[andrew styl]

Hi everyone,

I’m thinking of buying a Mac laptop. I have decided to go for a PowerBook simply because as a writer I prefer the PowerBook’s keyboard over the ibook.

I tried out the 12" PowerBook keyboard in my local Apple store and it was amazing. I could easily imagine myself typing on it for several hours a day. My question is about using the 12" screen for writing over extended periods. How is it for viewing text over long periods of time? Is it a pain to view? (My eyesight is okay, long as I wear glasses.) Is it a chore to scroll? Viewing a full page?

I did notice that the screen has a pretty tight viewing angle. But text was pretty clear and sharp as long as I looked at the screen straight on.

I think the 15" PowerBook is an amazing machine but it would be overkill for my purposes. I guess what I’m asking is: is the PowerBook 12 a good writing machine?

I will be mainly using Final Draft, Word and iListen. Any writers out there who can share their thoughts?

Many thanks.

Andrew

[cheekyjeremy]

Personally I would say go for a larger screened model. I, along with a partner write and publish guide books in the UK, and while the 12" is a nice machine, the thought of labouring over such a small screen for that amount of time is not a good idea. I did the layout on 7 books on a laptop, and 12" would have been bad for the eyes. While I appreciate that the 15 may be overkill for power, it is not overkill for the eyes.

Jeremy

[Spheric Harlot]

Note that the 15" Powerbook has about the same pixel density as the 12" 'book, so the only thing easier on your eyes - assuming you'll be working with text and not so much layouting - will be the better screen with its wider viewing angle and brighter backlight.

If having your writing tool with you at all times is the priority, then the 12"'s portability more than makes up for the loss in screen real estate, IMO.

A friend of mine who's a writer was going to get a 14" iBook for the lower screen density, but decided upon the 12" model and is *very* pleased with its portability.

-s*

[chrisford]

Hi Andrew -

Just to chime in - I own a 12" Powerbook, and you're right: the keyboard is fantastic. As long as your posture is ok, typing for prolonged periods should be fine.

I use my Powerbook for work which (sadly!) tends to involve writing longish documents in MS Word. It's not too painful although Word isn't the most economical when it comes to palette layout / dialogue boxes etc.

The one concrete recommendation I'd give you would be to install Sidetrack (search www.downloads.com). The lack of Page Up / Down buttons on the PB can be a little painful at times, and the ability to scroll with the pad goes someway to alleviating that!

I'd be tempted to recommend the 12" to you - as others have said, the portability is excellent. I find the screen fantastic as well, although I don't have any experience of the 15" / 17".

Cheers!

[Dr.Michael]

Originally posted by andrew styl:


I did notice that the screen has a pretty tight viewing angle. But text was pretty clear and sharp as long as I looked at the screen straight on.

I think the 15" PowerBook is an amazing machine but it would be overkill for my purposes. I guess what I’m asking is: is the PowerBook 12 a good writing machine?

I use the 12 inch powerbook for programming (which means writing code the whole day in a text editor). Although I wear glasses since I was 6 (39 now) and was very hesitant to choose the 12 inch powerbook because of 107 dpi screen resolution, I am pleased that I eventually decided to buy it.

The screen is indeed very sharp. But the eye stress in the evenings is higher than on a 14 inch 1024/768 display. But that will not harm the eyes (according to my doctor) as long as you relax them long enough afterwards.

I agree with Spheric Harlot that the pixel density on the 15 inch pb is nearly the same.

The main drawback with the 12 inch is the neck stress that comes from the low mounting of the screen. An external keyboard and an iCurve is something I always recommend.

If this is taken into account an iBook is of course somthing to think about again. It has longer battery life which increases portability. But its only a good choice if you are sure that you don't want to use an external display (because it can only mirror its internal screen contents).

If keyboard/iCurve this is present the portability of the 12 inch model is the outstanding feature that I never want to miss again.

[SplijinX]

Unless you have to work with documents side by side, I think the 12" will be suited for the task. I recommend installing uControl for scrolling with your trackpad and find it greatly helpful when editing documents or viewing webpages.

Not that the powerbook is a bad machine, but if you are just doing writing and nothing else, it might be overkill compared to an iBook. I played around with one of the new models in the store and didn't notice much of a difference between the powerbook and ibook keyboards, did they upgrade that recently as well? I know the previous model wasn't all that great but I think they have changed it since...

[andrew styl]

Thanks everyone for the replies so far.

I did look at the 14" iBook. Its keyboard was better than I expected but not as nice as those on the powerbooks. Also, I wasn't sure if the iBook had an audio-in socket which I would need for the dictation software I plan to use.

As for using a 12" powerbook with an iCurve stand and external keyboard – doesn't this mean having the screen further away? Does it work okay? Or are there stands out there which raise the powerbook and allow you to type on the powerbook at the same time? Is this ergonimically feasible?

Thanks for the tips about adding scrolling features to the trackpad. That was a real concern with the lengthy text documents I will be using.

I agree that the 12" is a beautifully compact machine. I did like the intimate feel of it and I will certainly need to take it away with me now and again. The 15" seemed a hefty thing by comparison.

Overall though, I think I'd have been happy with the 12" powerbook if I hadn't seen the 15" sitting right next to it on the store counter. The larger screen was certainly easy on the eyes (it looked brighter with better contrast). The 12" powerbook screen seemed little different to that of the 12" iBooks side-by-side. If anything the iBooks seemed brighter! I did try calibrating the powerbook but this made little noticeable difference.

I will go to the store one more time for another look. I'm leaning towards the 12". As I won't be working on two-page layouts, there's a chance that I won't need all that extra screen space on the 15" anyway. And the portability might make it more practical for my needs...

I just hope I won't have to do too much squinting...

Thanks again for all the advice.

Andrew

[f1000]

Originally posted by andrew styl:
As for using a 12" powerbook with an iCurve stand and external keyboard – doesn't this mean having the screen further away?

For prolonged typing, Apple's Wireless Keyboard beats the pants off a PowerBook's built-in one. Not only does the wireless keyboard feel better, but it also doesn't give you sweaty palms.

Originally posted by andrew styl:
I just hope I won't have to do too much squinting...

In Word, just use View: Zoom...: Page Width. No more squinting.

[Dr.Michael]

Originally posted by andrew styl:

As for using a 12" powerbook with an iCurve stand and external keyboard – doesn't this mean having the screen further away?

Not at all. You can even move the keyboard a little underneath the iCurve.

Does it work okay?

Yes, absolutely great and - considering more than a few hours of constant work - preferable to the powerbook alone.

[Will McGoonigle]

Originally posted by andrew styl:
Hi everyone,

I’m thinking of buying a Mac laptop. I have decided to go for a PowerBook simply because as a writer I prefer the PowerBook’s keyboard over the ibook.

I tried out the 12" PowerBook keyboard in my local Apple store and it was amazing. I could easily imagine myself typing on it for several hours a day. My question is about using the 12" screen for writing over extended periods. How is it for viewing text over long periods of time? Is it a pain to view? (My eyesight is okay, long as I wear glasses.) Is it a chore to scroll? Viewing a full page?

I did notice that the screen has a pretty tight viewing angle. But text was pretty clear and sharp as long as I looked at the screen straight on.

I think the 15" PowerBook is an amazing machine but it would be overkill for my purposes. I guess what I’m asking is: is the PowerBook 12 a good writing machine?

I will be mainly using Final Draft, Word and iListen. Any writers out there who can share their thoughts?

Many thanks.

Andrew

Hi Andrew, just about everyone in Hollywood uses a Powerbook for writing usiing Final Draft and Word. You'll need the screen size, trust me. OSX has a bit of a chunky interace and you'll only be able to navigate your work properly at higher resolutions.

[jstein]

Originally posted by andrew styl:
Hi everyone,

I’m thinking of buying a Mac laptop. I have decided to go for a PowerBook simply because as a writer I prefer the PowerBook’s keyboard over the ibook.

I tried out the 12" PowerBook keyboard in my local Apple store and it was amazing. I could easily imagine myself typing on it for several hours a day. My question is about using the 12" screen for writing over extended periods. How is it for viewing text over long periods of time? Is it a pain to view? (My eyesight is okay, long as I wear glasses.) Is it a chore to scroll? Viewing a full page?

I did notice that the screen has a pretty tight viewing angle. But text was pretty clear and sharp as long as I looked at the screen straight on.

I think the 15" PowerBook is an amazing machine but it would be overkill for my purposes. I guess what I’m asking is: is the PowerBook 12 a good writing machine?

I will be mainly using Final Draft, Word and iListen. Any writers out there who can share their thoughts?

Many thanks.

Andrew

Hello Andrew,
I am wondering what type of writing do you do and what software if any will you be using?

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally posted by jstein:
what software if any willyou be using?

In the post you yourself quoted:

I will be mainly using Final Draft, Word and iListen.

[andrew styl]

Hi jstein. To clarify: Final Draft for script writing and editing. Word for journalism/articles/editing. An average Final Draft document runs from 90-150 formatted pages. I also work on Word documents up to several hundred pages in length for editing. I also plan to use iListen's dictation programme to input text into Word.

I currently use a desktop G4 with a 15" Apple studio display but am fed up with being deskbound. (I've been a desktop Mac user since the days of the LC475). Am quite excited at the prospect of going portable. Just wasn't sure how my eyes would cope at the end of a long day on a 12" powerbook.

I appreciate the responses so far.

Andrew

[jstein]

Originally posted by andrew styl:
Hi jstein. To clarify: Final Draft for script writing and editing. Word for journalism/articles/editing. An average Final Draft document runs from 90-150 formatted pages. I also work on Word documents up to several hundred pages in length for editing. I also plan to use iListen's dictation programme to input text into Word.

I currently use a desktop G4 with a 15" Apple studio display but am fed up with being deskbound. (I've been a desktop Mac user since the days of the LC475). Am quite excited at the prospect of going portable. Just wasn't sure how my eyes would cope at the end of a long day on a 12" powerbook.

I appreciate the responses so far.

Andrew

Thanks for the clarification on the software Andrew. As I see it you already have a distinctive advantage going into this purchase. Your 15-inch studio display, for if you need extreme portability you can go with the 12-inch and always plug back into your 15-inch studio display. The 12-inch purchase will also save you a little money…

I am a writer myself (screenwriting, novel writing etc) and initially I started off with a 12-inch pb but when I would open up final draft, movie magic and or dramatica for that matter, the window would take up a lot of space. As a screenwriter I do not know if you do this, but a lot of times I cut and paste certain scenes and dialog. To accomplish this I needed to see two final draft windows at the same time. This led me to trade in my 12-inch pb for a 15 inch one……


Andrew when you get a chance open up two final drafts or ms word windows on your monitor they will overlap just a little but it can be done. Now of course you can do this perfectly on a 17-inch pb, which is eventually where I am going. But you want portability and the 12 or 15-inch pb will give you this. If you are going to do a lot of writing away from home I say the 15-inch pb will do you good, especially if you require more than one window to be open at once. However, if you want to just get away every now and then, creating an article or two in the park, at a cafe or a bookshop try the 12-inch pb. Either way you cannot go wrong….

[Will McGoonigle]

I would just point out that Final Draft still doesn't use Quartz for rendering text and you'll find yourself going crazy at onscreen corruptions. No anti-aliased text either.

[andrew styl]

Hi jstein. Really appreciate your comments. I guess I'll have to take a copy of Final Draft into my local Apple store and ask to see it running on a 12" pbook – just to see if I can work with it.

Am a bit concerned though by Will's comments: "I would just point out that Final Draft still doesn't use Quartz for rendering text and you'll find yourself going crazy at onscreen corruptions. No anti-aliased text either."

I'm still happily running Final Draft 6 on OS 9.2.2 No problems there. If, as Will suggests, there are serious flaws with Final Draft on OSX – this would be a big problem for me as I'd be upgrading to OSX via the powerbook purchase. Running Final Draft will be the mainstay of my work. Can anyone shed more light on this? I think there has been a recent Final Draft update. Don't know if this would have resolved any of the issues Will mentions...

Thanks


Andrew

[AC Rempt]

Just to throw in my two bits, I use my 12 for writing all the time, and it's perfect. I had a Ti Book before, and it was too big to cart around. The keyboard on the 12 is cherry, and if I have any problems with staring at the screen, I just crank up the size of the text.

I write in Word and mostly short stories, 12 to 20 pages. For me, the 12 works wonderfully.

Nothing for you on Final Draft, though.

[Dr.Michael]

Originally posted by andrew styl:

I'm still happily running Final Draft 6 on OS 9.2.2 No problems there. If, as Will suggests, there are serious flaws with Final Draft on OSX – this would be a big problem for me

No experiences with Final Draft here. But I run MS Office 2001 and Adobe Photoshop in the classic environment of OSX. This works perfect and performs much better than any Version for OSX.

[Will McGoonigle]

If my dad used Photoshop for his stageplays then he'd get nowhere

[dodo_nutter]

Im just a student and havent had my PB long enough to comment on writing essays on it but i can comment on the size and screens of the 12" and 15"

The 12" has a worse screen in my opinion...it has a MUCH tighter viewing angle compared to the 15" which you can comfortably look at from pretty much any angle. The 12" on the other hand cant be so you have to have your head in the right place to see it properly.

But the 15" is much bulkier and because of this feels a little inhibiting if you want to pull it out in public. There are times when i have wanted to pull my PB out but didn't just because it was 15". For example i dont use it in lessons even if its in my bag and only rarely on the train home if its quite empty.

If i had the 12" i would have it out in lessons at college and on the train home etc. But the screen real estate, quality, and the fact i can have the very best of the PBs in the 15" body made my mind up...im going to have to use this PB for a few years yet (i plan on it surviving me through Uni) so i wanted a computer that i could use on its own and wouldnt crave an external monitor (even though i am actually using one at this point in time!)

I may have made the 12" screen sound appalling and its not, i almost got it because it is tiny and you can use it almost anywhere but i personally chose the 15"

There is the option of getting the 12" and if you work at a desk at home or in the office have an external there? There is one h@ll of a lot to be said for the compactness of the 12"

[Dr.Michael]

Originally posted by Will McGoonigle:
If my dad used Photoshop for his stageplays then he'd get nowhere

Boy,

I use Photoshop to edit images not to write text. I wanted to tell that OS 9.x software runs great in the classic environment. No need to buy OS X software that might not perform well.

You told us that Final Draft does not work well on OS X. So I gave two examples that OS 9 software versions can be used in the classic environment with the same performance and quality that they had on OS 9. Andrew wrote that he uses Final Draft 6 on OS 9.2.2. So he will be able to go on using it under OS X without restrictions.

Thats what is was about.

[RooneyX]

I use Final Draft on my Powerbook and have done so for some time now. I would like to add that version 7 is so full of bugs that you should find yourself a copy of version 6.

[iREZ]

I use my 12" for all my college essays and a screenplay I'm writing. So far so great, I don't understand the whole you need to sit at the right angle, just sit infront of a 12" and your fine, I dont know too many people that type with their pb's to the left or right of their torso's. I just set my type to 150% and everything is fine, if you dont need the 15" dont cough up the extra cash. Although the 15" 1ghz is selling for awfully cheap at Apple's discount store (seeing how your only going to be writing primarily). Good luck and you'll be happy with either machine.

[escher]

IMO, the 12-inch PowerBook is the ideal laptop for writers. It's on my shopping list.

Originally posted by f1000:
In Word, just use View: Zoom...: Page Width. No more squinting.

f1000's tip bears repeating. It's shocking how many people don't know about this.

Escher

[nJm]

I've been using my 12" iBook quite a lot. I'm not happy with the keyboard, but it is ok.

Now when I'm at home I plug it into a 17" CRT and use an external keyboard and mouse. Much better! I agree the viewing angle of the 12" is pretty poor, but I also find the 1024x768 resolution quite limiting. I run my external screen at 1280x960, and feel my productivity has been increased quite a bit.

[Casper Crane]

my wife uses final draft 6 on her powerbook (10.3.4) and never complains about text corruption. and it's saying something if she doesn't let me know that there is a problem with an application on her computer.

she's been using it for 2 years straight on an iBook 12", which she loved for taking to class everyday. but now that she has graduated, she got a 15" powerbook since she'll be at home most of the time.

personally, i use a 17" powerbook, and while i could be happy on the 15, i could never be happy on a 12. i get claustrophobic. like right now, this window is (unneccesarily) about 13 inches wide. and i am content. and i don't need an extra screen.

[iREZ]

Spoiled Brat






(ok ok I'm sorta jealous)

[RooneyX]

Originally posted by Casper Crane:
my wife uses final draft 6 on her powerbook (10.3.4) and never complains about text corruption. and it's saying something if she doesn't let me know that there is a problem with an application on her computer.

The text corruption is in version 7. The latest version has been plagued with various bugs. First release had the text corruption and the Find/Replace dialogue didn't work. First patch ruined the authentications. Newest patch fixed that but text corruption is terrible. Stick to V6. Some people are moving to Magic Movie Screenwriter but I hate that app.