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Kachaeva · Sep 9, 2004, 03:28 AM

I am getting my Powerbook 12" tommorrow, after ordering 2 weeks ago.

1.33ghz, 512mb RAM, SD.

Never owned an OSX machine before.

Simon · Sep 9, 2004, 06:04 AM

Great thread, just seen it now.

I have a rev B 1GHz 12" PB with 768MB RAM and I am very happy with it. If possible I'd like to see these changes in future revs: run a tad cooler, the screen's viewing angle could be better, the battery should last longer than 3 hours.

Anyway, there are two things I'm planing on doing soon: First, I'm getting a 20" Al display from Apple for closed-lid operation at home.

Secondly, I was thinking about getting a faster HD because I believe it could give the PowerBook a nice kick... I have a 40GB disk right now and I really don't need more space, so it's all just about speed vs. noise and power consumption. Here's what I'm currently wondering:

� I have a Toshiba MK4025GAS built in. It's got a UltraATA/100 interface, 8MB cache, and runs 4200rpm. What do the rev C 12" PBs have?

� I found a reasonably priced replacement: the Hitachi Travelstar 5K80 which offers the same cache and interface as my disk, but runs at 5400 rpm. Is this a good buy? Any experience here?

� Or what about a 7200rpm disk? I found the 60GB Hitachi Travelstar 7K60 with 8MB cache, Ultra ATA/133 interface and 7200rpm. Its specs look good, but is it really worth double the price of the 5400rpm Hitachi 5K80? How large will the benefit over the 5400rpm disk be?

� What about additional heat and power consumption? Will a 5400rpm or 7200rpm disk make my PB a lot hotter? Will the battery last noticeably less?

I'd really appreciate some comments/opinions especially from people who have done such an upgrade or have considered it already.

Gee4orce · Sep 9, 2004, 07:18 AM

I've had my 12" since they came out, and it gets a lot of use. I mean a LOT !

The little hook that holds it shut fell out and the battery is on it's last legs, but apart from that it's going great.

I picked up a friends brand new Sony Vaio laptop at the weekend - and for the first time I really appreciated just how damned good the Powerbook is !

I'm considering what to do next actually - I'm going to change jobs and I'll be home based 90% of the time, so a laptop won't be needed. I'm weighing up the pros and cons of getting a new iMac, versus giving my trusty Powerbook a new lease of life with an injection of +256Mb of RAM, a new battery and adding a second monitor. But 1.8GHz of G5 is hellishly tempting...

x user · Sep 9, 2004, 09:36 AM

Rev B 12"
768mb RAM
AE
Combodrive

I bought this thing when they came out, mostly because I could. I've used it for a bit of everything, and it works like a charm. For the record tho, my dad bought a 15" 1.5ghz and it SCREAMS compared to mine.

maxx9photo · Sep 9, 2004, 11:11 AM

Mine is coming too, and I'm a PC user and hopefully my first time switch to apple will be smooth, can not wait to see this lil' beauty

iREZ · Sep 9, 2004, 11:31 AM

Originally posted by Simon:
Great thread, just seen it now.

I have a rev B 1GHz 12" PB with 768MB RAM and I am very happy with it. If possible I'd like to see these changes in future revs: run a tad cooler, the screen's viewing angle could be better, the battery should last longer than 3 hours.

Anyway, there are two things I'm planing on doing soon: First, I'm getting a 20" Al display from Apple for closed-lid operation at home.

Secondly, I was thinking about getting a faster HD because I believe it could give the PowerBook a nice kick... I have a 40GB disk right now and I really don't need more space, so it's all just about speed vs. noise and power consumption. Here's what I'm currently wondering:

� I have a Toshiba MK4025GAS built in. It's got a UltraATA/100 interface, 8MB cache, and runs 4200rpm. What do the rev C 12" PBs have?

� I found a reasonably priced replacement: the Hitachi Travelstar 5K80 which offers the same cache and interface as my disk, but runs at 5400 rpm. Is this a good buy? Any experience here?

� Or what about a 7200rpm disk? I found the 60GB Hitachi Travelstar 7K60 with 8MB cache, Ultra ATA/133 interface and 7200rpm. Its specs look good, but is it really worth double the price of the 5400rpm Hitachi 5K80? How large will the benefit over the 5400rpm disk be?

� What about additional heat and power consumption? Will a 5400rpm or 7200rpm disk make my PB a lot hotter? Will the battery last noticeably less?

I'd really appreciate some comments/opinions especially from people who have done such an upgrade or have considered it already.

If I were you, I'd wait till the end of the year. By Nov./Dec. we should see 100GB 5400 and/or 7200 HD out in the market as the norm. As for heat, I hear there isn't much to complain about, and it's only a slight hit on your battery (ie.10-15min maybe). I find that the 80GB 5400 is the way to go right now, 7200 is faster but if you go to www.barefeats.com, you'll see that they both are about the same except for one test. Glad to see this thread revived, I love hearing peoples excitement over their 12" bea-utes.

Sosa · Sep 9, 2004, 12:13 PM

I have my Rev. B powerbook since November of 2003 and have had no complaints. It replaced a 700mhz G3 iBook which gave me a lot of problems in the 14 months that I had it because of motherboard failures. I love the small size, but I think I would have gotten the 15" if I had the extra bucks. I use mine for web surfing, email, law school, games, etc. I have a lot of important files in it, and I backup it regularly with Backup.

Oh, one of the bolts holding the screen together fell out. Last time I visited the local Apple store I waited for an hour and did not get another bolt. It doesn't seem like Apple wants people calling them to order such parts, because I could not find their phone number anywhere on their PB support sites. Going to have to visit the store again.

freakboy2 · Sep 9, 2004, 01:39 PM

i got the a new 12 inch 1.33 and it's awesome

it only ahs 256 - putting in another gig today - but it's dang fast as long as i don't have too much stuff running in it.

i got the 80 gig 16 meg cache 5400 rpm bto drive and i think it makes a big difference in performance.

awesome machine.

fb

madking · Sep 9, 2004, 08:08 PM

I got my 12" PowerBook about three weeks ago. It's been great,
everything is like lightspeed to me (previous notebook is a very
very slow 600MHz iBook). I get about 3.5 to 4 hours of battery
life with normal usage. I've max'ed out the RAM but still get
pageouts!! Nevertheless, I love this little wonder-machine.

teknopimp · Sep 9, 2004, 09:40 PM

i'm getting my 1G stick friday morning

iChelle · Sep 9, 2004, 09:46 PM

Originally posted by teknopimp:
i'm getting my 1G stick friday morning

did you get it from outpost.com?

teknopimp · Sep 9, 2004, 09:54 PM

Originally posted by iChelle:
did you get it from outpost.com?

no. i had a credit coming to me from OWC, so i ordered from them.

bookofjames · Sep 9, 2004, 09:56 PM

A little late for me to post here, but nonetheless, I just wanted to chime in my praises for the 12" Pb.

I bought mine in October last year so it's been with me for almost a year now (gosh, has it been that long?), and I'm still loving it more and more each day. This little baby never ceases to amaze me.

when my 2 year old PC gave up the ghost, it sorta worried me cos I had to rely solely on my PB, but my worries were unfounded, because my PB is so much better than my PC. I can do all that I did on my PC and more.

Now, I bring my 12" with me everywhere. I just slip in into my backpack (with a protective sleeve, of course) and off I go. The portability of the 12" is just fantastic.

I could go on and on about my 12" powerbook, OSX, and all the cool apps I find everyday in these forums and versiontracker. In fact, since I got my powerbook, I have singlehandedly influenced at least 10 people to buy a Mac (iBooks + Powerbooks + iMac). I just can't stop talking about my Mac and showing my frens what it can do.

Mac - the way of the future

iChelle · Sep 9, 2004, 10:14 PM

cool, bookofjames! our PB's are the same age. got mine in october last year too. time really flies! i decided to spoil mine and got the bluetooth wireless keyboard yesterday. it's really nice.

bookofjames · Sep 9, 2004, 11:56 PM

Originally posted by iChelle:
cool, bookofjames! our PB's are the same age. got mine in october last year too. time really flies! i decided to spoil mine and got the bluetooth wireless keyboard yesterday. it's really nice.

yeah~ I was so crazy about my Pb that I went to Ikea recently and bought a table, desk accessories, a wardrobe, and a clock - and ALL of them matches my Pb (frosted glass with aluminum borders)!

SeSawaya · Sep 10, 2004, 12:31 AM

got my 12" 1.33 ghz, 80 gig hd and superdrive last week. My 1st Powerbook since my 1400 in 1998 (the day I met my now wife). I've owned 2 ibooks since then and 2 iMacs. I love this little guy and the wireless ability is a dream come true. This is my dream machine right now. Its already impressed my friends and students beyond beliefe (as all my Macs have)

Thanks to the educational discount and the grab and cram rebate, and selling my iMac 17", I could finally get a pro machine.

I am very happy.

BenN · Sep 10, 2004, 03:21 AM

Hate to go against the flow, but for me, the 15" is a better machine.

I bought a rev.A 12" in Spring last year, and sold it in September `03 for a 15" rev.A. When the latter was briefly in an alcohol-induced coma, I used a rev.C 12" for a short time.

But given the choice, I don`t think I would switch back. I agree with you all that it is very compact, & great-looking; but here`s what turned me against the 12":

1) Excessive heat.
Especially on the left wrist-pad, I put up with this, but really is a consequence of design compromise (in the internal component layout).

2) Wobbly.
Putting one of the feet on the bottom of the battery is a design flaw IMHO. It means that a wobble is very likely (the battery is not completely flush with the rest of the case).

3) Suboptimal graphics.
I play the occasional game (NWN, MOH:AA), and my 15" AlBook`s Radeon Mobility 9600 was noticeably better than the 12" model`s NVIDIA GeForce Go5200.

4) No PCMCIA slot.
I don`t use it on my 15", but I may need to in the future, for example for something like this.

5) Display size.
Going back to 1024x768 from 1280x854 was not fun. OK, Expose is useful, but going back to the lower rez feels confining.

I find my 15" to be almost as portable as the 12"; its certainly no hardship. Granted, its not perfect - the gap between screen & case is wider on one side than the other; and I had to get the display replaced (under warranty) for the white spots/uneven illumination issue. But I wouldn`t go back to the 12" again.

ism · Sep 10, 2004, 08:06 AM

Originally posted by BenN:
Hate to go against the flow, but for me, the 15" is a better machine.

I find my 15" to be almost as portable as the 12"; its certainly no hardship.

All true apart from the portability. I use mine on the train, some of the trains in the uk (at least when they are running that is) have seats spaced so tight there isn't really enough room for the 12" on my lap. The 12" ibook although even just a little bit bigger would have made things even more awkward. A 15" - no way.

Lord_Data · Sep 11, 2004, 03:14 AM

well then unite i shall...this is my first post but i saqw this thread and had to reply...

first off i love my 12 inch...just got it two months ago...anyways i was curious what you all thought were necessary accessories to have with your powerbook...i am really looking hard for a case i kind of checked out the thread dedicated to that though...basically i have the ipod, pb and the bluetooth mouse...kind of curious what else if anything you thought was a good idea to get

Simon · Sep 11, 2004, 04:06 AM

I absolutely love my 1GHz 12" PowerBook. Its portability is unmatched!

The only things that make me consider a switch to the 15" are the fact that the 12" screen's brightness and angle sucks compared to the 15" and 17" models as well as the fact that some BTO upgrades are not possible on the 12" (i.e. better GPU, faster CPU clock, higher rpm disk).

I understand that trade-offs are necessary due to the small enclosure, but Apple really needs to put more effort in the cooling design of the 12". Maybe minor case changes? The 12" doesn't have to look exactly like an Al iBook after all.

Ultimately it would be nice if the 12" could have the same bus, clock and GPU as the other PowerBooks, at least BTO. After all, it's supposed to be a full-featured ultra-portable PowerBook, not some "crippled" sub notebook.

wilsonng · Sep 17, 2004, 02:11 AM

The PB 12" screen is portable enough to lug around. I loved my 15" before but I can't imagine carrying it around. I don't know how 17" owners do it.

Sometimes I miss the 15" size but I can always hook up my PB to an external monitor. You can get 17" external monitors for very cheap nowadays.

iREZ · Sep 19, 2004, 03:08 AM

Originally posted by Simon:
I absolutely love my 1GHz 12" PowerBook. Its portability is unmatched!

The only things that make me consider a switch to the 15" are the fact that the 12" screen's brightness and angle sucks compared to the 15" and 17" models as well as the fact that some BTO upgrades are not possible on the 12" (i.e. better GPU, faster CPU clock, higher rpm disk).

I understand that trade-offs are necessary due to the small enclosure, but Apple really needs to put more effort in the cooling design of the 12". Maybe minor case changes? The 12" doesn't have to look exactly like an Al iBook after all.

Ultimately it would be nice if the 12" could have the same bus, clock and GPU as the other PowerBooks, at least BTO. After all, it's supposed to be a full-featured ultra-portable PowerBook, not some "crippled" sub notebook.

I soooooo agree with you on you on how the 12" isn't as comparable to the 15" GPU, and clock speed. I think Apple realizes that if they did make the 12" as "Power"ful as the 15" and 17" then more people will go with the 12" over the other two and Apple wont make as much $.

Simon · Sep 19, 2004, 10:23 AM

Originally posted by iREZ:
I think Apple realizes that if they did make the 12" as "Power"ful as the 15" and 17" then more people will go with the 12" over the other two and Apple wont make as much $.

But then they should give it to them. They can make the 12" more expensive if they think it's too cheap compared to the 15".

The point is Apple doesn't need to educate me. I am a grown up adult that knows what he wants. I don't need Big Brother Steve telling me what Mac I want.

Users should decide on PowerBooks by their screen size which is basically the only physical boundary condition. The innards should be more or less exchangeable.

curmudgeon · Sep 19, 2004, 12:14 PM

I have a rev. B - 1GHz, 768MB of RAM, AirPort, 40Gb.

I suppose my only "complaints" are already addressed by the rev. C, namely more video RAM and a larger harddrive. I wish the screen were of a higher quality/brighter, but I only really notice when I have it next to a Cinema Display.

arjay · Sep 21, 2004, 08:26 PM

A lot of good posts here! Don't have much to add. I've had my REV B since about January I guess, and it has completely changed the way I use a computer. It is such a convenience. I can always put it in the Brenthaven and take it with me anywhere. I looked carefully at the 15" before buying my 12", but haven't looked back. It's just too handy for me to consider replacing it with a larger computer. I've found it will do everything I need it for, and very well. I may pick up a numeric keypad to help with data entry when I have to do spreadsheet quarterlies, but other than that, I wouldn't change a thing! If something were to happen to my PB, I'd replace it with another 12 in a minute. Wouldn't bother to even look at anything else. It's that good.

arjay

V12 · Sep 21, 2004, 10:44 PM

Just got my first mac ever 5 days ago, a 12" powerbook. Brand New with the Cram&Jam package and HP printer set up. All i've got to say is that i love this computer, and i looked at the 15" and i didn't like it all in all, i mean it's great, and down the line maybe. Personally i like the feel of the power of the laptop being in the palm of my two hands.

yea that my story, and ever since getting a mac i can't get enough of them, i want a powermac now to replace my pc desktop, but for now this is my main computer to use, and i have already ordered several accessories to "hook up" my powerbook and have a list of what to save for to get soon!

once i get my new desk i will hook up all my peripherals and take a picture and post it.

YAY! 1 WEEK BIRTHDAY OF MY POWERBOOK IN 2 DAYS !!! (thurday)

davisrg · Oct 11, 2004, 11:35 PM

I've owned them all ...

Rev. A, B, C 17's
Rev. A, B 15's
Rev. A, B, C 12's

Over all the Rev. C 12-inch is my favorite. The one I owned right before it was a Rev. C PowerBook 17-inch ... but a 12-inch and a new 20-inch AL cinama display is a better choice IMHO.

Just to throw this out there ...

What do you guys speculate as to the future of the PowerBook 12?? When PowerBook G5s come out, it is most likely they will first be 15 or 17s ... what happens to PB12 in the meantime??

MrForgetable · Oct 11, 2004, 11:57 PM

Originally posted by davisrg:
I've owned them all ...

Rev. A, B, C 17's
Rev. A, B 15's
Rev. A, B, C 12's

Over all the Rev. C 12-inch is my favorite. The one I owned right before it was a Rev. C PowerBook 17-inch ... but a 12-inch and a new 20-inch AL cinama display is a better choice IMHO.

Just to throw this out there ...

What do you guys speculate as to the future of the PowerBook 12?? When PowerBook G5s come out, it is most likely they will first be 15 or 17s ... what happens to PB12 in the meantime??

maybe a speed jumped G4.

maxx9photo · Oct 12, 2004, 02:04 AM

Rev B, superdrive, 768Ram,AExtreme,BT and applecare, lots of softwares and I'm a happy camper.

robgus · Oct 12, 2004, 02:26 AM

I was so happy with my first one (Gen A) which I've sold and just waiting for the new one

1.33Ghz 80GB 5400rpm HD,superdrive, 1256mb ram.

I really couldn't see myself bying a 15", the 12" is so perfect and when i'm not on the go I just hook it up to my 19" tft screen

Fiete5401 · Oct 12, 2004, 04:40 PM

Here I am!

Rev. A
PB 12" 867 MHz
Airport Extreme
640 MB RAM

My lil sweety rockz! ^^

Mafia · Oct 12, 2004, 10:02 PM

Originally posted by Fiete5401:
Here I am!

Rev. A
PB 12" 867 MHz
Airport Extreme
640 MB RAM

My lil sweety rockz! ^^

i have this same machine. ya i love it its the perfect size for travel and bed use. i've always loved the 15" but since i am really doing no professional work on it i see nothing better then my 12. what i'd like to see is a 12.1 inch widescreen powerbook, that would be sweet.

///Milien · Oct 12, 2004, 10:38 PM

At one point, I considered trading my PB12 RevB for a PB15, but decided to keep it and upgrade the RAM to 1.25GB and 60GB 7200 RPM HDD. It feels like a completely different machine.

Simon · Oct 13, 2004, 02:50 AM

Milien, I noticed you use your rev B 12" with a 23" ACD. I have a rev B too, but I am using it with a 20" ACD (the new DVI model).

This is certainly a great setup, but I find the fan to be running constantly even when I'm doing nothing at all (just Finder open), since the processor temperature climbs over the fan threshold at 48C/118F and stays around 49C/120F when using it in closed-lid mode with the ACD.

Have you experienced similar behavior? Do you have fan noise in normal use? At what temperature is your 12" running?

Dr.Michael · Oct 13, 2004, 02:57 AM

Originally posted by Simon:
Milien, I noticed you use your rev B 12" with a 23" ACD. I have a rev B too, but I am using it with a 20" ACD (the new DVI model).

This is certainly a great setup, but I find the fan to be running constantly even when I'm doing nothing at all (just Finder open), since the processor temperature climbs over the fan threshold at 48C/118F and stays around 49C/120F when using it in closed-lid mode with the ACD.

Have you experienced similar behavior? Do you have fan noise in normal use? At what temperature is your 12" running?

Simon,

I also used a 20 inch cinema display with my rev b/12 inch. This results in constant fan noise, not because of cpu but of additional gpu load.

I found that more ventilation by an iCurve does not help. Only decrease of room temperature could help. But who wants that? I gave back my display to the dealer (and reported this here) because I did not find a way to reduce the noise.

Michael

Simon · Oct 13, 2004, 03:09 AM

Originally posted by Dr.Michael:
I also used a 20 inch cinema display with my rev b/12 inch. This results in constant fan noise, not because of cpu but of additional gpu load.

Same here. W/o any CPU activity the temp is already high enough to get the fan running. This only happens with the external display, so I figure it's due to a high GPU load.

I found that more ventilation by an iCurve does not help. Only decrease of room temperature could help. But who wants that? I gave back my display to the dealer (and reported this here) because I did not find a way to reduce the noise.

Thanks for the information. It's interesting to see we're both experiencing the same - it seems to be a 12" problem after all. Strange, since Apple offers DVI out you'd expect this to be a well thought out mode of operation... Anyway, it's a pity you had to give the display back, but I can understand.

I will keep the display, but I will probably switch the PowerBook. I got the impression on this board that the 15" 1.5GHz doesn't show the same behavior. Now, I will probably exchange my 12" when the next revision comes out (let's hope at the ultra-latest by Jan 05) and I will indeed switch to the 15" just to get rid of fan noise.

I love the 12" form factor (and the fact that all the ports are together on one side), but constant fan noise just because the PowerBook is on is completely unacceptable IMHO.

What I certainly learned from this lesson is that I will have to do temperature and fan testing on PowerBooks with attached ACD prior to buying next time.

Fiete5401 · Oct 13, 2004, 06:41 AM

Originally posted by Simon:
I will keep the display, but I will probably switch the PowerBook. I got the impression on this board that the 15" 1.5GHz doesn't show the same behavior. Now, I will probably exchange my 12" when the next revision comes out (let's hope at the ultra-latest by Jan 05) and I will indeed switch to the 15" just to get rid of fan noise.

That's EXACTLY what I'm going to do too.
I'm using my 12"-PB in combination with a 19"-CRT and I really hate the fan noise.

I hope that the new PBs will be released within 3-4 weeks from now. Well, me and my creditcard are ready to go.

Simon · Oct 13, 2004, 07:24 AM

Originally posted by Fiete5401:
That's EXACTLY what I'm going to do too.
I'm using my 12"-PB in combination with a 19"-CRT and I really hate the fan noise.

Do you have a rev B as well or a rev C? I'm wondering if the rev C behaves the same as the rev B in this respect.

///Milien · Oct 13, 2004, 09:21 AM

I guess I've gotten so use to the fan noise that it doesn't even bother me anymore. I remember sometime back that there was a dock or something for the PowerBook that has fans incorporated into it to keep the PowerBook cool, but can't remember what it is called.

I love the extra screen real estate with the external display, so the fan noise takes second billing here. Plus sometimes it gets really loud in the office so the fan noise gets drowned out.

Agent69 · Oct 13, 2004, 10:53 AM

Could the fact that the Powerbook is being closed have something to do with it? Can you have only an external video monitor and have the LCD totally turned off with the lid open?

Simon · Oct 13, 2004, 10:56 AM

Originally posted by Agent69:
Could the fact that the Powerbook is being closed have something to do with it? Can you have only an external video monitor and have the LCD totally turned off with the lid open?

Yes, I had that in mind as well. After booting the PowerBook in closed-lid mode I opened the screen. That way the internal screen stays off and I hoped the cooling would be improved.

Result: Nothing. Not 1C or 1F more or less. The temperature and fan behavior stayed exactly the same.

sapphireb · Oct 13, 2004, 01:43 PM

My G3 has been amazing but I'm about to upgrade. Work from home and need portability 2 days a week. Thinking of a new 20" imac with a 12" powerbook but am wondering how long it will be until you can get a 12" with a backlit screen.....anyone know?

Alternatively I could go for a top of the range 15" or 17" PB only but I'm worried about the portability and it would be nice to have 2 (so one can stay at home switching my lights on and off as I live on a farm in the middle of nowhere to stop the theifs!)

20" imac and upgrade my G3 PB 500mhz firewire but thats not cheap (still running 9.2 with 256 MB ram in 2 slots)

Or then there is the PB + cinema display option.... decisions, decisions!

Only do normal stuff like web, email, photos, want to burn DVD's, ipod etc

I have saved for so long to upgrade from my G3 PB and now I have the money I don't know what to do. Who has the best combination??

///Milien · Oct 13, 2004, 01:50 PM

Found the name of the cooling stand. It's made by Macmice and the product is called iBreeze. I personally have not used it but from the reviews from another forum, the users stand by it.

Dr.Michael · 01:59 AM

Originally posted by Simon:

I will keep the display, but I will probably switch the PowerBook. I got the impression on this board that the 15" 1.5GHz doesn't show the same behavior.

Please check yourself if the 15 inch is really silent and don't rely on other peoples reports.
When I first reported the high temp with a 20 inch display no one believed me. Many people reported that they did not have temp problems with external displays at all.

But in the meantime we know the problems exist and are real ;o).

Fiete5401 · Oct 13, 2004, 03:08 PM

Originally posted by Simon:
Do you have a rev B as well or a rev C? I'm wondering if the rev C behaves the same as the rev B in this respect.

I have a rev. A 12"-PB. The fans are really annoying.

<--- love this thingy ^^

Simon · Oct 14, 2004, 02:54 AM

Originally posted by sapphireb:
Thinking of a new 20" imac with a 12" powerbook but am wondering how long it will be until you can get a 12" with a backlit screen.....anyone know?

The 12" has a backlit screen like any other PowerBook Apple has sold since the intro of the Ti. The 12" screen may not be as bright as the 15" or 17" PowerBook's, but it is certainly backlit.

Or, were you talking about the keyboard?

Simon · Oct 14, 2004, 03:00 AM

Originally posted by Dr.Michael:
Please check yourself if the 15 inch is really silent and don't rely on other peoples reports.

Yeah, I will certainly do this.

When the next revision hits the shelves I will go to my dealer and do some testing. I want to see the temperatures of the 12" and 15" PowerBooks w and w/o external screen. I want to find out at what temperature the fan turns on and at what temperature they run with just an idle Finder.

The problem with this whole testing business is that it will be difficult to get my dealer to attach 20" ACDs to both PowerBooks in the showroom. Unfortunately, the guys aren't very cooperative when it comes to these things...

Simon · Oct 14, 2004, 03:07 AM

Originally posted by Fiete5401:
I have a rev. A 12"-PB. The fans are really annoying.

I guess the rev A also has the worst reputation when it comes to fan noise. I haven't been able to figure out if people with external ACD setups are experiencing similar fan noise with the rev C 12". But regardless if they do or don't, rev D will be a new machine with new fan/heat characteristics and will thus require new testing anyway...

MilkmanDan · Oct 14, 2004, 07:51 AM

I couldn't be happier with my 12in Rev c here in Japan. So many other international students have really big clunky PC laptops. I impress all with my super small and yet super powerful Powerbook. When I get flack for running OS X, I just skoff at them and the hours it took for the IT department here to run antivirus software on the PCs.

trimaniax · 11:27 AM

First time Mac owner here with a 12" Rev C Powerbook. I chose the 12" (after having some experience with a 15" at work) for the portability. I would appreciate a better screen I think for the size, I'm not complaining. At first the Powerbook was a little frustrating to use with just 256MB of RAM but after maxing it out to 1.25GB the experience has been nearly perfect.

Edit: I did want to add that I did have to send the laptop to have the Superdrive replaced as it was rejecting pretty much any disc I put in it but that is the only problem I have had so far.

Bestest computer ever.