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iBook 12 or 14 inch???

O

ohfamilyjapan

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 26, 2005
2
0
Going to order via apple education my new ibook. Here are the two configs I'm looking at - the 14 inch with the combo drive ($90 discount from the Superdrive if you to build-to-order) is only $160 more than the 12 inch.

12 inch $949 (40 gig) combo
14 inch $1109 (60 gig) combo

Any thoughts? If the 14 inch were widescreen it would be a no-brainer! Anyway, thank God for education pricing!

Or does anyone think I should still get the superdrive? I've already got a dual 2 gig G5.

How would you vote? I'm going to order this Saturday.
 
ohfamilyjapan said:
Going to order via apple education my new ibook. Here are the two configs I'm looking at - the 14 inch with the combo drive ($90 discount from the Superdrive if you to build-to-order) is only $160 more than the 12 inch.

12 inch $949 (40 gig) combo
14 inch $1109 (60 gig) combo

Any thoughts? If the 14 inch were widescreen it would be a no-brainer! Anyway, thank God for education pricing!

Or does anyone think I should still get the superdrive? I've already got a dual 2 gig G5.

How would you vote? I'm going to order this Saturday.
Click to expand...

Im doing exactly what you are doing

I see no real reason for anyone to get a superdrive UNLESS they actually do plan on making movies or burning them. Even at that you could always make a VCD...

I say go with the combo!
 
seeing how the 12 and 14 are still the same screen resolution i would go with a 12 inch. smaller and lighter make it a good decision.
 
I ordered the 12 inch. At first I was worried that I woudld have to squint to see the text and hurt my eyes in the process...but then I realized I could always go to view->enlarge text. that sealed the deal...I can be such a dumbass sometimes. :(
 
I said in another thread...go for a bigger harddrive. I have a 40g, and 15g is taken up by my iTunes music. I have 8g of free space and that's with several other apps deleted including Mail, Calendar, Garageband and a few others. I do have Microsoft Office, Photoshop, and Dreamweaver installed. I wouldn't get a superdrive, either, which you aren't.

And the 14" would be my vote. I love mine.
 
Same question I'm asking....If you up the 12" harddrive to 60 gb its only a 100 dollar difference. I'm seriously considering a 14" since I think a 12" would be too small. Keep in mind this is my primary and I don't intend on buying an external monitor unless I must. Have any of you out there used a 12 incher for everything?
 
Peter Griffin said:
Same question I'm asking....If you up the 12" harddrive to 60 gb its only a 100 dollar difference. I'm seriously considering a 14" since I think a 12" would be too small. Keep in mind this is my primary and I don't intend on buying an external monitor unless I must. Have any of you out there used a 12 incher for everything?
Click to expand...

You will hear that the screen space is the same, but the 14" might be more comfortable on the eyes for you.
 
MUCKYFINGERS said:
You will hear that the screen space is the same, but the 14" might be more comfortable on the eyes for you.
Click to expand...
I find the 14" is harder on the eyes. It seems blurrier and gives me a headache. I guess its just a matter of opinion though.
 
Go for the 12" but be sure to up the HD to atleast 60gb more if you can afford it. The 12" is fine when you make use of expose.....

ShadOW :D
 
the 14" is a joke!@# a larger screen with the same res.. very stupid.

the only possible advantage I can think of for the 14 is if you play a lot of video.
 
I've got a 12" PB and I find that the screen size is pretty much perfect. I'm mainly going to be using it for university so I want it to be portable. I thought the 12" might be too small as well but now that I've used it, I don't think I would want anything bigger. Keep in mind I'm not doing any major design work or movie editing which might require a bigger screen.
 
I've owned both sizes, and I prefer the 12". I totally disagree that the 14" looks "blurry" or "fuzzy" (many 15" LCDs have the same resolution and even they look perfectly clear and sharp), but I see little reason for the bigger size. I don't want a superdrive (have one on my G5 and have *never* used it to burn DVDs) and the slight speed bump isn't enough to matter. I want a laptop for maximum portability, so that means 12".
 
i'm trying to decide between the 12 and 14in also and was wondering if there is there a big difference between 1.33ghz and 1.42ghz. if there isnt i'll just go with a 12in with a 60gig hd since i'm planning on buying a 17 or 19in lcd monitor anyway.
 
wako said:
I see no real reason for anyone to get a superdrive UNLESS they actually do plan on making movies or burning them. Even at that you could always make a VCD...
Click to expand...

There are plenty of other applications for a superdrive other than strictly movies. The main one being backup. It is a lot easier to create a disk image to restore on a DVD. Plus, I back up my data on a DVD at least twice a month.
 
Go with the 12". I the 12" in my sig below as my main computer. I'm running world of warcraft right now a few hours every day. You won't have any problems with it, and since the 14" has the same res, you will get no more space. Only bigger pixels. A lighter, cheaper, and sharper computer will win everytime.

I'm very disappointed with this update. After waiting 9 months for a new iBook, I expected a 64mb video card. Once they upgrade that, I'll buy a new iBook.

lasuther
 
zen.state said:
the 14" is a joke!@# a larger screen with the same res.. very stupid.

the only possible advantage I can think of for the 14 is if you play a lot of video.
Click to expand...

Stop slamming the 14". I have one because the 12" screen strains my eyes and I can't afford, nor do I need a 15" PB. It serves its purpose and fills a need. Just because it doesn't suit yours doesn't make it a joke.
 
zen.state said:
the 14" is a joke!@# a larger screen with the same res.. very stupid.

the only possible advantage I can think of for the 14 is if you play a lot of video.
Click to expand...

yes, stop slamming the 14".

although the 14" has the same resolution as the 12", it doesnt strain my eyes and viewability is most important to me. i would rather have a laptop that is not as light and sharp as the 12" if it means i'm going to be able to see the screen comfortably and not have to feel cramped when playing with my toy.

and for chrissake, between 12" and 14", the 1024x768 resolution isn't going to be THAT noticeably "blurrier/fuzzier" anyhow unless you really, really scrutinize these kinds of things in your free time.

i do wish i could get the 12" ibook but my eyes feel strained whenever i focus on it a lot. im going to the apple store today hopefully to check both models out and decide for myself which one is better. but dont slam the 14" because everyone else on MR says so.
 
Jay42 said:
There are plenty of other applications for a superdrive other than strictly movies. The main one being backup. It is a lot easier to create a disk image to restore on a DVD. Plus, I back up my data on a DVD at least twice a month.
Click to expand...


You backup 4.7gb of data twice a month? Wow...
 
jknight8907 said:
I would imagine he uses more that 1 DVD....which is a lot faster than using a 700MB CD, wouldn't you say? :D
Click to expand...



Im still shocked he actually has so much stuff on his system to back up...


I don't know about you guys but when I backup stuff (usually music and movies) I use my external hdd... actually just a HDD with a external enclosure
 
My overriding concern was portability. Also my eyesight is quite good, so small pixels don't worry me. Hence I ordered a stock 12" iBook. I'll buy a 512MB or 1GB SODIMM later this year for it, if the 512MB irks me, but for now I'll spend that money on software. Also it is £200 cheaper than the 14", and all that gives you is 20GB more HD, a superdrive and a larger display of the same resolution.

If the 14" screen was 1280x960 or similar, I'd have had a difficult choice however.

I also ordered a Tucano Second Skin, iWork and an Elgato EyeTV DTT. This iBook will become my portable DVD player & digital terrestrial TV (video out to large TV if available too) in addition to being a damn nice laptop. Shame it wasn't widescreen though.

I know it has a scrolling trackpad which is handy, but I'd also like the corners of the trackpad to be exposé or dashboard activation areas (thus removing the F12/Eject issue). I'm sure that sidetrack or similar has this functionality.

Also my current laptop, an ancient HP Omnibook 4100, had a 1024x768 display and with tweaking it is perfectly usable. I'm sure this iBook will seem like a raging monster compared to a PII266 :) However I don't want to think about how it will compare to the dual 2.3 G5 at work.

Oh, and in a year, if I'm running out of HD space, I'll buy whatever is the sweet-spot in pricing of low-power fast laptop drives. Better than upgrading with Apple to get the same old slow hard drive.
 
MUCKYFINGERS said:
i do wish i could get the 12" ibook but my eyes feel strained whenever i focus on it a lot. im going to the apple store today hopefully to check both models out and decide for myself which one is better. but dont slam the 14" because everyone else on MR says so.
Click to expand...

I thought the 12 inch would strain my eyes as well....just enlarge the text and everythings good!
 
i'll slam the 14", but not cause of resolution. i can seriously see people needing to use a 14" because of the larger pixels.

however, the size of the machine is unacceptable.

it's a beast. it's as tall as the 15" powerbook, weighs MORE, etc.

if they could trim down the iBook bezels like they did on the PowerBooks, the 14" would be a great option, but it feels like the size of a dell inspiron in the form factor it has.


i hate it.
 
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