[owl_luvr]

First, some background:

I bought my iMac DV Special Edition/400 MHz (Kihei) in early 2000. After little more than two years, I've needed to have the Analog Video Board; main logic board; and the audio board replaced. The audio board is scheduled to be replaced today. When I bought my iMac, I also bought a 3-year Apple Care Protection Plan. As with Scotty, I'm *very* glad I bought the plan. If memory serves (which is doubtful these days), I paid an initial $50 deductible, after which every repair done on my iMac hasn't cost me anything more than being without my iMac during repairs.

It may be unfair, but my next Mac won't be an iMac. Once bitten, twice shy. These days, I'm weighing the relative merits of the iBook and the Powerbook...and I'm having a difficult time deciding between the two, though I'm leaning towards the iBook. My basic needs are: affordability; easy-on-the-eyes (due to the fact that I'd be going from my 15" iMac monitor to a 14" or, (scary thought!) a 12" screen; durability; heat resistance. There used to be a website that let you answer several criteria/needs-type questions, and it would then give you its recommendation based on your answers, but I've long since forgotten the URL.

[Commodus]

Your criteria definitely suggests that you want an iBook. It costs less than a PowerBook (even if you go berserk with the specs); the case is specifically designed to resist bumps; and the system as a whole runs considerably cooler. I've heard of people who had to get some kind of protective surface for their legs if they wanted to use their PowerBook while wearing shorts - that titanium may transfer all the heat away from the CPU, but it can all go into your lap if you're not careful!

Since you'd be using this system as a sort of desktop replacement, I'd definitely go for a 14" iBook. The screen size is actually slightly larger than what you're used to on your iMac (LCD screen ratings are the true size; the 15" CRT on the iMac is actually more like 13.8"), and it would be pretty rugged as a laptop. On top of that, iBooks have great AirPort range; should you ever use wireless networking, you could probably roam throughout the whole of your house and maintain a fast connection.

[fulmer]

yeah, iBook 700 is for you, judging from your post. Don't stick with the standard 128 MB RAM. You're going to want at least an additional 256 MB on top of the 128.

I have the 700 12.1" model. It is very nice.

however, if you have plenty of money, the current powerbooks are very nice, and they'll give you great speed for photo, video, and sound editing (if that's what you're into).

[iMan]

I would recommend the iBook I have a 500 currently. I will be replacing it with a 12" 700 quite soon because my brother is taking it to college.

I would spend less on the laptop and more on acessories! And atleast 384 mb or RAM!

Good Tidings!

[NDBounce]

I'll reinforce what everyone else has said. Price can decide which iBook you want, but it seems that is all you need given those requirements, however, it may benefit you if you tell us what type of work you want to do on the machine. I assume by the fact that you are using a 400mhz iMac, you don't need the power of a G4 chip, pending what you want to do with the machine, we may change our recommendation.

[Jet Powers]

If money is no object, get the TiBook and a protective case/sleeve.

While I think the iBook has more bang for the buck, you mentioned "being easy on the eyes" and the TiBook is the best notebook in the world at having a bright and easy to look at screen.

Jet

[owl_luvr]

Thanks for the replies. I may have sounded as though I was already 'sold' on the iBook. I'm not, necessarily.

NDBounce suggested I say a little more about what I want to do with my next Mac. In no particular order, I'd like to use my next Mac as both a home/desktop computer for myself. I'd also like to be able to take it with me easily, not for business purposes, but to use for personal purposes (Internet, keeping track of my budget, word processing, possible programming (REALbasic), web-site creation (if I could ever learn HTML and the other, more 'fancy' stuff I see on web-sites), word processing, etc.. I don't own my own business, but I also don't want my next Mac to be just an expensive toy.

I went to CompUSA today to check out both the 12.1 inch iBook and the 14.1 inch iBook. I saw the TiBook, and it's *gorgeous* and has a really nice screen, but I don't know if I'd be able to afford it. I also saw the eMac and the new iMac. The iMac's monitor was, like the TiBook, *gorgeous*, but as I said in my first post, once bitten, twice shy. The eMac looks a lot like my iMac, though I'm aware it has a G4 and many other things my current machine doesn't.

If I can ever answer the 'Which Mac?' question, I have yet another problem to resolve: Buy from whom: Mac catalogs, which seem to have the lowest prices; buy from Apple, 'directly from the source,' or buy from CompUSA? UGH!!!

Any further assistance is *greatly* appreciated.

[gator]

It sounds like for what you want to do, the iBook would suit you nicely. The Powerbooks are nice, but it doesn't sound like you'll need the extra power.

I bought a 12" iBook from Amazon, since they seem to be running good promos the past month or so. When I bought mine, I got a $200 promo certificate for a future purchase (that I put towards an Airport card and a wireless router). Right now, they're offering $100 promo certificate (for a future purchase) and a free Airport card, which is pretty good. Along with the Epson printer deal, it's a lot of extra freebies. I don't see much point in buying directly from Apple... and CompUSA? Those people seem to know next to nothing about Apple, so I don't know why one would bother to buy a Mac from them.

[owl_luvr]

How about the AppleCare Protection Plan, gator? Mine is due to expire sometime in early 2003. Can the APP be purchased a year after buying the iBook, as the folks in IRC channel #macosx tell me? If so, I wish I'd known that a few years ago, when I bought my iMac.

[gator]

Yep... you can buy it as long as it's within the initial one-year warranty... finding link...

Okay here it is:
http://www.apple.com/support/products/proplan.html

Near the bottom:
We recommend that you purchase the AppleCare Protection Plan when you purchase your Apple computer to take maximum advantage of the coverage the plan provides. However, you may purchase it at any time while your computer is still under its original one-year warranty.

Heh, Applecare isn't available for Florida consumers, Florida laws are so messed up.

[seanyepez]

I recommend a PowerBook. Otherwise, you'll end up getting a machine that isn't much faster than your Kihei iMac. Three years later, I would expect a little more than that. The G4 and additional graphics processing power of a low-end PowerBook make a huge difference. Quartz Extreme will thank you.

Don't let your past experience with an iMac rule out the possibility of getting an iMac. The components have almost completely changed, and they're altogether different machines now. I'd go for the iMac if I didn't need the portability. They cost less than PowerBooks, and offer roughly the same performance. However, they don't have third-level cache or as nice of a screen.

[owl_luvr]

Deciding which Mac to get is interesting, even fun to some extent. It's the *configuration* decision that's driving me mad now! Should I get Airport, or maybe Microsoft Office v. X? What about the iPod? Nah. The whole MP3 legality question confuses me & scares me. I wouldn't want to do anything wrong.

The closer I get to a final decision, the further away I am from that decision...which makes no sense.

[Steve Holmes]

This is the thread that inspired me to register for this forum. I'm currently a PC user ready to kick the habit, but I need some help in deciding which way to go - iBook or Powerbook. My wallet says iBook, but what I will be doing on it may say pBook. If I can't track down a Mac CAD program that creates files compatible with AutoCAD (.dwg), I'll have to use VirtualPC to run my AutoCAD. It seems obvious that a G4 will handle this better than a G3, but would performance really lag with the G3, or could I get by? I don't work with huge files, & it's all 2D stuff.

Has anyone out there found themselves in a similar dilemma?

Thanks.

[seanyepez]

I think it's safe to say that the PowerBook is about twice as fast for VPC and noticeably faster for most tasks in OS X.

[el lindo]

Wasn't there something about VPC being faster on G3's than G4's?

[scottiB]

Steve,

Not knowing you at all, you have three options (or a mixture of the three):

1. Keep the PC to run AutoCAD, purchase an iBook for everthing else. With OS X 10.2, you'll be able to network them easily.
   Pros: Cheaper (don't need a PBook for VPC); better AutoCAD experience (running natively); having both platforms is a good thing�.
   Cons: Keeping both systems (especially if selling PC is to get $$ for Mac); minor networking costs (hub, cables); space (though a laptop can be used anywhere).
   
2. Purchase VPC and run AutoCAD through it.
   Pros: Can sell PC; can run other Windows apps
   Cons: Can run AutoCAD and other Windows apps s-l-o-w-e-r; More expensive need a G4 (arguably) for VPC + VPC, itself.
   
3. Purchase a Mac app that imports/exports .dwg files (like Deneba CAD2)
   Pros: Shed Windows completely; shed AutoCAD completely;
   Cons: You may just plain need AutoCAD--nothing else will do; no ability to run any Windows apps; Deneba--or the like is pricier than VPC.

I don't know your workflow, etc., but I'd go with option 1 (again, unless you need to sell the PC to purchase the Mac). Having both platforms is a good thing--especially now when interoperability is becoming easier and easier.

Don't buy till 10.2 is preloaded on shipping Macs--and welcome... .


<edit: Steve check out http://www.architosh.com for Mac 2-D/3-D info.>

[crazyjohnson]

How fragile is the G4? I really want a G4, but I am a student and think I might get an iBook because they look very strong - any thoughts [ok, lets say money is not an option here . . . even though it always is ]

[kentuckyfried]

I just got the demo disk for vectorworks, and it's supposedly fully compatible with Autocad. This is a much better option than running autocad under VPC (yikes!).

www.nemetschek.net is the website. The entire set (vectorworks +
architecture set add-on) is $1300.

I don't do any design myself at home but I like the option of having something like autocad available for my usage.

Originally posted by Steve Holmes:
This is the thread that inspired me to register for this forum. I'm currently a PC user ready to kick the habit, but I need some help in deciding which way to go - iBook or Powerbook. My wallet says iBook, but what I will be doing on it may say pBook. If I can't track down a Mac CAD program that creates files compatible with AutoCAD (.dwg), I'll have to use VirtualPC to run my AutoCAD. It seems obvious that a G4 will handle this better than a G3, but would performance really lag with the G3, or could I get by? I don't work with huge files, & it's all 2D stuff.

Has anyone out there found themselves in a similar dilemma?

Thanks.

[Steve Holmes]

ScottiB - thanks for your take on things.

I think option 3 is what I'm heading for. I don't need to run AutoCAD if I can use something that is compatible with it. The guy I share the office with is the main acad user; we very seldom share files, but at times it is very convenient. I guess my main focus is in leaving the pc behind.

I have looked at architosh, so I know there's something out there that will work. It seems a bit spendy, but hey...

I've also looked at vectorworks (thanks, kentuckyfried).

The whole idea of using VPC so I can run a windoze program on a Mac just seems so wrong!

Thanks to all for your input.

Steve H.