[drummrharrison43]

I am new to the world of Mac. I am currently looking to purchase a powerbook for school and traveling. I plan on taking it everywhere because I'm constantly doing business and schoolwork and need something portable. My question is....which is better, the 12 inch of the 15 inch powerbook? I know the 15" has a better screen res., faster processing, etc. But is the 12" that much different? Please help me out and post your opinions. Thanks

[f1000]

If I were you, I'd wait. Apple is likely to introduce new hardware in the next few weeks with features that you might not want to live without.

[Dakkon]

dont wait if you need a pb then buy one, apple is always coming out with new products, if you wait you will ALWAYS be waiting.. and the only change worth waiting for in the future will be the switch to intell anyhow.



i was in a similar situation as you, I went with the 15” because the physical size of the machine isn’t that big od a difference, and like you stated the 15 has more power and a much nicer screen, it also comes with more ports than the 12 inch.. so I would say go with the 15..

[brettcamp]

Agreed that you should wait to see what comes out at Macworld next month. However, I can offer some insight, as I recently sold my 12" to move up to a 15". The answer to whether the two are really that different is yes -- the 12" is really much more like an iBook, whereas the 15" and 17" PBs are in a separate league. The higher resolution, brighter screen, and widescreen make a big difference, certainly if you're using graphics intensive programs or a lot of video or photo applications. and there are other differences (e.g. PC card slot) that might affect your decision.

that said, if you're gonna be hauling it around all the time, the 12" is certainly lighter and easier to carry around. If portability is an issue, then you might want to go with it, or whatever replaces next year. actually, unless DVI output or superdrive is important to you, you might want to go with the 12" iBook, which is a better value than the 12" Powerbook.

I just got back from my first trip with the 15" and was surprised at how easy it was to tote on the plane. I used it for two weeks on the trip, but didn't carry it around much. I was glad to be using a widescreen for that long, as I often work with two docs side by side.

You should probably try to check out both side by side in person, and decide for yourself whether the weight/cost vs. screen quality tradeoff is worth it for your uses. good luck!

[wilsonng]

What would you do if you are not bound to a desk? If you need to work on programs that require a lot of screen real estate (Adobe products, Final Cut Pro, Macromedia stuff) while you are on the road, the 15" is a better bet.

However, if your "road work" tends to be more Microsoft Office, e-mail, internet, etc., then the 12" is a nice product.

I have a 15" and a 12". When I'm travelling, I appreciate the portability of the 12". My road work doesn't require alot of screen real estate since I'm mostly working in Microsoft Office, FireFox, or Now Up-To-Date/Contact. But if I was back into graphic arts and video editing while I'm on the road, I'd dive into the 15" easily.

Whenever I need to use my screen hog programs like Adobe, I can use MacOS X's Expose feature to help with window clutter until I can hook up my 12" to an external monitor and get triple the screen real estate.

I prefer the PB 12" over the iBook 12" due to the PB's ability to span dual monitors. However, there are unofficial hacks that can work on your iBook to give you dual monitor support as well.

[vsurfer]

As a 15" TiBook user (1Ghz/1GB) -- I can't imagine getting by with any less screen real estate.
That'll probably be your main issue, and with a 15" it's hard to go wrong.

I use it both on the road -- a lot -- and as a desktop replacement, a lot.
It handles the photo processing chores / office / dreamweaver like a champ.

A second thinking point is that once you get used to using a 15" laptop, it can very quickly become your desktop replacement (unless your main work is very heavy DTP/Quark, in which case, a 12" is a good satellite machiine). So, you may want to anticipate that and think in terms of whether a 12" ro 15" makes a better desktop replacement.

Portability wise, the 15" is a large as I wanted to go, it fits most carry on sleeve/bags nicely, and is not so big that it smacks into subway support columns and the like.

[iREZ]

12" = portability 15" = more screen res. if you could swing the higher price on the 15", id say go with that, but realize the 12" is no slouch and can sneak anywhere with you and is not a suped up ibook. ibook lacks superdrive, a faster hard drive, faster bus speed, 64mb of vram, audio in, clamshell mode and one of the best keyboards around. all in all, if you could swing a 15" go with it, if not...dont hesitate on the 12" it wont let you down.

[Bandit240]

Ive got both a 12'' Powerbook(1ghz/768) and a 14'' iBook(600mhz/3**). I wouldnt take anything over my powerbook, even if the iBook was brand new, id still take the powerbook. The keyboard is much nicer. Screen size isnt an issue for me.

[kcmac]

Besides the portability of the 12 inch, I have always enjoyed its fabulous keyboard. How is the keyboard on the 15 incher? I am going to sell of my 12 inch and get a Mactel. Am pondering the 15.

[HazelGirl]

its a matter of pref...if you like the smaller size of the 12 inch, then there you go...if you like the larger size of the 15 inch, then get that one. Personaly I htink tha tthe 15 inch is the perfect combo of power and portability. It's smaller than most 15 inch machines....I plan to get a 15 inch pb before the fall of 2007 as a gift to myself before I start grad school.

[Jawbone54]

Just upgraded to a 15" Powerbook after having a 12" iBook for a year and a half. The screen makes a HUGE difference. I'm not sure how much of an impact the jump from 1.5 to 1.67 Ghz would have, but I know that I'm flying past my friend and his 12" 1.5 Ghz Powerbook. I'm also getting a lot better wireless internet results (this might be an isolated occurence, but my iBook was much worse in this regard as well).

Here's a few (but not all) other differences...

The screen, of course. 12" - 1024 x 768 4:3 ratio vs. the 15" - 1440 x 960 16:10 ratio (15" is brighter, as well)
Backlit keyboard for the 15" (cool, trust me)
Better graphics card for the 15"
15" has FireWire 400 and 800, while the 12" only has 400
12" uses DDR memory...the 15" uses DDR2

[brettcamp]

Originally Posted by kcmac

Besides the portability of the 12 inch, I have always enjoyed its fabulous keyboard. How is the keyboard on the 15 incher? I am going to sell of my 12 inch and get a Mactel. Am pondering the 15.

When I switched from 12" iBook to 12" PowerBook, the PB's far-superior keyboard (along with DVI for my external monitor, and the then-twice-as-large hard drive) were the main factors. When I switched last month to a 1.5gb 15" PB, I was happy to find the keyboard identical to the 12", or at least that's how it feels to me. Still, as keyboard preferences tend to be idiosyncratic, I'd recommend that you type on a display model yourself at your nearest Apple dealer.

[drummrharrison43]

Thank you for all of your comments. Today I went out and purchased a 15" Powerbook. I decided that I didn't want to wait for a newer model. If I wanted to wait, I would ALWAYS be waiting. Thanks again! This thing ROCKS!

[Randman]

Get enough ram, you and your new PB will be quite happy.

[kcmac]

Originally Posted by brettcamp

When I switched from 12" iBook to 12" PowerBook, the PB's far-superior keyboard (along with DVI for my external monitor, and the then-twice-as-large hard drive) were the main factors. When I switched last month to a 1.5gb 15" PB, I was happy to find the keyboard identical to the 12", or at least that's how it feels to me. Still, as keyboard preferences tend to be idiosyncratic, I'd recommend that you type on a display model yourself at your nearest Apple dealer.

Thanks.

And congrats dharrison. Great choice.

[CorpITGuy]

The 15" PowerBook was an excellent choice.

Your notebook computer will do everything in 3 years that it can do now. As newer notebooks build functionality yours doesn't lose anything.

I own a 1GHz PowerBook G4 (Aluminum) and love it. I won't be in the market for another one for a while since this one does everything I need it to do already.

[CorpITGuy]

The 15" PowerBook was an excellent choice.

Your notebook computer will do everything in 3 years that it can do now. As newer notebooks build functionality yours doesn't lose anything.

I own a 1GHz PowerBook G4 (Aluminum) and love it. I won't be in the market for another one for a while since this one does everything I need it to do already.

[f1000]

Originally Posted by Apple

You’ve dreamed about it long enough. Now it has a name: MacBook Pro. Powered by a dual-core Intel engine. Up to four times the speed of the PowerBook G4. Eight times the graphics bandwidth. With built-in iSight for instant video conferencing on the move. And Front Row with Apple Remote to dazzle everyone in the room. Wait no more. MacBook Pro starts at just $1999.

Ouch! I hope you kept your receipt, drummrharrison43.

[JoshuaZ]

Stay away from the 12in iBook. If you`re going to be a true road warrior you`ll want the 12in Pbook. Its really quite small, and everyone at my office was impressed when I pulled it out of my backpack.

So unless you`re really really really in need of the extra power, stick with the 12in. I did and have no regrets.

[wilsonng]

Well, the new MacBook Pros were interesting but my 12" PB is still chugging along just fine without a care in the world. My PB isn't too envious and I have no buyer's remorse over my trusted 12" PB.