[markb8705]

I am going to be going to college next fall and i am having troubles picking a laptop for class.

I am making the "switch" from PC to Mac because of the iPod and a friend who has a Mac telling me i should get one.

First, i was thinking of getting a 15inch powerbook but then thought about it and realized the only reason i really wanted it was because of the backlit keyboard and the alluminum case. Now im reconsidering that because they are pretty expensive for me and i dont need all of that power because all i will be doing is taking notes and writing papers and maybe some photoshop here and there...also music of course.

Is there anything i would really be missing out on if i go with the iBook instead of the Powerbook, considering that the only thing i would be doing on it was downloading music and playing in photoshop (and notes and papers)

So tell me, do yall think i should go with the 12inch iBook or the 12inch Powerbook and buy a Mac Mini or iMac for the apartment, or go with the 15 inch Powerbook (which i was thinking about and realized that it is kind of big to take to class) and no desktop at all?

HELP!

[connollyck]

Dude im in the same boat,
read this
http://forums.macnn.com/showthread.p...hreadid=247295
and then read this:
http://forums.macnn.com/showthread.p...hreadid=247448
I got the 12"ibook with 512ram/60gighdd/bluetooth

[D'Espice]

For your needs, the PowerBook will be a total waste of money. Get the 12" or 14" iBook, take a look at which one you like better and what is more important to you, portability or screen size. Keep in mind though that the resolution is exactly the same on the 12" and 14" iBook hence making things seem a little bigger on the 14" (or a little smaller on the 12" )

Get more RAM tho, 256MB are not enough. For your needs, I say get another 256MB stick, that'll do.

[ghporter]

Take a close look at the second discussion thread connollyck posted. I think it addresses student needs a little better than the other one.

Executive summary: the G4 iBook is the lightest, smallest, most capable laptop available for the money. It is more than powerful enough (though extra RAM won't hurt), and students get a nice discount.

[J_Anderton]

I recently just purchased a 12" Powerbook Rev. D for $1399 and have no regrets.

All I'm doing right now is doing A LOT of writing (Screenplay), listening to music, surfing the web, handling my photos, and email and calendar.

Later on, I might be doing video editing, so I needed the DVI hookup.

For what you're going to use your Mac for, it depends...

You say you'll be writing notes and papers, listening to music, and maybe some photoshop.

If you'll be writing a lot of papers, the Powerbook keyboard is the best you'll ever use. It's 100x better than the iBooks.

Everything else, you don't necessarily NEED the Powerbook, unless you're going to use the DVI out.

For what you need, I say go for the 12" iBook. I would say the 14" if it had a higher resolution, but too bad it doesn't.

[historylme]

Ibook with a larger hardrive and extra ram.

HAVE FUN

oh, and it's the more throw in your bag and not worry about it of the two (ibook or PW).

[sminch]

seriously, do you need to get a desktop as well as the notebook?

i'm using my 12" ibook as my only machine and it's all good. maybe you could look at tricking out the ibook instead of spending that money on a desktop (which would, i imagine, mostly be spent on replicating what you're getting in the notebook (by which i mean a cpu, ram, hd, screen...)).

just a thought. unless you need a more powerful machine for home use, just plug in an external keyboard (if you need it), bigger monitor (if you need it), huge great hd (if you need it), and go nuts.

sminch

[connollyck]

thats what i did. only thing i dont have is a monitor. question:
i bought a 12" ibook
can i hook it up to say a 17/19/20inch lcd monitor without it looking like crap?

[iREZ]

I understand the having 2 system scenario perfectly. You could have an iBook to do your light to moderate load while your on the road, and have a beautiful G5 with a huge FSB and fast HD waiting for you to do your intensive stuff at home. I own a Rev B 12", and I'm really leaning towards this option although my decision isn't completely made up. Looking at what your going to be using your machine for, seems that the iBook could handle everything that you want to throw at it...don't bother with the 14" though not worth it in my opinion. The 12" PB is a really nice machine too, but I'd only consider this if your planning on purchasing a huge monitor later down the road because the iBook only has VGA while the PB has VGA and DVI. I say 12" iBook if you just want a notebook to tote around, 12" PB if you want a semi desktop replacement, and suped up 15" PB if you want a complete portable desktop system that you could tote around.

[Gamoe]

Originally posted by iREZ:
I understand the having 2 system scenario perfectly. You could have an iBook to do your light to moderate load while your on the road, and have a beautiful G5 with a huge FSB and fast HD waiting for you to do your intensive stuff at home.

Exactly. You could just buy a souped up PowerBook, as suggested as well, but that would cost you a lot more money than it's worth, in my opinion (unless you really need it and you're actually going to be making money with it, etc.). Get a 12" iBook, with a bigger internal HD, built in airport, maybe built in bluetooth (if you think you'll need it) and at least an extra 256 MB (you should have at least 512MB for Mac OS X).

Later on, you might want to upgrade to a better and faster desktop Mac, but your iBook will probably still be capable of all the basics you need for a long time to come. Of course, I suggest you wait until at least next month to make your decision, as new iBooks seem eminent.

[nredman]

Originally posted by markb8705:
I am going to be going to college next fall and i am having troubles picking a laptop for class.

I am making the "switch" from PC to Mac because of the iPod and a friend who has a Mac telling me i should get one.

First, i was thinking of getting a 15inch powerbook but then thought about it and realized the only reason i really wanted it was because of the backlit keyboard and the alluminum case. Now im reconsidering that because they are pretty expensive for me and i dont need all of that power because all i will be doing is taking notes and writing papers and maybe some photoshop here and there...also music of course.

Is there anything i would really be missing out on if i go with the iBook instead of the Powerbook, considering that the only thing i would be doing on it was downloading music and playing in photoshop (and notes and papers)

So tell me, do yall think i should go with the 12inch iBook or the 12inch Powerbook and buy a Mac Mini or iMac for the apartment, or go with the 15 inch Powerbook (which i was thinking about and realized that it is kind of big to take to class) and no desktop at all?

HELP!

i'd pick up a 12inch iBook, max out the ram and upgrade the hardrive if you want. i am happy with my 12inch iBook. the only thing i dont like about it is the small screen...kind of sucks when using photoshop but other then that its great. pick up a new ipod with the difference from not getting a powerbook.

oh yeah go wireless too

[andreas_g4]

Since you don't need it now, I'd suggest to wait until the iBooks are getting revamped (most probably in mid April to May) and the next big Mac OS X revision alias Tiger is loaded on the machines.