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Mini or Laptop for College!!!

Not to be really late or anything... but After 2 years with a power mac, I jumped on the new iBook, because I was missing the portability...

Power mac will still live on as my main computer, iTunes server, but the iBook will be my mac home away from home... yeah, you get the idea... so go iBook

Shasta
 
Thank you for the replies, everyone (even the guy who suggested a mini :)). I realize that currently the iBook is a significantly better deal, but this is a gift from my parents and they are leaving the decision up to me regardlessly. I realize that I am very fortunate to have this offer, and I don't want to be thought of as greedy if I decided to get a powerbook. I was thinking of purchasing a 12" PB with a Dell 2005FPW for these reasons—Money is not a deciding factor, the PB has a faster processor, more VRAM, it's smaller, lighter and finally, better looking in my opinion. Even though the iBook's GPU is faster, the PB has 64MB of VRAM which I believe to be a weighted reason due to computer's proposed use with an external monitor.

Powerbook—yea?
 
lorkp said:
Thank you for the replies, everyone (even the guy who suggested a mini :)). I realize that currently the iBook is a significantly better deal, but this is a gift from my parents and they are leaving the decision up to me regardlessly. I realize that I am very fortunate to have this offer, and I don't want to be thought of as greedy if I decided to get a powerbook. I was thinking of purchasing a 12" PB with a Dell 2005FPW for these reasons—Money is not a deciding factor, the PB has a faster processor, more VRAM, it's smaller, lighter and finally, better looking in my opinion. Even though the iBook's GPU is faster, the PB has 64MB of VRAM which I believe to be a weighted reason due to computer's proposed use with an external monitor.

Powerbook—yea?
Click to expand...
Sorry to toot my own horn, but I've got a Rev. C PB for trade/sale here. I personally love desktops more than laptops, part of the reason why I'm gonna downgrade. See what you're comfortable with. But either way, the iBook, PB, or mac mini-- you really can't go too wrong! :)
 
lorkp said:
Thank you for the replies, everyone (even the guy who suggested a mini :)). I realize that currently the iBook is a significantly better deal, but this is a gift from my parents and they are leaving the decision up to me regardlessly. I realize that I am very fortunate to have this offer, and I don't want to be thought of as greedy if I decided to get a powerbook. I was thinking of purchasing a 12" PB with a Dell 2005FPW for these reasons—Money is not a deciding factor, the PB has a faster processor, more VRAM, it's smaller, lighter and finally, better looking in my opinion. Even though the iBook's GPU is faster, the PB has 64MB of VRAM which I believe to be a weighted reason due to computer's proposed use with an external monitor.

Powerbook—yea?
Click to expand...

I have a 15" 1.33GHz PB. loveitloveitloveit. As Ferris says, "If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up."

I'd go for the PowerBook if only to get the best possible lappy you can now to future proof as much as possible. Unless you're going to be prepared to drop more cash for an InteliBook Mac in the next year or so, the one you get today will have to last you a couple of years if not longer. I know you probably don't want to take advantage of your 'rents offer, but I'd try to swing the 128MB GPU, biggest hdd, and at least a gig of RAM (not Apple RAM).

That being said, I'm sure others will report that:

There's the durability thing to consider - lots of folks think the iBook is sturdier than the PB. I've been lugging my PB around for a year and it looks new, but I'm anal about it.
WiFi reception is reportedly better in the iBook, too.
How big of a laptop do you want to lug around/how much space is there on the desks in your college classrooms?

Good luck with your decision.
 
Good decision on the 'book for college/other. The flexibility to have a 12" 'book and a 20" FP at home is unbeatable IMHO. Like you the main reason I chose the powerbook over the ibook was the GPU and the DVI port. I wanted a comp that would last me the longest and with these criteria fit the glove beautifully. They also look fantastic (but so do the ibooks). My powerbook rarely leaves my sides these days :D.

Just make sure you backup your data in case you drop it or lose it like Over Achiever :).
 
lorkp said:
I was thinking of purchasing a 12" PB with a Dell 2005FPW for these reasons

Powerbook—yea?
Click to expand...

oh yeah!! thats the setup i have and it rocks. you get the great portability of the 12" PB for on campus, then you have the awsome space of the 20" dell for those big projects you need to work on at your dorm/apt. if money really isnt a big deal then go for the 20" apple monitor, it just looks a lot cooler. and get an apple bluetooth keyboard and a 3rd party bluetooth mouse with a scroll wheel. and a good set of 2.1 speakers.
 
.Andy said:
Just make sure you backup your data in case you drop it or lose it like Over Achiever :).
Click to expand...
Haha too true. An external HD isn't that expensive nowadays ... if you're just doing backups at home get a regular hefty desktop HD, should give you
1. plenty of storage space and
2. room to back up important data (like that 5 page lit paper you actually started the day before it's due ... shockingly ;)

And I agree with the others ... a 12" PB is the ultimate in portability, and the 20" screen is the ultimate display (well the 23/24" are bigger, but lets not overdo it now ^^)
 
Since this thread has shifted to a "PB vs iBook" thread from an "iBook vs mini" thread, I'll try and go with the flow.

I have owned, in the last 18 months (in order):
- 12in iBook G4
- 12in PowerBook G4
- 15in PowerBook G4

Why all the shifting, you ask?
iBook -> 12in PB because of the video card (not suitable for serious design work) and the keyboard.
12in PB - 15in PB because of the screen size/quality.

In my opinion, the keyboard on the PowerBooks is the best keyboard I have ever used. It's incredible. Anyhow, also the quality of the display used in the 15in PB is much higher than that used in both the iBook and the 12in PB. So I reccomend a laptop, yes. But if you're serious about display quality, you're going to have to jump all the way up to the 15in PB. Otherwise, there are options available below it. Good luck!
 
michaelrjohnson said:
12in PB - 15in PB because of the screen size/quality.

Anyhow, also the quality of the display used in the 15in PB is much higher than that used in both the iBook and the 12in PB. So I reccomend a laptop, yes. But if you're serious about display quality, you're going to have to jump all the way up to the 15in PB. Otherwise, there are options available below it. Good luck!
Click to expand...

I disagree here. Instead of making the jump to a 15" powerbook, I would take that money and spend it towards a nice LCD monitor, as had already been suggested.You'll have ultimate portability for when you're on the go and tons more real estate when you're at home (12" + 20" vs. 15").
 
Capt Underpants said:
I disagree here. Instead of making the jump to a 15" powerbook, I would take that money and spend it towards a nice LCD monitor, as had already been suggested.You'll have ultimate portability for when you're on the go and tons more real estate when you're at home (12" + 20" vs. 15").
Click to expand...
Oh no, I completely agree with you here. I was speaking only of internal display options. Definitly a nice external is another way to go, and perhaps a good choice. Before I purchased my current 15in PB (used) I was looking at external monitors as well.
 
You'll love the screen on the 17" Powerbook ^_~

But the size of the laptop screen will be a matter of taste and the size of your parent's wallet. After using the 17" monster in class for over two years, I have little regret except for the attention it receives. But in a classroom environment, you'll find the smaller size will come in handy more often than the screen space to multitask. With Expose and Dashboard, they become more manageable.

I think the main difference between the 12" and the 15/17" screens are the dot pitch ... Apple believes the optimum dpi is 100, and the 12" screen is a standard laptop screen ... it's 106 dpi. Personally I don't mind the sharper screen.
 
Well here's my 2cents. I will be a sophomore this year at the University of Florida and here is my experience... I bought a tricked out (Windows eek) desktop last fall for school because I wanted to do video editing and because the school recommended Windows. I love this thing, and it was quite useful- perfect for my needs. That being said, on occasion I found myself wishing I had a little laptop to jump on wifi at the library with or at starbucks- plus everyone knows how difficult it can be to get work done in a dorm or worse... A frat house! Most of my good friends had laptops. One had a tricked out windows machine while the others had either a 15"Pb of 12"iBook. The 15Pb's and larger windows laptops essentially became desktop replacements...While I know many people say they travel with a 15 or 17, on such a large campus it was simply impractical (and a pain)to take such a large computer to walk 30 minutes with several other books or worse in a bookbag on their bike! That being said my friend with the 12iBook had no problem taking it everywhere-small enough and light enough so that it was very convenient. This convinced me to just purchase an IBook (YESTERDAY!) which I think will compliment my desktop perfectly.
My advice for you is to get a very portable laptop if you get a laptop for college. If you need the power- by all means go for 15 or 17pb but remember we are lazy and lugging something heavy to class is not cool and you'll most likely just leave it on your desk. If you dont need the power however the 12iBook or PB becomes your next decision. And the iBooks are by far the best deal as they are close in power and speed now. So then it becomes entirely your decision if not having to use the hack for screen spanning is worth the extra money. And who doesnt need money for beer
 
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