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fisherKing · Oct 25, 2006, 07:20 PM

i use a 12" 1.33 powerbook.
i was waiting for a 12" mbp, but figure i only have maybe 40 more years to live (give or take), so i dont want to wait too long.
instead of waiting, am thinking about either:

a: getting a 15" mbp, and selling the pb.

or

b: keeping the pb (i like the small, light aspect of it) and getting a 20" imac.

both new macs have similar specs (2.16 proc); the imac has twice the HD (but thats not an issue for me); obviously, bigger screen...

i do:
music production (logic & reason), dreamweaver, inD, PS, and the usual surfing/etc. doing all this on the powerbook, and have been fine with it (really).

anyone have any thoughts? (and yes, i know i'm posting on the mbp forum..!)

Helmling · Oct 25, 2006, 07:35 PM

Well, there's a considerable price difference between the two options, of course.

Obviously in terms of performance, the only trade-off is screen size. The real question is: do you need all your power to be portable? If not, then it seems like the PB and the iMac could complement one another nicely. For my money, if I had a good laptop then I guess I'd upgrade my desktop first.

fk51785 · Oct 25, 2006, 07:39 PM

well if you don't really have problems with your PowerBook,
i don't think you absolutely need to get MacBook Pro.
Instead, get a 20 or 24inch iMac.
It's nice to have both a Desktop and Labtop.

volcano · Oct 25, 2006, 07:44 PM

I used to have a wonderful iBook/iMac combination.

The iBook was a 1.33GHz G4, 12" model (last one before Intel) and the iMac was the Rev. B 20" 2GHz G5.

At first things were wonderful. But then I realized I need more power on the road in order to display my work to prospective clients, and Photoshop/Flash were really bogging down my iBook. The screen real estate was another factor... sometimes my graphics were larger than the viewable area in Photoshop. So honestly, the iBook was good for nothing more than surfing the web and checking e-mail when I was not at home.

I sold the iBook about 7 months ago because I wanted to get top dollar for it before the MacBooks were released.

I sold the iMac last week because I decided to try out a MacBook Pro as a desktop replacement.

I received my MBP today, but it's going back to Apple Monday because I have a new Intel Core 2 Duo model on the way.

I'll let you know how things progress... but so far, I'm very happy with my decision. It was a pain to sync my iBook/iMac after a while, too.

fisherKing · Oct 25, 2006, 07:53 PM

i thought i'd use them differently:

the imac for mostly music, graphics.

the powerbook for email, writing, music when traveling, etc.

(Helmling; i could use some of the $ from selling the pb to offset that price difference!)

all things considered, though, am thinking about the mbp; would be nice to have only one machine to keep organized, backup, etc.

gonna go look at them tomorrow (glossy vs matte screen)...

iREZ · Oct 25, 2006, 09:01 PM

i had a 12" and imac intel 1.83 for a while and loved having both a desktop and laptop (soooooooo convenient). but then i got a good deal on the mbp i have now, so i decided to go back to one machine only and sold both the imac and powerbook. i still believe a powerhouse desktop and a light portable are the ways to go...too bad apple doesnt make a 12" machine anylonger but the 13" macbook is pretty awesome.

fisherKing · Oct 25, 2006, 09:07 PM

i thought of the macbook, but the mbp seems to be comparible to the imac.
so i guess instead of a state-of-the microsecond imac and an 'old school' powerbook, think i'm just gonna go for the best single computer (i can afford!).

volcano · Oct 26, 2006, 03:49 AM

Originally Posted by fisherKing

i thought of the macbook, but the mbp seems to be comparible to the imac.
so i guess instead of a state-of-the microsecond imac and an 'old school' powerbook, think i'm just gonna go for the best single computer (i can afford!).

Sounds like you made up your mind. Good choice & good luck!

jmgriff · 04:30 AM

My 1.33GHz 12" PowerBook crapped out recently (logic board, no applecare) and I bought one of the new Core 2 Duo iMacs to replace it. My work pattern had changed so that I didn't absolutely need a portable, and when at home it stayed on my desk tethered to FW HDs, display, kb and mouse anyway.

I've been really really pleased with the iMac, which is my first Apple desktop (I've always bought PowerBooks previously). There are a lot of benefits going with a desktop over a laptop (screen size, disk size/speed, no burning hot keyboards etc), assuming you don't absolutely need your most powerful machine to be portable.

I just wish I'd been able to keep my PowerBook too. Some redundancy is a good thing.

Edit: The iMac also has a very tidy footprint. It doesn't seem to take up much more room then my laptop and iCurve did.

iREZ · Oct 26, 2006, 01:17 PM

just to comment quickly...an imac takes up less room than a powerbook on a desk.

fisherKing · Oct 26, 2006, 02:32 PM

i've weighed out everything; my needs, space, cost.

am going to go with a 15" mbp; will give me similar specs to the macbook, but i can do everything i need on it (and even add a larger monitor if i ever want).

again, am moving from a 12" powerbook, so:
bigger screen
faster processor
more ram
bigger, faster hd
and, of course, a sexy backlit keyboard.

finally, am a laptop person (all my macs have been powerbooks).

thanks for opinions and ideas!