[Eyenovation]

I am a graphic designer who is happily switched to a dual 1.42GHz G4, and now I'm looking to add to my family with a lap top.

I'm looking at a simple iBook, because I really don't intend to do any design work on the unit. It's more for checking email on the road, and having something with Firewire which will be a breeze on photo shoots, etc.

Unless I'm an idiot, the only real differences I see in the Powerbook are a Superdrive and more processing power.

I am wondering if anyone out there has had to choose between the two, and what ultimately sealed the deal. Dollar for dollar, an iBook for $1500 or so is pretty damn good -

Almost too good. Even PC laptops are more. Am I missing something here? Or is the iBook?

[Mastrap]

Not again

http://forums.macnn.com/showthread.p...hreadid=168551

http://forums.macnn.com/showthread.p...hreadid=166758


Be prepared for strong opinions

[mark9939]

Do a search!! Haha just kidding.

If you truly feel you need the power of a G4, get a 12" PB. If not, an iBook will suit you fine. For email, iApps, web, etc., the iBook is a great choice. You won't be dissapointed by it.

[The Placid Casual]

I find it hard to advise the purchase of a G3 based machine these days, but the iBook does have it's advantages such as extra battery life etc.

The 12" Powerbook has the benefits of Bluetooth, Airport Extreme, and a lot of extra horsepower when it comes to Altivec and 'intensive' applications... Also it has the best keyboard I have ever used.

You mention the 12" PB Superdrive model... why not just get a CD-RW model and save the extra cash, this way you get the G4 machine for little more than the $1500 you mention...

Good luck with whatever you choose!

Peace,

Marc

[iamnid]

If you're not going to do any design work -- you'll be fine with the ibook.

[yg17]

Originally posted by Mastrap:
Not again

http://forums.macnn.com/showthread.p...hreadid=166758


Be prepared for strong opinions

Yep, I thought my thread would be mentioned there


I went with the 900MHz iBook (12" Combo Drive), threw in 512 megs RAM, Airport card and couldn't be any happier. It's very fast, and even in Photoshop I haven't noticed any lag, but of course I wouldn't use it to render some huge graphic. DVD playback is great, it wakes up from sleep and reconnects to the WiFi network instantly and I can have a ton of programs open at once. Plus, it's a sexy little beast.

And, it doesn't get too hot either, a bit warm at times, but not bad at all. When I went to the Apple Store a week ago to buy my baby, I played with a 12" PB, and the thing was as hot as hell, and that was sitting at the desktop. I can't imagine how hot it is once the HD starts spinning and the processor actually does some work.


Go for the iBook, you won't be dissapointed.

[zubro]

I m a graphic designer myself (not as specialised as you are in the go-car environement! ;o)
I have an iBook 800 12" with max ram as a main (perso) computer, and it does the job well.
I will advice you to buy an iBook, it is so resistent (I take it with me every single day since mid-January). A back up disc would be good but if you have a superdrive in your dual... well it will take you no time to backup on DVD using firewire...

Go for the iBook, it is too cool to use with your customers to show them your jobs and to give them the "last touch" live! :o)

I love mine, you ll adore yours!

[wataru]

I have a friend who owns a 12" PowerBook and takes it with him to classes and everything. It looks like sh*t now because he didn't take special precautions against scratches.

My iBook (which I love, by the way) has seen some rough use, but it still looks good. If it's not your main machine and you won't be using it for heavy work, then I have to recommend the iBook.

[-Q-]

E-mail, web surfing and even some very basic design can be handled quite admirably by an iBook. The only reason, based on your intended usage, to get a 12" powerbook is if you want to burn DVDs on the road.

[yg17]

Originally posted by wataru:
If it's not your main machine and you won't be using it for heavy work, then I have to recommend the iBook.

My iBook 900 is my main machine, has been for the past 8 days I've had it, and has handled it very well. I love having a laptop as my main machine because whether I want to sit at my desk, or go lay down on the bed, all my files, everything, is right there.

[natan]

Originally posted by yg17:
My iBook 900 is my main machine, has been for the past 8 days I've had it, and has handled it very well. I love having a laptop as my main machine because whether I want to sit at my desk, or go lay down on the bed, all my files, everything, is right there.

I've used my iBook/700 as my main machine for 12 months and it's performed quite well - though I do saturate the ram (384mb) too quickly, and 20gb of space was limiting, which is why I'm upgrading my storage capabilities next week.

[g4baker]

Have you considered a used/refurbished PowerBook G4? I bought a PowerBook G4 500 MHz/256 MB RAM/10 GB HD/DVD for $999. Good deal in my book. If you want a great screen, good processor I would advise the PB.

Those 12 inchers do get mighty hot, though.

[Superchicken]

Get the iBook it'll obviously be slower but so would the Power Book so don't worry about it.