[bplatt]

i am a teacher. last year the school bought me a 600/6/256 ibook. today they told me i have to bring it back and share. i'm allowed to take it home and use it as my laptop when other people don't want it. obviously, the answer is getting my own laptop.

i will try to number the questions to make for an easy response.

1) how good is the video out on the 12" model? i would like a larger screen, but most of the time this is actually ON my lap, and i'm afraid the 15" is too large. i assume it's the same video out that's on the ibook, i found the quality when i plugged my dell monitor into the ibook to be lacking. however if the 15" fits on most people's laps i'm willing to consider it. the applestore people won't let me hold one.

2) i assume i should wait until after the WWDC at the end of june. however, do you really think the 12" will be changed all that much? isn't it not unusual for someone to order the day after wwdc and not receive the computer for months? i will definately need it by september, however, i have the desire to have a powerbook immediately. i don't want to be sorry though.

3) do you find the 867mhz to be fast enough for imovie editing? my ibook serves me well enough for everything but imovie (naturally this also includes idvd, however i'm unfamiliar with it as the ibook only has a combo drive).

4) is the Tibook in some way superior to the aluminum frame of the 12" and 17"? i've heard rev. d scratches less and people are generally satisfied with it. perhaps i should get one of the last ones. i'm unconcerned with AE as my school will not upgrade for at least 4 years (come on, we're sharing ibooks already) and i have a linksys AP at home coming off a cable modem, the benefits of AE are negligible.

basically what i'm looking for is a computer to last at least 2 years as far as the technology goes, fairly durable and ergonomic considering most of my computing is done sitting on the couch with the laptop on my legs. i've had an ibook by my side since 2000 when i "switched" from linux.

thank you so much for any answers you may provide. i am very depressed they are taking away my baby!

i can also be emailed at beth@monkey.org

[The Placid Casual]

I'll do my best to answer (at least some) of your questions!

Originally posted by bplatt:
1) how good is the video out on the 12" model? i would like a larger screen, but most of the time this is actually ON my lap, and i'm afraid the 15" is too large. i assume it's the same video out that's on the ibook, i found the quality when i plugged my dell monitor into the ibook to be lacking. however if the 15" fits on most people's laps i'm willing to consider it. the applestore people won't let me hold one.

The video out on the 12" Powerbook is indeed the same as the iBook. I have one, and like you, I have found it lacking.

In fact the 12" PB is more like a G4 iBook than a Powerbook... If you think of it as what an iBook may become in a few months time, you may be near the mark.

If you don't need AE, and are not happy with the VGA out, I would look at a different model...

As for the 15" PB, I used to have a 550, and it was a decent machine, and for me anyway, could easily be used on your lap. Yep, it was fairly cumbersome, but it was managable...

(Also I would also have a word with the manager of you local Applestore! I'd have thought Apple would want as many Edu sales as it can get.. they should have a red carpet out if you ask me... I'm sure if you made it clear to them that you will be buying and are a teacher, their tune may change...)

Originally posted by bplatt:
2) i assume i should wait until after the WWDC at the end of june. however, do you really think the 12" will be changed all that much? isn't it not unusual for someone to order the day after wwdc and not receive the computer for months? i will definately need it by september, however, i have the desire to have a powerbook immediately. i don't want to be sorry though.

Yep, wait as long as you can before buying, especially with the 970 and WWDC coming up... I really think there could be major changes in the product matrix on the way.

Also by WWDC, the 12" and 17" will have reached 6 months in production, the usual time for an upgrade... (With 15" reaching nearer 12 Months!)

I don't think anyone but Steve and Ive know what will be changed, but even if the 12" and 17" PBs are only speed bumped, it will be worth waiting (if only for ultra good deals on the 'old' stock!)

Also if the 15" PB shows up, I'm sure it will be more than worth the wait.

As for the post Macworld wait, yep it can be bad. But, I think it all depends on how 'planned' the announcements were, and what kind of demand there will be... If it is merely a speed bump on a product, you should be OK for a few weeks delivery time. If the heavens open and we get a 970 Powerbook, I really think there could be months of waiting... However, I'm sure you will be fine for September...

Really, if you can wait, don't spend the cash yet...

Originally posted by bplatt:
3) do you find the 867mhz to be fast enough for imovie editing? my ibook serves me well enough for everything but imovie (naturally this also includes idvd, however i'm unfamiliar with it as the ibook only has a combo drive).

I'm sure the 867 would do a good job...

Originally posted by bplatt:
4) is the Tibook in some way superior to the aluminum frame of the 12" and 17"? i've heard rev. d scratches less and people are generally satisfied with it. perhaps i should get one of the last ones. i'm unconcerned with AE as my school will not upgrade for at least 4 years (come on, we're sharing ibooks already) and i have a linksys AP at home coming off a cable modem, the benefits of AE are negligible.

I still have real reservations about the Ti design. My 550's paint flaked and had serious faults that led to a replacement machine. I have heard some really nasty stories from other users...

I bought a Alu rather than a Ti because I really think that Apple may have learned from their mistakes on the Ti, and corrected a few design issues. Only time will tell, but I think that a Alu will be a much better bet long term than a Ti was.

Originally posted by bplatt:
basically what i'm looking for is a computer to last at least 2 years as far as the technology goes, fairly durable and ergonomic considering most of my computing is done sitting on the couch with the laptop on my legs. i've had an ibook by my side since 2000 when i "switched" from linux.

Hmm, the 12' is definitely counted out on this score as it runs pretty 'hot'. After an hour or so, it could really get uncomfortable...

I know it is really not much help, but I would say to wait until after WWDC and commit to a course of action then...

We all never know what may be around the corner...

Marc

[mixtup]

Here’s my shot:

Originally posted by bplatt:


1) how good is the video out on the 12" model? i would like a larger screen, but most of the time this is actually ON my lap, and i'm afraid the 15" is too large. i assume it's the same video out that's on the ibook, i found the quality when i plugged my dell monitor into the ibook to be lacking. however if the 15" fits on most people's laps i'm willing to consider it. the applestore people won't let me hold one.

The TiBook has S-video out which should be an improvement over the std VGA. I found my TiBook to be big. Maybe it’s because it’s wide screen and because I had only carried 14.1” PC laptops. But, it is manageable. In fact it’s on my lap right now, no problem.

Originally posted by bplatt:

2) i assume i should wait until after the WWDC at the end of june. however, do you really think the 12" will be changed all that much? isn't it not unusual for someone to order the day after wwdc and not receive the computer for months? i will definately need it by september, however, i have the desire to have a powerbook immediately. i don't want to be sorry though.

I think you should wait if you can, i.e if you don’t need it now. A couple of observations on WWDC: If the 12” is bumped to 1Ghz and receives L3 cache that would make a huge difference in performance. With only those 2 changes the 12” would be dreamy. The price on the 12” has gone down, strongly suggesting that it is up for review. So if you’re lucky they’ll speed-bump it and add S-video. One thing to think about is that the 15” will get bigger (15.2 to 15.4). If you can wait, you could always get the old 12” or 15” with their new discounts, if you don't like the new offerings.

Originally posted by bplatt:

4) is the Tibook in some way superior to the aluminum frame of the 12" and 17"? i've heard rev. d scratches less and people are generally satisfied with it. perhaps i should get one of the last ones. i'm unconcerned with AE as my school will not upgrade for at least 4 years (come on, we're sharing ibooks already) and i have a linksys AP at home coming off a cable modem, the benefits of AE are negligible.

It’s Titanium!! Sorry, I’m a mountain biker and those things matter to us… But, seriously, I heard the rev d is fine. I’ve only had mine for 2 weeks or so and so far no problems.

If you want you can check my post (http://forums.macnn.com/showthread.p...hreadid=162821) on the TiBook which I’ll be updating. I will note any scratches or problems there.

Hope that helps.

[tooki]

My only reservation about the 15" is the very delicate hinge design. Compared to other Apple laptop models, those hinges break all the time.

tooki

[dennis88]

the 12" does have s-video!

[MacNStein]

The TiBook has S-video out which should be an improvement over the std VGA. I found my TiBook to be big. Maybe it?s because it?s wide screen and because I had only carried 14.1? PC laptops. But, it is manageable. In fact it?s on my lap right now, no problem.

You're kidding, right? Svideo is decent up to 480 lines of resolution, but anything above that wouldn't be of any quality at all.

That said, the VGA output on my PB12 looks beautiful on my 18" Dell flat-panel at 1280x1024 in spanning, mirrored, or clamshell modes. The 2D quality of the PB 12 is quite a bit better than the iBook, IMO.

[mosch]

Originally posted by The Placid Casual:

Hmm, the 12' is definitely counted out on this score as it runs pretty 'hot'. After an hour or so, it could really get uncomfortable...

I have a PB12, so I'd like to address this one. If you're running in reduced performance mode, the PB12 can be used as an actual laptop for hours on end, no problem at all.

If you are running on full performance mode, it does get too hot to be comfortable, to use as a laptop. That being said, the PB12 is about 8 1/2" by 11", so an easy solution is to carry a book of approximately the same size, and that book can double as reading material, or a heat shield.

[The Placid Casual]

Originally posted by mosch:
I have a PB12, so I'd like to address this one. If you're running in reduced performance mode, the PB12 can be used as an actual laptop for hours on end, no problem at all.

If you are running on full performance mode, it does get too hot to be comfortable, to use as a laptop. That being said, the PB12 is about 8 1/2" by 11", so an easy solution is to carry a book of approximately the same size, and that book can double as reading material, or a heat shield.

I really think that the 'comfort' depends on what you are using the machine for...

Mine, even in reduced performance mode, can still get pretty hot when you get down to some serious work... Infact, anything over emailing, browsing, and Word causes significant heat build up for me. (I tried compiling some apps and some Unix geekery this way once... never again, I feared for my ability to have kids after a while...)

That being said, I do use mine on my lap from time to time, I just use a copy of the phone book to rest it on! (I found it better insulation on my legs than a book!)

I also keep an A4 file in my messenger bag with the laptop incase I need to use it 'on lap' when I'm out...

Luckily I don't have to use the machine this way at all if I don't want to, and I could really see the issue becoming a real drag long term.

That said, the problem existed on my TiBook, and white iBook, but really was nowhere near as bad... I think it could be seen as a major drawback at this time...

Peace,

Marc

[MusicalTone]

I would agree with most of the posts above. I have a 15" and it is great. Not too b ig for me and I am about average height and weight. Video out is great too. Can also drive any of the Cinema Displays. Sounds like what you really need to do is go to a dealer that will not only let you handle a PB but also play with it as much as you want. I would be highly suspect of any dealer that woulnt.n There are some good deals to be had on PBs at the moment. If you wait for a new 15" Alumimium it is likely to be more expensive, so now is a good time to buy a Ti. Having said that, my best advice is try one out for yourself. You have had experience of the OS buy now with your iBook so you will immediately know what is right for you.