[manofsteel300]

I need some buying advice. I am in need of a new laptop for college. I am currently on a pismo 400 768mb ram without a battery. The machine is not up to snuff anymore. I plan on purchasing a laptop now and a new mactel powerbook in about a year, giving whatever computer I purchase now to my brother at that point.

Question is whether I should purchase the 12'' ibook now to take advantage of the ipod+printer deal or wait for the Paris expo to see what new powerbooks come out. This will reduce the price of the current powerbook line and possibly make it more worth to purchase a 12'' powerbook instead.

Is the 12'' powerbook noticably faster than the ibook? is it not worth giving up on the current deal? How will I feel using the ibook compared to my pismo?

Thanks!

[brettcamp]

It all depends on what you'll be using the computer for. I went from the same model Pismo you have to an iBook to a 12" Powerbook. Either machine will feel great after a Pismo. If you search this forum, you'll find plenty of threads comparing the iBook to the Powerbook, but for me, the bottom line was that I wanted DVI output to an external display, which the PB offers and the iBook doesn't. the hard disk was also twice as big, and the PB was on sale, bringing it within $200 of the iBook. But the speed difference has been negligible for my uses (nothing high powered, like graphic design or video), the airport reception and battery life are slightly worse than the iBook, and the PB isn't as durable. So, if you're not using graphics intensive apps or needing a DVI output to an external display, the iBook is a much better value than the 12" PB, especially with the free iPod deal. Screen and resolution are the same on both. However, be aware that if new PBs come out, as rumored, this month, that equation could change.

[castle3]

In my opinion and prediction, I think that the only upgrade at Paris Expo will be a powerbook upgrade. Only because they just upgraded those ibooks. If you buy the ibook now then its possible that Apple will upgrade sometime next year. If they do upgrade theres always that premium price that they have when the do debut. I know that feeling of buying a laptop and then 3 weeks later the new ones come out...I'd hate to do that again. You COULD wait 2 weeks to see if they debut at Paris and then make your decision. But again, that is only my prediction.

[ping_pong]

Performance wise, there is no big difference between 12" ibook and 12" pb. So go for the ibook. It's really a bargin at this price, not to mention the edu promotion.

[Arclite]

Erm, wrong thread.

[Tesseract]

If anything is upgraded at the Expo, it'll be the PowerBook, since the iBook was just sped bumped last month. But with the keynote canceled, it's very uncertain whether there will be any product announcements or upgrades at all.

[kugino]

i agree with most here...the ibook, while a tad slower in some respects and with a slightly inferior video card, will perform just as fast as a comparable PB in normal everyday use. if you plan on connecting to an external DVI monitor, get the PB, as the ibook doesn't do DVI...and if you plan on doing heavy photoshop or video work, the 12" PB will be insufficient anyway. so, get the ibook now. you don't know what's coming out in paris and you get to use a cool ibook immediately. and an ipod and printer, to boot!

[castle3]

In either case. Theres always gonna be upgrades. One can spend an entire year waiting for the next one to come out...or you can just finally crack and buy whats out now...trust me. If you need a machine..you'll finally settle for whats out. The good thing is that Apple portables last much longer than PC laptops. Or at least thats been my observation for the last 3 years...I see more Older ibooks (the toilette seat ones) and powerbooks (pismo) than older PC laptops. its true. these machines are built to last.