. Since we've got a baby on the way, I couldn't count on having the extra cash later, sooooo I took what I could get =)

Since I can use the spanning hack, I will get a second monitor at some point to make up for not getting the 20" =)

I even considered getting a Rev. A 20" for $1499 at the Apple Store sale section, but the improvements to the Rev. B were just too good to pass up.
 
I think you made a wise choice as long as you ordered the upgraded 128MB
graphics card.

If you didn't then I'd revise the order immediately.

The 20" iMacs are nice but they have a chin bigger than Jay Lenno! :D
 
2 months ago I was in the same situation, just the other way around. I was all set to bye the 20" iMac (had a 2 year old 12" pb + 17" crt monitor apart from my cube at that time). But then I thought I need mobility quite a lot. I'm a freelance graphic designer and I'm often working at agencies with my pb. So I got the 15" pb in my sig and couldn't be happier. Since 2 weeks I'm working a lot at an agency, 8 - 10 hours a day. This will go on for longer now. It would have sucked to have that awesome iMac at home and to work 8 hours on that 12" screen... Couldn't have put the iMac to the agency either, since I would have needed it on weekends and evenings to do stuff for my clients and occasional gaming.

I'm perfectly happy with my decision and hope you will be too with yours. To each their own, just felt the urge to defend pbs a little ;)
 
lion said:
Thanks for posting your thought here. Very useful and troublesome indeed. I'm now back to square one! I first wanted to buy an ibook + external display, then after a long wait for updates i started thinking of 12" power book + external display. And now after reading your post i'm starting to question my needs for portability.. the Imac G5 seems a nice alternative especially if i just want to take it when i go on holidays. The ilugger bag looks great and makes the imac looks very portable (eg. on holiday!). Has anyone used this bag? I'd love to hear your feedback.
Click to expand...

You forgot the No.1 benefit of an iBook/PowerBook - Couch Computing :cool:
 
PBs are fantabulous!

chaosbunny said:
I'm perfectly happy with my decision and hope you will be too with yours. To each their own, just felt the urge to defend pbs a little ;)
Click to expand...

[lol]

I told my wife last night that the current Powerbooks have got to be the most elegant and tight design I've ever come across in consumer electronics.

Apple has made a lot of really fine laptops, but these new aluminum jobs are works of art and beautifully functional. I've had a Duo 230, a 540, and now my woman's old Pismo- they've all been *incredible* machines, but her little 12" PB is so far beyond any laptop I've ever owned/used in execution.

One day I will have a 17" model.... one day!

But, for now, I can just coast along on this 5 year old portable, doing my web stuff, working on research for my grad degree, and playing some EV Nova, Tropico, and such. I can leave the photo and video editing to the new iMac. I'll finally get to play some new games, too. WoW here I come!

If I have time when the baby arrives!
 
Plastic Avatar said:
Yeah, the 20" is gorgeous. That 170/170 horizontal/vertical viewing angle is amazing.... but I had a budget of $2000.

When I first filled my online cart, I was going to get the 20" and figure out how to get the RAM, Tiger for the wife, and Final Cut Express later. Since we've got a baby on the way, I couldn't count on having the extra cash later, sooooo I took what I could get =)

Since I can use the spanning hack, I will get a second monitor at some point to make up for not getting the 20" =)

I even considered getting a Rev. A 20" for $1499 at the Apple Store sale section, but the improvements to the Rev. B were just too good to pass up.
Click to expand...

I understand. With the spanning hack the 17 is a great space saver for some desktops.

My situation is a bit different. Been toying with getting a PM 2.0x2 box for my Dell FP2001. But lately I have been doing a lot with my eMac and the spanned monitors. So now I am looking at doing the 17" iMac.
 
Plastic Avatar said:
I was all set to order a 12" PB.... but then I started thinking....

The 17" Superdrive iMac G5 and the Powerbook 12" are, imho, still the best deals Apple has out there. Maybe I'll get an Intel PB down the line, but, for now, I can't wait for my new machine to arrive =)
Click to expand...

Couldn't agree more (Except for the iMac config...)
See Sig :D
 
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