[nashstradamus]

[inline images must not exceed 480px width. -- tooki]

This is with my education discount:

This cart qualifies for Free Shipping
Cart Items Quantity Item Price Item Total
iWork '05 Academic - DVD
Part Number: M9611Z/A
Estimated Ship: 1-3 business days
$49.00

PowerBook 12" 1.5GHz SuperDrive
Part Number: Z0BB
8x SuperDrive (DVD±RW/CD-RW)
768MB DDR333 (256MB built-in + 512MB SO-DIMM)
AirPort Extreme Card
Keyboard/Mac OS - U.S. English
100GB Ultra ATA drive @5400rpm
Estimated Ship: 1-3 business days
$1,657.00

A few questions I hope you guys can help me answer. I'm gonna go to the Apple Store tommorow to check this baby out. I also have to order online to get the 100 gb harddrive.

1. Is there anything I would not be able to do with this thing? I am using it for the rest of college (1.5 years) and probably at least 3 years after that. I would like to get into design/graphics and would probably use some more taxing applications, but it would be used for mostly iApps (iDVD, iMovie, PS editing) and basic things for the next year or so.
2. I am keeping my very nice 18" UltraSharp Dell LCD that I got with my last PC. It has two seperate video connectors so I am assuming it will connect easilly with my powerbook, is there any reason to check into this more?
3. What does Apple Care cover exactly and what doesn't it cover? I plan on buying this towards the end of my initial 1 year that comes with the PB.
4. How easy is it to use this as a dual monitor that will span between the 18" and 12" with my Dell LCD?
5. Do think there is any reason for me to wait for new iBooks or the G5 laptop?
6. Anything else you guys want to tell me about 12" 1.5 RevD powerbooks!

Much thanks ahead of time for any one that takes time to answer this!
Thanks guys

[Taloston Man]

Did you add on iLife '05 to the order, or did Apple?
As far as I'm aware, the new PowerBook ships with it installed.

[nashstradamus]

i added iWork, nothing on Apple'w website leads me to believe that it would be installed otherwise

[sworthy]

1. Now, you can do all of that with a 1.5 G4, but it all depends how much you do. If you're into large PS files for example, 1.5 might not be enough oomph -- otherwise it will be fine.

2. Your lcd should work fine.

3. Buy AppleCare. It doesn't cover everything (such as accidental damages like dropping it), but it covers all hardware defects for a while. You could also look into safeware insurance, or your homeowner's insurance which does cover accidental damage or theft.

4. Just plug it in - OS X will automatically detect it. You can always open system prefs and go into the display pref if you want to mess with anything.

5. It depends when you need the laptop. It's a fine line to walk b/c getting burned by a new product announcement always sucks. The powerbooks won't get updated for quite some time (usually 6-9 months after updates). iBooks on the other hand should be updated somewhat soon. Look into what features are important to you that differentiate the iBook from the Powerbook if you wait for the iBook update. Bottom line: if you need one now, buy one. The PB's were just updated and are a solid value.

6. Are you new to macs in general? Check out the rest of the forums and read about features that are unique -- there are tons of little time saving tricks. You might also want to check out one of the many introductory books on the subject.

[moodymonster]

it might be worth having a think about anything else you want and phoning to order it altogether - in my experience you can save a lot of money by phoning rather than just using the online store, particularly if the software you're buying is Apple's (as well as a mac)

[nashstradamus]

how would i go about saving money by calling? i wanted to buy at a physical store but they told me they cannot install the 100 gb at that location. basically my only option is to speak with someone or order online.

if theres anyway i can save more money tell me PLEASE!

[driven]

I too am curious as to how you can save money by using the phone.

[moodymonster]

When I bought my 17" a year ago, I originally ordered online - I can't remember what prompted me to do so, but I cancelled and ordered again via phone (from the Apple store).

I got an ipod, uprated HD, FCE, bag (all with ed discount) - I can't remember how much it all cost but it was a good deal cheaper than just buying online. FCE cost, like, £23, normally £179.

Maybe I was just lucky, but… you never know - I know I was happier paying less than I thought I was going to

I'm not familar with fitting memory on the 12" pb, but if its anything like the 17" its easy (just need some electrician's screwdrivers), you could save money by not getting memory from Apple, get some memory from crucial (they have selector thing so you get the right memory) and fit the memory yourself. On the 17" this is user serviceable - I think its the same for the PB 12".

edit: scrub the bit about the RAM, its cheaper on the Apple Store!

[Randman]

One drawback to the 12 (other than the smaller screen) for design work is you can't go to 2GB of ram as you can in the 15s and 17s.

[psu03bob]

Originally posted by nashstradamus:
i added iWork, nothing on Apple'w website leads me to believe that it would be installed otherwise

Your PowerBook should come with iLife, if it does not Apple's iLife-Up-To-Date program is only $20. It took them the same amount of time to ship iLife 05 for my Power Mac as it would have taken to buy the retail version.

http://www.apple.com/ilife/uptodate/

[satcomtim]

He's talking about iWorks; not iLife

[Dog Like Nature]

Originally posted by psu03bob:
Your PowerBook should come with iLife, if it does not Apple's iLife-Up-To-Date program is only $20. It took them the same amount of time to ship iLife 05 for my Power Mac as it would have taken to buy the retail version.

http://www.apple.com/ilife/uptodate/

New machines don't come with iWork, which is what the original poster is talking about.

[nashstradamus]

ive had a pc for so long, it sounds like this apple is just what i need, going to the store tonight to check it out in person

yeah i really want iWorks so I guess I'll still be buying it seperately

tried to get credit for the purchase and got denied. i heard probably because it is almost a 25,000 credit line and im only 21.

buying immediately next week after i get my check.
CANT WAIT