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danengel · Dec 20, 2003, 06:05 AM

- 1.5 kg light
- no drives
- all connectors
- 12" screen with a higher resolution than 1024x768

What do you think?

eevyl · Dec 20, 2003, 09:22 AM

I really love the PowerBook G4 12" the way it is, just bring more power

BTW, I have a rev. A one.

RayX · 06:32 AM

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euchomai · Dec 20, 2003, 12:53 PM

Originally posted by danengel:
- 1.5 kg light
- no drives
- all connectors
- 12" screen with a higher resolution than 1024x768

What do you think?

You asked what I think... I think the micro computers (for me) are quite worthless. I can't figure out why some of my buddies purchased one. No drives, I just don't get it. Sorry.

Necrocool · Dec 20, 2003, 04:15 PM

A new PowerBook 10.4"... 0.7" thin

solitere · Dec 20, 2003, 04:24 PM

Originally posted by eevyl:
I really love the PowerBook G4 12" the way it is, just bring more power

BTW, I have a rev. A one.

Couldn�t agree more....Perfect size and excellent keyboard.. The Screen resolutions is fine as it is...

fisherKing · Dec 20, 2003, 06:09 PM

the 2400c (my first powerbook) was the right idea... 10.4" screen, external floppy (remember those?).

was great to carry around, built like a tank (by ibm, btw)...and i carried around a lot more than my pismo.

until (as is probably never) apple decides to make a subnotebook, the 12" is pretty damn nice...

WizOSX · Dec 20, 2003, 06:15 PM

Having owned a Duo 230 back in the early 90's (remember those) with all the extras, I must say that a subnotebook really isn't that portable. You often end up wanting a drive when you don't have it and soon end up "lugging, plugging and unplugging" nearly everywhere you go. The 12" is perfect if you want supereasy portablility without a lot of inconvenience.

Fellow2000 · Dec 20, 2003, 10:43 PM

I love the 12 the way it is now. I have a rev B. The only thing I could think adding to it would be to make it thinner. It would be awesome if it was 1 inch or less thick. But still, even the way it is now, it is awesome.

WizOSX · Dec 20, 2003, 10:50 PM

I only wish I owned a 12" PB, but my 12" iBook is a close second.

toans · Dec 21, 2003, 05:18 AM

I duno what model it was..but I saw a 10 inch Sony sub notebook that actually included an optical drive (at my local Harvy Norman today). Wasn't slow by any means either...it was sporting a 1.3 ghz Pentium M..I think it had the whole Centrino chipset.

Although I still don't see any great use out of them...the 12 inch PB seems small enough for subnotebook needs..

maninmac · Dec 21, 2003, 09:07 AM

"the 2400c (my first powerbook) was the right idea... 10.4" screen, external floppy (remember those?).

was great to carry around, built like a tank (by ibm, btw)...and i carried around a lot more than my pismo.

until (as is probably never) apple decides to make a subnotebook, the 12" is pretty damn nice..."

Yes, but the 12" powerbook is actally smaller in every dimension than the 2400 was. You get the bigger screen and the built in superdrive for free (from a portability point of view)

Not too shabby if you ask me...

R.

danengel · Dec 21, 2003, 01:18 PM

The Screen resolutions is fine as it is...

Some PC notebooks cram a lot more pixels into 12 inches. Everything becomes a little smaller then, but for people who don't like this Apple could introduce a resolution independent OS.

2.1 kg (4.6 pounds) is too much to carry around all the time.

I hardly use the optical drive on my MDD, and as a second computer, a subnotebook would connect through WLAN only to the main station.

Cellery · Dec 21, 2003, 01:41 PM

Recently I went with a Sony TR2 instead of a 12" PowerBook, and it has an optical drive and is still 1.5 pounds lighter than the 12" PB. Apple could definitely make a subnote with an optical drive with today's tech, but the current PB lineup fills the needs of a lot of people, while the subnote category might not be profitable in terms of sales for Apple to go after. That said, I find myself using my 17" AlBook a lot for Photoshop and design work, 1280x768 resolution on a 10.6" screen is pretty tough to see.

WizOSX · Dec 21, 2003, 02:04 PM

Originally posted by maninmac

IYes, but the 12" powerbook is actally smaller in every dimension than the 2400 was. You get the bigger screen and the built in superdrive for free (from a portability point of view)

Not too shabby if you ask me...

Actually, since the last 2400 sold for about $2260 and the Superdrive 12" sells for $1800 that's about 20% less! But, of course, relative to the now lower price of laptops, the 12" PB is pretty average price as was the 2400 in 1998. So, you're exactly right, Superdrive for free!

PBAddict · Dec 21, 2003, 04:09 PM

I have a 12" Rev A SD, I love it. The Size is great for travelling and the DVD drive is great for watching movies. Would not be the same if it was a Sub Notebook.

Skypat · Dec 22, 2003, 04:33 AM

I have a 12 PB (rev B) and I find it almost perfect.

My suggestions to improve it :
- A little more power (it is already very fast)
- 64 MB VRAM (instead of 32 MB)
- Brighter and more uniform screen quality
- backlit keyboard
- Lighter

That's it

danengel · Dec 22, 2003, 04:37 AM

My suggestions to improve it:

I wish it could fly and make toast.

Ruffcat · Dec 22, 2003, 08:20 AM

I used to travel with a subnote book for work, but by the time I packed connector cords and external drives the whole package became unwieldy. (And, inevitably, I'd find I'd left one of the connector cords somewhere on my travels.)

I now take my ti book which has a large enough screen to be pleasant to use on long flights, a cd burner for daily backups, and is still light enough and compact enough for my needs.

PoisonTooth · Dec 22, 2003, 09:01 AM

I think it's fine the way it is. To have a full-featured UNIX box in such a small package is nothing short of amazing. Great meachine as it stands today.

kertong · Dec 24, 2003, 08:24 AM

I have a 12" rev. A powerbook and I am 110% satisfied with it. It is already small, light, solid and sturdy, and very easy to carry. Why make it slightly lighter/smaller and remove half of the features that make it so great?

For one, I have a combodrive on the 12", and I love being able to burn CDs on the go. I also love popping in audio CDs I nab from friends at random times, and ripping them into iTunes. If I had a subnotebook, I'd constantly have to carry an extra cd-drive around. Sure, it'd be lighter and maybe get another half hour of battery life.. but I'm happy with the pb the way it is.

The benefits of having a lighter subnotebook don't outweigh the negatives of not having a cd-drive, imo.

RayX · Dec 24, 2003, 08:51 AM

A subnotebook is a gimmick, get over it...

euchomai · Dec 24, 2003, 11:15 AM

Originally posted by RayX:
A subnotebook is a gimmick, get over it...

slider · Dec 24, 2003, 12:30 PM

Even if I thought it was a good idea, which I don't, I don't think Apple commands enough of the "business" market to make something like this profitable. Most of the people that use Apple's notebooks have a need for these drives and would not even consider a notebooks without.

Paco500 · Dec 26, 2003, 10:41 AM

The Sony is lighter, but according to the Sony site:

*It has a smaller screen
*Uses 802.11b, no 802.11g option
*No Bluetooth option
*Has 4 pin FW as opposed to 6 PIN (external power required for FW devices)
*VGA as opposed to DVI
*No "superdrive" option
*It cost several hundred dollars more.

Of course it does include a camera, a memory stick slot and a PC Card slot.

I think the benefits of the PB make it worth the extra pound, not even taking into account the OS, but clearly, it's a personal choice. I guess my point on this is that it's apples and oranges. It's not just the same computer but lighter.

gif32 · Dec 26, 2003, 04:09 PM

Originally posted by Paco500:
I guess my point on this is that it's apples and oranges.

Pun intended?

kertong · Dec 27, 2003, 07:41 PM

Originally posted by gif32:
Pun intended?

I'm not sure, but it wasn't very punny.

Agent69 · Dec 27, 2003, 10:35 PM

My first Mac was a Powerbook 100. Unlike the Powerbook 140 and 170, the 100 did not include an internal floppy, so it was smaller and lighter. If Apple made another portable with an external FW CD-ROM drive, I would consider purchasing it.

But that being said, I think that the 12" Powerbook is awesome as it is.