If you are comparing the PBs physical specs compared to the iBook for the money, I gotta admit, yeah the iBook probably is better. However getting the most out of what you paid for isnt always the best deal. I found this when I finally decided to land on a PB over an iBook just last month.
Here was my reasoning....
Although you get a very small bit of performance boost in terms of mhz on the PB for the lump you pay for, I paid it because I can use an external monitor. Although there are hacks for the iBook, I heard in one thread that if you forgot to reset the system, their going to void out the warranty. Not a good thing. On the PB atleast it comes standard and if you're an honest person I personally went with this route.
I also chose the PB over the iBook because I definately loved the keyboard much more than that of the iBook. I guess its a kind of a stupid reason but typing on a PB keyboard makes me feel like Im typing on something solid unlike that of the iBook. Personal opinion but it seems like its a shared opinion.
I also found the screen a bit brighter on the PowerBook
You also sound like you might be going to college? Im not sure since you didnt really say. I also went with the PB because it was actually lighter as well. Obviously its not by say a whole pound even but eventually Ill feel it on my back and shoulders
Another thing is that the iBook is supposedly overheats? Im not going to say this is true or not but it is something I did hear and wouldnt doubt since the casing is plastic and wont really take the heat away.
During the time when i was at the Applestore though when i was choosing out which system, I found that the biggest deciding factor was the mini DVI because I did plan on hooking it up to an external display. Since I didnt want to toy with hacks and stuff and void out my warranty i found this was definately the best bet to go.
IMO it doesnt really matter which way you go though. Its really up to you. In either case 3 years down the road, we both are going to need to upgrade our systems to something new and we both will be making a similar decision. Its a neverending cycle with computers so it doesnt really matter which way you want to swing. All this talk of that extra 170mhz will make your system more future friendly is crap. With the developers being pampered by Intel's new chips that can reach up towards 4ghz their probably going to take advantage of that and we're all going to have really slow machines. Just buy what you think what you need and will suite you just fine. For me the decision was the PB because I didnt want to hack, for you it might be the iBook because you dont need the screen spanning.
Good luck
Here was my reasoning....
Although you get a very small bit of performance boost in terms of mhz on the PB for the lump you pay for, I paid it because I can use an external monitor. Although there are hacks for the iBook, I heard in one thread that if you forgot to reset the system, their going to void out the warranty. Not a good thing. On the PB atleast it comes standard and if you're an honest person I personally went with this route.
I also chose the PB over the iBook because I definately loved the keyboard much more than that of the iBook. I guess its a kind of a stupid reason but typing on a PB keyboard makes me feel like Im typing on something solid unlike that of the iBook. Personal opinion but it seems like its a shared opinion.
I also found the screen a bit brighter on the PowerBook
You also sound like you might be going to college? Im not sure since you didnt really say. I also went with the PB because it was actually lighter as well. Obviously its not by say a whole pound even but eventually Ill feel it on my back and shoulders
Another thing is that the iBook is supposedly overheats? Im not going to say this is true or not but it is something I did hear and wouldnt doubt since the casing is plastic and wont really take the heat away.
During the time when i was at the Applestore though when i was choosing out which system, I found that the biggest deciding factor was the mini DVI because I did plan on hooking it up to an external display. Since I didnt want to toy with hacks and stuff and void out my warranty i found this was definately the best bet to go.
IMO it doesnt really matter which way you go though. Its really up to you. In either case 3 years down the road, we both are going to need to upgrade our systems to something new and we both will be making a similar decision. Its a neverending cycle with computers so it doesnt really matter which way you want to swing. All this talk of that extra 170mhz will make your system more future friendly is crap. With the developers being pampered by Intel's new chips that can reach up towards 4ghz their probably going to take advantage of that and we're all going to have really slow machines. Just buy what you think what you need and will suite you just fine. For me the decision was the PB because I didnt want to hack, for you it might be the iBook because you dont need the screen spanning.
Good luck
