[bizcobird]

Hello MacNN.

I'm on the fence whether to get an iBook or PowerBook. I've actually put an order into Apple (BTO) for a fully loaded 12-inch iBook. However, after reading through some of the threads here, I'm seriously considering canceling this order and picking up a 12-inch PowerBook. Before I do that, I have a few questions I hope you can help me with. All of the following questions relate to the 12-inch PowerBook model (Combo drive).

First, what kind of battery life can I expect? I used to have an iBook (about a year ago) that got around 4 hours unplugged. This was with Airport always active. Does the PowerBook have a similar battery life? If not, what's the average (e.g., word processing, surfing, & e-mail)?

Second, do the newer 12-inch models have a heat problem? I know that when the smaller PowerBooks first appeared, these suckers could get hot. I have a desk to work on during the day, but at night my laptop is usually on my lap, on top of a pillow. Would this cause heat problems? (My ThinkPad T1 handles this fine...)

Finally, are the PowerBooks significantly more fragile than the iBook? I've heard that some people have "broken" their system by dropping it from less than an inch -- I've done this with my iBook in the past with no problems. I'm not very hard on laptops, but I want to make this last at least a year.

That's all I can think of at the moment. If I have any other questions, I'll be sure to post them. Thanks for any information you can supply.

Best,
MR

[MilkmanDan]

I get 4-4.5 hours on a battery with my new 12in.

The heat problem is no longer an issue.

Quite durable. As durable as a laptop can be.

[perbl]

Originally posted by MilkmanDan:
I get 4-4.5 hours on a battery with my new 12in.

The heat problem is no longer an issue.

Quite durable. As durable as a laptop can be.

Quite durable, but nothing even close to the IBM-series, but paying twice the price for the Powerbook for a Wintel is kinda out of the question anyway

[iREZ]

After a year I could still squeeze out 4 hours and change with only airport on, and one bar of brightness running on reduced settings. The batt life is pretty close on the two 'books but the iBook has a lil bit more juice. The only thing that bothers me about the two is airport reception where the iBook wins hands down by a huge margin.

[bizcobird]

Thanks for all of the comments. Looks like the battery life will be just fine.

As far as Airport reception, is this a problem with the 12-inch PowerBook? I have my WAP in another room from where I will be using this laptop (roughly 40 feet / one wall away). My T41's signal is always strong, even from this distance. I wondering what kind of reception to expect with the PowerBook...?

FYI, I canceled my iBook and picked up the PowerBook today. Thanks for all of your information.

Best,
MR

[iREZ]

Not at all, my reception is fine, but it's annoying that my buddies have way stronger connections with their iBooks. Like they'll have 4 bars when I have 2.

[bizcobird]

iREZ,

Thanks for the Airport reception clarification.

Just an update on my order. I went ahead and ordered a stock 12-inch PowerBook (Combo drive) through Apple's online store on Monday morning. I decided to go this route because I qualified for an educational discount (I'm a college professor), but I did pay for expedited shipping. The laptop shipped today (Tuesday).

What I find strange (I guess I really shouldn't -- we're living in a global marketplace) is that FedEx tracks this package originating from Shanghai, China! You would think that Apple would warehouse stock units in the U.S. for faster shipping, but I guess it doesn't.

Anyway, I've been reasonably happy with Apple's service. I was hoping to give this laptop a spin sometime this week, but FedEx shows delivery on 11/29. While I was charged for 2-day shipping, I thought that Apple may have dropped the ball. However, I forgot that Thanksgiving is this week -- a day when FedEx doesn't deliver (rightfully so).

Thanks again for the information. I look forward to participating on MacNN. When I have some time to play with it, I'll post my impressions.

Best,
MR

[bbales]

Has it shipped yet? Remember Shanghai is ahead of us. You might get it on Friday.

Good luck. I have a Rev A 12-in PB and just love it. My Airport Extreme base station is in the basement, where my office is and I can use the laptop in any room on the first floor. Reception is worst in the kitchen, which is up the stairs and a few rooms away. But just about everywhere else it's just fine.

[bizcobird]

Originally posted by bbales:
Has it shipped yet? Remember Shanghai is ahead of us. You might get it on Friday.

I received a shipping confirmation from Apple last night (11/22) at 10:30 p.m., but FedEx has it shipping today at 9:26 p.m.. It must be the time difference.

Here's my FedEx tracking information:

**********
Nov 23, 2004 9:26 pm
Left FedEx Ramp SHANGHAI CN

12:11 pm
Pickup status SUZHOU CN

Future pickup/delivery requested
**********

The other odd thing is that FedEx has Service Type listed as "IP Direct Distribution" for the PowerBook. However, the MS Office 2004 Service Type order (which is now on the truck for delivery today) is listed as "FedEx 2Day Service". I paid for 2-day delivery on both items (I bought them together). Any ideas what this means?

I would love to get this on Friday, but I'm not holding my breath.

Best,
MR

[bizcobird]

A few more questions.

I've been reading a few more reviews about this laptop. Almost every review talks about heat issues with the 12-inch PowerBook line. Most of the reviews I've read concerning the "Rev. C" say that it doesn't get _that_ hot. (I guess compared to earlier revisions...?) This begs the question, how hot does this laptop get? I'll mainly be using MS Word, Outlook, iTunes, and Safari (possibly all at the same time). Would this type of use cause the fan to kick on? Is it warm-to-the-touch hot, or don't-rest-your-palm-on-it-for-too-long hot?

Also, do some of the PowerBooks have problems with their fans? A few people on another forum mentioned that their fan spins-up five minutes after turning on the machine, as long as the laptop is plugged into AC. (It seemed like the fan start-up wasn't a problem on battery power...) Anyone here have this problem? Does this system get loud?

I tend to use my T41 by putting it on a pillow while sitting on the couch. (I "multi-task" by using the computer/watch T.V. -- I guess I'm the ultimate couch potato!) My T41 has no problems with heat (it's actually cool to the touch). Will the PowerBook have heat issues if I use it this way?

I'm not having buyer's remorse. I'm just wondering what to expect.

Best,
MR

[t4r1q]

I have a 12" also, and it only gets super hot (on some areas of the laptop case) while playing 3D games and doing intensive work such as video encoding. If you're just surfing/emailing and listening to iTunes you won't notice it. The fan may come on once in awhile and then shut off 1-2min later when you're connected to AC.

[iREZ]

I used to hate the fact that my Rev B (supposedly hotter than the Rev C but I really see no difference) got quite warm at times, but I got used to it and it really isn't that noticable unless I'm playing games, or doing some other computer intensive task. The warmest spot will be the left handrest where the HD is, as long as you stick to word, email's, internet, and itunes you should be fine. Chuck some RAM in there too, if you keep only the stock 256MB your HD will act inplace of the low amount the 'book ships with and will warm up the hand rest a little more. Try installing 256MB or even better 512MB or 1GB of RAM to see lots of improvements.

As for Airport clarification, the reason iBooks get better reception is due to it's housing. There is less interference with plastic (iBook material) than there is with Aluminum (pBook material).

I know that shipments take longer if you choose to purchase any BTO options from the Apple store. Other than that I don't really know why it's taking so long, best of luck to ya.

[macintologist]

I've had my rev A 12" PB for 16 months and the battery lasts about 2 hours on full brightness doing normal tasks. If I keep the brightness down to a minimum I get 3 hours. I would say for about 13 of the 16 months, I have run my PB on battery daily, to let you know how much I use the battery.

That's the kind of battery life you can expect after a year of good use.

I don't know anything about the iBook other than its specs.

[bizcobird]

It arrived!

I thought I'd post an update for all those interested in my plight. Although FedEx had on their website the system arriving next Monday, I actually received my PowerBook yesterday. I've had some time to play around with it, and here are my impressions:

The build quality is quite good. It feels solid and just as nice (a different kinds of "nice") as my T41. The construction is solid, the look very professional, and the screen actually seems brigher than my IBM's. The only quibbles I have so far is that one of the Function keys (F9) seems to be slightly recessed -- it is not uniform flat like the other keys, but seem to tilt towards F10. (I'm not sure I'm doing a good job describing the problem...) The key work fine, and it really comes to to a cosmetic issue. Quite frankly, it's not that noticable. The second thing I notice is the heat. This laptop does get warm under the left palm rest, but it is not hot by any means. Using this sytem on my pillow is a breeze. (FYI, The fan has *never* kicked on for me, even when formatting and re-installing Panther.)

Airport reception is fine. I get 3 bars from my living room. While the iBook's reception may be a bit better, I don't notice the speed difference in real-world browsing.

OS X has really come a long way. I haven't used a Mac since 2002 (I had an iBook). The OS is very responsive, and I haven't had any problems with speed/lag. BTW, I did put in a Samsung 1GB stick of RAM (bumping up to 1.25GBs). I'm not sure if this makes a huge difference, but I'm very pleased with "snappiness."

The keyboard is a dream. Most of my work involves word processing (I tend to write a lot of words...!), and the keyboard feels noticably better than my T41. In fact, this may be the best laptop keyboard I've ever used. No kidding.

Software. I picked up a few shareware titles. LaunchBar, Cocktail, and SideTrack (alternative trackpad driver). LaunchBar is great (I've used it before), but SideTrack is a must for this laptop. Safari is pretty good (with Saft and PithHelmet), but I'm thinking about trying OmniWeb.

Thanks again for all of your help. This has been a painless transition. My only wish at this point is to use import Outlook's .pst file (the file containing all of my e-mails) into Entourage. Anyone know of a way to accomplish this?

Thanks again.
MR

[audvidsvs]

I had the chance this week to work on a rev.c 12" and had my 12"ibook sitting right next to it.
I noticed that the ibook always had 2 more bars of Airport reception on the Ibook than on the PB.
I even moved it all around the house just to try to prove this was real or not.
IT IS!
The PB just does not get the same quality reception as the Ibook.
In some spots the speed lag while on the internet was dramatic with the PB taking a lot longer to load the same page. In higher reception areas of the house they seemed the same.

I also noticed the battery life was shorter on the PB it seemed but I really can not back that one up with much testing.In fact it could just be the way the battery meter is calibrated that explains that difference.

Anyway even given all of this,I just like the PB better.It seems like a higher quality machine and I think I will be getting one soon.

[audvidsvs]

I almost forgot. I have read a lot that the ibook and PB use the same screen.I thought the PB screen looked better when they were sitting side by side.
It looked Brighter,clearer,crisper and redraw seemed faster.
Even though they may be the same LCD panel,they must be using different driver circuits or something. They look similar but not the same.

As a reference I install large display devices for a living and it is not uncommon for two displays to use the same panel or CRT or DLP engine and yet have dramatic differences in the final moutput quality and characteristics.