[iMACBeth]

My brother is getting a laptop this summer. Of course, it will be a Mac! He's always wanted a PowerBook, but now that the MacBook Pros are out, he's seriously considering them. Anyway, what I wanted to know was are there any real problems or issues with the MacBooks that he should be aware of? Which computer would you choose, PowerBook or MacBook? While he'll still have the desktop, the laptop will be getting a lot of use. Nothing too difficult though... School stuff, internet surfing, web design.

Thanks!

[SpaceMonkey]

If he wants the 15" form factor, then he should get the MacBook Pro, no question. The only complaints I've seen are that some units have a weird "whine" noise, and the screen can't be pushed back as far.

[Zeeb]

Originally Posted by iMACBeth

My brother is getting a laptop this summer. Of course, it will be a Mac! He's always wanted a PowerBook, but now that the MacBook Pros are out, he's seriously considering them. Anyway, what I wanted to know was are there any real problems or issues with the MacBooks that he should be aware of? Which computer would you choose, PowerBook or MacBook? While he'll still have the desktop, the laptop will be getting a lot of use. Nothing too difficult though... School stuff, internet surfing, web design.

Thanks!

According to reports on these forums, some people have experienced heat issues and/or a "whining" noise that comes from the early releases of the Macbook Pro. Apparently, these issues have been corrected for the most part on the Macbook Pro's that are being made now. I have the 2.0 Ghz version of that computer myself and haven't experienced any of the early reported problems. It works beautifully and I'm very happy with it.

I would definately choose a Macbook Pro over a Powerbook at this point if I were buying new. It sounds like he would do just fine with the 1.83Ghz version which is currently $1999. However, its expected there will be an intel version of the Ibook out "soon". It will be cheaper than the current Macbook Pro's and probably will suit him well also. If money is an issue it might be worth it to wait a month or so and see if it becomes available.

[Barefoot Matt]

Originally Posted by Zeeb

However, its expected there will be an intel version of the Ibook out "soon". It will be cheaper than the current Macbook Pro's and probably will suit him well also. If money is an issue it might be worth it to wait a month or so and see if it becomes available.

The MacBook (intel ibook) will also almost certainly only be available in the 13.3" size, so another consideration is what size he wants. There are pros and cons to both 15" and 13", essentially coming down to portability vs. room to work. Personally, I prefer the 15" and find it portable enough, but others would disagree. There's also the 17" for even more work space at the cost of portability, and the 17" MacBook Pro is expected this week.

Don't get a powerbook. Despite the gripes some users have with the MBP, the PBs had their own problems, and it's silly to buy an outdated piece of hardware when there's a perfectly good replacement that's so much faster. Unless you can get a PB for half price, stick with intel.

By the way, my MBP has the whine, and it really doesn't bother me. It's a hell of a lot quieter than the constant fan noise I had to put up with from my desktop PC, and the MBP is definitely worth it in any case.

[iMACBeth]

Sounds like the MacBook will be the way to go, then. He was a little concerned that given the recent change over to Intel that all the bugs might not be taken care of yet.

He probably won't be buying it until the end of the summer, right before school starts again, but he's already looking forward to it!

What price range do you think the Intel iBooks might come in at?

Thanks!

[Zeeb]

Originally Posted by iMACBeth

Sounds like the MacBook will be the way to go, then. He was a little concerned that given the recent change over to Intel that all the bugs might not be taken care of yet.

He probably won't be buying it until the end of the summer, right before school starts again, but he's already looking forward to it!

What price range do you think the Intel iBooks might come in at?

Thanks!

Most speculation suggests that the prices of the intel ibooks(Macbooks) will be similar to the prices of the current ibooks-but definately cheaper than the Macbook Pro. Its good that he's not going to need a computer until the summer. Hopefully by then the Macbooks with be out and there may even be a revision to the Macbook Pro. You'll have all your choices in front of you.