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worth to give 370$ more to have a Powerbook?

toughboy

toughboy

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
May 2, 2003
796
18
Izmir, Turkey
I'm entering the Apple Online Store very often these days, trying to decide whether to buy a iBook or a Pbook..

It's a bit difficult equation to be solved... there some variables and fixeds in it...

what fixed is that I want a 12", 60gb hdd, somewhat like a 900mhz processor..
what variable is simply if its worth to buy a powerbook giving up a 400$?

powerbook has g4 processor, airport extreme, bluetooth, slot-load drives which I admire. iBook looks tougher, has longer battery standby, and finally is cheaper!

what would you say?..
 
Seems a lot of people are wrestling with the ibook/ 12" PB issue these days, and there's no easy answer. IMHO, the ibook is a better deal, but it's really a question of what you need. Would you use airport extreme, bluetooth, and altivec enhanced applications?

If you do a lot of photoshop or other altivec apps, the PB will be a lot better. If you do everyday things like e mail, www, word processing, digital photos, imovie, music, etc, the powerbook will not be any better at all.

The money you save by buying an ibook can get you 512 RAM (not from apple!), a nice case, an extra battery, and then some. (or a nice ipod!) So if you won't use those features on the powerbook, put the extra cash to better use than buying a status symbol. If you can actually make use of AE, BT, G4, etc, then you'll be much happier with the PB.
 
the iBook offers great value for money and that's important to me. with the new low-end sporting 32mb of VRAM it's even better. i would always get the iBook.

i *personally* don't feel that the PB offers significant performance gains. if i was really doing A LOT of things that use altivec then, well, i wouldn't get the 12" PB but a bigger one or maybe an iMac...

oh and as far as tough-factor i can't really vouch for the PB, but i can say that i've been kicking around this 2001 Dual-USB since, well, 2001. that's 2 years and running. it travels - to over 11 countries and to work and to school. always without a case. always in a backpack. it's been modded. overclocked. upgraded. and dropped. (the dog did it!) iBook's are tough. real tough.

in my perspective the PB and the PM lines don't offer significant value for money. some people need all they can get and a dual 1.4Ghz is the only way to go, even if the money isn't *quite* worth it. i feel the same applies for the iBook vs. the PB
 
Does the 12" PB support monitor spanning? I guess it doesn't really matter since I hear there is a hack for the ibook to get it to do this, but I have found this to be invaluable with my 15" PB, and with an even smaller screen I would think it would be even more important. To me this in one of the major benefits of the pro lineup. I use 2 monitors all the time, and would be very frustrated if all I could do was mirror my display.
 
The aircraft-grade anodized aluminum alloy in the 12" PowerBook is much stronger than the polycarbonate in the iBook.
 
Originally posted by frozenstar
The aircraft-grade anodized aluminum alloy in the 12" PowerBook is much stronger than the polycarbonate in the iBook.
Click to expand...

oh yeah? drop 'em both and see which one looks/ works better afterwards. :D
 
thanx for the answers, but I still really don't know what to purchase... :(
bluetooth seems to be a good way of wireless internet access (ý'm talking about taking your notebook and climbing up a mountain.. :))
I dont have very fast access to internet, so airport extreme does not seem to have a meaning, unless it provides larger signal area of connection...
but in one hand, i cant see a reason to give an extra 400$ for powerbook.. (this extra 400 dolars is when ibook is upgraded to 640mb ram, while pb has only 384)
whatever..
thanx to repliers, i'd still be glad to see other opinions..
 
Originally posted by toughboy
(ý'm talking about taking your notebook and climbing up a mountain.. :))
Click to expand...

I have taken computers to the top of buttes in the 4 Corners, I have had them dunked at Zion, I have taken them half way around the world to the depths of Cambodia, and there is one thing I have learned. GO LOW TECH! If all your doing is primarily data collection and word-processing, go with something simple. A used laptop, a early x86, a z80 based processor. Some computers that have survived the extremes (and still work).

Apple eMate 300 a link to a perfect picture on an eMate. Used in the back hills of California and for classes. 4-6 hour bat. life.
QuickPadPro which has been to Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Japan, and back hills of the U.S. 20-40 hour bat. life with high performance AA's. Slow upload unless you have a USB CF reader.
A SwissTech Text-To-Speech that uses SD-Ram drives. Survived being submerged for a couple of months. Still works, but the company is gone.
I have a working Handspring Visor Deluxe with keyboard (and built in back light!). It's a good general solution for most outdoor needs, though I prefer a more stable platform. I now mostly use my QuickPad Pro. If your interisted in any of these computers, let me know. I'll give you a full review of their pro's and con's and where one might find an inexpensive unit.

Keep it simple and low tech if you plan to use your computers in the middle of nowhere. If your inexpensive computer gets damaged it's not as much a loss as compared to loosing a PB or iBook. Also, low-tech computers tend to last longer on batteries and are more robust. Just my thoughts on part of your quote.
 
i say that a G4 provides significant performance gains when using Photoshop for instance. at college last year everyone else had iBooks and i had a TiBook. walking around the class while others were working in Photoshop made me realise how much Alti-Vec helps.

but if your work Mac won't be used for 50% or more of the time running Photoshop or similar, then a really good value-for-money situation would be getting the iBook, maxing the ram, and maybe even getting an iPod. i know that's what i'd do if i were going to get an iBook.
 
I'm in the same boat. I don't do photoshop, but I do audio editing on my desktop, and don't plan on doing any of that on my laptop. I have a PC laptop now (grrr) and want an apple laptop. To me, the performance is a wash, not much difference, and that is based on the 800mhz ibook, not the new 900mhz one. The things I like most about the PB and why I am considering it are

-I like the case design better, IMO metal looks better than white plastic.
-The slot load drive appeals to me, I hate using the tray on my PC laptop.
-Bluetooth and airport extreme, for future compatibility without a usb dongle
-Option for superdrive, even if I dont actually burn on it, I assume I can at least set up a burn in iDVD 3 and copy it to my desktop and use the faster superdrive there (Am I right on this?)
-lighter and smaller than iBook
-Already available 1gb ram chips, just waiting for a price drop
-I already have an iPod :)

Why I like the iBook

-Cheaper
-Matches my iPod :)
-Won't get dented if dropped


for me, it's mostly price that is keeping me from buying right away. I say, if you have the money for the PB, go ahead and spend it, either computer should hold its resale value well, and if you follow the rumors, you might be able to sell right before a new better model comes out and not lose much money in the process.
 
Originally posted by WannabeSQ
The slot load drive appeals to me, I hate using the tray on my PC laptop.
-Option for superdrive, even if I dont actually burn on it, I assume I can at least set up a burn in iDVD 3 and copy it to my desktop and use the faster superdrive there (Am I right on this?)
Click to expand...

slot load drives are cool but are slower and prone to 'issues'

and no you can't do that on your PB unless you got it *with* a superdrive. won't open otherwise.
 
Originally posted by melchior
slot load drives are cool but are slower and prone to 'issues'

and no you can't do that on your PB unless you got it *with* a superdrive. won't open otherwise.
Click to expand...

I figure ill get applecare on either one when/if I get one, so that should be taken care of.

Yeah, I know i gotta get it with the superdrive, and it seems like a good value to me, being able to make backups on the road. My question was, will I be able to do all the work on the PB with superdrive and then transfer it to a desktop machine with superdrive to do the actual burn? Or would transferring 4.7gb to the desktop negate any time saved with the faster burner?
 
Originally posted by WannabeSQ
I figure ill get applecare on either one when/if I get one, so that should be taken care of.

Yeah, I know i gotta get it with the superdrive, and it seems like a good value to me, being able to make backups on the road. My question was, will I be able to do all the work on the PB with superdrive and then transfer it to a desktop machine with superdrive to do the actual burn? Or would transferring 4.7gb to the desktop negate any time saved with the faster burner?
Click to expand...

oh, my apologies. i thought you were thinking something else. i don't know about the answer to that question. i reckon you could, but i don't have a superdrive mac. let alone two. so i don't really know :(
 
what I'll be doing with my notebook...

Originally posted by MacFan25
toughboy - what are you planning on using this computer for?
Click to expand...

I'm really intrested in music and photography..
thinking to switch to prof. digital photography after my Canon SLR was stolen.. I'm gonna go for a Canon S45 or S50, so I need a notebook to make some changes in the photos I'll be taking..
I like playing games, but dont like first person shooters, I like Diablo kind of games, (waiting for Diablo Patch 1.1!! :)) so I may not need a G4 I guess..
I play several instruments, and love to listen different kinds of music, so I need a large hdd... to record my own music, Audio Input in PB takes my attention...
I wont be making movies or so.. I wont be using CAD.. these kind of things makes me closer to ibook but you know, better tech. faster comp. whispers "take me" into my ears!! :)
 
the canon S50 isn't exactly my definition of photography, but you may enjoy photoshop more if you got the powerbook. that is if you use photoshop.

it looks like to me it's simply a question of photoshop.... i mean i take a lot of digital photo's. (i've been travelling for 2 years :rolleyes: non-stop) but i rarely use photoshop....

iBook baby! yeah! ;-)
 
it also depends on how long you plan on keeping the computer, and not having to upgrade... i mean, if you get the iBook, you'll prolly have to upgrade sooner than you would a pb. That's why i got the 17". I needed a computer now, and i don't wanna have to spend more money on an upgrade 3 years down the road. I hope my pb will last me hopefull 5 years. I dunno if that's a pipedream, but for all that i do... i think that it will be fine.
 
"the canon S50 isn't exactly my definition of photography, but you may enjoy photoshop more if you got the powerbook"

its not my "exact" definition too, but my exact definition needs 2000$ (eos 10D):(

"it also depends on how long you plan on keeping the computer, and not having to upgrade... "

If I buy iBook (which it seems like) I'll be upgrading it to max RAM possible (which is 640MB I guess..) I'm a long-time PC user and I know myself that I wont be upgrading it anymore.. I only upgrade RAM with my PCs, but as I said If I buy iBook, I'll be upgrading it to max already...
 
Re: worth to give 370$ more to have a Powerbook?

Originally posted by toughboy
I'm entering the Apple Online Store very often these days, trying to decide whether to buy a iBook or a Pbook..

It's a bit difficult equation to be solved... there some variables and fixeds in it...

what fixed is that I want a 12", 60gb hdd, somewhat like a 900mhz processor..
what variable is simply if its worth to buy a powerbook giving up a 400$?

powerbook has g4 processor, airport extreme, bluetooth, slot-load drives which I admire. iBook looks tougher, has longer battery standby, and finally is cheaper!

what would you say?..
Click to expand...

actually either way it's a win win situation

if you find the powerbook too powerful for your uses right now...at least it will still be state of the art for most people 2 years later

the ibook, while great, will be hopelessly outdated in 2 years with its G3 processor
 
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