[psy111]

1st it would be my 1st mac. second, ill be doing a lot of things (internet, notes, homework, games (when waiting for something), itunes, garageband, and appleworks. plus lots of other stuff). would the 12" be easy to see on the eyes? whats the performace difference between the kinda top of the line ibook (60gb, 765mb ram, combo drive, airport/bluetooth, 14", 1.2ghz), to the 12" powerbook (80gb, 12", airport/bluetooth, 1.33ghz, combo drive, ect...)? thanks

EDIT: I was at 1st to get an ibook 14" 1ghz, what does that compare to the powerbook 12" 1.33ghz?

[MrForgetable]

14 inch iBook I think has the easiest on the eyes monitor of any Apple Computer or display. I think it has some thing like a 90 dpi, which is much lower than the 106 or so of the Powerbooks. Of course, the screen is larger, but you don't get any more working space, since the resolution is the same.

the performance difference probably isn't the greatest of margins, but it may be noticable with the 5400rpm drive vs the 4200. more RAM is always better.

the powerbook is also more portable.

[Ruahrc]

Yeah the 14" iBook would be the easiest screen to see. The difference in performance, hwever, I think is more significant than MrForgetable said. the iBook only has PC2100 DDR RAM whereas the PB uses PC2700. If you get the 1.2GHz 14" iBook then the processor speed difference would not be that great, but if you were planning on the 1GHz iBook then the 1.33GHz G4 in the powerbook would be a significant (read: noticeable) boost.

The biggest difference though is in the graphics card. You said you wanted to game a little, and the graphics card in the Powerbook is much better for that, and if you do intend to game on your notebook I would suggest the powerbook.

If you are really concerned about battery life, I believe the iBooks get better life than the powerbooks, although my 15" PB gets 2h45m on DVD's, or 4h with office work. The 12" would get slightly better since it has the same size battery but lower power requirements (smaller screen, etc).

Also IMO the powerbooks feel so much more solid and sturdy than the Ibooks do. I was thinking about getting an ibook until I went to the store and gave each of them a good feel, and the powerbooks made the ibooks (which are still quite nice though) feel "cheap".

It seems like you would be using your notebook to do a lot of things and some of them are somewhat demanding (games, garageband, etc) so I would recommend the powerbook since it is faster. If you will be using it at home a lot too the powerbook can dual-display (whereas the iBooks can only mirror?) so you could also work on saving up a little money and getting a second external monitor for your desk at home.

HTH

Ruahrc

[psy111]

ive now officially decided to get a powerbook. Tomarrow im going to fry's to try out the notebooks, so Ill know what im getting then. im not buying from there though, im ordering through apple's online education discount. this may be an odd question, but ill try anyway. I have an emachines T2682 2.6ghz celron computer at home, how will a 2.6ghz celron compare to a 1.33ghz mac?

[IronMentality]

If your going to do gaming, and want an enjoyable experience you might want to think about the 15" Powerbook. You can get the 1.33 Ghz on an Educational Discount with the Cram and Jam deal and on top of it sell the iPod on Ebay for more considerable savings. If you add it up, you can take $780 off the price by selling a 40 GB iPod along with your Cram and Jam and educational discount.

I personally don't like the iBook myself, it has a 'cheap' feel to it -- and am ordering a 1.5 Ghz PowerBook G4 shortly for school.

Regardless, get the PB -- you won't be dissapointed.

[MrForgetable]

well, my sister has the iBook, and I have the 15 inch PB, and I have to say the iBook feels more "tossable", but maybe that's because she has the 12 inch. But everything else feels much more sturdy (the keyboard especially).

i dunno, I guess I have a thing for the aluminum casing of the Powerbook, but man, it is sexy. The iBook is kind of "cute".

i also find that the iBook runs absolutely silent, while in the Powerbook you can hear a small whirring of the fan.

i think the biggest difference is definitely the video card and stock monitor spanning. if you do even light gaming with any of the most recent games, you'll need the powerbook.

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally posted by MrForgetable:
well, my sister has the iBook, and I have the 15 inch PB, and I have to say the iBook feels more "tossable", but maybe that's because she has the 12 inch. But everything else feels much more sturdy (the keyboard especially).

HUH?

The keyboard on the aluminum powerbooks is so much better than the iBooks', it's not even funny.

And I have a 12" Powerbook, and I have to say that my friend's 14" Powerbook seems stupidly and uselessly bulky to me.

There is absolutely no advantage to it other than lower display resolution - which isn't really much of a difference, except that I always feel like I'm being had when I use it: I don't have more real estate but it's like reading those kids' books with extra-large, easy-to-read type; I can't say that the Powerbook's screen is in any way less legible.

So in the end, the 14" iBook sacrifices all of the Powerbooks' advantages (additional monitor support, smaller size, sexier case, vastly better keyboard, sound in - nice if you're going to be doing anything with GarageBand, lighter weight, Superdrive option, built-in Bluetooth, higher speed) for something that, to me, offers no advantage whatsoever and makes me feel silly.

And four pounds is a lot more "tossable" than six.

(I wouldn't toss either without my timbuk2 sleeve, anyway.)

-s*

[iREZ]

Powerbook is way better than the iBook, only thing iBook has going for it over the PBook is longer wifi signal (due to plastic enclosure), longer batt life (or so they say, never seen batt time in person), and a larger screen (this can be easier on the eyes for older folks). Powerbook is faster, has features that the iBook doesn't have and looks ten folds better. Go with the PBook and never look back.

[Dr.Michael]

Originally posted by psy111:
would the 12" be easy to see on the eyes?

Yes it is.

I am 39 and I wear glasses since I was 6. My major concern with the 12 inch Powerbook was the screen resolution.

But its great. Everything is sharp and bright. I even use smaller fonts than on my TiBook (1152X768) before because they are so clear, sharp and easy to see.

Forget the 14 inch iBook and go for the smaller powerbook. Its more powerful and simply great.

[rjt1000]

Hi,

The 12 inch PB vs 14 inch iBook was my dilemma as well. My former laptop was a Pismo and I worried I would be missing the larger screen, esp with my middle aged vision.

I finally went with the 12 inch PB (Rev C) because I wanted the extra power and features, and because I travel extensively and was looking to lighten my load.

It took only about a week before I had completely adapted.

One pointer: increase the default font size in finder prefs, safari prefs and any other apps you use routinely. That helps a lot.

So go ahead, get the 12 inch PB. It's a terrific laptop !!

Best wishes,

Rich

[Lancer409]

i was gonna get a ibook ... but when i put my hands on an ibook .. and then put my hands on a powerbook .. the decision was made on the spot .. i was going 12 either way .. and for the small price difference considering how long i will use it (and how often .. which happens to be every day) ... well ... get your hands on 'em .. side by side and you'll see why we love our powerbook so much

[psy111]

i tried the powerbook 12" and ibook 12"/14" at fry's electronics yesterday. I see fine with the 12" so the vision is not a problem. the powerbook keyboard feels A LOT better than the ibook. I have the money for a 14" ibook anyway, so ll spend an extra $200 for the pb. for the 10min. i spent there tryin em out pb is the way to go for me. I just have a few questions:

1. im not getting applecare for it (too expensive), and want to add another 512bm of ram. should I do it myslef or pay the extra $120 for them to do it? same to upgrade the har drive to 80gb 5400rpm also

2. I have an apple store only 5 miles where I live (in the middle of a huge dang mall), should I order online or there? (do I get an education discount at the store too?)

3. how does exactly the educational discount work? ive went to education at the left on thier store website, found my school, added the items, but what else?

4. if I do the ram/hd myself what website shows how to do it?

thanks... but now ive got to wait forever to get one

[iREZ]

Find the RAM on your own and install it solo, it's very easy to do and will cost you lots less.

If you want to you can go to the Apple store, you can get an ED disc. just make sure to bring some sort of ID or Letter of Admittance.

Just make sure the final cost is including the discount, Apple might or might not contact you on your school info (ie. they'll ask you to fax them a copy of your ID).

Your manuel will show you how to do the RAM upgrade, HD upgrades have to be performed by an Apple Certified Tech as to not void your warranty. The HD is no longer a user replaceable part. There are a few manuels floating around the web on how to do the upgrade yourself, but it's not for the faint of heart.

Good choice, and good luck with your machine.

[d4nth3m4n]

as a frequent reader of the iBook forum, i see these threads over there all the time. it seems that whichever forum you post in is the 'Book you have already chosen, you just need enough people to back you up to justify the cost.

that being said, go for the PB. you will love it. not that you wouldn't love an iBook. just saying. you already have your mind made up, you just weren't totally aware of it.

[Lancer409]

Originally posted by psy111:
i tried the powerbook 12" and ibook 12"/14" at fry's electronics yesterday. I see fine with the 12" so the vision is not a problem. the powerbook keyboard feels A LOT better than the ibook. I have the money for a 14" ibook anyway, so ll spend an extra $200 for the pb. for the 10min. i spent there tryin em out pb is the way to go for me. I just have a few questions:

1. im not getting applecare for it (too expensive), and want to add another 512bm of ram. should I do it myslef or pay the extra $120 for them to do it? same to upgrade the har drive to 80gb 5400rpm also

2. I have an apple store only 5 miles where I live (in the middle of a huge dang mall), should I order online or there? (do I get an education discount at the store too?)

3. how does exactly the educational discount work? ive went to education at the left on thier store website, found my school, added the items, but what else?

4. if I do the ram/hd myself what website shows how to do it?

thanks... but now ive got to wait forever to get one

i knew you'd go for the powerbook!

1) .. you have a year to pick up apple care ... i say ... grab that sucker before the year is over .. you cant exactly fix a powerbook urself like a giant tower computer ...

2) you can get the discount in store =P, no need for a online purchase... instant gratification

3) i dunno about the online purchase, but instore, just show 'em id

4) ram .. go online .. cheaper ... waaay cheaper. look on the bottom of the powerbook and locate a tiny plate with four small screws. open that up, pop ram in .. you are good to go! .. apple ram is overly expensive. there's a good 1gig ram deal going on .. check out the powerbook forums for that info... .. harddrive u will have to get through apple or find someone to put in for you ...

again .. u dont have to wait forever ... go to the store and pick it up ... if i were u .. i'd grab an ipod too .. cram and jam ... -200 bux off ... assuming u get the 20gb one .. it would in theory cost only 69 bucks!Woot Woot ... makes a great gift ... if you dont want it ... or sell online =P

[psy111]

can I still get the cram and jam deal at the apple store also? Will I void the warranty to add the ram myself? At fry's when I played with the pb, it seemed to load the programs faster than the emac (which is used at my school) on only 4200rpm hd! i never knew macs could do a thing like that (always been winxp person)im definatly getting the powerbook not the ibook, so thanks for the help! (BTW, i got a new ipod 3RD GEN about a month before they announced the 4th gen ipod with a $100 deduction, i was so mad . but now ill get the new one with the longer battery life and sell my 3rd gen used ipod over the net)

[Lancer409]

Originally posted by psy111:
can I still get the cram and jam deal at the apple store also? Will I void the warranty to add the ram myself? At fry's when I played with the pb, it seemed to load the programs faster than the emac (which is used at my school) on only 4200rpm hd! i never knew macs could do a thing like that (always been winxp person)im definatly getting the powerbook not the ibook, so thanks for the help! (BTW, i got a new ipod 3RD GEN about a month before they announced the 4th gen ipod with a $100 deduction, i was so mad . but now ill get the new one with the longer battery life and sell my 3rd gen used ipod over the net)

lol
i recommend keeping the 3g .. that's what i would do .. unless the battery dies on u before u get home right now. if it lasts juuuust long enough, keep it and wait for 5g ipod. you could sell the new one for atleast 270 bucks on ebay... the old 3g would take a big financial cut. the 5g should have more significant changes than the 4g ... i dont see it as a big reason to upgrade...

and the cram and jam deal isnt a in store / online deal ... it's a rebate.
go in store, buy a powerbook, and buy a ipod. they will give you educational discount on BOTH. then, let them know you want to do the cram and jam. they will tell you what u need to fill out ( a form) and what u need to send in (which serial codes etc) ... make sure you read the directions for cram and jam. you have to cut into the boxes of both the ipod and the powerbook. not just sending in the sticker .. you have to cut into the cardboard, and send the serial coded label ON the cardboard...