[Miles Davis]

I was surprised not to find this question already when I did a search!

I would like a portable Mac at a good price. Currently the ones in line are:

New iBook G3 900 $799 apple edu
Refurb iBook G4 800 $949
Refurb 12" PB G4 867 $1049.

Obviously the G3 and G4 iBooks have a significant difference, but I would like to know the pros and cons to the G4 iBook and 12" PB. I know that the PB has bluetooth built in which is cool, but other than that, I don't know much. Why would a person choose one over the other? Any insight would be great.

Thanks.

[iREZ]

Look again, this has been covered a million times on the powerbook section as well as this section.
Comparing the pb and ibook you get all this if you went with the pb

screen spanning without a hack
67more MHz
different design
40 gigs instead of 30 gigs
bluetooth
different video card, some say its weaker some say its better, to me their the same.

Both are great computers, I was this close to getting a 12" g4 myself but found the 1ghz pb a bit better for my own reasons. Trust me, YOU WILL BE HAPPY WITH WHICHEVER 'BOOK YOU CHOOSE.

[ww2junkie42]

Where can you find a refurb. G4 iBook?

[ccsccs7]

Powerbook is smaller, has an audio line-in, plus that third mid-range enhancing speaker.

If the 12˝ Powerbook had been out when I got my iBook, I would have picked it up.

[ccsccs7]

Originally posted by ww2junkie42:
Where can you find a refurb. G4 iBook?

Go to the Apple Store click on "Special deals," or where you see the big red Save tag.

[SupahCoolX]

There were some refurb iBook G4s at www.apple.com/store earlier today (in the Special Deals section), but they appear to have sold out now. They'll be back, I'm sure.

[Miles Davis]

Does the L2 cache (512 in the 900 G3 and 256 in the two G4's) make a difference?

[ccsccs7]

Originally posted by Miles Davis:
Does the L2 cache (512 in the 900 G3 and 256 in the two G4's) make a difference?

I'd say so, especially for non-AltiVec optimized operations, where the 900 MHz G3 can cache more instructions and therefore execute more of them more quickly. Of course, performance "hit" will vary, depending on the program you are running — such as how complex or large the program is).

[Miles Davis]

Does that mean that with the 512 L2 cache, the G3 can perform well against a G4?

[discotronic]

Originally posted by Miles Davis:
Does that mean that with the 512 L2 cache, the G3 can perform well against a G4?

Check here for xbench scores on the iBooks. You can compare different systems side by side to get a better understanding.

http://ladd.dyndns.org/xbench/compar...nVersion=1.1.3

MacWorld's test of the G3 900 and the G4 showed the 1 GHz G4 being 20% faster. You can read the review here:

http://www.macworld.com/2004/02/reviews/ibookg4s/

As far as everyday work such as surfing the net and word processing, I don't think their is really that much of a difference. I had read where the G3 900 and G4 800 scored about the same in non-altivec programs. I can't remember where I read this right off hand.

If you are trying to play games I would suggest you go with the the G4. I installed Aliens vs Predator 2 on my G3 900 and it didn't do well at all. The sys requirements say a min G4 700. I would say that the game is optimized for the G4 as are more and more games that are coming out. I'll just stick to games on my iMac.

[Miles Davis]

Maybe this is an ignorant question, but what kinds of prgrams NEED altivec? The graphics in OS X? How about iPhoto or iTunes?

I guess I am trying to psych myself up to spend less and get the G3, although the PB is looking tempting... I think I am going to go to the Apple store today to see if the keyboard is all that people say.

[Eriamjh]

From what I've read about iBook logic board issues, I think the powerbook is a safer bet. Quality is important.

Don't forget a PCMCIA slot, too.

[Miles Davis]

I thought the 12" Rev A didn't have a PCMIA slot (at least a review said something to that..)

[scottiB]

Originally posted by Miles Davis:
Maybe this is an ignorant question, but what kinds of prgrams NEED altivec? The graphics in OS X? How about iPhoto or iTunes?

I guess I am trying to psych myself up to spend less and get the G3, although the PB is looking tempting... I think I am going to go to the Apple store today to see if the keyboard is all that people say.

All of the iApps especially GarageBand (which can't be run to full effect on a G3), QuickTime (not just the player, but QuickTime is the multimedia engine of the OS).

I'd get a G4--no matter what.

[jade408]

Comparing the 12" powerbook 867 vs the 12" ibook 800

Screen: ibook wins on the brightness and crispness count. Even with the brightness turned all the way up on the PB, the ibook wins without the full setting.

Fit and finish: powerbook feels more seamless, and seems to have better screen protection. Of course I realize the ibook is meant to be thrown in a backpack, but this is what I notice.

Speed: tough call on this one, but the ibook seems to be snappier in start up times (both running 10.3.2 and 640 RAM) Maybe due to the limited hard drive space left on the PB (5 gigs), but some programs seem to launch faster on the PB (like Garageband). Garageband is noticeably more robust with the powerbook! Those software instrunments need serious processing power!

Speakers: too close to call

Keyboard: both are really easy to type on but the ibook keyboard is louder than the one on the pb. Mostly because the spacebar seems looser?

Wireless reception: the ibook wins no contest

Battery: Wow I am so impressed, I got about 4 hours with airport on and I didn't even keep a good count, on the powerbook using airport I got about 2:45.

Heat: the powerbook feels much hotter under the keyboard but the two machines are equal underneath.

Upgrades: powerbook wins, it is 12 million times easier than the ibook. When installing the airport and the RAM you feel like you will break your keyboar on an ibook. No need for those hassles on a powerbook, it all goes underneath in a very easy to access manner.



My verdict: evaluate your needs very carefully, the ibook might just be a better choice for you. I chose the ibook because the amount I saved will go towards my g5 powerbook. (Which is of course far overkill for my needs but it has the potential cool factor.) The ibook is a great laptop and has a much superior software bundle.

[ccsccs7]

Oops. I forgot to factor in the bus speed differences. The G4 has a faster bus (and RAM) than the G3.

[iREZ]

Just to defend the Powerbook

The speakers are great on the 12" powerbook because of the third midrange speaker that is in the back.

Keyboard is far better to that of the iBook's, no squishy feeling. Although the new iBook G4 has made a vast improvement over the G3.

I run my computer on longest battery life and ill get an easy 3.5-4 hrs (with airport on and screen brightness on half).

Also, I've never used a 867MHz model so I dont know if these features/specs are limited to only the Rev B.