[joeswell]

I'm interested in buying an iBook 466MHz Special Edition. "They're" selling them with 128MG of "free" RAM. However, I also noticed that "they're" dropping prices on the G3 400MHz Powerbooks and offering "free" 256 Mgs of RAM. My question is why? Is the powerbook a better machine than the iBook SE? Can anyone help me make this decision?

Hit the "back" button on your browser and scroll down. I swear this topic has been discussed many times before.

[joeswell]

I'm sure they have discussed this question and I will look, but why are they dropping the price on the powerbooks?

[SupahCoolX]

"They" are dropping prices on the Powerbook G3 because it was discontinued a few months ago when Apple released the PowerBook G4.

[voodoo]

Besides, the iBook is a lot more colourful!!!

VOODOO

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It's a crazy world you humans live in...

[vega24]

The 400Mhz G3 PowerBook is only a better choice if you need a bigger screen and/or need the extra ports.

PowerBook's are great for use at the office and iBook's are great for use at home. It's really that simple.

[PeteWK]

Dude, get the Powerbook G3. It's way more of a computer than the iBook. I have both and love both but the Pismo (PB) has everything the iBook does and more. For the same price, the comparison isn't even close.

PeteWK

[vega24]

Dude, get the Powerbook G3. It's way more of a computer than the iBook.

If we were comparing a 500Mhz Pismo to a iBook SE, than I would agree with you but we're not. The iBook SE and the 400Mhz Pismo are equal on every benchmark I've seen.

[GraphiteBoi]

shell out the $3500 and go with the Ti PB :-)

[PeteWK]

Originally posted by vega24:
If we were comparing a 500Mhz Pismo to a iBook SE, than I would agree with you but we're not. The iBook SE and the 400Mhz Pismo are equal on every benchmark I've seen.

True, true. But benchmarks are a poor prediction of real life performance. As for speed, the Pismo 400 is faster than the iBook 466 in the real world. I have the Pismo with 1024mb of ram and the iBook (life is good when you have both) with 320mb or ram. Again, I'm talking real world. All those benchmarks outfit the machines with the same amount of ram which is fantasy land at best. Bottom line is that my Pismo 400 w/1024mb kills the iBook w/320mb by about 10-20 percent. It's really noticable when manipulating large graphics or movie files.

Here are the main reasons to go with the Pismo 400 over the iBook 466:

The screen rocks on the Pismo with the difference being (I'm going to measure right now) +25.34 inches square. (94.22 vrs 68.88) That would be an increase of 36.79% over the iBook screen.

The 24bit Video out on the Powerbook either is a must or will be some day for many people (not to mention the S-video. I use the TV out on my iBook once and a while, but the quality just isn't there.

Mic in - good for doing your own video or music. You can get a mic with a USB port on the iBook, though.

PC card - OK, I never use the thing myself. You'll have to descide if this means anything to you.

Expansion bays - I have a Zip 250 and Superdisk for mine. And I'm getting an expansion bay hard drive for video work. The External drives I have for my iBook can get to be a pain. If you have the iBook, get peripherals that are bus powered if you can.

Battery setup - You can use two batteries which allows the Powerbook about 7-8 real hours if you're careful.

2+2 firewire/USB ports - a convenience to be sure.

RAM - as I've said another way, the Pismo can take 3.2 times the ram of the iBook. 1024mb vrs 320mb. And it DOES make a difference!

Weight - the iBook weighs about 1 pound more.

Stereo speakers - tinny but at least they're there.

Upgradable CPU - the iBook ain't. G4 here I come!

Resale Value - In a year, the Pismo will have kept more of it's value because it has more features (see above).

Don't get me wrong. I have an iBook and I love it. But I actually paid 2500 bucks for my G3 and I don't feel ripped off at all. Prices come down, that's life. I needed this machine so I bought it. But if I could only have one of them I would leap towards the Pismo. Especially if they were the same price!

PeteWK

[This message has been edited by PeteWK (edited 03-29-2001).]

[joeswell]

It seems like the Powerbook 400MG Pismo (Why do they call it a Pismo?) is a better buy at the same price (plus 256MG of free RAM) vs the iBook.

Thanks to everyone for the sage advice. I've never failed to find an answer to any question I've ever posed on the MacNN forums. It's nice to know that folks will share their knowledge and experience with someone life myself who is not always "up to speed" on a lot of this tech stuff. Thanks again.

[bloodbeard]

It seems like the Powerbook 400MG Pismo (Why do they call it a Pismo?) is a better buy at the same price (plus 256MG of free RAM) vs the iBook

The Powerbook (2000) or Powerbook (FireWire) supposedly had a codename of Pismo while it was in development at Apple. Origonally, it was to use a different, more iBook/clam like enclousre (Pismo Beach was the refrence), but later went with the same case as the past previous books. Pismo just makes it easier to differentiate between the 4 different Powerbook G3 models.



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-iG3 OuT

[mkd]

I love my iBook (SE 466) but it's a pile of crap!!!!!!!! I've had it for 4 monthes, and THE HARD DRIVE HAS HAD TO REPLACED 3 TIMES AND THE DVD DRIVE ONCE!!!!!!! AHHH! I worked my butt off all summer for this thing, and it's falling apart! Apple needs get their act together! What if the TiBooks are like this, too?!

My dad works for CSUS (California State University Sacrenemto) and they are switching to PCs because 30% of the Macs they baught have had hardware problems!!!

I suggest getting APPLE CARE!!! (Once one year has passed, your screwed!)

-Morgan Davis

mkd, that doesn't mean anything, pcs have the same problem, at my college we have a computer lab with new pcs and olds macs, and %90 of the hardware problems occur w/ pcs, i usually don't see macs being carried away for repair, u probably i in a million of people who happened to get a defected mac, as for buying them in bulk (in groups) sometime all the computers grouped together are defected.

I faced this same decision a couple weeks ago, and , after a lot of hand wringing, decided on the Pismo. I love the iBook's colors, its "play with me" attractiveness, its ruggedness, and its handle, and it's really all the computer I need. If you're just web surfing, word processing, etc., it's all most people need. If you do design, graphics, movies, etc., the pismo is best.
For me, though, it came down to the screen: I looked at the pismo against an iBook, and the huge screen (about a third bigger in square inches) just blew me away. For a price difference of about $200 including applecare, which is more on the powerbooks), I got a faster, lighter machine and can now display everything in huge fonts, which is much easier on my eyes. (The laptop is my only computer, and I stare at it for at least 5 hours a day.)

FWIW, I asked a dozen users, including owners of both powerbooks and iBooks, and every one of them said to go for the pismo at this outrageous price. It was a bargain a year ago at $1000 more, and it's maybe the best bargain ever offered in a laptop now, even though I'll probably never use its extra features and expandability. My heart still likes the iBook more -- it's just friendlier, somehow. But my eyes thank me every moment for getting the pismo, and the eyes have it. I'm still absolutely amazed whenever i open up this machine and see its gorgeous, sharp display.

Still, you can't go wrong -- they're both great machines. And whichever one you buy, be sure to get extra memory while it's cheap -- 64 megs isn't enough for anyone. good luck, but act fast -- apple ran out of pismos last week, and edu.com and clubmac won't be far behind.

[PeteWK]

A friend of mine just got a Pismo from Apple last week for the 1599 price. They had to go out of the country to get him one. Though the only difference I could tell was that the DVD drive didn't have any info printed on it (just plain aluminum). We upgraded it to 576mb of ram and away he went. It's faster at Final Cut Pro than his B&W desktop. Plus he can just fold it in half and take it with him!

PeteWK

[iMan]

Hello Everbody,

Depending on your usage I would go for the iBook . They are rugged and just as fast as the PowerBook G3. I love mine It is a great machine. Wonderful for home and Kids/Brothers & Sisters.

[romeosc]

The Pismo is definately the best choice. I have both, but the Pismo holds it value better and the screen looks great.

Steve

[whiskyboy]

I have had both a 300 Mhz iBook and 400 Pismo. The Pismo was great with the big screen, but is probably the worst built piece of crap i have ever wasted my hard earned cash on. The keyboard was sloppy and the removable drive bays would just let the battery fallout. My Pismo only lasted four months and three Apple repairs before I sold it and that iBook 300 is still going strong as i sold it to my Mum to buy the Pismo. I wish I had it back.

Apart from the screen issue (only you can tell how important that is to you) I would have the iBook every time, even though it is slightly slower due to the 66mhz bus speed.

[PeteWK]

I don't know why it is that Apple sends all their crap to England. Just about every single horror story about an Apple computer comes from there. Oh well, you guys did it to Australia so I guess turn about's fair play.

PeteWK