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Will the 17" Powerbook make me look like an idiot?
- Thread starter Rob587
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The 17 is great although after a month and a half I am still getting used to just ho wbig it is when I pull it out...especially when it gets plonked down next to a "PC" 15" which tends to be as heavy and half as thick again.
No one has complained its too big or too heavy. Its just taking some getting used to
No one has complained its too big or too heavy. Its just taking some getting used to
juxel said:
As a film major, taking notes via computer is very feasable hense why I bought one. The lectures are never too fast nor overly complicated and I also can't write for an long period of time without my wrist becoming sore. I found this out the hard way in my Sport In American Society class last semester. A lot of notes and no recording devices allowed. Added to this is wireless internet points all over campus to make those long boring lectures go buy muuuuuuch faster!!!
GFLPraxis said:
Some get considerably worse battery lives than even that! I think it was the dell dimension XPS that got either 45 minutes or 1 hour and 45 minutes...either way it was pretty bad (although it was a best of a laptop.)
Although those centrino chips are considerably faster than the G4's that are in the powerbooks right now. Especially the new generation of pentium Ms (up to 2 ghz and faster than a p4 per mhz). Supposedly they get excellent battery lives as well (greater than 4 hours). They still haven't done anything really to cure that "looks like a brick" problem though.
Unless your 3 feet tall (im not making fun of little people) or unless you are 110 pound female,Then you might get some stares.Who cares what people think.Its a powerbook baby!
I would never trust the battery rating of a manufacturer.
for it to be somewhat accurate, the more power consuming usages, like optical drive, screen brightness, wireless networking, etc, all are at there lowest setting or turned off completely.
for it to be somewhat accurate, the more power consuming usages, like optical drive, screen brightness, wireless networking, etc, all are at there lowest setting or turned off completely.
nyprospect said:Unless your 3 feet tall (im not making fun of little people) or unless you are 110 pound female,Then you might get some stares.Who cares what people think.Its a powerbook baby!
Amen, with Apple and OS X you have a system that is both stylish and rock stable compared to the Win PC's.
I think that the 17" is kind of ugly actually. If you compare the size and location of the keyboard, touchpad, and speakers to the 15" you will see that the proportions are very strange. The keyboard is much smaller than it needs to be and the touchpad is much larger than it needs to be. The speakers put out the same sound and so are probably the same internally but just have a larger grille to disguise the small keyboard. The keyboard is actually the same size on all the sizes of aluminum Powerbooks. It looks like the designers balanced the appearance of the 15" quite well but didn't know what to do with the extra space available on the 17".
When you move down to the 12" you sacrifice a lot of performance and gain some portability but when you move up to the 17" you gain nothing but extra display area at the cost of weight and bulk. Since you can always use an external display at your desk I don't see much value to having a 17" when a 15" will do just as well. Get a 15" and trick it out with all the options. Span out to an external display of some kind if you feel the need.
When you move down to the 12" you sacrifice a lot of performance and gain some portability but when you move up to the 17" you gain nothing but extra display area at the cost of weight and bulk. Since you can always use an external display at your desk I don't see much value to having a 17" when a 15" will do just as well. Get a 15" and trick it out with all the options. Span out to an external display of some kind if you feel the need.
juxel said:
my 12" PowerBook does 1600x1200@90Hz. (21" IBM P260 CRT).
to the original question, no, a 17" PB will not make you look like a dork.
yamabushi said:
I disagree. I think everything is the right size on the 17. I like the fact that i have a bit of an armrest with the extra size, and the keyboard on all powerbooks is full sized. It would have been weirder if they would have increased the keyboard size.
I guess it all comes down to personal preference, and I guess whatever you get, it will grow on you.
If you're unconcerned about the portability - even though the 17 is quite easy to...port... - and you can afford it, then get it. It's a GREAT machine. I love mine.
If you can't afford an external monitor - or don't have room in the dorm room / greek house / micro apartment - the 17 is what you want.
The screen size is a nice bonus over the 15, but physically, it's not much bigger.
IMHO, the argument b/w 15 and 17 is price + screen size
Difference bw the 12 & 15/17 is portability
I have a rev. a 17, so the 15's were still TiBooks when I bought. If they had updated the 15 at the time I bought I would have gotten the 15. I probably still would (and spend the extra on upgrades) - but the 17 screen is VERY nice.
Anyway, that was a TOTAL ramble.
If you can't afford an external monitor - or don't have room in the dorm room / greek house / micro apartment - the 17 is what you want.
The screen size is a nice bonus over the 15, but physically, it's not much bigger.
IMHO, the argument b/w 15 and 17 is price + screen size
Difference bw the 12 & 15/17 is portability
I have a rev. a 17, so the 15's were still TiBooks when I bought. If they had updated the 15 at the time I bought I would have gotten the 15. I probably still would (and spend the extra on upgrades) - but the 17 screen is VERY nice.
Anyway, that was a TOTAL ramble.
I just dont want to get the 15" and still not want to bring it to class and on top of that, having a smaller desk replacment.. and the 12" is kinda outa the question... its too slow for me. I just like how the 17" powerbook looks(I wish I didnt so I could just get a fast powermac desktop) BASICALLY: Im going to college and I would preffer the speed of the powermac, but I love how the 17" powerbook looks. Portability doesnt matter cuz the only notebook im drawn to is the 17" powerbook, which I wouldnt take anywhere. Any more suggestions?
Rob587 said:
Tough call.
My 17" is my desktop replacement and it works fab.
The new iMac may through things into a spin for you in September if it looks hot and you dont need a portable.
Thing is, you dont know how much fun a portable is until you get one and take it places all the time for music or to share files etc...movies in bed...
well i hate how the current imacs look... so if they are in anyway similar it shouldnt be a problem. lol
I got the 15 and love it, the wide-screen aspect helps, the 17 looked nice but was way to big for my taste plus the price was about the same as a desktop so its not much of a savings. If you are taking it to class I would suggest you buy the Brenthaven case, a little pricey but well worth it for the protection and all the room that it offers.
I have a 17" PowerBooks that I carry with me through crowded airports every other week to attended classes for my Executive MBA. The first time I pulled it out of my bag a lot jaws hit the floor. I am in class with a lot of Intel engineers and they were the first ones to come over and want to check it out. Secretly all of them want Apples, but without an Intel chip in it, it is kind of hard for them to breakdown and buy one.
As was mentioned earlier it is a personal preference as to which system you should buy.
Good luck
As was mentioned earlier it is a personal preference as to which system you should buy.
Good luck
Rob587 said:
Do you already look like a wierdo? Then yes you would.
You're going to get noticed no matter what. Your computer is silver and has a big lit up Apple on the back. But so what? It's our differences that make us interesting. Maybe it'll help start a conversation with the professor or a classmate.
But still, just get a 15" and save your parents a little cash. Leave their nest egg with a little something so don't have to move in with you when they retire.
I just have to take a little issue with the G4 is too slow argument.
I prevaricated for an age before I took the plunge and bought a 17 1.5 G4 and have never regretted it for one moment.
The screen is drop dead gorgeous and I carry it with ease between home and work.
As for speed I use Microsoft Office, Photoshop, Illustrator and Go Live with no discernable issues. They all load plenty quick enough and operations are smooth. iTunes runs with no visualize jerkiness, iMovie plays clips smoothly with no dropped frames and iPhoto is fine.
In short whether the Centrino etc. has faster specs or not is completely irrelevant to my real world interaction with my computer. Friends ask me how fast is it and I just say how long is a piece of string? The machine satisfies my needs, quietly and efficiently so in that respect its fast, what more does one really need?
The latest iteration of the PowerBook line is nicely mature, with the majority of previous foibles ironed out and a plenty fast enough, well established G4 chip inside, married to a rock solid OS, which can also easily interact with a windows environment. Personally, though I am biased in an almost evangelical way, its a no-brainer.
The only issue really is how strong a priority is pure portability. If its important Id go for the 12 or maybe the 15. If its not that much of an issue the 17 will be a beautiful machine.
Finally, in the short space of time I have had mine, I have converted two friends the quiet revolution in a corner of London, UK continues.
Vanilla
I prevaricated for an age before I took the plunge and bought a 17 1.5 G4 and have never regretted it for one moment.
The screen is drop dead gorgeous and I carry it with ease between home and work.
As for speed I use Microsoft Office, Photoshop, Illustrator and Go Live with no discernable issues. They all load plenty quick enough and operations are smooth. iTunes runs with no visualize jerkiness, iMovie plays clips smoothly with no dropped frames and iPhoto is fine.
In short whether the Centrino etc. has faster specs or not is completely irrelevant to my real world interaction with my computer. Friends ask me how fast is it and I just say how long is a piece of string? The machine satisfies my needs, quietly and efficiently so in that respect its fast, what more does one really need?
The latest iteration of the PowerBook line is nicely mature, with the majority of previous foibles ironed out and a plenty fast enough, well established G4 chip inside, married to a rock solid OS, which can also easily interact with a windows environment. Personally, though I am biased in an almost evangelical way, its a no-brainer.
The only issue really is how strong a priority is pure portability. If its important Id go for the 12 or maybe the 15. If its not that much of an issue the 17 will be a beautiful machine.
Finally, in the short space of time I have had mine, I have converted two friends the quiet revolution in a corner of London, UK continues.
Vanilla
Look at it this way...the kind of people who would use "lol" after the phrase, "I don't care about portability"...Rob587 said:
...those kinda folk are usually weirdos.
Actually, as long as you're in the mood for feedback, here goes:
A. You're attending college shortly and you own a 17" PowerBook. I don't care what you're studying in college, but by the time you're proficient enough to take full advantage of the capabilities of it, the machine will be outdated. So yeah, it's a bit like a child wearing clothing 4 sizes too big because the parents figure the kid will eventually grow into them. No one will believe for a second that you really need something that big for school.
B. Yeah the 17" looks cool and there's always going to be that subsection of society that will always justify buying one. They also gravitate toward anything else in life that will draw gawks from their peers or help improve their self image.
C. Given the fact that all of Apple's portables, from PowerBooks to iBooks will drive large screen CRTs with relative ease, it's hard to understand why anyone who needs to run from class to class across campus wouldn't rather lugging a 12" PowerBook and plugging into a 17", 19", 20", 21" or 22" at home or in the dorm at the end of the day. Not only is it easier, it's far cheaper.
So yeah, a lot of people will stare at you and your big honkin' portable computer. Some will point and say, "Cool" while others will point at you like the dork who came to the prom wearing one of dad's suits.
It won't be long before you grow tired of carrying all of that extra dead weight in your bag around campus or having to close it up and carry it into the bathroom with you every time nature calls for fear of having it stolen from under your nose...or beaten out of you late one night after class.
Good luck! lol <-------- for real.