[alimaj]

I need to get one or the another very soon (going to travel and work there). I will be using almost exclusively Photoshop and Illustrator CS2. Would 14 inch ibook be better than 12 inch powerbook? Price is somewhat a consideration but if there is a substantial difference in performance I would go for the powerbook. Thanks!

-alimaj

[tooki]

There's practically no difference in performance, provided you have enough RAM. The 12" PowerBook is almost identical to the iBooks. The only real differences are: housing material (plastic is more durable, frankly -- it doesn't dent), hard disk speed (PowerBooks use a 5400RPM drive, while iBooks use 4200RPM drives that are a tad slower), support for monitor spanning (out of the box, iBooks don't allow it, though a small piece of software can enable it), and finally, that the PowerBook has DVI output, while the iBook has only VGA.

Especially for Photoshop, you may want to keep files on a fast external hard disk, in which case internal hard disk speed becomes less of an issue.

tooki

[Eug Wanker]

Since you're talking about Photoshop, are you going to be attempting to run Aperture? Strangely enough, Aperture will not install on the 12" PowerBook, but will install on the iBook.

No, you wouldn't want to do much in Aperture on an iBook, but still, it might be a consideration for you.

And if you're not considering Aperture at all, and you're thinking about the 12" PowerBook, I'd just get the 12" iBook, and spend the money you save on an extra GB of RAM. The only issue is if you need the SuperDrive or not. There is no SuperDrive in the 12" iBook. There is in the 14" iBook though.

[alimaj]

Thank for you replies!
I will not be using Aperture but I will be working with RAW images (in the Camera raw that comes with CS2). I found a refurbished Powerbook 15 inch for only $100 more than 14" iBook - should I go with that? I have never looked into refurbished stuff so I don't know if I should expect it to work like new? It's Apple refurbished.

I think I would want more than 12 inch anyway (I have 12 inch G3 iBook, and a G5 dual with two monitors, 15" and 17" so I am spoiled So I guess I am wondering if taking the $100 risk is worth it?

Thanks!!!!

-alimaj

[Eug Wanker]

The refurbs are reportedly pretty good. It also depends on which model too. This one seems like the best deal right now:

Refurbished PowerBook 15-inch 1.67GHz
SuperDrive
512MB DDR333 SDRAM
80GB Hard Drive
ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 (64 MB DDR)
AirPort Extreme
Bluetooth 2.0 + Enhanced Data Rates
Backlit keyboard

Original price: $2,299.00
Your price: $1,599.00
Estimated Ship:
Within 24 hours
Free Shipping

[Duracell]

CS2 runs just great on my iBook, not incredible, but well enough for what I use it for. Chokes a bit when applying filters but hey

[brettcamp]

For design or photo work, you'll appreciate the higher resolution of a 15" Powerbook, and the CS2 palettes are easier to handle with a wide screen. I'd go for a refurb 1.33 model ($1299) or 1.5 model ($1449), which is in the same ballpark as the 14" iBook. The 1.67 deal mentioned above is a good one, too -- at least in the Apple world, which means it's much less overpriced than a new Powerbook.