iBook 12" and 14" owners opinions needed

[stevietheb]

Admittedly, I didn't take the time to read others responses--but here's my opinion.

You can see from my sig that I'm a happy owner of a 12" iBook (over a year old now...they grow up so fast). When I bought my iBook, the only incentive to getting the 14" was that there was a superdrive option and a slight speed increase. It appears that this is the same incentive now. For my money, it's not worth it. I have no need for a superdrive on my laptop.

Since you will be taking it to class, you will undoubtedly love the more compact 12". It's very easy to stuff into your bag (I just use a neoprene sleeve--which was actually made for the 12" Sony VAIO, but fits the iBook perfectly--and then stuff it right into my backpack). I don't think I'll ever purchase a laptop larger than 12" (never say "never"...but, honestly...I just love the size).

The screen is absolutely fine. When I set it side-by-side with a 14" iBook and a 12" PowerBook, I felt like the 12" iBook's screen was brighter than the PowerBook and sharper than the 14" iBook. I was able to write the entirety of my thesis on that laptop (90 pp of fun), in addition to every paper I've done since I purchased it. Some say if you have bad eyes you should go with the larger screen--my eyes are pretty good, so I didn't worry about this.

Finally, I think the 12" looks better/nicer than the 14". The 14" has a bit of white space on the size of the keyboard that, for some reason, looks silly to me. This is obviously just a personal hang-up of mine.

All-in-all, I highly recommend the 12". If this thing can get me through the first couple years of my PhD (and I don't see why it shouldn't), then I will be VERY happy and consider it $1000 well-spent. Then, maybe I'll shell out for that 12" PowerBook G5...

Take care...

 

[jaromski]

That is such a bunch of BS. Please dont listen to that. 1024x768 is used on 15 inch flat screen lcd's to this very day. They look great. The pixels being stretched and making things look nasty is a total croc. Go to the Apple store yourself and look at them and you will see. This irritates me because this kind of false information could possibly steer him away from being really happy with a 14 inch.

No you are wrong.

-jaromski

 

[jayscheuerle]

12" vs. 14" screens

There seems to be some clouding of opinions here.

A 12", 14" or even 15" display, in which they're all set to the same resolution, can all look great. Great's a subjective term. Lot's of people think their 36" Vega television's have a great picture.

What we're talking here is "pixel density", which gives your image "tightness". Though both of these screens may display the exact same image, pixel for pixel, viewed from the same distance, the 12" will display an image with smaller pixels, which will give the appearance of smoother gradations, better anti-aliased text. Of course, if you have longer arms and are taller, your head may be enough of a distance further from the display that a 14" display will appear to be as tight as a 12" display would be to someone shorter with shorter arms.

You really just need to look at them side by side and see whether you appreciate the pixel density or the size of the display more. It's subjective. There is no best, just what works for you. I like my 12", but the display is never on. I think I've used it 3 times as a laptop. Most of the time it's just driving my HDTV in spanning mode (through a hack), hiding on the back of a shelf on end, open about 2" like an A-frame (no dust on my keyboard!).

Nice machines. You really can't go wrong. - j

 

[CaptainCaveMann]

Are you kidding me? The 12" and the 14" BOTH have the same native resolution. Okay? Now which one is bigger? the 14 inch one. Now - if they both have the same resolution, and one is bigger..... then guess what. The pixels are bigger. That is fact. Not just hearsay...

kyle

They may be bigger pixels but in no way does that make them look "nasty, very nasty". View sonic,samsung,acer, all use 1024x768 on many of their latest 15 inch desktop lcd's. They look great. If you believe in the same wisdom as this guy then the 14 inch would actually be better looking then any 15 inch lcd with 1024x768 on the market today, because the pixels are actually more compressed right? So what your really saying is that 1024x768 looks like crap on anything other than a 12 inch screen? hahahah 🙄

 

[jaromski]

They may be bigger pixels but in no way does that make them look "nasty, very nasty". View sonic,samsung,acer, all use 1024x768 on many of their latest 15 inch desktop lcd's. They look great. If you believe in the same wisdom as this guy then the 14 inch would actually be better looking then any 15 inch lcd with 1024x768 on the market today, because the pixels are actually more compressed right? So what your really saying is that 1024x768 looks like crap on anything other than a 12 inch screen? hahahah 🙄

No 1024x768 resolution looks like crap on all the displays because IT IS A CRAPPY SCREEN RESOLUTION TO BEGIN WITH. Well I didn't say crap, I said nasty. You are correct though on one point- It would definately look worse to run a 15" panel @ 1024x768 than a 14". So at least you are coming 'round to a simple mathematical property I was refering to in my initial post.

And to be completely pedantic-- It isn't wisdom, it's a fact, a simple mathematical property. Wisdom is anecdotal knowledge gained through life's experience. Wisdom varies with experience, or as a statistician would say, there is a strong correlation between the two. Wisdom doesn't play into screen pixellation. Having the visual acuity to recognize screen pixellation does not make you wise or foolish. It just means your visual palette is more refined than the average user.

On that note, I am not trying to bash users of the 14" ibook. I was just trying to state that the pixels would be larger and therefore easier to spot than on a respective 12" ibook. But everybody is different, it was only my opinion that they looked "nasty". We all have opinions, and they all stink like you know what right?

-jaromski

 

[Jsmit]

The 12" is sharper than the 14", but the 14" does not look "nasty". After using a 12" 'book for a while the 14" look big and you mat notice that they are not as sharp. I've always seen the 14" iBook as the iBook to get when you want/ need a supredrive.

Now I own 12" PB but when I use my boss 14" iBook, I don't have any problems with its screen. It really is fine.

 

[za9ra22]

I have a 12" iBook G4, which I decided to buy over a 14" model for three reasons: the first was that it was lighter, smaller and thus more portable; the second because at the same resolution, the 12" screen looked very slightly crisper; and the third because it was cheaper.

And I love the thing. My eyesight isn't that great that I can work with 14 or 15" LCDs without glasses anyway, so the small size of the 12" screen isn't any more of a problem than if it had a larger one. Indeed, the display is so crisp and well saturated that it's a little easier to work with than the larger screen on an IBM Thinkpad that I also use regularly.

To me, the issue of which would be the better machine to buy is dependent on whether the best portability is a priority concern or not. If it is, the difference between a 12 or 14" iBook is potentially significant. If portability isn't the highest concern, it'll come down mostly to a difference in price and a question of which screen looks best.

Incidentally, despite the bigger screen size and identical resolution, there is nothing at all wrong with the display quality of the 14" model. It isn't as crisp as the 12", as a basic understanding of the laws of physics would suggest, but it is pretty close even so. Any suggestion that it is poor quality in any meanigful sense is mistaken.

 

[jayscheuerle]

Did a little math here...

If you normally sit with your eyes 18" from your laptop's screen, do you know how much further back you'll have to sit for the 14" iBook to appear as sharp as the 12" one does from 18" away?

Around 3.5" further back.

It's as sharp as the 12" is then and unless you are in a fog-bank, it should appear just as bright with just as good contrast too...

Hardly seems worth debating about...

 

[CaptainCaveMann]

No 1024x768 resolution looks like crap on all the displays because IT IS A CRAPPY SCREEN RESOLUTION TO BEGIN WITH. Well I didn't say crap, I said nasty. You are correct though on one point- It would definately look worse to run a 15" panel @ 1024x768 than a 14". So at least you are coming 'round to a simple mathematical property I was refering to in my initial post.

And to be completely pedantic-- It isn't wisdom, it's a fact, a simple mathematical property. Wisdom is anecdotal knowledge gained through life's experience. Wisdom varies with experience, or as a statistician would say, there is a strong correlation between the two. Wisdom doesn't play into screen pixellation. Having the visual acuity to recognize screen pixellation does not make you wise or foolish. It just means your visual palette is more refined than the average user.

On that note, I am not trying to bash users of the 14" ibook. I was just trying to state that the pixels would be larger and therefore easier to spot than on a respective 12" ibook. But everybody is different, it was only my opinion that they looked "nasty". We all have opinions, and they all stink like you know what right?

-jaromski

What is this guy talking about? "Easier to spot the pixels"? I have a 15 inch view sonic lcd that runs at a maximum of 1024x768. I use my 12 inch ibook to mirror onto it. I cannot see the pixels on the 15 inch screen. IT LOOKS GREAT. Its smoothe and not at all pixelated. I dont know what you are talking about. 🙄

 

[jaromski]

What is this guy talking about? "Easier to spot the pixels"? I have a 15 inch view sonic lcd that runs at a maximum of 1024x768. I use my 12 inch ibook to mirror onto it. I cannot see the pixels on the 15 inch screen. IT LOOKS GREAT. Its smoothe and not at all pixelated. I dont know what you are talking about. 🙄

Oh well let's just drop the whole topic it really isn't worth pursuing further at this point.

Good luck with all your current and future 1024x768 endeavors,

-jaromski

 

[ldburroughs]

The 12" is sharper than the 14", but the 14" does not look "nasty". After using a 12" 'book for a while the 14" look big and you mat notice that they are not as sharp. I've always seen the 14" iBook as the iBook to get when you want/ need a supredrive.

Now I own 12" PB but when I use my boss 14" iBook, I don't have any problems with its screen. It really is fine.

I still wouldn't get a 14" just for a superdrive. I installed one in my 12" iBook and it took little to no real effort. Despite what some say about operating on your own iBook it is really not that bad. Mac has us in this warranty scare because of a history with the G3 logic boards and such that paying a Genius to do it in order to avoid voiding the warranty is too expensive. The drive itself costs about a $100 depending on what you get and where you buy it. The install is free if you do it yourself. So think of it as a $100 upgrade to the 12" if you feel you really need it. Most general iBook users will have little to no need for a superdrive anyway.

In my opinion the 14" creates too much white space because of the excess space surrounding the keyboard. With the same resolution settings on both the 14" and 12" the 12" looks more sophisticated ... but harder to read because everything looks so small. It is supposed to be a portable device after all. Isn't small part of what you are paying for? I prefer the 12" because the 14" really doesn't offer anything other than a stretched display with the same resolution and more whitespace to stare at while typing.