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Sell 12" PB for MacBook???

D

droo94

macrumors member
Original poster
Jun 26, 2007
57
0
I'm having a bit of a dilemma lately. I really like the 12" PB I have right now (1.5 Ghz, 1.25 GB Ram), but I really wish I had the Intel chip. I'm not even that interested in Boot Camp, but I'd actually like to run Linux and maybe (God forbid) Windoze in the Parallels vm.

I really like the 12" PB form factor though -- it's a good size and the aluminum finish rocks! I've seen all the new notebooks and the 15" MBP still looks like a giant brick to me. I also don't want to spend over $2,000 USD for a laptop b/c I feel they lose their relative value faster (today's "high-end" is tomorrow's "mid-range").

My ideal would be the fabled 12" MBP but I see no reason to expect that to happen soon. Would the MacBook be worth it? I don't like its form factor compared to the 12" PB -- really all I'd want it for is the software advantages of the Intel switch.

My day-to-day usage is basically internet/email and office apps. I do love games, but I actually play a lot of the "old school" free/old games -- FreeCiv, Battle for Wesnoth, Warcraft 3. I also have some old Linux games which I hope would also run in Parallels -- Sim City 3000, Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri. Bottom line, I don't think my day-to-day usage is too graphics intensive.

Maybe I have strange tastes. :) Based on this, do you think it's worth it for me to sell my PB and get a MB?
 
droo94 said:
I'm having a bit of a dilemma lately. I really like the 12" PB I have right now (1.5 Ghz, 1.25 GB Ram), but I really wish I had the Intel chip. I'm not even that interested in Boot Camp, but I'd actually like to run Linux and maybe (God forbid) Windoze in the Parallels vm.

I really like the 12" PB form factor though -- it's a good size and the aluminum finish rocks! I've seen all the new notebooks and the 15" MBP still looks like a giant brick to me. I also don't want to spend over $2,000 USD for a laptop b/c I feel they lose their relative value faster (today's "high-end" is tomorrow's "mid-range").

My ideal would be the fabled 12" MBP but I see no reason to expect that to happen soon. Would the MacBook be worth it? I don't like its form factor compared to the 12" PB -- really all I'd want it for is the software advantages of the Intel switch.

i would say

My day-to-day usage is basically internet/email and office apps. I do love games, but I actually play a lot of the "old school" free/old games -- FreeCiv, Battle for Wesnoth, Warcraft 3. I also have some old Linux games which I hope would also run in Parallels -- Sim City 3000, Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri. Bottom line, I don't think my day-to-day usage is too graphics intensive.

Maybe I have strange tastes. :) Based on this, do you think it's worth it for me to sell my PB and get a MB?
Click to expand...

i would say go ahead and switch cause the 12" pb re sell is dropping fast and the macbooks out now are dramatically faster than the 12" powerbook, ive swapped between the macbook and powerbook over the past 6 months and i can feel the difference
 
I'd say go for the macbook, intel is faster, and you can boot to linux or windows with parallels or boot camp should you choose to do so. The ability to install other operating systems wasn't a huge selling point, but its a cool little extra i can choose to have if i ever feel like it.
 
I'm waiting it out... hoping for a true replacement for the 12" Powerbook. A laptop like yours sold for $740 on eBay a few days ago, so I don't forsee resale value, at least in your case, being an issue in the near future. I say follow your heart. If you want to run linux/windows, get a macbook. If you're set on a more portable apple laptop, wait it out.

I'm waiting at least until MWSF in January to buy a new laptop. I figure by then, even if a 12" laptop isn't released, at least the macbooks will have new GPU's, so I won't be buying a laptop with a 2 year old graphics processor.
 
Yeah I'm waiting it out as well...hoping for a real replacement for my 12". I actually just upgraded to 1.25 GB of RAM today (what a difference!), so I'm in it for the long term. :D

I don't have plans on upgrading soon, but I really really want another very small, metal surface computer. Everything larger feels clunky and anything in plastic feels cheap! Why'd I buy this thing in the first place, now my standards are too high! lol
 
OutThere said:
Yeah I'm waiting it out as well...hoping for a real replacement for my 12". I actually just upgraded to 1.25 GB of RAM today (what a difference!), so I'm in it for the long term. :D

I don't have plans on upgrading soon, but I really really want another very small, metal surface computer. Everything larger feels clunky and anything in plastic feels cheap! Why'd I buy this thing in the first place, now my standards are too high! lol
Click to expand...

I feel the same way! I'll probably be buying a 1 gig stick of RAM for this thing, as I've heard (now from multiple people) that it makes a huge difference. May the 12" powerbook soon reincarnate.
 
I should have said earlier that the earliest I'd buy is with the October release of Leopard. I do really wish Apple would release a 12" MBP b/c anything else would feel like a "compromise" to me. I don't know how to explain it but the 12" PB just "feels right" to me. I guess I've gotten attached to the little dude over the past 2.5 years. :)
 
droo94 said:
I should have said earlier that the earliest I'd buy is with the October release of Leopard. I do really wish Apple would release a 12" MBP b/c anything else would feel like a "compromise" to me. I don't know how to explain it but the 12" PB just "feels right" to me. I guess I've gotten attached to the little dude over the past 2.5 years. :)
Click to expand...

Unless you need to switch I'd also suggest you wait untill Leopard and get the software increase at the very least with the computer. Your computer is not going to loose much more value over the summer (in fact you may have a easier time selling it in September - Back to School Crowd).

Good Luck
 
Yeah, Like everyone is saying if you can wait it out and see what they release if you can. I personally love my 12" and won't upgrade until this thing dies or they release something similar
 
My thoughts exactally! I too just upgraded to 1.25GB of memory and I'm quite happy, soo portable and it still does everything I need it to do. Period. Release something similar or I'm staying with what I got. Resale is NOT an issue, this is the sexiest and smallest computer ever made.

I'd sure like an built in iSight though!

B

Reflow said:
Yeah, Like everyone is saying if you can wait it out and see what they release if you can. I personally love my 12" and won't upgrade until this thing dies or they release something similar
Click to expand...
 
thejadedmonkey said:
Can't you get a PPC distro of Linux?
Click to expand...

Yes. I recently installed Ubuntu. I even got Alpha Centauri working on it! (it had a PPC patch). It's pretty good but the trackpad drivers irk me a bit b/c it's a very different feel from when I'm in OSX.

I'd really prefer Parallels though. :(
 
macnvrbck said:
My thoughts exactally! I too just upgraded to 1.25GB of memory and I'm quite happy, soo portable and it still does everything I need it to do. Period. Release something similar or I'm staying with what I got. Resale is NOT an issue, this is the sexiest and smallest computer ever made.

I'd sure like an built in iSight though!

B
Click to expand...

Me 3, I just got a memory boost to 1.25 gig and it does make a world of difference, I still want a built in iSight though, but for now the xbox webcam works pretty good ... So this'll tide me over till the new OS upgrade or till they upgrade the 12 inchers.

Long hail the 12" powerbook.
 
I would get a macbook now or a refurb. They've just been updated and are a lot faster than your pb. You can always sell later on if Apple does release a 12 inch mbp. Also, remember that the 12 inch mbp would be a 1st gen product w/ all the 1st gen problems, so if you get your macbook now, you can afford to hold out for the revision b products.
 
I say thee nay. The 12" PB rocked the house in its day. I assume there was a reason you didn't buy an iBook back then - you wanted style, quality keyboard, light weight, etc. Difference not so much in specs, but in build quality.

The MB is superior to the iBook, but, not to be elitist, but I don't know if its quite good enough to make a Powerbook user think of downgrading. Your current system should still be fine for 6-9 months, and by that time you can either get the ultra MBP or "settle" for a 15" nextgen MBP with Penryn CPU, LED display, etc. Or get the current model as a refurb for $1500 or so.
 
tristan said:
The MB is superior to the iBook, but, not to be elitist, but I don't know if its quite good enough to make a Powerbook user think of downgrading. Your current system should still be fine for 6-9 months, and by that time you can either get the ultra MBP or "settle" for a 15" nextgen MBP with Penryn CPU, LED display, etc. Or get the current model as a refurb for $1500 or so.
Click to expand...

LOL.
 
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