[dandy35]

15" 667/800/887/1.0 PB's are going for $700 - $1100 on eBay in various configuations. The Apple store has a 12" 1.33 refurb for $1100.

I am getting too caught up in the "Fish or cut bait" mentality and need to take a breather.

This will be a seconday machine whos main mission will be surfing from the couch upstairs or on the patio and doing simple iPhoto/PS work.
I will not be traveling too much with this machine.

Concerns:
12" screen too small
15" Paying too much for machine than I need
Wirless range...do the Al cases have better range than the Ti cases

Would I be better off with an iBook? Side by side I prefer the PB screen but once I buy a machine, it'll never be side by side with another machine so I wouldn't notice the "inferior" screen, would I?

[rjt1000]

Hi,

I have the 12 inch g4 1.33 ghz Albook (rev C) and I love it. My prior laptop was a 14 inch Pismo and with my middle aged eyes I worried the 12 inch screen was too small. With a few minor adjustments (setting font sizes in Finder and some applic prefs) I have never had a problem.

I would NEVER recommend one of the 15 inch titanium powerbooks, especially as a used item on eBay. They were quite fragile and have had a number of issues including peeling paint and weak hinges.

I think the 1.33 ghz 12 inch would be a bargain at the price you mentioned. You might also consider the 12 inch ibook which is 900 books after Amazon rebate.

If you worry about screen size and wont be traveling with this one, you should also consider the 14 inch iBook. I bought that for my Mom and it is also a very sweet laptop.

Best wishes,

Rich

[Jacob]

If 12" is too small, the 14" ibook might be your best bet. It's sort of the middle-man, has a decent dose of features, and has enough screen room to satisfy most users. Just be cautious if buying second hand. Like rjt1000 mentioned above, the older generation Powerbooks (Titanium) are weakly designed, meaning...in the long run, they won't last long. Hinges were a problem, wear and tear PAINFULLY shows up all over the machine (scratches, hand rest wear and tear, trackpad discoloration/fading, and one of the worst flaws...keyboard imprints on the screen!)

Stick with either the ibooks (newer gen) or current Powerbook gen if you can. Happy hunting!

[brettcamp]

My experience is almost identical to Rich's (14" Pismo to 12" iBook to 12" PB) and I love my little Al. However, if yours is mostly going to be used for couch surfing (i.e. without an external display and you don't travel much), then I don't see much reason to get the PB over the iBook, especially since it won't be your main machine. The 12" PB screen is identical to the iBook's (and inferior to the 15" PB screen), and it sounds like the PB's other advantages (like DVI, larger HD and wonderful keyboard) wouldn't be as important for your uses.

There's a rumor that widescreen iBooks are coming soon; might be worthwhile to wait a few weeks to see what's coming down the pike, if you think a 12" screen is too small. iBooks are overdue for a refresh.