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You are here: MacNN Forums > Hardware - Troubleshooting and Discussion > Mac Notebooks > is there any reason i should choose an ibook over the 12" pb?

is there any reason i should choose an ibook over the 12" pb?
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mdc
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Feb 5, 2003, 11:30 PM
 
up until 5 minutes ago i was 100% sure i was going to go to the apple store and buy the 800ibook.

i can get the student discount from apple. i loaded up the apple page and looked at the education price of the 12" pb and it is only $300 more than the ibook.

for everything extra that you are getting is the $300 worth it? $1,799 is too much for me but i think i could spare $1,499.

worth it or save the $300?
     
seanyepez
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Feb 5, 2003, 11:33 PM
 
It's very worth it. I believe you also posted a similar thread in the iBook forum. Consider posting the question in a single forum.

I think the PowerBook has a lot more staying power and appeal than the iBook. It's just a better computer all around.
     
iamnid
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Feb 5, 2003, 11:33 PM
 
It really depends what you'll be doing. From what I've read, the 12" powerbook isn't really that much faster than the ibook unless you're running 3d apps or programs that take advantage of alti-vec such as ripping mp3's or photoshop.

The advantages of spending more money are:
slightly better video card
slightly faster processor (much faster if using alti-vec)
smaller size
faster system bus

That's really about it. I'm in the same boat... I want to get a laptop in about 6 months and love that new 12" powerbook but I'm trying to figure out whether I want to spend the extra money for a slightly faster system, albeit one that looks much cooler.
     
seanyepez
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Feb 5, 2003, 11:34 PM
 
Don't forget that the PowerBook can accomodate an AirPort Extreme card and comes ready for Bluetooth. I'm not sure if these technologies mean anything to you right now, but products utilizing them will become increasingly prevalent this year.
     
mdc  (op)
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Feb 5, 2003, 11:38 PM
 
seanyepez : yeah i did post a question in the ibook forum, it was about the ibook and whether it would suit me. did not mean to post questions all over the place. sorry.

come to think of it, i think i am going to save myself the $300 and myabe put it towards an ipod or something, i'll stay with the ibook.

sorry for wasting everyone's time.
     
seanyepez
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Feb 5, 2003, 11:40 PM
 
I still recommend the PowerBook.

You can always buy the iPod later. The iBook is the oldest computer in Apple's product line.
     
Toyin
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Feb 5, 2003, 11:45 PM
 
300$ difference? If you can swing it do it.

The adapter to run a second monitor is $150, so for an extra $150 you get Airport extreme, a faster G4 processor, faster bus speed, DDR memory, a more durable machine, a smaller machine, and audio inputs.

Laptops aren't easy to upgrade and who knows how much longer Apple will support the G3.
-Toyin
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"It's all about the rims that ya got, and the rims that ya coulda had"
S.T. 1995
     
Stinkysteve
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Feb 6, 2003, 12:01 AM
 
Not to mention a better re-sale value down the road when it's time to upgrade.
     
iamnid
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Feb 6, 2003, 12:12 AM
 
very good points... all true. I forgot about bluetooth and airport extreme as I wouldn't be using either of them for the time being.

Put it this way, if Apple upgrades the ibook to a 800+mhz G4, and maybe leaves everything else the way it is including price, I'd buy the ibook.

But I still think the 12" powerbook is the coolest laptop currently offered by Apple.
     
sineqube
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Feb 6, 2003, 12:14 AM
 
12" has a sound in. i'm not sure the ibook does.
     
f1000
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Feb 6, 2003, 12:15 AM
 
Get the iBook. Computers are like cars -- you pay a price for getting the latest or fastest thing.

If you're a businessman or an executive, then get the PBook. If you're a college student, get the iBook. Computer resale values are a joke, and you tend to get more for your dollar at the low end of consumer merchandise.

When I was a freshman in college, I got the best Mac available - a Quadra 950. It cost a whopping $6,000 through the edu store (some versions were in the $10k + range). I sold it a few years later for $600. It would have been cheaper to buy an entry-level PC every year, and I would have gotten better performance (not that I'm saying get a PC, blech!).

Stick to the bottom end of a market if you really want value, but don't ever settle for less than you actually need; that's not wise either.
     
kcmac
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Feb 6, 2003, 01:08 AM
 
While I really love the PB, if I were in your shoes and had about $1500, I would see if I could get an iBook and an iPod.

If you just want the better computer that you will be glad later that you have, get the PB.

If you look through the threads, you will find more performance tests that are clearly starting to show that the PB is superior to the 800iBook. I'm getting frame rates in iTunes in the 50's at full screen. (640MB ram)

I can actually use Virtual PC now. (version 6, windows 98SE).

The beach ball is almost non-existant.

iPod + iBook is still probably what I would do.
     
Milo Waye
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Feb 6, 2003, 03:49 AM
 
Originally posted by mdc:
up until 5 minutes ago i was 100% sure i was going to go to the apple store and buy the 800ibook.

i can get the student discount from apple. i loaded up the apple page and looked at the education price of the 12" pb and it is only $300 more than the ibook.

for everything extra that you are getting is the $300 worth it? $1,799 is too much for me but i think i could spare $1,499.

worth it or save the $300?
The only reason is $. If you can possibly afford the PB, get it.
     
   
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