Welcome to the MacNN Forums.

SassyPants · Jul 4, 2005, 05:39 PM

*smacks*
*cries* i don't know what to do

how portable really, is the 15" PB? i mean...i really like it, but i will need something i can take around college next year (NYU, basically, the no campus city environment). will i be smacking myself later for not getting the 12"?

amazing · Jul 4, 2005, 07:25 PM

Well, you don't give us much info on what you're studying, what you're going to be using it for?

Without that info: One of the main reasons for choosing the 15" over the 12" is the much better LCD. If you're at all concerned about your eyes (glasses, vision problems, etc) then you should choose the 15", because your eyes will be thanking you down the road. You will get more eye fatigue with the 12", and a student spends hours upon hours staring at the screen.

Get yourself a good computer backpack, something that doesn't shout "expensive laptop inside, please steal me."

GSixZero · Jul 4, 2005, 07:40 PM

I'd put it this way: The 15" certainly portable, the 12" VERY portable.

And here comes Randman to tell us how portable the 17" really is.

osxisfun · Jul 4, 2005, 07:59 PM

very.

fisherKing · Jul 4, 2005, 08:48 PM

this is always interesting to me, as i have a 12" powerbook and my girlfriend has a 15" pb
(both aluBooks, rev C).

no question, her screen is better, and the backlit keyboard is nice.

but when they're not side-by-side (ie almost never), i prefer the 12".
lighter, easier to carry around.

my vision is not great, yet i have no problem working on it (music production, some webdesign, some graphics, etc)

when she travels (which is often), she envies the smaller powerbook (altho, as a filmmaker, prefers the 15" screen).

so. lots to think about.
figure your needs, go for it.

good luck!

bleee · Jul 4, 2005, 08:51 PM

This brings to mind.... "New iBook To Defy Laws Of Physics." don't ask my why I thought of this but...

http://www.crazyapplerumors.com/2002_05_12_archive.htm

mdc · Jul 5, 2005, 12:54 AM

i have had a 12" ibook, 12" powerbook, and now 15" powerbook.
they are all very portable, and the 15" is no exception. if you get a nice backpack you'll forget it is there.

i use the axio hybrid, pricey, but my favorite backpack i have ever had, and i have been through a lot of back packs.

find a nice backpack, put your powerbook in a sleeve then into the backpack and it'll be great.

Paco500 · Jul 5, 2005, 01:06 AM

I got the 15" for the features. Better screen, better video card, PC card slot, Gb ethernet, FW800, backlit keyboard and faster processor.

I actually use the all of them to some degree, although the faster processor and backlit keyboard are a bit hard to measure on the usefulness scale.

It's portable, but I wish I could have all of these things in a smaller package. Video card and PC Card slot most of all (EVDO card from Verizon is amazing).

brettcamp · Jul 5, 2005, 01:56 AM

There's also the option of getting an external display; for less than the price difference between the 12" and 15" Powerbooks, you can pick up a sweet 17" (or maybe even 19") DVI LCD monitor to use at your desk at home. That way you get a large screen AND portability, though not at the same time.

runejoha · Jul 5, 2005, 03:42 AM

Originally Posted by SassyPants

*smacks*
*cries* i don't know what to do

how portable really, is the 15" PB? i mean...i really like it, but i will need something i can take around college next year (NYU, basically, the no campus city environment). will i be smacking myself later for not getting the 12"?

The 15'' is probably your best shot if you can afford it. As allready mentioned, the 12'' is not very pleasant to work over time with. The screen is way to small. The 17'' is to large for campus usage :-)

Randman · Jul 5, 2005, 03:47 AM

Originally Posted by GSixZero

I'd put it this way: The 15" certainly portable, the 12" VERY portable.

And here comes Randman to tell us how portable the 17" really is.

Well, it is.

For school, I'd consider a 12 (or even an iBook 12 if they get an update soon) and an external monitor. It depends on what you need it for. The extra screen size of the 15s and 17s do help. And you get other perks, hot swoppable batteries, backlit keyboard and other features that the 12 is still missing.

I'm wondering if the Mactels will be 13" widescreens. That would leave the 12 to the iBook.

Link · Jul 5, 2005, 04:01 AM

Hehe. Theh 15" is pretty dang portable

I have one and tote it with me to the college every day I have class (3 days a week right now)..

I'd say get a 17"! Its size is just big enough to justify a wheeled case

Shoot get a wheeled case to begin with because those things make carrying the lappy much easier

.. in my case I have a wheeled backpack that my case ties to the top of, heh.. but it';s still rather secure

d.fine · Jul 5, 2005, 06:07 AM

No problems getting around with my 15". Just get a good backpack

macxtal · Jul 5, 2005, 07:18 AM

If I had to do it over again I'd probably get the 12. The new 15 is bigger than the Tibook by a large margin. If you need portability, factor that in.

The only thing I dislike about the 12" is that it's a little thicker than the 15.

maCCer · Jul 5, 2005, 07:25 AM

Originally Posted by GSixZero

I'd put it this way: The 15" certainly portable, the 12" VERY portable.

And here comes Randman to tell us how portable the 17" really is.

agree

maCCer · Jul 5, 2005, 07:27 AM

Originally Posted by macxtal

If I had to do it over again I'd probably get the 12. The new 15 is bigger than the Tibook by a large margin. If you need portability, factor that in.

The only thing I dislike about the 12" is that it's a little thicker than the 15.

i think the 12 is too thick for what a 12 inch laptop should be, that is the reason i went with 15 finally.

Link · Jul 5, 2005, 11:16 AM

Originally Posted by d.fine

No problems getting around with my 15". Just get a good backpack

Those backpacks couldn't dream of fitting all my books.

iREZ · Jul 5, 2005, 12:31 PM

i love how i could fit my powerbook on any desk at college without worrying about it falling off the edge. it's soo light i hardly ever notice it's in my bag, heck it's lighter than my text books...i suggest the 12" with an external but if you dont wanna drive an external screen then get the 15"...1024 x 768 is way to little for any college student.

jimbosyn · Jul 5, 2005, 03:01 PM

I have a 15inch and my wife has a 12inch. I prefer the 15 because the screen is much easier to read for an old guy like me.(i'm 28) I take it to work, and night school with no problems. Either way you go, you need to get a nice backpack. The 15inch is actually thinner than the 12inch. I use the 15 on the road and a pmg5 at home. This negates the need for the larger screen, but I still prefer it anyway.

iomatic · Jul 5, 2005, 03:35 PM

I would prefer to do my design work on a 15" (which I've had), but having become independent from da man (send good vibes) for a while now, you can't beat the portability of the 12". I have an external monitor I use at the studio, and almost never use the PowerBook screen, except to 'throw' some palettes or other things onto.

As a designer, in my situation, it works fine.

You can make it work, whatever you choose.

teknopimp · Jul 5, 2005, 05:40 PM

i like my 12s better than i ever liked my tibooks. the size and weight difference, though small, does make a difference, especially if you carry it every single day.

budster101 · Jul 10, 2005, 02:21 PM

Only a weenie would complain about having to carry a 17" powerbook...

Randman · Jul 10, 2005, 03:14 PM

Originally Posted by iomatic

I would prefer to do my design work on a 15" (which I've had), but having become independent from da man (send good vibes) for a while now, you can't beat the portability of the 12". I have an external monitor I use at the studio, and almost never use the PowerBook screen, except to 'throw' some palettes or other things onto.

As a designer, in my situation, it works fine.

You can make it work, whatever you choose.

What kind of design work do you do? I had a 12 for a week doing an extended test drive with it and I did like the portability, but it was not something I'd want for any design work. Even with Exposé, it took some shuffling of things to make it work.

iomatic · Jul 10, 2005, 07:19 PM

all kinds; print, web, large-scale, etc.

by itself, tolerable for web edits, but for long-term, an external monitor is a necessity. for going to cafes, showing client work, etc., it's great. i wish the 15" was a pound lighter and thinner and somehow smaller in dimension.

SpaceRockness · Jul 11, 2005, 02:41 AM

iomatic, I agree with your opinion of the 15" if it was lighter and or thinner. Originally I started with a 15"(1.25Ghz), true the resolution was awesome but the weight was killing me in commuting to classes and the factor of some lecture halls *cough* at Harvard aren't friendly with larger laptops. I later was thankful my parents bought me a 12"(1.33Ghz) PowerBook. So while mobile I prefer the light weight & battery life of the 12" but when it comes to graphics, layout and video(Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and Final Cut Express) I fall back to my older 15" PowerBook.

Now if I could have went back to 2003, I should have bought a G5 Tower with a killer monitor and later let my parents get me the 12" PowerBook in fall '04... its no wonder why people like me make Apple richer