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AleroLeanne · Aug 6, 2003, 08:17 AM

Yesterday my sister and I were in Starbucks when we saw a guy working away on his 12" iBook (beautiful sight). I've never seen any of the iBook's in person before so I was quite excited.

I'm saving to buy my first iBook and I just wondered about the screen size (as I know this question comes up a lot). But what in your preference is more suitable? I obviously want the bigger size but my sister said that would be bulky to carry around, she'd rather have the 12". So, is the 14" really that different in 'carry around' size? I'd probably be mostly using it around the house but I would want to travel with it too. And is the screen res the same? I do a lot of graphics work. What do you guys think?

Cipher13 · Aug 6, 2003, 08:29 AM

12".

The machine is MUCH nicer in all respects; I cringe when I see a 14".

The 12" is lighter, more comfortable to carry, much more portable, etc.

The screen resolution is identical, so there is really no difference, unless you have poor eyesight.

james_squared · Aug 6, 2003, 09:03 AM

Hello,

If you are going to be using it as your main computer at home, and you don't have an external monitor, I would recommend the 14" as it will be easier to see and use with the larger screen size.

If portability is extremely important, get a 12".

I would wait until the next revision before getting an iBook. At current prices, I think the 12" Powerbook is a far better deal than the iBook.

Be sure to check out the best Canadian Mac Forum, here.

James

arnette · Aug 6, 2003, 09:04 AM

Agreed.

Unless you are 60 yrs old with failing vision, get the 12" ibook.

AleroLeanne · Aug 6, 2003, 09:09 AM

Originally posted by james_squared:
Hello,

If you are going to be using it as your main computer at home, and you don't have an external monitor, I would recommend the 14" as it will be easier to see and use with the larger screen size.

If portability is extremely important, get a 12".

I would wait until the next revision before getting an iBook. At current prices, I think the 12" Powerbook is a far better deal than the iBook.

Be sure to check out the best Canadian Mac Forum, here.

James

This will mostly be a main computer. I would like to buy a display for it, but probably won't right away. I just want to get back on a Mac again. I have my Bondi from college, but it's time for something new and I've always wanted a laptop. That's why I'm choosing an iBook (instead of an iMac, or whatever).

Thanks for the link!

Cipher13 · Aug 6, 2003, 09:42 AM

Originally posted by AleroLeanne:
This will mostly be a main computer. I would like to buy a display for it, but probably won't right away. I just want to get back on a Mac again. I have my Bondi from college, but it's time for something new and I've always wanted a laptop. That's why I'm choosing an iBook (instead of an iMac, or whatever).

Thanks for the link!

How is your eyesight?

There is *no* reason to get a 12" iBook if you do not have vision problems.

I also disagree with James regarding the 12" PowerBook. I'm not a big fan of the machine.

It's a rev a; it's too hot, and it has few advantages over the iBook, but a much larger price.

AleroLeanne · Aug 6, 2003, 09:47 AM

Originally posted by Cipher13:
How is your eyesight?

There is *no* reason to get a 12" iBook if you do not have vision problems.

I also disagree with James regarding the 12" PowerBook. I'm not a big fan of the machine.

It's a rev a; it's too hot, and it has few advantages over the iBook, but a much larger price.

My eyesight is good on the computer. I probably wouldn't go with a powerbook, mainly because of price (although it'd be nice to be able to burn DVD's, but I can live without that). I really appreciate everyone's feedback though...it helps to weigh the pro's and con's.

-Q- · Aug 6, 2003, 02:11 PM

If you're planning on taking the machine anywhere, I'd go with the 12". It really is a fine machine and superior to the 14" IMO. The 14" just looks...wrong to me.

The only trouble I've ever had with the screen has been using an app that has a lot of pallettes (like photoshop or dreamweaver). But in those instances, I just hook up my external monitor and use it (there's a hack you can do to enable monitor spanning vs. the native mirroring. Does wonders for usage).

Go with the 12".

And if you really need a superdrive, you could consider this. Even with the price of the added superdrive, you're still saving $100 over the cost of a 12" PowerBook.

kenikov · Aug 6, 2003, 02:22 PM

I would wait until the next revision before getting an iBook. At current prices, I think the 12" Powerbook is a far better deal than the iBook.

No it isn't. The 12-inch Powerbook is crap. It is probably the worst overall computer made by Apple.

Unless you can justify, why not in a debate.

And if you really need a superdrive, you could consider this. Even with the price of the added superdrive, you're still saving $100 over the cost of a 12" PowerBook.

If he really needed a DVD-RW, then couldn't he just get an external one? There are many advantages to that including better quality and faster. There would be no reason to get a Powerbook just for the DVD drive in which, is not that great anyways compared to the external ones he could buy.

fhoubi · Aug 6, 2003, 04:06 PM

Try a 12" iBook at a shop. If you do not like it within the first minute, get the 14" one.

I drool about my 12" iBook, it is my favourite machine. I use it for hours, the 20" Eizo monitor at work just gives me head(e)aches...

james_squared · Aug 6, 2003, 04:26 PM

Originally posted by kenikov:
No it isn't. The 12-inch Powerbook is crap. It is probably the worst overall computer made by Apple.

Unless you can justify, why not in a debate.

Hello,

But, based on specifications the 12" PB has a G4, is smaller, lighter, has blue tooth built-in, is Airport Extreme ready, supports video spanning (without a hack), USB 1.1, 4x AGP video card, and I'm sure there are some others.

12" iBook Combo is $ 1849 CAD while the 12" PB Combo is $ 2249. For the extra $ 400, I would say it is worth it. Of course, there are others who would disagree.

Lastly, I don't know anything about the quality of the 12" PB, so I'll have to take your word on that. I do know about many of the problems with the iBook, such as the logic board.

James

arclight · Aug 6, 2003, 04:31 PM

12" all the way. The 14" does look wrong (like the other post said). It would be great if Apple would have redesigned the keyboard area of the 14" a bit. There is just way too much dead space around the keyboard. That and the screen res is the same as the 12", what a ripoff! IMHO a 14" LCD should have a finer resolution than 1024x768.

A revision may be coming soon but the 12" 900 is a god machine. I have the 800 and it's my main mac. I just span when I'm at home to a 19" Electron Blue. Good Luck-

radarbob · Aug 7, 2003, 07:19 AM

No it isn't. The 12-inch Powerbook is crap. It is probably the worst overall computer made by Apple.

Unless you can justify, why not in a debate.

So 'crap' is a descriptive, meaningful term. Denoting what? It came out of your arse?

-Q- · Aug 8, 2003, 12:37 PM

Originally posted by kenikov:
If he really needed a DVD-RW, then couldn't he just get an external one? There are many advantages to that including better quality and faster. There would be no reason to get a Powerbook just for the DVD drive in which, is not that great anyways compared to the external ones he could buy.

You're missing one crucial fact: iDVD doesn't work with an external drive. So if he wants to make actual DVD movies, he's stuck using a third party app or DVD Studio Pro.

Starry Night · Aug 9, 2003, 12:18 AM

I've spent time with both the 12" and 14" 900mhz ibooks.

It's not fair to say one is the best and the other is a waste of money. Essentially they are the same computer, yet offer slight differences.

The 12" display is very sharp and clear. Yet for small text (ie on webpages), you may find yourself squinting at times. The 14" display is not as sharp or crisp, yet does provide the eyes with a more relaxed experience.

Of course, the 12" is more portable, but the 14" isn't that bad.

You have to decide what features are more important to *you*, there's not exactly a right or wrong to it.

Good Luck!

AleroLeanne · Aug 9, 2003, 08:21 AM

I appreciate everyone's help. I think I should probably drop into an Apple store and test drive both. The closest Apple store is probably four hours away, but I think it'll be beneficial. At least I know what to look for now.

Thanks, guys!