[tenj0]

Guys, Since apple don't want to update on the PBs, i'm thinking of getting the 12" super drive Alu PB or 14" ibook from apple web.. or shld i go to ebay and try to look for some doog PB/IB deal?

I read about the old Ti PBs, its 667 MHz or 1GHz right? its slower than the current alu PBs, but why is it that people are still looking for the Ti powerbook? What is it that makes Ti PBs better than Alu PBs? and if i want to go to ebay and find one Ti PBs, what should i look out for?

*I'm a switcher.. been wating for the oct 12 PBs update and ir turns out to be vpod.. bleah..

[Macpilot]

The Titaniums were a fine machine. They still are.

Sturdier than the Aluminum. I don't think the Aluminums have any better wireless range, contrary to popular belief.

The keyboard feel I also prefer on the Ti. The best part of the Aluminums (15 and 17) are the backlit keyboards.

Other than that, there are not too many compelling differences. The G4 chip has not scaled well, so a new 1.67 is not really twice as fast as an old 800mhz Ti.

I just picked up a nice 800mhz Ti/Combo/Airport/40gig/1gig RAM on eBay for $840. Other than a few paint chips (not a big deal), this thing is great. The Ti is actually thinner than the new 15", and lighter and stronger. With the SAME screen resolution. And the cool hidden ports on the back.

If you need DVI (to hook up to an external digital display) then look for the 667mhz DVI model first. When searching 667s, be watchful for this. The first 667s had VGA and a slightly lower resolution screen.

Good luck!

[Macpilot]

On yeah....the Aluminums get MUCH hotter too. Aluminum conducts heat. Not a good choice for laptop construction.

The trackpad material they use in the current Powerbook feels wierd to me. I much prefer the texture of the Ti trackpad.

I have owned the 17" and the 15" Aluminums and really enjoyed them, but in the end, for my needs, they really were overkill.

[SpaceMonkey]

Originally Posted by Macpilot

On yeah....the Aluminums get MUCH hotter too. Aluminum conducts heat. Not a good choice for laptop construction.

Conducting heat is better than trapping it inside the machine...unless you want your fan to run more often.

Oh, and for the original poster: Apple is holding another special event on October 19th, which is expected to bring updates to the pro line. So I would definitely hold off on buying until after then.

[mduell]

The Titanium PowerBooks have poorer airport reception than the AlBooks, as well as the infamous paint chipping issues.

I'd wait until Wednesday (Apple has a pro event on the 19th), see what's released, and buy an iBook if you're not impressed.

[kmarketing]

Hi,

As a former owner of several aluminum powerbooks and then sold them, I must say how happy I am with my rev a. titanium powerbook which is in beautiful condition with no cosmetic issues. The screen resolution is not up to par with the new ones, but physically I just like the titaniums better. They are user upgradeable and can still do most tasks fine. If you are interested in one just make sure not to spend too much because you will get into the area of a new ibook or powerbook. But I think they are the best looking apple laptops made.

I was able to get a fine deal on the one one in my sig, and after upgrades it was $425. I have the g5 to do my intensive needs, so the powerbook does everything that I need to do. And better than the 15" aluminums is the battery life that I get which is over 5 hours per battery for me.

Good Luck!

[benwhanlee]

My first powerbook was a Ti 667. That was a very good machine. I've had an Al 1.25 and now have an Al 1.67. Here's my 2¢...

The aluminums are MUCH sturdier than the Ti's. Mine, and others I've seen, will flex a little when you grab them. If you touch the back of the display, it affects the monitor - you'll see a area of distortion. That's not to say the Ti's are flimsy, just that the Al's are sturdier in my opinion. When you pick one up they just feel really solid.

My aluminums both had much worse airport reception. That's hasn't been an issue, I've been able to connect everywhere but the signal strength is consistently lower. Use a third-party program like macstumbler or the airtraffic control widget to measure strength.

Bluetooth is really nice in the Aluminums. I haven't entered a phone number directly into my phone since I got my Aluminum powerbook. It's a great way to transfer files and using a wireless mouse is great. The keyboard lighting has been pretty useful for me. I agree that the Ti's keyboard just felt better in terms of use.

One thing I really like about the Ti's is that they were designed so you can take them apart yourself and change the hard drive, install an airport card, put in a superdrive, etc. Now you can do that yourself with an Aluminum but it's much more difficult and if you're under warranty it'll void it if you open the Aluminum model by yourself. You can add ram on both machine easily though.

I think that if I got a brand new battery for each of my powerbooks the Ti's would last longer.

I like the smart scrolling on my newer Aluminum. Firewire 800 is really, really fast. The hard drives are faster than the stock Ti's hard drive, but you can upgrade a Ti easily.

The aluminums are faster. Some have reported that the Aluminums get hotter but in my opinion that has a lot to do with the faster processors as well. The more powerful the chip the hotter it's going to get.

For me, I'd go with an Aluminum. They've been through a few generations already so the bugs are worked out. I've been really happy with mine. A lot of people miss the look of the Ti's, but as far as computing goes, I know that when I'm doing something in Adobe InDesign or Photoshop it would be painful on a Titanium compared to how quickly my Aluminum could do things. If you're not doing anything really processor intensive, that may not matter so much.

[tenj0]

thx alot!