[freakboy2]

Ok, so hopefully i'm going to be getting a laptop in the next few weeks. I love ibooks.. they are just so durable and the battery life kicks butt.

but the powerbook is almost the same amount of $$$ as i'd spec out an ibook for (60 gig hd, bluetooth, airport extreme) - with educational discount. So for an extra 200 bucks or so i can get a powerbook.

what i really want is an ibook with powerbook inards. That would be perfect.

i want a 1.33 powerbook, 60 gig hd std, etc.. for 1400US.

anyway, i thought this would be a good forum for people who would want the same thing. i think i'll probably end up getting the powerbook. it just seems like such a better deal.

i really don't want anything bigger than 12 inches. and its got to be pretty cheap. i don't think i want or need a superdrive either. i'd probably use it if i had one, but it's just one less thing to deal with.

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[Applefreak01]

If Apple made a 1.2GHz G4 12" iBook that you could BTO with 60GB hard drive that would be the laptop for you.

The 12" iBook is 1GHz not much difference from 1.33GHz. But the RAM is slower in the iBook and you don't get 802.11g and bluetooth built-in and DVI out.

Right now the iBooks and PowerBooks are slow close to each other it's hard to decide on which to get. If you think you'll want the extra features (built-in 802.11g wireless, built-in bluetooth, and DVI output) of the PowerBooks then the PowerBook is the way to go.

Or you can get the 12" 1 GHz iBook add an airport exterme card, and bluetooth for $1323 without educational discount so knock off $50.

[dracoleb]

lately it seems the iBook has been just the previous gen. Powerbook, with an ATI card rather than nVidia

[SupahCoolX]

And now that SuperDrives are a BTO option on 14" iBooks, the line is blurred even more. Just think, if they had a 12" iBook Superdrive, probably nobody would buy a 12" PowerBook.

[brettcamp]

I'm coming to the same conclusion -- if you don't need DVI out, why pay extra for a 12" PB over a 12" iBook? I'm choosing between these packages:

1GHz PowerBook 12 ” Combo (last year's model) &$50 iTunes Music Store Credit
1 GHz PowerPC G4,256MB DDR266 SDRAM,512K L2 Cache,40GB Ultra ATA
HD,Combo Drive (DVD-ROM/CD-RW)
NVIDIA GeForce FX Go 5200 w/32MB DDR Video Memory
$1199 USD

or

iBook Combo 12.1”
1GHz PowerPC G4, 256MB DDR266 SDRAM, 512K L2 cache @1GHz, 30GB Ultra ATA drive, Combo Drive, ATI Mobility Radeon 9200, 32MB DDR video memory, APPLE CARE (at no extra charge)
$999

The 12" powerbook certainly is handsome, but for someone who's using the machine mostly for writing and websurfing, I can't justify the extra bucks for a slightly larger hard disk. Am I missing something?

[gui1ty]

i'd max out an ibook... that's what i'm doing with my 12".

powerbooks are the picasso of computers, but carrying around a picasso is heavy and they are expensive...

14" ibook with superdrive and maxed features really is amazing, except the lack of graphics

[iREZ]

If I had to choose between the new 12" iBooks or my Rev B 12" PB, I'd have to go with the iBooks, simply because it has an ATI 9200, better airport reception, longer battery life, less heat, and .07GHz faster. iBook Xbench results are insulting my 12" PB already, and I think it has to do with the crappy GPU in my unit, oh well I'm really happy with my computer and till it can't do the stuff I want it to it'll still be in my backpack.

[Wiskedjak]

Originally posted by freakboy2:
Ok, so hopefully i'm going to be getting a laptop in the next few weeks. I love ibooks.. they are just so durable and the battery life kicks butt.

You do know that a Powerbook in an iBook's body will have a Powerbook's battery life?

[Cadaver]

I came this close (holds thumb and index finger very close together) to replacing my 600MHz iBook with a new 1GHz model. I need something small and light for on-the-road computing and PowerPoint/Keynote presentations.

I actually ended up with a new 12" PowerBook instead. As many people have already stated, an iBook configured with AE, BT and a 60GB HD, and you're within $200 of a stock 12" PB. And for me, I decided that the VGA/DVI out w/ spanning support (supported by Apple; I know there is an iBook hack), the (somewhat) better GPU/VRAM, and the lighter/slimmer/smaller case was worth the small price difference. And with Apple's educational pricing, the AppleCare price difference wasn't too tremendous, either.

Durability might not be equal, but my 'book goes in a padded case, not tossed in to a backpack, so I'm a little less worried.

But I do agree that the overall difference between the 12" PB and 12" iBook is smaller than ever. But this isn't necessarily a bad thing. Now there's something for everyone.

[Wiskedjak]

Originally posted by Cadaver:
Durability might not be equal, but my 'book goes in a padded case, not tossed in to a backpack, so I'm a little less worried.

I don't think the current iBooks quite live up to the durability reputation established by the original iceBooks.

[designfreak114]

That was the same thing I had to deal with when I was thinking about buying an apple laptop. To me, the iBook is much more "apple" than the metal powerbook... Besides, its not like they make the mouse and keyboards silver or metal...doesnt really look nice, i think. The problem was that I'm a graphic design student and everyone was telling me Powerbook... Don't get me wrong, I think the powerbooks are great and I do love their design, and i'm probably gonna uprade to it after i lose my student status and move into proffesional grade, but if they can somehow make like a Powerbook white series...with widescreen display and everything else that makes Powerbooks great, that would be amazing...

For me that would ultimately justify paying for the almost 3000 dollar price tag of the 17" Powerbook.. That would be the perfect union of beauty and power...Amazing...

Hey, maybe if every iBook enthusiast started a write in campaign and sent letters to Apple, maybe they'll consider it... Even if its just a limited edition or something...There are certainly enough of us...