Ibook/Powerbook question

[smurphur]

Hey,
I have read a lot of the other posts regarding ibooks vs powerbooks... but I had a question as far as best bargain..

I have priced out a few latops:
1.2 ghz 14" ibook: $1913.99
1.33ghz 15" powerbook: $24653.98
1.5ghz 15" powerbook: $2705.99

There are a few common things I want in the laptop (superdrive, and bluetooth). I also want all of them to have over 512mb ram, though if I were to get a powerbook I may put 1gb of ram.

I mainly want the laptop to browse the web, email, and play the occasional game (warcraft 3, maybe some quake3). I know that the 1.5ghz powerbook with the extra video ram would be ideal for gaming... but my main question is if the extra money from the 14" ibook to the powerbooks is really worth it, if I don't really play all that many games?

I'm also getting a student discount and will probably end up getting some sort of apple instant loan since I dont have that much cash to throw down on a laptop.

Thanks,

 

[mpopkin]

As an owner of a New Powerbook 1.5 ghz i would have to recommend it, but 1) Your Prices are wrong. You can get with an education discount, app care and 1.5 ghz pbook for 2500 flat or 2199 if you buy it at an apple store, i was originally going to buy my machine from the online store but when i went into an apple store they gave me $300 instead of $200 off for education! $200 is what the online store offers, the prices on the 1.33 and ibook are more accurate but take off 300 for pbook and 150 for ibook(edu discounts) In terms of gaming, yeah the 1.5 will blow the 1.2 out of the water, but it is not significant a difference for the price difference, however, the ibook does not have bluetooth built in and the idvd/imovie/final cut/ pro app performance will be greater/significantly faster on the pbook compared to the ibook, the screen quality is also much much higher(in the megapixel range of 1.9-2.3 mps) compared to the ibooks non mp screen. I would go for the pbook 1.5 because of the screen, future resell value, faster processor, and because it just plain looks better(opinion). Take into account the fact that it has a sweet box as well and you have a winning product on your hand. I truly love my powerbook and use it everyday alongside my g5

Hey,
I have read a lot of the other posts regarding ibooks vs powerbooks... but I had a question as far as best bargain..

I have priced out a few latops:
1.2 ghz 14" ibook: $1913.99
1.33ghz 15" powerbook: $24653.98
1.5ghz 15" powerbook: $2705.99

There are a few common things I want in the laptop (superdrive, and bluetooth). I also want all of them to have over 512mb ram, though if I were to get a powerbook I may put 1gb of ram.

I mainly want the laptop to browse the web, email, and play the occasional game (warcraft 3, maybe some quake3). I know that the 1.5ghz powerbook with the extra video ram would be ideal for gaming... but my main question is if the extra money from the 14" ibook to the powerbooks is really worth it, if I don't really play all that many games?

I'm also getting a student discount and will probably end up getting some sort of apple instant loan since I dont have that much cash to throw down on a laptop.

Thanks,

 

[James_C]

The 15" Powerbooks are very nice machines, I love mine so much I have upgraded my 1.25 GHz Powerbook to the new 1.5 GHz Powerbook.

That having being said, based on your primary use I would recommend a 12" iBook. The screen resolution is the same as the 14" ibook. The money that you save I would use to upgrade the hard disk to 60 GB, and spec a bluetooth module, with an additional 256 MB Ram it is available for $1151 (edu price). While more memory is better, for what you propose to do with the laptop, I don't think you will see much benefit going beyond 512MB. I note that you do want a superdrive, and if that is critical then the 12" iBook would be a problem, however you would save a lot of money, and if your primary use it web and e-mail with the occasional game then the ibooks would be ideal. I know two people in the office who have 12" iBooks and they both love them.

 

[w00tmaster]

Hey,
I have read a lot of the other posts regarding ibooks vs powerbooks... but I had a question as far as best bargain..

I have priced out a few latops:
1.2 ghz 14" ibook: $1913.99
1.33ghz 15" powerbook: $24653.98
1.5ghz 15" powerbook: $2705.99

There are a few common things I want in the laptop (superdrive, and bluetooth). I also want all of them to have over 512mb ram, though if I were to get a powerbook I may put 1gb of ram.

I mainly want the laptop to browse the web, email, and play the occasional game (warcraft 3, maybe some quake3). I know that the 1.5ghz powerbook with the extra video ram would be ideal for gaming... but my main question is if the extra money from the 14" ibook to the powerbooks is really worth it, if I don't really play all that many games?

I'm also getting a student discount and will probably end up getting some sort of apple instant loan since I dont have that much cash to throw down on a laptop.

Thanks,

I can do all that stuff on my 933 14" iBook w/ 384 ram(it actually plays wc 3 pretty well), it can choke on occaision(should have went with more ram), but other than that it works wonders. not sure about you, but even though the 12" and 14" have the same resolution, I chose the 14" to be nicer to my eyes. I would recommend that you go to an apple retailer and play around with the different sizes before you settle on something. Can really help you determine what size you want(also note that the 15 and 17 pbs are widescreen, which is very nice, both size iBooks are 4:3)

 

[michaelrjohnson]

Within the last 4 months, I have purchased both a 12" iBook G4 800MHz and (just yesterday) a 12" PowerBook G4 1.33Ghz. I have to tell you, the PowerBook is *significantly* smoother in day-to-day operations, even with the stock 256MB RAM (as compared to the 640MB I had in the iBook, it still seemed sluggish). While I may suggest that a PowerBook is "more computer than you need" however, that's kind of an arbitrary statement that doesnt mean much. If you feel you need lightning-fast folder openings, expose, and such, then go with a PowerBook. While I just upgraded from one that was less than 4 months old, I still feel that they are a great value, and offer good performance.

I can't seem to justify the 14" iBook. It offers the same screen resolution and graphics performance as the 12", yet costs more and the display is not as sharp. To me, if you're looking for a "budget 'Book" get an iBook, but the 14" isn't worth the extra money because of the poor screen resolution for its size. The 12" 'Books are very small, but that makes them portable. Additionally, you can always add external monitors to get the screen size you're looking for.

Now that I've owned both, I know I'll never "downgrade" from a PowerBook to an "i" series desktop or laptop. My new 12" is amazing, I guarantee that both the PowerBooks will be as well.

Let me know if you have any more questions.

 

[smurphur]

when i went into an apple store they gave me $300 instead of $200 off for education! $200 is what the online store offers

So, if I buy from an actual apple store location I get a bigger discount than buying off their website? That seems wierd, but good to know. Thanks

 

[soccerfan]

I went through much the same process you're going through. In never even considered the 12" PB, but in the end, that's what I'm going to get.

The bottom line is this - if you equip a 14" iBook with bluetooth and AE (making it comparable to the PB) it's almost identical in price to the 12" PB.

So for similarly equiped units, the PB is faster, has a better graphics card which will support CoreImage when that arrives, a MUCH better keyboard (try them out) and certain bells and whistles that the PB's have over the iBooks.

With the iBook your only advantages is you get bigger (and blurrier) pixels.

When I realized that the the 12" PB has exactly the same amount of screen real estate, and that the screen was actually a bit crisper... well the 12" seems like a slam dunk to me.

Especially since you can bring the thing home and run it with the lid closed on an external monitor.

That said, I don't have mine yet... I'm just telling you my decision making process.

12" PB all the way for me.