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fil327 · Mar 17, 2006, 06:10 AM

i hear people say that the 12" screen is too small, thats its crap etc, but i hear good things from others

the price difference between the 2 is big, 400 australian dollars, and figure that i could use some of that for extra RAM and harddrive

so basically what im asking is

which is better, the 12" or the 14" ???

doucy2 · Mar 17, 2006, 08:23 AM

save your money for a 15" of some sort
i had many 12" ibooks and loved them, now i have a 14" and that is even better, but the 15" is way better than both of them (my old AL book and my current Ti book both are 15")
I will probaly always stick with the 15" now, way better than any 12 or 14

ryanparrish · Mar 17, 2006, 08:41 AM

I had a 12" pee cee notebook (now that we have intel's aren't we all pee cee's now? whatever) but I loved my 12" but I travel all over the time so it's nice to have a small machine

fesdds · Mar 17, 2006, 09:01 AM

I am writing this on a 12 inch iBook and have been using it for 3 1/2 years. It has been great, especially because I take it everywhere with me. My buddy has a 12 inch pb and said he will not go back to a 15 inch for portability. I am waiting for the rumored 13 inch that hopefully has better resolution than the current 12 inch. If it is at all good I will be buying 3 for my office. I wouldn't get the 14 inch because the screen resolution is the same as the 12 inch iBook so you don't gain much.

i<3myiBookg4 · Mar 17, 2006, 10:19 AM

I am pleased with my 12". Right after it was ordered I had someone tell me "Oh no! You have to get a 14"!!!!" It took me some time to get used to, but I love it.

mikochu · Mar 17, 2006, 11:34 AM

In regards to iBooks, the 12" is the way to go. The 14" may have a bigger harddrive and a (tad) faster CPU...and superdrive, but for what I need it for..the 12" is the winner. I don't need to burn DVDs on-the-go, so I have no need for a superdrive. I don't need a bigger harddrive, either. The 12" LCD is superior to the 14" screen in that the dot pitch is smaller. The 14" iBook's LCD is grainy compared to the 12". The 12" iBook is the size of a small textbook, too... and it's just a tad bigger than a 12" PowerBook...

ohenry · Mar 17, 2006, 01:01 PM

I prefer the 12" size, although if a 13" widescreen Intel comes out, I will be upgrading - the only thing I don't like about the 12" is the resolution (but then again, for a higher resolution display, it would have cost quite a bit more). I would like a larger resolution.

I really think it comes down to size - if you only use it around the house, you might as well go bigger. If you have to lug it around, go smaller. Ignore the CPU differences - nobody gets an iBook to do heavy duty Photoshop or gaming (or rather, it wasn't designed for those two purposes).

I firmly believe that the 12" is a good value, but at this point, waiting two weeks will do one of two things, will either sway you to an Intel-based, or will create a flood of 12" PowerPC iBooks. If you want to stay PowerPC, you are about to see some of the best (and last) deals you will ever see on a PPC iBook.

pat++ · Mar 26, 2006, 03:56 AM

Get the 12". It's lighter, smaller, has the same resolution as the 14". There is really no advantage of having the 14" except if you want a superdrive...

Big Mac · Mar 26, 2006, 06:10 PM

The 14" is also less appealing visually because there's a lot of empty space surrounding the keyboard. Older people may like the larger screen because the pixels are larger, however. If you happen to be a first time laptop owner, give special consideration to the degree of portability of the system you're choosing - its weight and dimensions. A smaller, lighter laptop will be significantly easier and nicer to tote around regularly, so the sweet spot is a small and light laptop that doesn't neglect important features.

dreamryche · Mar 26, 2006, 08:59 PM

I have a 14". I don't find it too big at all. I like having the extra space under the keyboard as I have large hands, and the Superdrive was a big plus for me.

eeeaa · Apr 9, 2006, 02:59 PM

Depends on what you prefer, really. Take a look at both of them in the Apple Store.
I chose the 12" because it was small, and, frankly, I thought that it looked nicer than the 14". The 14" model seemed to be clunkier to me. You would think you'd get a bigger keyboard, or better speakers with it, because they have the extra room on the sides of the keyboard, but no. It was a personal preference for me.

ed phelan · Apr 10, 2006, 05:54 AM

[QUOTE=dmetzcher]Depends on what you prefer, really. Take a look at both of them in the Apple Store.
I chose the 12" because it was small, and, frankly, I thought that it looked nicer than the 14".

I went from a 12" G3 to a 14" G4. Was concerned about "blurriness" before making the change but not after; truth be told, I like my 14" a lot better and find it much easier on my aging eyes.

Tuoder · Apr 10, 2006, 06:04 AM

I would wait for the Intel-based offerings. I sort of am. I plan to decide what I want when the small MBP and small Intel iBook (it will probably be called the "Macbook"). I was going to buy a 12" PB until I heard about the Intel switch. Right now I am using a PB G3 which is about 14 inches. I would like one smaller and lighter. All of those books (I am in college) plus a heavy latop is no fun. Go to the store and see if the small one has a big enough screen for you, it is worth doing your homework.

cmeisenzahl · Apr 10, 2006, 08:20 AM

14" if main machine, desktop replacement. If a 2nd machine and/or really want portability, go 12". I have the latter and love it.

Chris

eeeaa · Apr 10, 2006, 11:11 AM

The nice thing about the 12" model is that it's small when you need it to be, but can be used, like any other Apple portable, while connected to an external display. Best of both worlds...small, portable, lightweight, etc.

Someone else mentioned that the 14" screen is better on the eyes. That's probably true.

frdmfghtr · Apr 10, 2006, 12:58 PM

I'll toss my two cents behind the 12" as well. I thought about going to the 14" when comparing the two, and size/portability won the day (the cost factor didn't hurt either). The cost savings can go towards the hard drive and memory upgrades should you desire. The only mod I have made to mine is adding memory.

eeeaa · Apr 10, 2006, 01:12 PM

Originally Posted by frdmfghtr

I'll toss my two cents behind the 12" as well. I thought about going to the 14" when comparing the two, and size/portability won the day (the cost factor didn't hurt either). The cost savings can go towards the hard drive and memory upgrades should you desire. The only mod I have made to mine is adding memory.

Cost...I completely forgot about that. I remember being in the Apple store and thinking..."Is the two screen inches and the ability to burn DVDs worth another $300?"

For that difference in cost, you could max out the RAM and install a 100GB hard drive yourself.

mgsupport · Apr 11, 2006, 08:39 AM

I have a 12 inch iBook that I use when I'm on the road, for my needs its perfect, small, lightweight, and perfect for doing my email/web stuff on. I'd never consider using it as my main machine, but it serves its purpose excellently.

I would say go for the 12 inch because of its size, and it isn't as if you lose out a great deal on spec by going for the 12. I guess it all comes down to what our going to be doing with it.

lilford · Apr 12, 2006, 02:44 PM

I have a 14" ibook G4 and I love it. I was at the apple store comparing the 2 laptops, even though the 12" was $300 cheaper, the upgraded CPU, even though its not a lot and the bigger hard drive won me over. I don't see any difference in the screens even though they are the same resolution. I prefer a bigger screen anyways so you can see everything a bit easier by having the room to make it bigger. I have never found a use for the Super Drive yet as I never make or burn DVD's. The hard drive comes in handy because the ibook is now my desktop replacement from my windows (Eck) machine. I have digital music and also some movies so the bigger hard drive comes in handy for me. As for the 1.42 GHz CPU, I couldn't notice anything different while comparing them at the apple store. For you, If it is just a second computer, just go with the 12" and use the extra $300 to upgrade the hard drive and memory.