[alan_hogue]

Hello,

This is my first post here. I've been through a lot of the other posts in this forum but didn't quite see my question, so here goes.

I am also a PC user who is buying a Powerbook. For the time being I'll probably mainly use this computer around the house, but may well wish later to take it to classes on a regular basis. I'd really like the flexibility to be able to throw this machine in my backpack and head out.

On the other hand, I also want a computer that I will keep for a long time before feeling the need to replace it, and that has the flexibility to perform a wide range of tasks. Although the most I'll do with it is occassional video editing or working with an audio app like Reason (but mostly word processing and browsing), I want to make sure that such a big investment doesn't become obsolete too soon.

So, I am attracted to the 12" for its compactness and price. On the other hand, I'm worried that the smaller graphics card and slower bus, etc., will make it a short-lived investment -- even if it suits my needs fairly well right now. And this leads me to want the 15", since I figure it's more likely to remain useful for a longer time.

So I have two related questions:

1) Is the 1 lb. and several inches difference between the two models enough to make the 15" significantly more annoying to carry around? I looked at them in the shop and thought that the difference wasn't that significant, but then they wouldn't let me take it outside and walk around with it. (Please keep in mind that I won't be pulling it out on a plane very often, just lugging it to work or school, the occassional cafe.)

2) On the other hand, is the performance boost with the 1 GHz 15" really worth the extra size and cost? After all, it's the same processor.

I'm having a very hard time deciding! I'd like to save a little money, but if the 15" will be fine to carry around and if the performance boost will increase its "lifespan" considerably, then I'll be happy to shell out the money. Anyone have any opinions?

Many thanks to anyone who takes the time to reply!

Alan H.

[mjames]

Your post remarkably asked a lot of the questions I had. Ultimately, I think you'll have to make the decision yourself -- whether or not you really need the extra real estate. I am also a PC user with very limited OS X experience. I have a 15" Powerbook on the way with the 1.25 Ghz, combo drive, backlit keyboard, etc.

I personally felt the 12" was way too small for me as I will be using it primarily in a dorm room/apartment and occasionally around campus and in cafes. Going from a desktop to a compact laptop would be too much of a change, and I would have to get a separate monitor for extended use when it's docked. But with a nice 15.2" widescreen, I won't need an additional monitor.

[mrgaskell]

It's hard to say. I had a 15" TiBook that was stolen from me. My insurance company (USAA rocks) reimbursed me the cost of replacement. However, I wanted a SD and the cost of the 15" SD model was just too steep for me, and was beyond what my insurance company would reimburse (I had a G4 667/DVD), so I picked up a 12" Rev. B with a SuperDrive instead. IT has been a real workhorse as I use Photoshop, Dreamweaver, etc. all the time and has only bogged down once (with a really HUGE file in PS).

The screen size does make a difference, but I feel that Expose' can negate some of that.

The only advice I can give is to buy as much Mac as you can afford. If that is the 15", go for it. Make sure you pick up extra RAM and I would buy an iPod, they're just awesome.

Good luck!

jg

[typoon]

Welcome to the Mac.

Now to answer your questions:
These are my opinions only mind you,

1. The portability of the 12 is great!!!! I don't think it will be obsolete too quickly since it's a 1GHz processor. For what you are doing this would probably be enough machine. just max out the RAM. Yes the Video card might be a small issue but so far for me it hasn't been too bad.

2. The 15 is another fine machine. The size is nice, also it has a better video card and it can take up to 2GB of RAM while the 12 can only take 1.2GB of RAM.

3. Try pulling out a 15 Inch on one of those small tables they have at cafes. It would take up most of your table. I would be afraid of spillage. The 12 will pop out easily an then be able to go back just as nicely.

Here is another thing to think about. You can probably get a 12" and accessories like a Bag, Airport Extreme Card and Possibly Base Station and still have money left over that you wouldn't have had if you got the 15".

Just my 2 cents. Go to an AppleStore and play with both of them for a while and see which one you like. Ultimately the choice is yours.

[MrCaN]

Hey, I am in the same situation as you. I am moving to apple and want a powerbook to take to campus and home and use at my apartment. I think I will go with the 15" because I do alot of graphics and web work, so I want the extra workspace that the 15" offers.

Also like you I want it to last so I figure the faster processor and ability to take more ram is a better bet for me.

[sodamnregistered2]

I just went to my Applestore to get a 12". I wanted the 12" since it is so small.

I left with a 15"

1. The 12" screen is kinda dim and grey looking next to a 15" screen.

2. The 12" comes with a 32MB video card. I wanted to be able to drive a second external monitor and have both my local LCD and my external monitor to have Quartz Extreme acceleration. You need 32MB per monitor for that to happen.

3. The 15" 1280x854 is very very useable. I knew the 12" 1024x768 was gonna be cramped, but I was willing to overlook that since the small size was so attractive.

4. RAM. I ordered two 512 modules and popped them in. I have 1GB total ram. With the 12", it would have only have been cost effective to go to 768MB of RAM.

I understand the appeal of the 12". I'm very happy I got the 15" it's just a little more in every way and so far has been a delight. I have not even hooked up an external monitor yet, the 1280x854 has just been a pleasant surprise in useability.

[whoosh]

I know you didn't ask for this exactly, but I was going through a 12 vs 15 dilemma myself before I bought the 15". I must say, though I believed that the 12" screen could have been big enough, now that I have a 15", I know that I could never switch to a smaller screen/larger resolution. The screen on the 15" is very very hard to overlook.

[JHromadka]

First, welcome! I think it boils down to whether you can handle the lower resolution on the 12", which is limited to 1024x768. I have a 15" and have toyed with the idea of getting a 12" to replace it, but it comes back to the wonderful large screen. I've used my Tibook at coffeeshops and haven't had space issues there.

[off/lang]

Today I bought a 12" to replace my TiBook 1GHz. I decided that I really wanted the portability.

I'm going to take the 12" to classes tomorrow. We'll see how well that works out.

[LadyBlue]

::waves:: I am a first time Mac user as well. Before I switched I had the same questions as well. (very very close)

I decided on the 12" instead of the 15", because of the portability issue. I carry my PB to class every single day. I decided on the 12" because of the size. To me it's harder to warp a PB in a backpack because of books and what not. I was afraid that because of the rectangle-ish shape that I would end up doing something wrong with it. (now that may not actually happen, but in my mind it was possible).

Now for class use, you don't really want a huge screen that everyone can see X_x

I plan on getting a 17 or 20 inch Cinema Display in the future. So that will help a bit when I am at home.

I love to multitask and only had the computer slow down once (it was when I was opening a very large image in photoshop). iTunes was working and it stalled for a sec or two. That was about it.

Hope that helped ^_^_v

[Dr.Michael]

I replaced my TiBook with a 12 inch Powerbook some months ago. The main reason was the portability. I have to carry my Powerbook around once a week. The TiBook with accessories simply filled my whole backpack. The smaller Powerbook feels much better to carry.

Although the smaller screen is - yes - smaller, the portability is simply great.

I don't agree that 32 MB Video RAM is not enough. As long as you don't play Doom3 as your main occupation it will last - lets say 3 years.

Just keep in mind: You can still use a Pismo for Photoshop work. And its not too bad. But it has only 8 MB of Video RAM.

And: why have a disadvantage every day instead of replacing a well doing Powerbook a few months earlier? Macs sell at a good price.

[dodo_nutter]

Hi all...

Im a student and was trying to decide what PB to spend my money was on too. first i was looking at the 14" iBook against the 12" PB but there wasn't much of a decision to make, it was gonna have to be the PB!!

I've been bought up with macs and have a 15" flat screen iMac as my main computer but im off to uni next september so i was looking at a laptop to take away with me to use for everything. The 12" seemed to fill that spec and is roughly the same speed (little faster) than my iMac but recently i've been wondering if the screen would be too small but i doubt i can afford the 1.25GHz 15" so is there anypoint spending that much more on the 15" just for a bigger screen and better graphics and a bigger, bulkier case??

sorry...not helping the decision here just adding to the questions!!

hard decision hey!

[nobitacu]

Well, I see that you also want to do some video editing. If that is the case, I would at least go with the 15inch Powerbook. The 15inch would also be sure to last you at least a good 3 years of usage time before you will feel the need to replace it. I would even say 4 years, but 3 would be a nice time frame. I am using the 17inch Powerbook, and yes, I travel with this a lot, and I don't really have much problem with it regarding to its size. 15inch I think would be the best choice if you want something that is powerful enough and will last you a good amount of time and portable.

Ming

[alan_hogue]

Well, thanks again for all the advice.

After mulling it over obsessively for weeks I decided to go for the 15" 1.25 GHz model with the superdrive taken out. I would have been happy with the 1 gig 15" model, but with the configuration I wanted the difference in price was pretty minimal.

It's just nice to know that I can do pretty much whatever I need to do on this machine. Ultimately I realized that's what I really want in a computer.

So it's supposed to ship today (from Taiwan, I think) and obviously I can't wait.



Alan H.

[mjames]

Originally posted by alan_hogue:
Well, thanks again for all the advice.

After mulling it over obsessively for weeks I decided to go for the 15" 1.25 GHz model with the superdrive taken out. I would have been happy with the 1 gig 15" model, but with the configuration I wanted the difference in price was pretty minimal.

It's just nice to know that I can do pretty much whatever I need to do on this machine. Ultimately I realized that's what I really want in a computer.

So it's supposed to ship today (from Taiwan, I think) and obviously I can't wait.



Alan H.

Great choice! I just got my 15" PB 1.25 Ghz with the superdrive taken out and love it. I'm a total Mac newbie, but I'm able to be productive on it while still learning. There are so many goodies yet to explore. Mine was also shipped out of Taiwan, then to Anchorage, Indianapolis, and finally Dulles in my state of Virginia.

[iREZ]

Both are great computers, and both have their own different strengths. You shouldn't ask if you need power or portability, thats your decision. With that said I knew I was goin to lug my PB everywhere so the 12" was a no brainer.

[Roy Boy]

Same though decisions here. My boss offered tosplit the cost of whatever pb I decied on. I looked at all three sizes. since I do alot of graphic work decided the 12 to be to small of a screen for me and the 17 seemed to be overkill and not as portable.I found the 15 to be the best of booth power and portability. I had a early ibook g3 800 dual USB but it realy seem to stall alot so I made sure to get the larger chip "1.25"

I have been lugging my 7lb 15" toshiba for ages now and figgure this 5.6lb pb to be musch easier to port around.

[alan_hogue]

Originally posted by iREZ:
Both are great computers, and both have their own different strengths. You shouldn't ask if you need power or portability, thats your decision. With that said I knew I was goin to lug my PB everywhere so the 12" was a no brainer.

True. I guess what I meant to ask, and probably didn't ask clearly enough, was not whether I needed power or portability, but how much portability you have to trade in to get the extra power of the 15", and vice versa.

In any case all the comments were a great help.

Alan H.

[alan_hogue]

Originally posted by mjames:
Great choice! I just got my 15" PB 1.25 Ghz with the superdrive taken out and love it. I'm a total Mac newbie, but I'm able to be productive on it while still learning. There are so many goodies yet to explore. Mine was also shipped out of Taiwan, then to Anchorage, Indianapolis, and finally Dulles in my state of Virginia.

Did it take very long?? I just got an email today saying that mine will be delayed for up to two weeks. I'm pretty annoyed; I already have all my accessories and no computer...!

Alan H.

[mjames]

Originally posted by alan_hogue:
Did it take very long?? I just got an email today saying that mine will be delayed for up to two weeks. I'm pretty annoyed; I already have all my accessories and no computer...!

Alan H.

Sorry to hear. My Powerbook in fact arrived a day earlier than the FedEx tracking page said. My guess is one of your components had to be ordered and that's delaying the process.

[selowitch]

Originally posted by sodamnregistered2:
2. The 12" comes with a 32MB video card. I wanted to be able to drive a second external monitor and have both my local LCD and my external monitor to have Quartz Extreme acceleration. You need 32MB per monitor for that to happen/

Hmm. Not that you should in any way regret your purchase of the awesome 15" PB, but I believe 16MB VRAM x 2 (total of 32 VRAM) would be sufficient for Quartz Extreme on two monitors.

[meatyocre]

If you have the $$$ get the 15"

- expandability will get more useful life out of it

- screen area of the 12" can get really cramped in Photoshop, Dreamweaver etc..

- The overall dimensions and weight difference are not that significant.

I regret not getting the 15" when I had the chance.

[Peorth]

Here's how I would look at it.

Do you do or plan to do any type of graphic/photo editing/web work? If you answered yes, I would go with the 15" as it has the processing power over the 12" as well as a bigger screen area for a bigger work area.

Do you plan on taking it with you where ever you go or most places you go? If the answer is yes then you could really go with either on this one because they are both a good size to carry around (I think anyways).

Does screen resolution matter as in bigger is better? If yes go with the 15". If not then go with the 12"

Is cost no object? If you answered yes, go with the 15" and get it decked out with whatever you can get for it. If cost is concern then you could either go with a decked out 12" or a slightly slower 15".

In the end it's up to you but hopefully after you ask yourself these and other questions you'll figure it out. Good luck.

[dantley]

I was debating between the 15" and 12" PowerBooks too. I have owned a few TiBooks that I carry to and from class and also take with me to work. The 12" is definitely more convenient in that its size allows bring it with you without feeling like you're carrying around a laptop. However, when writing papers and doing research at school I was extremely happy to have my 15".

Just yesterday i purchased a AlBook 1.25 (15") and would never consider buying a 12" again... well unless Apple increased the resolution on the screen. At 1024x768, the screen is too cramped for me.

[nagromme]

They are both great machines for different reasons. I LOVE how tiny the 12" is, but my 15" is very portable and not at all annoying to carry. (I want a small sleeve case with a handle and a pocket.) And the performance difference is noticeable but it depends on what you do. And saving money lets you buy OTHER things

The tie-breaker for me though would be the screen. The 15" obviously has bigger, more readable type and fits more windows. But the BRIGHTNESS of the 15" is worth a LOT to me. Much brighter than the 12", usable in brightly-lit places, and even a bit brighter I think than the 17".

Either way, good luck and enjoy!

[Simon]

I think to answer the 12" vs. 15" question you need to find out in which category you fall:

a) You want a desktop replacement, i.e. you want as much power as you can get and a nice and big screen. You just want a notebook so you can carry it around once in a while if necessary. You are not planning on using it much on the road.

b) You want the most portable notebook there is. It has to be as small and light as it can since you are carrying it around on a daily basis. As long as the thing runs OS X fine and it has 4h battery, it can be as small as it wants.

c) Like b) but you do also use it for longer times at a desk (in the office or at home) where you would prefer a bigger screen, a mouse and a full-sized keyboard.

Two are simple: If you fall into a) it's the 15". And if you're a b) guy you definitely want a 12".

I myself am more the c) guy. You want the full flexibility and the full comfort. It's nice but pricy. Get a 12" and then buy a big screen for the desk as well as a keyboard and mouse. When you're at the desk use the 12" in closed-lid mode like a desktop, when you're on the road you use it like a notebook. Works great, I love my 12".

[cc_foo]

I really like the 12" aluminium portability. I own a 15" aluminium though, and don't think the 12" would suit me. I previously had experience with a 12" iBook.

I read lots of PDF files, and the side to side scrolling on the 12" would drive me bonkers.

Also, the fact is that for my use, I don't really need the portability that much. My 15" spends 80-95% of it's time on it's iCurve connected to a USB hub and power.

In the other 5-20% of the time, it's around the house, or in the laptop bag or at work. I accept that I won't use it in a coffee shop or while eating or whatever. Maybe I would use a 12" that way... I don't know.

The 15" alu SuperDrive comes pre-configured with a decently large HD and RAM. Which meant I didn't have to upsize the HD (didn't have to buy a custom config, which has it's own issues); or buy a RAM upgrade for a while.