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Do you have a laptop....and not use it?

Freg3000

Freg3000

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Sep 22, 2002
1,914
0
New York
I am thinking about getting an iBook for an upcoming trip I have this April, as well as another trip in August. I hate being away from my Mac, so a laptop would be nice. I can also envision myself just brining it everywhere. Go to a friend?s house, bring the iBook. On the way to Thanksgiving, bring the iBook, etc. However, I fear that I will neglect it and use my Powermac ALL the time.

With that said, have any of you purchased a Powerbook or iBook, and discovered that you don't use it very much, or not at all? Has anyone been in my situation, and just fallen in love with their iBook?

I don't want to throw over $1.000 on this, so any and all help will be very much appreciated.
 
i'm not lucky enough to have a pmac at home but i do have an iBook and I love it. Some other things you may want to consider. IF you have broadband its very nice to surf the web via wifi all aroudn your house. You will wonder how you ever sat at a desk for that long. also the iBook is great to hookup to the steroe durign parties and lets iTunes play (plus you can lock so nobody messes with it). I think if you have the moeny for an iBook it will make the percfect portable companion for that desktop. The bigest hurdele will be adjeusting tot the sc reen size. Which model are you looking at?
 
I was also thinking about wireless internet because I do have a cable connection. :)

I was looking at the $1299 model, with combo drive and 32 MB video card. I want to at least play DVDs (which the low end does not allow).

I run my 17 Studio Monitor at 1280 X 1024, so 1024 X 768 won't be that bad. Especially because I used to run my CRT iMac at 800 X 600!!!

Anyone else?
 
thats the model I have and its great. very durable too for wherever u want to take it.
 
if you actually have something to do while you are out and travelling and such then you will make good use of your apple laptop, but if your just buying one because its cool and such then you might be wasting your money, otherwise get it man.
 
I had a notebook right as I got to college thinking I would use it all the time on campus. Never did. Once brought it to the library. Then the battery died but I didn't know for a while because I always had it docked. Oh, and once brought it on a plane to watch movies. That was very cool. In fact, I would most likely use one for that. But as for taking notes in class I usually write it down. Although some classes now have their notes online, it would be cool to wirelessly connect to the univeristy's internet, get those notes, be able to add to them as the prof. speaks, and still use ichat and other games. Hmmm, maybe I should get a 12" powerbook... : )
 
You will not want to put it down, i have an iBook and next to me i have my desktop pc as well. At the moment all i use the PC for is downloading off Kazaa and then bring it onto the iBook.

But right now i use it for everything, because of its long battery life i leave it running normally in sleep mode and i've had it last me 7+ hours on one charge (yes i know the battery lasts only 5 hours) on my busiest college day. Other times it is plugged in.

Its so light as well and its a dream to take around with me and it holds all my music, music videos, Simpsons and all my Futurama episodes. I thought i would need an iPod at one point before i purchased this iBook but because of my situation i don't need the iPod right now, saving my credit card! :)

I've got the same model as you are thinking of purchasing btw.
 
I'm just the oppsit.
I never used my desktop and ditched it.
I only use my iBook.
I am do a lot of work in a many diffrent places.
 
if you travel a lot then an ibook can be awesome.
not even on trips but just out of your house/appartment just make it a point to take it with you wherever you go and you'll find a million things its useful for. even just for information, or looking things up.
 
The newest machines are so good, I can't imagine letting them sit. If I had the money, there would definitely be a PowerBook 12 inch here instead of a PowerMac.

Back in 1998, I bought one of the first WallStreet G3s...a 233 MHz machine with no L2 cache. It was one of the biggest mistakes of my life. I'm thankful that Apple no longer builds such pitiful machines. They were pretty thankful too as they switched it out only a few months later with one that had some L2 cache. I used it for various things at work including some experimentation in Java and checking Ethernet connections. I ended up giving it away. :(
 
A: nearly!

I have a TiBook 500 and used it everywhere, daily. My dad had a G4 500 Tower, but when he passed away it was left to me, and I started to use it all the time, and add drives and HDs etc, and the powerbook was basically used for Mail or when I travel.

Now I freelance and use my PB all the day, and the tower in the evening, perfect!
 
Re: Do you have a laptop....and not use it?

Originally posted by Freg3000
I am thinking about getting an iBook for an upcoming trip I have this April, as well as another trip in August. I hate being away from my Mac, so a laptop would be nice. I can also envision myself just brining it everywhere. Go to a friend?s house, bring the iBook. On the way to Thanksgiving, bring the iBook, etc. However, I fear that I will neglect it and use my Powermac ALL the time.

With that said, have any of you purchased a Powerbook or iBook, and discovered that you don't use it very much, or not at all? Has anyone been in my situation, and just fallen in love with their iBook?

I don't want to throw over $1.000 on this, so any and all help will be very much appreciated.
Click to expand...

I had and I end up vistiting a psicologist twice a week:D

Get a live man!
 
Re: Re: Do you have a laptop....and not use it?

Originally posted by mymemory
I had and I end up vistiting a psicologist twice a week:D

Get a live man!
Click to expand...

What are you talking about? I just want personal experiences when people get a laptop in addition to their desktops. There is no need for a condescending tone in any response.

P.S. Thanks for all the other responses everyone, they are very helpful.
 
I have an old PC laptop (700 mhz p3 baby), and with wireless internet in the dorm and at my house i still find all kinds of uses for it. I use it to type on projects in the labs or in other peoples rooms, i use it in bed when i'm too lazy to get up and go to the desk. I am definelty getting a 12 inch powerbook to go along with my powermac. I love the laptop/desktop setup.
 
I have an older Wallstreet PM. I use to travel a great deal with work and I always used it. I don't travel much now, but my partner has started and uses this computer, though I prefer my iMac. The PM is about four years old and serves our purposes quite well.
 
here is a good idea for uni studednts (who have nice parents):

get a BT SE phone w/camera
get a 12" pb
type all notes in class into a text editor
photograph all of them with SE phone
send them via BT (or, if youve got, IR*) to your pb
link them in text editor (textedit can do this (for newbies))
vòila! super duper good class notes.

it is not cheap (i was thinking t300 + MCA-25 + 12" lowend pb) but it'll be effective since the phones sanps are 640x480 which is theorectically 1/4 of the screen and it can be at least zoomed to 200% with even preview. Anyways thats what i am going to do - i already got the phone (t68i).

anyways. i find that the apple laptops are really good. an ibook is a great machine. the only time youl be upset at buying it is when the first revision after yours comes out. after that release you get used to it. other than that - just dont try to do premiere on it and she'll be right mate! (i'm an aussie, <- look at my loc, seeee)
 
I love my iBook to death....but soon I will be going off to college, and I need a better machine. I will probably be going away from the laptops for a bit and getting a PPC 970 (if they come out in september *cough*).

To take notes in class, I have found a great solution, albeit a bit old: get yourself a newton messagepad 2x00. I just received mine (2100) earlier this week, and I couldn't be any happier with how it works. I can finally take notes in calculus without wasting paper. And yes, you can hook it up to OS X, though I am still not too sure how you get the notes transferred over, I'm still new to the newton :p
 
both...

It all depends on what you're using both machines for. I have a PowerMac for all of my design work because I need the power to render. But I have a powerbook too, and I take it EVERYWHERE because I carry my digital portfolio with me, plus I love wireless broadband.

I'm a freak, I really can't be away from one of my macs of any amount of time.


Hope this helps....
 
I looked at a laptop from the other way to you. My PB Ti is used almost exclusively as a desktop replacement. Pretty much it does not leave my desk, but the times I have thoght it would be good to work on it sat in the park or set up in a library, I just thought what a pose. But that sort of downer atitude is what you'd expect from a stick in the mud Brit like me I supose. :)
 
I collect old Macs and have several "portables", ranging from a Luggable(Mac Portable) and an Outbound Kangaroo to a 12" iBook Combo 800. My main Mac is a G4 DP Mystic at 550 MHz, but I use the iBook a lot too - at work(tech) and in the field taking scenery shots. Took it's predecessor, a 600 Combo, to Sturgis M/C Rally last year without a hitch, with an inverter to keep everything charged.

The old 'Books make great digital picture frames when they're too old to really "use" anymore.

I find a good desktop Mac is only enhanced by an iBook, especially w/ Airport - I love sitting on the porch on a Summer evening, surfing to the cicada's and cricket's song.

Freedom is good.
 
I'm the same as a few people here in that i've found since i've got the 12" powerbook i ignore my *desktop* for the powerbook. Great to be able to wander around and have everything with me. The only exception is when i'm really working - i need the space of 2+ moniters, proper keyboard/mouse etc when I've got 6+ apps open i need to actively work with.
 
I just recently purchased a 12" PowerBook. I had been using a G4 450 sawtooth that I gave to a friend at work.
I use the 19" monitor and keyboard + mouse when I'm at my desk, but you just can't beat wireless web!
 
Re: Do you have a laptop....and not use it?

Originally posted by Freg3000
I am thinking about getting an iBook for an upcoming trip I have this April, as well as another trip in August. I hate being away from my Mac, so a laptop would be nice. I can also envision myself just brining it everywhere. Go to a friend?s house, bring the iBook. On the way to Thanksgiving, bring the iBook, etc. However, I fear that I will neglect it and use my Powermac ALL the time.

With that said, have any of you purchased a Powerbook or iBook, and discovered that you don't use it very much, or not at all? Has anyone been in my situation, and just fallen in love with their iBook?

I don't want to throw over $1.000 on this, so any and all help will be very much appreciated.
Click to expand...

I had the same fears. It's amazing how much you come to depend on the 'Book, though. Get AirPort and liberate your ass from the desk. Cruise the net from your couch. At many universities you can access a wireless network all over campus.

Not to mention the portable storage aspect... I use mine to transfer files to/from machines with a Firewire cable when I visit friends.

Now, here's my favorite: Get an S-Video adapter from Apple and run movies from the iBook to your TV. What a great investment that has been!

Get it. Get it now!

Dan
 
I looked at a laptop from the other way to you. My PB Ti is used almost exclusively as a desktop replacement. Pretty much it does not leave my desk, but the times I have thought it would be good to work on it sat in the park or set up in a library, I just thought what a pose. But that sort of downer atitude is what you'd expect from a stick in the mud Brit like me I supose. :)
 
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