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An iBook or a TiBook?
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Fresh-Faced Recruit
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Memphis, TN USA
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For the past couple of months I have been debating whether or not to purchase an iBook or a TiBook. Each are great machines, but it all boils down to performance, features, and price. I like how the iBook has a chuck full of features like the Combo Drive and full supply of ports on the side. However, I do like the faster processor in the TiBook and the relatively larger screen. Then again, I have not really compared these two machines side by side. What I am really curious about is what if I beef up my iBook's RAM to 512. Will this dramatically increase the iBook's performance. To a certain point that Photoshop can render, process, etc. images relatively fast and also run games such as Diablo 2 or Quake 3 smoothly. I know that the G4 will still be faster nonetheless, but is the iBook that far behind? If not, I definetly want to save my money and purchase an iBook instead. I would appreciate any help or any other feedback on this matter. Thanks.
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"Let us be thankful for fools. But for them the rest of us could not succeed."
- Mark Twain
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Moderator
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Hilbert space
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If you want to buy a TiBook, wait until September, because Apple is likely to revise it (better grafx chip, faster processors, Combo Drive, etc.).
Right now, the TiBook is as fast as the iBook for games, they both feature the Rage Mobility.
If you work a lot with OS X, then get a TiBook. If you don't need the extra screen, and you work with OS 9, get an iBook. That is you don't edit videos too much.
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I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it.
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Forum Regular
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Germany, Europe
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Originally posted by OreoCookie:
<STRONG>If you work a lot with OS X, then get a TiBook. If you don't need the extra screen, and you work with OS 9, get an iBook. That is you don't edit videos too much.</STRONG>
I use OS X on my private 2001 iBook and with my Powermac G4 400 at work and I can say that I do not see a big speed difference. The slower iBook hard disk is the only thing that makes the iBook feel slower sometimes. But overall it is fine. You do not need altivec for OS X. Even the genie effect is just as fast on the iBook.
iBook with OS X is a good thing.
Regards
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Junior Member
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Devon, UK
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I was in the exact same situation as you a few weeks ago. I was waiting to see what mwny would bring, but after no new powerbooks, i decided to go with the ibook. Although i have never actually used a tibook, i can say that i am more than happy with my purchase
I am a graphics/media student, and am mainly using the book for flash / dreamweaver at the mo, but i intend to get photoshop soon, and will probably end up doing a bit of light dv editing on it.
The screen is absolutely beautiful, and i completely forget when i am using it that it is only 12 inches - quite surprising seeing as i was used to my 17 inch monitor on my pc. So, I don't think you should let this bother you because even though the tibooks sceen is nice, the resolution is still pretty much the same, and once you use it you'll totally forget about it - anyway you can hook it up to an external monitor if you like.
The only thing that bothers me is that there's no audio-in port which means that i am going to have to invest in a usb device at some point.
Anyway imho the ibook has most of the features of the tibook at half the price, so go get an ibook, and with the money you save max out the ram and buy a nice digital camera
hope my experience is of some help
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Professional Poster
Join Date: May 2001
Location: North Dakota, USA
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I agree with N1ce. If you're getting a portable now, I'd say the iBook. I never owned a portable before, but then I found a great deal on AirPort, and decided I really wanted one. Well, this happened to be right about when the new iBooks came out, and therein I had the perfect match.
On my budget the PBG4 was too much - if you have a big budget, then go crazy and pick it up (though do know that a revision may come soon on the G4 - the iBook will stay pretty much the same for awhile, I'm guessing) . While Apple does tout "The MegaHertz Myth," a 500 MHz iBook in OS 9 is going to be just as fast, if not faster, than a 400 MHz PowerBook G4 in many tasks - things such as bus speed and memory speed do affect this, though.
Overall, I'd say saving $1000 bucks and getting an iBook would be a good deal for now - I got the $1499 DVD model, and if, say, I want to resell it in a year or two for a new PBG4, I can always tout it as "the ultimate portable DVD player!" Plus, I can tell myself that I saved $1000 off the PBG4 and buy some things OTHER than technology stuff... books and music come to mind...
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Banned
Join Date: May 2001
Location: State College,PA,United States
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The Ti is not the only thing to have a revision in September. If the Ti is rev.B so will the iBook. And maybe we will see an iMac LCD this time.
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Junior Member
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Devon, UK
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exactly! buy an ibook and an imac lcd !!
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Professional Poster
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Hampton Roads, VA
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Originally posted by Macintosh:
<STRONG>The Ti is not the only thing to have a revision in September. If the Ti is rev.B so will the iBook. And maybe we will see an iMac LCD this time. </STRONG>
Doubtful. We'll be lucky to see the TiBook revised. Remember all the revisions expected at MWNY? How many did we get? Remember, if you don't get your hopes up, you wont be disappointed.
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All glory to the hypnotoad.
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Fresh-Faced Recruit
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Memphis, TN USA
Status:
Offline
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Hey, thanks for the help guys, especially from you N1ce. I am going off to college next year and I want to be a graphic/media student myself. A TiBook is tempting, but I often feel that it isn't rugged enough like the iBook. It would really suck to be me if I purchased a TiBook and broke it . But my main beef was that if the speed of the iBook was not far behind the TiBook. All along I wanted the new iBook from the beginning, but I am a sucker for speed . Thanks for the help again everyone.
P.S. Hey N1ce what is your e-mail? I like to contact you sometime to discuss more about graphic/media. Thanks.
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"Let us be thankful for fools. But for them the rest of us could not succeed."
- Mark Twain
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Dedicated MacNNer
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Pittsburgh, PA USA
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My iBook is a great performer with OS X, especially since I added an extra 128MB of RAM for a total of 256. I'm not a speed freak; it does nothing for me to know that my machine does something 1 second faster than another in a benchmark test. I'd save the money and get the iBook along with some extra RAM.
Can't speak for Photoshop, but GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program; open-source freeware from the linux/OSS world) works like a champ.
Jeff
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<jbl>
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Like a lot of other people, including you, I was in the same situation about a month ago. I had heard rumors of a middle-notebook, and possible Ti revisions. When they didn't happen, I decided to get the iBook. Deciding factors were:
1) Perceived durability
2) Size
3) Value
The last item pertains not so much to cost as it does to what you get for the money. I think the iBook presents a phenomenal value, and couldn't see spending the extra dough for the Ti. I would like the extra speed, but it's not critical. Right now, I am just using it as a pretty standard computer. Word processing, spreadsheets, Internet. However, by the end of the year, I hope to get a film scanner, and to start digitizing slides of my paintings, as well as my photography. If Apple comes out with something truly compelling, I might upgrade.
Oh, another thing you might want to consider is OS X performance. My iBook has 384MB, but OS X 10.0.4 is still sluggish. I have seen videos of 10.1 on a similar 'book, and it looks pretty fast. At least as fast as OS 9.1. However, a lot of applications are going to start using Altivec, and OS X definitely does. You might consider the G4 for that reason, or buying a trimmed down iBook and then upgrading later.
Good luck,
John
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Fresh-Faced Recruit
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: CA
Status:
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I own and use both on a daily basis and I find myself using the iBook for the more mundane tasks like email, web surfing, and word processing. I use the TiBook for editing on Final Cut, After Effects, Photoshop, DVD Studio Pro and for watching DVDs. The iBook is more of a cute little toy and the TiBook gets real stuff done.null
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Dedicated MacNNer
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Pitzer College, Claremont, CA
Status:
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I own an iBook. There are a couple of reasons why I didn't get the TiBook. Oddly enough, I can't freakin' stand the TiTrackpad! My god, that thing feels SO weird, with the border around it and all. That alone made me not choose the Ti. Of course, this is a very small thing, and if you're dieing for power, go with the damn Ti. However...the little things count, and if the little things piss you off so much it makes the big picture turn bad, then, well, yeah!
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<siggy>
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is the titanium worth its (minimum) $800 premium?
consider these issues:
1. ti paint rubs/scratches off
2. ti screen contacts the keyboard when closed
3. ti airport is sometimes erratic (due to, of all things, the titanium casing!)
4. ti firewire i/o is slower than ice
5. ti runs the same ati mobility video card
6. ti g4 400 will not run non-altivec processes significantly different than the ice g3 500
7. ti has no cd-rw
8. that $800 (or greater) premium. ouch!
salaam.
ice
combo
384 MB
20 GB
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<Macintosh>
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is the titanium worth its (minimum) $800 premium?
consider these issues:
1. ti paint rubs/scratches off
2. ti screen contacts the keyboard when closed
3. ti airport is sometimes erratic (due to, of all things, the titanium casing!)
4. ti firewire i/o is slower than ice
5. ti runs the same ati mobility video card
6. ti g4 400 will not run non-altivec processes significantly different than the ice g3 500
7. ti has no cd-rw
8. that $800 (or greater) premium. ouch!
salaam.
ice
combo
384 MB
20 GB
The Ti is worth the 800 premium for the screen and power alone! I know if I had the money I would by the Ti. A rev is due withing a month and a half anyway!
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<kelpii>
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I was in the same quandary myself not long ago: iBook or TiBook? It was a tough decision, but I finally ordered the DVD iBook on Friday (it got here yesterday!) with 256mb of ram and Airport. I am a graphics designer and web developer, and the resolution on this screen is true eye candy so don't let the size trouble your mind. I installed the Airport card and had my network up and running in less than 20 minutes, OS X runs perfectly on my iBook (note that I do have extra RAM, and I haven't tried it on the standard iBook with either 64 or 128.) But for the most part it is the screen I want to speak about, because it is so very luscious and beautiful and clear. Colors are amazing on it. The resolution makes for a richer color and brightness experience than I noticed on the Ti when comparing side by side, and if you will be doing any art on your portable that is going to matter a great deal to you at some point.
This keyboard is another amazing thing. The keys feel "soft" somehow, like extensions of my fingers rather than plastic. The track pad is lovely too.
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<PixelPimpz>
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I just bought a new iBook to replace my 500MHZ Pismo PowerBook. Since I am a graphic designer, illustrator, cartoon animator and motion graphics designer and digital audio hobbyist my opinion may be of use to some of you. For $2100 I bought this set up from Tek Serve here in NYC:
iBook
500MHZ G3
384MB of RAM
30GB Hard Drive
DVD - ROM Drive
The screen is sharper and more rich looking than my creative directors TiBook, in fact I think he was a little jealous! The screen is WAY better than my Pismo.
At work I have an older 450MHZ G4 with over 600MB of RAM. I mostly do design and animation for the web or CD/DVD ROMs which are fairly low resolution so the G4 cranks through it with ease. Sometimes I do motion graphics at broadcast quality as well as design and illustration for print.
The iBook is used mostly for my personal work and freelance gigs at home. So far I have no problems using it with Photoshop 6, Illustrator 9 (and 10 beta for OS X), Final Cut 2, After Effetcs 5 and Digital Performer 3 ( I have Logic Audio Platinum, but I haven't tested that yet). Suer it's not as fast as my G4 at work, but it is MORE than adequite. OS X runs fairly well and will be much snappier after 10.1 is released. We installed a beta of 10.1 on an POS beige G3 and it performed quite well so I am hopeful that it will do better on a current G3 system.
Overall I felt the iBook was a better value for me right now. I am going to move in October and didn't really want to spend any extra cash. Since the sale of my Pismo on Ebay almost completely paid for my new iBook I am very happy.
If you have cash for a TiBook go for it (after September when Apple revises it). If you're on a budget or just don't want to shell out an extra $2000 for a pimped out TiBook than the iBook maybe exactly what you're looking for.
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<siggy>
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<<The Ti is worth the 800 premium for the screen and power alone! I know if I had the money I would by the Ti. A rev is due withing a month and a half anyway! >>
did you forget to login or are you simply impersonating an already registered member named macintosh? but that's besides the point. frankly, i love the titanium, & just like you, if i had a spare $3500 burning a hole in my wallet, well, what a wonderful laptop world i'd be in!
in fact, i have absolutely nothing against any titanium-toting brothers & sisters. but, really, you can't convince me that an extra 128 pixels & g4 processor for $800 is a good value. perfect for altivec functions, but a premium nonetheless.
moreover, say a ti rev is due out at seybold (or sooner), you will not be getting your penny's worth if you forgo waiting & buy now.
the ibook, on the other hand, represents excellent value. the majority of ibook owners will agree. it's an improvement on the amazing groundbreaking design of the titanium, it's airport is better, you can have a cd-rw or combo drive, &, the price-although higher than the imac-is absolutely the best computing value being offered by apple today.
salaam!
ice
combo
384 MB
20 GB
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Banned
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: permanent resident of the Land of the Easily Aroused
Status:
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Oh, and if you're concerned with FPS in games like Q3 and UT, don't be. I pull around 50fps in q3 (including urban terror) with the locki's config. Once you tweak it with locki's config, then you turn the pretties back on, low geometric detail, medium texture, lightmaping, complex items, show gun, blood @ gibs etc. Once you buy it, I might as well e-mail my configurations for both to make it easy and let you get good fps in both games.
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Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: Dec 1999
Location: Pleasanton, CA
Status:
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Yeah, at this point in time, I think the iBook is a better buy. The TiBook will be revised at Macworld France in September instead of January's San Fransisco Macworld. After all, it would have been a whole year if they wait until January to revise the lineup. The iBook won't get an update until after January. I think we're looking at Japan's (not likely there, either) exposition or later.
The TiBook is nicer in my opinion. You really get what you pay for. The screen is gorgeous.
Yeah, Apple needs to work out a lot of issues with the TiBook before their next revision. The AirPort signal sucks on the TiBook because its antennae aren't in the monitor as the iBook/Pismo PowerBook antennae are. Big mistake.
The paint doesn't rub off nor scratch off unless you use an abrasive like an emory board or a metal object of some sort. I can't get the case to scratch even with the hardest press of my fingernail/my room key here in Paris. Flawed aesthetics are just more apparent on the TiBook, I guess.
Locki's config is ugly!
I am the master of Quake 3 configuration. Drop me a line at [email protected] . I spend, like, four hours a day playing Quake 3. Not something to be proud of, but hey, I'll help out a newbie.
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Fresh-Faced Recruit
Join Date: Jun 2001
Status:
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They're two different animals. I have both, and have written extensively comparing the two. In the months that have passed, the disparities between the two models have become more evident, and these differences are even more pronounce in OS X.
The advantages of the iBook are durability and price. The fineness of the resolution of the display, I think, will eventually become the new standard. Even with 640Mb RAM, OS X is sluggish ... I'm not looking to be a speed demon with this thing, but when X-native versions of Xpress and Photoshop and Cubase come out, I'll be re-evaluating these machines.
The advantages of the TiBook are, of course, Altivec and the size of the display. Photoshop and SPSS run surprisingly fast. PCI-slots can come in handy (especially in music production applications), but aren't as important. The infrared has come in handy more than a few times, especially when dealing with presentation projectors. The TiBook is rigid, but brittle. I truly think the longevity of any given TiBook unit will be affected by external stresses, as there's no internal or external shock absorption whatsoever, save some thin strips of latex around the hard drive. The display is bright with rich colors, but after using an HP Pavillion (with *yeccch!* Windows ME) with 1600 X 1200 resolution on a comparably sized display, it becomes evident 1480 X 980 should become the TiBook's eventual goal ... up close, the TiBook display is hard on the eyes.
I recommend both models over any of a vast number of laptops I've worked with/reviewed recently. I highly recommend asking yourself very carefully what you want your machine for.
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<AI Refugeeee>
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Over at the NEW AI forums, lots of people seem to be getting the iBook instead and are really happy with their desicion:
http://www.xsorbit.com/users/flamingo/index.cgi
Fran441, Bodhi, Applenut, MacAddict, Eskimo, Groverat, Kate, MacAgent, MacotheIsles and many more people are over there already, check it out
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Forum Regular
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Corp. America
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My iBook rocks! I burned a critical piece of software for a presentation at work on my combo and made every Wintel wimp cry. When I showed them iMovie, Virtual PC (W2k), DAVE, OSX, and other stuff, they looked at their stink-pads like they were bricks. "...anything you can do I can do better..."
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I love deadlines. They make a whooshing sound as they pass by.
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