[maximusbibicus]

I have a bit of a dilema, and was hoping some MAC folk could give me some insight.

Right now i have a PowerMac G4 733MHZ, 40GB, 384MB, and a 19" Mitsubishi 920 Flat CRT(same tube as in the Blue LaCie's)

I wouldn't say i am a heavy user. I am not a pro, i use my computer for home use. I really stick to surfing, some Limewire, MSN, use Office X, lots of iTunes, and some iMovie. I like speed, i don't like waiting for the computer to catch up to me.

Now, i am thinking i would really enjoy an iBook. I would love Airport, being able to have a mobie DVD player, and burner . I used to have a Pismo, its what i sold to get my machine. I found it slow while running OSX, and hated the graphics. Hence the PowerMac purchse.

Here is the question. If you could only have one machine, and did what i do on the computer, would you go with a 700MHZ iBook, or stick with what i got?

My main fears are losing the screen real estate, expandibility, and Altivec. What i gain would be freedom, great battery life, compared to the Pismo, surfing in the backyard and lots more room in my tiny closet of a bedroom. I can't afford both, i can only have one.

Also, as for iMovie, i have a LaCie 40GB Firewire drive, so HD isn't a huge issue. I could always rip that drive out and put in a 120GB if i needed to.

Bottom line, i miss portability, but how much would i sacrifce with a move to iBook.

Your opinions are welcomed.

Max

[anna katzner]

maybe this helps you with your descision:

i've got a G4/400 with dual-21-inch-monitors and a iBook/600 (DVD-read / CDRW-write).

if i absolutely had to give up one machine it would be the G4.

just the other day i had to work on a job in another town (Cologne Germany, to be precise) and expected to find adequate hard/software for TV-graphic-design. well there was NONE. even the network was substandard (Coax-10-base-ethernet).

so my iBook had to perform as the workstation it actually is: i did professional video-design with Photoshop, AfterEffects etc.
as there was NO way to connect to the firms network i simply burned ISO-CDs on the iBook for data exchange.

during work we also used my iBook as a CD/MP3-jukebox, after work we watched 2 DVDs.

this is what convinced me that if i'd ever have to shed one of my machines it'd be the big one.

granted: any kind of graphic design with less than 2 monitors stinks. but you can do it. and pretty nifty, too with an iBook/600!

hope this helps you with your descision,
a.k.

(btw.: all this was done in MacOS 9, not X)

[SupahCoolX]

I personally prefer laptops. If you -need- the power of the PowerMac, then keep it. For everyday use, the iBook is more than fine. I use iTunes, iPhoto, web/mail, occasional LimeWire (which sucks, but there aren't many good alternatives at the moment), Appleworks, DVD, etc all on a regular basis with no problems. OSX, in my opinion, is the best thing going (well, 10.1.x, at least). The Jaguar update, apparently coming this August, will bring further performance gains.
To me, nothing beats sitting on the terrace while online (Airport), plugging into a TV to play an iPhoto slide show or a DVD, or just laying in bed and watching DVDs, web surfing, etc. Not to mention the portability, which can be very handy at times when I need my Mac someplace other than my house.

Edit: Additional notes to consider: (1) Get RAM. It's cheap, so pack it in to help performance bigtime. (2) Rid your computer of anything by Microsoft (unless you really need it). Call me biased, but my computer has been more reliable than ever since I went totally MS-free a few months ago. I can't remember my last crash... (3) You can always plug an external monitor into the iBook for video mirroring if you need a bigger screen (although at the same resolution). You can also plug into a TV easily for DVD, iPhoto, etc.

<small>[ 07-11-2002, 11:09 PM: Message edited by: SupahCoolX ]</small>

[mark9939]

I use my iBook 600/CD for the exact same uses as you. I, too, love using my Airport card while sitting in front of the TV or out in the backyard.

I absolutely love my iBook and I definately recommend trading in your Powermac for a 700/combo.

[meducus]

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Geneva, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="1" face="Geneva, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif">Originally posted by SupahCoolX:
<strong>I personally prefer laptops. If you -need- the power of the PowerMac, then keep it. For everyday use, the iBook is more than fine. I use iTunes, iPhoto, web/mail, occasional LimeWire (which sucks, but there aren't many good alternatives at the moment), Appleworks, DVD, etc all on a regular basis with no problems. OSX, in my opinion, is the best thing going (well, 10.1.x, at least). The Jaguar update, apparently coming this August, will bring further performance gains.
To me, nothing beats sitting on the terrace while online (Airport), plugging into a TV to play an iPhoto slide show or a DVD, or just laying in bed and watching DVDs, web surfing, etc. Not to mention the portability, which can be very handy at times when I need my Mac someplace other than my house.

Edit: Additional notes to consider: (1) Get RAM. It's cheap, so pack it in to help performance bigtime. (2) Rid your computer of anything by Microsoft (unless you really need it). Call me biased, but my computer has been more reliable than ever since I went totally MS-free a few months ago. I can't remember my last crash... (3) You can always plug an external monitor into the iBook for video mirroring if you need a bigger screen (although at the same resolution). You can also plug into a TV easily for DVD, iPhoto, etc.</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="1" face="Geneva, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif">since using OS X I can't remember my last crash full stop
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