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bobjob186

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Apr 16, 2005
598
72
Laguna Beach
Hey i'm at the point of buying a 14inch ibook. Does anyone know how the new ones are and if they are any larger because as I recall them they are kind of chunky.
 

gallivant

macrumors member
Dec 14, 2004
99
0
Unless you really want the SuperDrive, I wouldn't reccommend the 14" over the 12". It's much bigger without providing any additional screen resolution; it costs more while having only a tiny performance bonus. Unless you need a DVD burner in your iBook, go for the 12" and boost the HD size if need be.
 

TMA

macrumors 6502a
Jan 6, 2003
933
1
England
Bobjob186 said:
Does anyone know how the new ones are and if they are any larger because as I recall them they are kind of chunky.

Case design is exactly the same as previous models. I never found them chunky at all. Maybe compared to Powerbooks but certainly not to most Windows based laptops.
 

FocusAndEarnIt

macrumors 601
May 29, 2005
4,624
1,063
I have my 14" 1.42GHz in front of me right now, which is what I am what I am typing on right now.. and it is NOT chunky AT ALL, i hate when people say it is when it's a reallly beautiful machine, I have 2 and am very impressed w/ performance, it's your decision, if I were you, I'd get the 14"

:)

Hope that helps :)
 

shadowmoses

macrumors 68000
Mar 6, 2005
1,821
0
Its not too clunky and big but it is still big in comparison to the 12" i think the 12" is a better buy in terms of portability as it slips in bags easier and sits on your lap easier, its just an easier laptop for on the road....

If you have eye-sight problems maybe the 14" is better for you, as for the superdrive i wouldnt bother as its old anyway invest the extra $$$$ in a good external drive which will be faster and more reliable...

SHadOW
 

California

macrumors 68040
Aug 21, 2004
3,885
90
I just got a new 14" 1.33ghz iBook. Very happy with it and I like the taller screen --better for scrolling written pages in Word. Fast, lightweight and for some reason, I am not as afraid of bumping it as I was with the powerbooks. My only discomfort with it, after maxing out the ram, is that its got a slower 4200rpm hard drive as OEM. But this is Apple's problem not one indigenious to the iBook. Love it -- not "chunky" at all -- in fact seems more streamlined than the powerbook because its got plastic instead of dentable metal.
 

mad jew

Moderator emeritus
Apr 3, 2004
32,191
9
Adelaide, Australia
I'd usually commend the 12 inch iBooks over the 14 inch ones unless you need a Superdrive or you have slightly-worse-than-normal eyesight. They're certainly not clunky/bulky/chunky though.
 

eXan

macrumors 601
Jan 10, 2005
4,731
63
Russia
If I were you, I would get a 12" iBook. They are small, fast and nice-looking. The only drawback is the lack of SuperDrive.
 

LGRW3919

macrumors regular
Mar 6, 2005
142
0
cupertino (no joke)
I have a 12" iBook and it rocks. It's only a G3, but with 640 MB RAM it handles Tiger pretty well. I like the size and, as said before, it fits quite well in a variety of bags/cases. Do you absolutely NEED the superdrive?
 

bobjob186

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Apr 16, 2005
598
72
Laguna Beach
So you think a good call would be get the 12inch ibook now and an external dvd burner and then get a intel powerbook when its like rev 2 or 3 in a few years.
 

iEdd

macrumors 68000
Aug 8, 2005
1,956
4
I think both iBooks are the same thickness too. With Powerbooks, each model is like a rolling pin has been taken to it :D .. 17" is VERY slim.

I would go with 14" if I wanted a superdrive portable. I would go with a 12" if I wanted better generable portability, but don't need a portable dvd burner. You'll probably want to save the money and buy an external dual layer one anyway :)
 

gwuMACaddict

macrumors 68040
Apr 21, 2003
3,124
0
washington dc
question about your profile... what do you mean you have a dual-core powermac? :confused:

and the iBooks aren't clunky. i'd get the 14inch, i find the 12 to be a little too small for my liking.

(and it should be "your opinion...", not "you're opinion")

:D
 

themacman

macrumors 6502
Jun 7, 2004
412
0
kc
the 14'' ibook is very good. The only differnce screen wise is that ur pixels are bigger, making everything more magnified. but the 14'' ibook is very portable not chunky at all.
 

persianpunisher

macrumors regular
Jul 28, 2005
173
0
I was seriously considering getting the 12", as I am a college student who needed a portable computer. I did, however, need a DVD burner, so I opted for the 14". Now some of you would say, get an external drive, and what not, and save money, but I wanted a DVD burner BUILT IN, and I save a precious USB 2.0 port. Now, some say that the 14" is clunky, which it may be-TO SOME. But for myself, it is perfect. in fact, I thought the 12" was TOO small. I will be writing alot of essays and the larger font would allow me to read the text for prolonged periods of time without eyestrain. And its not that I have poor vision, I have better than 20/20, i just prefer larger text. I run 1024x768 on my 19" CRT monitor, and the resolution works fine. If you NEED a DVD burner, and dont want to lug one around, get the 14"
 

Chrispy

macrumors 68020
Dec 27, 2004
2,269
517
Indiana
I have a 14" as well and I am glad I went that route. I had a 12" before and at time I just thought the screen was kind of small. I also found the 14" screen to be a little more bright than the 12" but that is just my opinion. I also wanted a superdrive so I went 14" for that reason as well. I do not really find it that much larger than the 12" I had before. For me it ended up being just right... and I used to swear I would never own a 14" iBook :p
 

bodeh6

macrumors 6502a
May 18, 2005
773
0
I love my 14" iBook. It is not chucky at all compared with PC laptops. It is the right size for me. 12" screen looked to small at the Apple store. Also when playing DVDs, the larger screen is better. The resolution is great on the 14". Sure it is the same as the 12", but you have to remember that a lot of Windows Laptops still ship with 15" displays that are only 1024x768.
 

20rogersc

macrumors 65816
Jun 28, 2005
1,144
0
Brighton, UK
bodeh6 said:
I love my 14" iBook. It is not chucky at all compared with PC laptops. It is the right size for me. 12" screen looked to small at the Apple store. Also when playing DVDs, the larger screen is better. The resolution is great on the 14". Sure it is the same as the 12", but you have to remember that a lot of Windows Laptops still ship with 15" displays that are only 1024x768.
I agree, the 12" is just a bit too small for my liking. I would advise you to get the 14", as it is still very portable as well.

::20ROGERSC::
 

lasuther

macrumors 6502a
Feb 13, 2004
670
0
Grand Haven, Michigan
I would recommend the 12" over the 14" iBook any day. The 14" is just more expensive, heavier, and bigger. None of those things are good in a laptop. If the 14" had more screen resolution, I would consider it. If the 12" is just to small for you, save up for the 15" PowerBook. You'll get a lot more computer when compaired to the 14" iBook.

lasuther
 

bobjob186

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Apr 16, 2005
598
72
Laguna Beach
Thanks for the opinions I think i'm going to get a 12inch maxed out for now and then get the rev b or c intel powerbook in late 07. Thanks for your help.
 
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