[nc350]

I am looking to purchase my first Mac and need a liitle help. I am quite comfortable and fluent with PC based architecture but know nothing about Mac's workings. I got an ipod for christmas and love it and have always been interested in the Macs. Everyone I have talked to has loved their Mac. I am going back to college soon and will be going into the engineering program so there will be quite abit of math, database, and research done. I also need to use Microsoft word , excel, access and powerpoint and possible some SQL and VB scripting as well as java scripting. I have been runnning a program called DVD shrink on my dell laptop wich wont work on the Mac but between Mac the Ripper and Roxios Popcrn I think they both will. I was looking at the 14 incc iBook and the 12 inch Powerbook. The 12inch Powerbook is my first choice. Will it do everything that I need. I know nothing about these and thank you in advance for you help.

[mduell]

Access hasn't been (and is unlikely to be) ported to OS X. There are a few similar programs, like OOo's Base and Apple's FileMaker. Also a lot of engineering apps don't have OS X ports, so you'll have to go to the computer lab or library to use them. There are a couple SQL servers for OS X; VB scripting isn't going to work outside of Office; java works fine.

The iBooks and 12" PowerBook are dated, to say the least. Apple is currently in the process of transitioning from PowerPC to Intel chips, and a new low-end laptop (probably 13" widescreen) is expected in April. I advise waiting for it to be released.
If you still want to go with the PowerPC model, the PowerBook has DVI, a metal case, and native screen spanning support, while the iBook has better wifi range and battery life.