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No more waiting. Ready to buy 12" PB.

M

Mr.kr

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 22, 2004
5
0
Mississippi
After following the rumors and news for over a month, I've decided to stop waiting for the Powerbook update that may or may not be "soon". So I plan to purchase a 12" PB with an educational discount.

1. Can I buy a BTO PB with edu discount from anywhere but apple.com? That's what I plan to do, but didn't know if there were any other options. I plan to get a superdrive, add airport and upgrade the harddrive.

2. If I'm going to spend a lot of money on a laptop, I want to protect it. I would like a messenger-style bag that's not too big, I mean I am going for the 12" for the lite, portability factor. I would like more space than just a sleeve however. I like the Timbuk2 Commuter. The Waterfield's are too expensive, though the Timbuk2 is pushing it. I'm also interested in the Booq Mamba.XS, it seems a bit big. Like the Brenthaven Mobility 1 also. Any thoughts or experiences with these bags or one you would recommend for the 12"?

I hope to order the laptop soon, any advise is appreciated!

TIA,
 
I think the best place to buy your mac is direct from apple. They're the only ones that will offer the student discount, too (at least that I've seen). Some other online retailers will offer freebies and stuff, but if you're going BTO, you might as well have it built by the people who designed it.

Order the protection plan too. For a computer this expensive, it's well worth it.

Good luck with your PB. A friend of mine just got approved for an apple educational loan and will be getting the same computer as you very shortly. It looks like a great machine.
 
Get a good sleeve...

I was able to get two good Brenthaven bags off eBay really cheap: the 12" PB backpack that is available only from Apple, and a shoulder bag that is identical to the one sold by Apple, except that it has an adjustable sleeve, rather than the custom sleeve. You may want to check there if you are interested in a Brenthaven bag.

If not, then I'd consider finding a good sleeve that fits the 12" PB well/closely, and then finding a bag you like. I found that a lot of computer bags are designed to hold average laptops, making them larger than I would prefer. Since the 12" PB is so small, you might be able to just put it in a sleeve and then find the bag you like. I love the brenthaven sleeves, particularly the custom fit one that came with my backpack. Unfortunately, Brenthaven doesn't sell them separately. Other companies sell sleeves. I have a bunch of links somewhere; let me know if you want them.
 
You can order a powerbook BTO from an apple retailer, just beware they have to do the same thing as you, order it from apple, you just save shipping. I belive the actual apple stores do edu discounts, but not the resellers. If your a student i recommend NOT getting a laptop backpack or messenger bag. I would get a really nice sleeve or form fitting case (i have the marware, love it). Then put that in your bag. As a student i see no reason to walk through campus with a backpack that says "Hi, i have an expensive laptop in here, please steal me". It's me being paranoid, but man, if i lost my powerbook i'd cry for weeks.
 
Re: No more waiting. Ready to buy 12" PB.



2. If I'm going to spend a lot of money on a laptop, I want to protect it. I would like a messenger-style bag that's not too big, I mean I am going for the 12" for the lite, portability factor. I would like more space than just a sleeve however. I like the Timbuk2 Commuter. The Waterfield's are too expensive, though the Timbuk2 is pushing it. I'm also interested in the Booq Mamba.XS, it seems a bit big. Like the Brenthaven Mobility 1 also. Any thoughts or experiences with these bags or one you would recommend for the 12"?

I hope to order the laptop soon, any advise is appreciated!

TIA, [/B]
Click to expand...


Dude you want a good priced bag? Holy crap, I bought a GAP messanger bag (black) for $40 and its like a tank... Um, the American Eagle backpacks and messanger packs are like 25 bucks and they are just as good! Um, I've used by GAP M-bag for a year? And its been a hassel free ride... I love it EXCEPT it doesnt fit the 15 or 17" in the protective sleeve (damn) but you cant expect the world in that kind of price range.
 
I've got the Gap messenger bag too, fits perfectly. I've also got a Tucano protective sleeve.
 
i have a 12" pb and use the laptop sleve. the cool thing about the laptop sleve is i can drop it in my El Ocho messenger bag from Timbuk2 or i can drop it in a backpack, duffel or suitcase if im traveling. timbuk 2 also makes a ditty bag which is just big enough for your power adapter and all. so all you ahve to worry about is the laptop sleve and ditty bag, then just drop it into whatever carrying case you want (ie backpack or other messenger bag) and your laptop will be safe and sound.

btw . . . timbuk2 likes apple and the laptop sleves are designed specificly to fit the iBooks and PowerBooks. . . (i orriginally got mine for my iBook but then it works just as well since i upgraded to the PB)

just my 2 cents :) enjoy your new PB!!! youll love it!
 
Depending on how pricey you want to go, and how much you like having lots of pockets...

I've got an older US Luggage wide body soft leather briefcase-type thing... very similar to this current model - US Luggage Bag

From what I can tell, it's nearly identical to the one I have with the exception of having an actual padded laptop area. What I actually do is, as you may be able to see in this pic -

D941_acc.jpg


There's an inner pocket in one of the main compartments that fits my 12" PB like a glove.

I looked around, looks like it can be had for abot $90 online.

I managed to pick mine up for $5 at a thrift store though, main compartment zipper was busted but I slammed it back on the teeth and just don't move one of the pulls past where a tooth is missing.
 
www.acmemade.com

Check out Acmemade.com they make great quality bags, and their customer service has been just great. Their bags desgined to carry your laptop, and not much more, so it's a pretty small case. I like mine alot. Good Luck.
 
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