[Ryan1524]

i was eager to get a powerbook, but once the first rush of excitement from the prospect of getting a powerbook dies down, i begin to re-evaluate my decision. my decision to get a PB was first based on the idea that OS X is much much better than windows and it'll be computing heaven where nothing will ever go wrong, etc etc...you know, the usual sales pitch.

but as i read more and more on about 3-4 different mac forums, OS X is not without its own problems and sometimes it can just be as stubborn as windows (prove me wrong here....) on the other hand, i'll have to be confined by limited software...well, okay not really cause everything i want is also available for OS X. but games are limited.

i know there are other alternatives for a game...but it's just that it'd be nice to have something just for the sake of having it. and althou gaming is not priority on my list, it's nice to know i can play when i want to. especially after my old love for gaming hsa been re-kindled my my old friend. (damn you...)

so the options are: PB 15" or Thinkpad T41p
even based on price, beleive it or not, the PB will be around 2000$ cheaper than the Thinkpad. yea, i was quite shocked too, at first. but the PC option in this case is actually a lot more expensive than the PB. PB: 3249CDN VS. T41p: 5299CDN i know there are cheaper PC notebooks like the Toshiba M30 which is also quite nice with its PB-ish wide screen and silver tone all over its body (PB copy-cat really) and it's a bit cheaper than the PB, but it's also 1.4" and not really a real competitor to the PB in my eyes. (it's subjective i know...)

okay, now that i think OS X is not invulnerable, let's see what windows offers. i've always used windows, so i'm very familiar with it. and frankly, the only gripe i have about it is that is freezes every 2 days. other than that, it's great. that story about drivers not working, BSOD every few hours, viruses, etc etc they don't exist on my computer *knock wood. i'm smart enough to sit behind 3 firewalls and a reliable antivirus and wise enough to not downlaod every single crap that might have a virus in it. and so far, my computing experience with windows has been quite good. everything works as soon as i plug them in, none of that hours looking for drivers crap. except for the fact that windows' kernel is rotting into crap by day. it used to freeze or need restart every few months, but now it's every few days. a re-format would solve all that, i'm sure.

so...on top of this not so bad computing, i can play any games i want...but i'm still compelled to get a powerbook. or let me put it this way....i want a powerbook, despite the Thinkpad or the Tosh M30 seeming like a better deal overall. i'm beginning to think....should i get the thinkpad instead?? but i still want a PB...so yea...please help me stick with my original decision to get a PB.

thx for reading all this long crap....as you cans ee i'm quite confused now...any comments and advice are appreciated. thx.

[Hamburglar]

Originally posted by Ryan1524:
and frankly, the only gripe i have about it is that is freezes every 2 days. other than that, it's great.

My advice for you is that, if the only thing that makes you want to switch to a Mac is that Windows freezes every two days or so, I wouldn't switch. (Although your case is different than most in that the PC is more expensive) Now, if the thing bothering you was that WinXP/etal isn't OS X - that would be a reason to switch.

On the other hand, you could pick up a PB, and use just a fraction of that extra 2 grand you'd be spending to update Vid Card, and/or RAM, CPU, Mobo in a desktop PC for gaming...

Just my .02.

-burglar

[Luca Rescigno]

Yeah, $2000 (even in Canadian dollars) is more than enough for a pretty good gaming PC. AMD Barton 2500+, name-brand motherboard with AGP 8x, 512MB PC3200, and a Radeon 9500 Pro would be a killer system for gaming, better than a Thinkpad OR a PowerBook. And you could probably build one for $1500 CDN or less.

If you don't want to bother with having a PC in addition to a PowerBook, then maybe you should just get the Thinkpad. The main advantage of the Mac is the OS, and if you prefer Windows then I don't see how getting a Mac would be beneficial (other than the lower price which is somewhat rare when comparing Macs and PCs). If you feel that Windows is "good enough" then you should at least try OS X. Yes, OS X has its own problems but in my opinion (and in the opinion of most Mac-heads here) they are minor compared to Windows.

Remember that software is more important than hardware. You could have the most powerful hardware in the world and if the software is bad, it will never be able to harness the power available. If you are constantly fighting with your machine, you won't be as productive.

So the point of all this is... heh... buy what you want

[Ryan1524]

yes, i understand that. and i know that OS X is better. at least from what i've gathered from the many occasions i get to play with it. i like it and sincerely believe it's a better OS than what MS offers. but my problem is...is it worth switching to...especially when i don't really have that much problem or hate towards windows.

i guess what i'm trying to do is not to get convinced to get a PB..but to get convinced not to get a Thinkpad instead. i'm a cautious buyer who likes to get something that i know will benefit me most. and i know what i want, a PB. but suddenly...i look at what the Thinkpad is offering and it's quite tempting. so what i really need is a reason to reject the Thinkpad and stay with the PB. but don't have any right now...so i'm treading the fence.

[Starry Night]

Given what you've said, the main reason to get a PB instead of the Thinkpad is price. $2000 difference, even Canadian, is nothing to sneeze at. Is your main concern games? As you know, PC has more games, yet there are still plenty available on the Mac, just depends how hard core you are about gaming. Imho, the Thinkpad is not worth $2000 more, unless you just have to have windows and your company is paying for it

[effgee]

(...) especially when i don't really have that much problem or hate towards windows (...)

The question is not whether you love or hate Windows or OS X but how much either of the two will help you get your work done quicker and more efficiently. I too am using Win XP/2000 on a regular basis and am always surprised at how clumsy the entire Windows experience is.

As stated upthread - the most important factor is not the speed of your hardware but the software you're using. Even though Windows is catching up in this area as well, XP for example is still a far cry from the flexibility and ease of use offered by OS X. The old prerogative still remains - the software should adapt to the way you'd like to work and not vice versa - imho that is the single biggest advantage of the Mac platform.

Most people I know that have approached the Mac with an open mind and have used for a somewhat extended period of time were amazed by this.

And then there's there "fun factor" - it might sound insignificant, maybe even ridiculous - but even after working with Macs for over 15 years, I still enjoy sitting down at my computer every morning, hearing the friendly startup chime and looking at the thoughtfully designed interface. Yes, OS X still has its quirks but in my personal experience running/updating/operating 5 machines (2 G4's, a cube and 2 PB's) there aren't any major dealbreakers.

It's the usability and the fun that will make you much more productive - just ask some of the recent switchers here in the forum

HTH + cheers,

eff

[Zatt]

I'm going to throw my two cents in since I just switched to Mac from Windows.

There is no doubt that Mac OS X is much easier to use and more 'transparent' in application than Windows. I find myself actually using the computer, rather than manipulating it to do what I want it to do.

The operating system is more intuitive and has more readily available options for file manipulation. By 'readily available', I mean that I don't have to hunt through manuals or vague 'help' files to find out how to do something I want to.

I don't like having to fight with an OS to use it, nor do I like it when it freezes, locks up, or boots me out of an application with the infamous 'Illegal Operation' error.

[jimf_81]

Well, I've had a 17" powerbook for only ~3 weeks or so now, and I can say that Mac OS X is far superior to any Windows software. You may be worried about some of the glitches, I've had a couple, but compared to the Windows 98/NT/2000/ME/XP that I have used for the past 7 or 8 years at school, work, and home, they are nothing.

[bkb]

Mac OS X is a wonderful. I couldn't imagine why you would want to be on Windows. The only logical reason is habit.

[hardcat1970]

What do you really want to do with your notebook anyway? just for playing game? If so, why don't you have a playstation or xbox?

If you are using other office suite and is getting used to a window machine, Thinkpad is not a bad choice. As a matter of fact, it will be my only choice if i have to buy a windows laptop. My friend used to have a sexy sony vaio, but the performance will degrade from time to time, but the thinkpad holds up and it is light and expandable.

Of course nothing beats the apple's portable in terms of use and elegance. And if you are using it for others such as graphics, video or unix other stuff, you should really look into apple's offering.

[Ryan1524]

no i'm not buying a notebook for games (heaven forbid). i'm gonna use it for univ. games are just that..games...occasional distractions. i'm sorry if i seem to focus too much on the gaming side of it. no it won't be used primarily for gaming. i'm hoping to major in biomedical computing. what kind of software that will involve, i'm still not sure. but i'm guessing there will be a fair bit of coding on top of the typical college use. this will also be my only machine. unless i can somehow scrounge up enough to get a desktop t accompany the notebook, but that's highly unlikely.

as i said...my friend has introduced me to some interesting new games and that might have temporarily got me into thinking that i need a machine that can do heavy gaming. but now that i think about it...i'm, not that big of a gamer..and i think i can get used to the idea that i can't expect to play any newly released games asap as on pc. heck i haven't even finished one game for the last year or so...
so yea...games are not the deciding factor.

[@ho]

I have done lots of great things with all pc I ever had, but since I bought a ibook and now with a new 15 Pb, i can tell you Mac os is more than you can see or hear in any review, It is fast, It displays great and personally I can do more in the same time.
I have to use a pc in my work to draw in Autocad but most of the time I carry my powerbook for other stuff specially for graphic design.
I was a little worried to switch, but now I am glad I did it.

[jgcan]

Ryan, I just switched myself and bought a PB 17" 1.33. I had been using Windows for more than 15 years and I did not have much problems with it. I was running XP on my desktop and did not have a lot of problems with it, my machine staying on for weeks without reboots.

BUT, the elegance of Apple hardware and OS was too much for me to resist and since I actually have used it now for more than 2 months, I will never go back to Windows (never used my wintel machine again yet).

You just fall in love with the whole Apple package (yes there are problems, but ....), never felt anything like that in all those years of wintel.

Come on, jump in the new adventure or you will never know which one suits you the best unless you make that move.

Bye, from a fellow Canadian (humm, let's say Quebecer

[KraziKid]

Originally posted by jgcan:
Ryan, I just switched myself and bought a PB 17" 1.33. I had been using Windows for more than 15 years and I did not have much problems with it. I was running XP on my desktop and did not have a lot of problems with it, my machine staying on for weeks without reboots.

Come on, jump in the new adventure or you will never know which one suits you the best unless you make that move.

I agree with you on these comments. I fall into that same category. Got the 17 inch powerbook, even though I have had zero problems with Windows XP. I personally enjoy using both Windows XP and Mac OS X. Mac OS X is without a doubt a better OS because it is user-centric. I enjoy the OS and the GUI, but the BSD core satisfies my inner geek. I use Windows on my desktop for software I need. If I had the money, I would without a doubt get a dual 2.0 GHz PowerMac G5, and 23 Inch Cinema Display, but at the moment, I don't have that kind of money.

[phantomo]

I agree with hardcat1970.

So better ask yourself what do you want to with the notebook?

Other than games, Mac and PC pretty much can do the same thing. Only that Mac can do it in a simple and logical way.

I don't mind playing games on my home desktop Athlon Xp machine but for doing media stuff (video editing, music and photos), the Mac offer better solution.

[CeRtiFiedSkitZo]

If you want to compare the 2 OSs, here's a good site for you to look at and you can make your own choice. By the way I'm a recent switcher and I have yet to run into any problems using OSX.

http://www.xvsxp.com/

[Vi0]

Forget both, buy a Sager NP4780 17" 3.2 GHz for CAD $3032. Best bang for your buck, and they last practically forever.

http://www.sagernotebook.com/pages/n...4780&SubType=V

[hardcat1970]

Originally posted by Vi0:
Forget both, buy a Sager NP4780 17" 3.2 GHz for CAD $3032. Best bang for your buck, and they last practically forever.

http://www.sagernotebook.com/pages/n...4780&SubType=V

1.7" inch thick and 9.8lbs?

this is not a laptop, this is a freaking brick. If you really want a true powerful and mobile machine, apple is the place to go. Although new Dell machines look nice and listed light but i could only see them in the catalog.

I went shopping for a pc laptop for my company a month ago, and after seeing all pc machines, i find the IBM thinkpad is really a bang for the money type machine and it is really light and powerful.

If you suggest a powerful pc machine, you better go for a desktop.

[Vi0]

Originally posted by hardcat1970:
1.7" inch thick and 9.8lbs?

this is not a laptop, this is a freaking brick. If you really want a true powerful and mobile machine, apple is the place to go. Although new Dell machines look nice and listed light but i could only see them in the catalog.

I went shopping for a pc laptop for my company a month ago, and after seeing all pc machines, i find the IBM thinkpad is really not bang for the money type machine and it is really light and powerful.

If you suggest a powerful pc machine, you better go for a desktop.

.7" and 2.25 lbs makes almost no difference. Besides at 1" thickness, the PowerBooks get dented easily and they're pretty much toast if you drop them since there's really not much of a case.

The 3.2 GHz processor and 7200 rpm hard drive are killer in addition to the huge list of other features over the PowerBook. $2999 for the PowerBook and all you get is 1.33 GHz and a 4200 rpm hard drive? You gotta be kidding.

[KraziKid]

Originally posted by Vi0:
.7" and 2.25 lbs makes almost no difference. Besides at 1" thickness, the PowerBooks get dented easily and they're pretty much toast if you drop them since there's really not much of a case.

The 3.2 GHz processor and 7200 rpm hard drive are killer in addition to the huge list of other features over the PowerBook. $2999 for the PowerBook and all you get is 1.33 GHz and a 4200 rpm hard drive? You gotta be kidding.

1 inch and 2.25 pounds does make a huge difference. I find my PowerBook completely portable, but anything that much larger would completely inhibit its portability. The Sager also has a tested 1:18 battery life. My apple can best that by about 3 hours. Also, I bet you if that Sager was dropped it would sustain just as much damage as a PowerBook. Also, our 17 Inch PowerBook's come standard with a DVD-Burner and 512 GB of RAM. That Sager is meant to sit on a desk, not to travel with you.

[hardcat1970]

Originally posted by Vi0:
.7" and 2.25 lbs makes almost no difference. Besides at 1" thickness, the PowerBooks get dented easily and they're pretty much toast if you drop them since there's really not much of a case.

The 3.2 GHz processor and 7200 rpm hard drive are killer in addition to the huge list of other features over the PowerBook. $2999 for the PowerBook and all you get is 1.33 GHz and a 4200 rpm hard drive? You gotta be kidding.

hey v10,

i don't know if you have read the whole thread at all. I am not debating whether the guy should have a powerbook or a windows laptop, geeze, i even recommend a thinkpad, He is torn between a 15 inch powerbook which is listed as $1999 or a $2599 machine depends on the configuration.

why do you suggested a 17" and the $2999 pricetag instead? Based on your last sentence it is like you are getting personal for an apple machine and a window machine argument which in fact i wasn't debating with.

I said go for the apple's machine because in my opinon, they have the best value for a laptop. Sure, there are tons of notebook that are more powerful and have more ports and features than apple's but we are talking about a portable computer here.

if you are saying that carry a 10 lb machine in your backpack all day doesn't matter to you. Be my guest, go ahead and get one of this machine.

[Vi0]

Originally posted by KraziKid:
1 inch and 2.25 pounds does make a huge difference. I find my PowerBook completely portable, but anything that much larger would completely inhibit its portability. The Sager also has a tested 1:18 battery life. My apple can best that by about 3 hours. Also, I bet you if that Sager was dropped it would sustain just as much damage as a PowerBook. Also, our 17 Inch PowerBook's come standard with a DVD-Burner and 512 GB of RAM. That Sager is meant to sit on a desk, not to travel with you.

Most of your post is subjective and/or unsupported speculation that I really can't reply too. People buy Sager for portability, not the desktop. If you read the link the Sager also comes with 512 MB DDR RAM and a DVD Burner.

If he wants a 15" laptop, then he should look at http://www.sagernotebook.com/pages/n...oductType=4080

It's got a super clear glossy display, and it's 3 GHz and only 7.5 lbs. Awesome.

What's funny is I ran into another thread by someone who dropped their powerbook only 3 ft. Now it's broken. Like I said, PowerBooks don't have much of a case. http://www.spymac.com/forums/showthr...874#post800874

If he's going to get a PowerBook, he's also going to need AppleCare (as bad as their service is, just read this forum) because of the good probability that it'll break because its case is so thin. That's $350 on top of everything. With a sturdier Sager, you can opt-out of an extended warranty without significant chance of it breaking. Even more savings.

[mbryda]

Originally posted by Vi0:
It's got a super clear glossy display, and it's 3 GHz and only 7.5 lbs. Awesome.

You've got to be kidding me. 7.5lbs is HUGE. I have a work-supplied 15" IBM A30p and it's around that weight. It stays at my desk 99% of the time because it's too big and bulky to be lugging around.

Size & weight are HUGE issues if you travel with your laptop.

And I wouldn't want a Peee4 or De-Celeron or CenPeeno in my laptop anyway. If anything, a good Athlon-M chip would be better than anyting that InHell puts out.

If he's going to get a PowerBook, he's also going to need AppleCare (as bad as their service is, just read this forum) because of the good probability that it'll break because its case is so thin. That's $350 on top of everything. With a sturdier Sager, you can opt-out of an extended warranty without significant chance of it breaking. Even more savings.

With ANY laptop you need the warranty. Be it a Compaq/HP, Dull, Sager, or IBM. In 3 years, something WILL go wrong with it.

When I was doing hardware for the company of 3k users, (about 25-30% laptops), we had many failures of the IBM laptops (best of the bunch of PC laptops) in years 2-3. Dropping a laptop, any laptop is not going to be a pretty event. It's always a crapshoot if it works or not. (Unless it's a Panasonic Toughbook, which you can throw across the room while running!)

[danbrew]

Come now - what do you expect everyone here to say when you ask what you should do? Go find a windows forum and ask the same question and I'm certain that you'll get a million reasons why Windows is better than OS X.

It's pretty simple - use what you want, can afford, and will use/derive benefit from.

Also, a few comments...

* Anybody that says a comparable Windows machine is more expensive than its Mac counterpart is on crack - pure and simple. Macs cost more.
* Anybody that says Windows XP dies on them several times a week or they encounter the BSOD is full of it - and either has a hidden agenda (on a Mac board? gasp!) or has trashed their Windows install by hacking or installing any old piece of crap from the internet. I have an equal number of Mac and Windows machines and the amount of kernel panics or BSOD on either platform is really consistent - a few times a year - maybe.

There's no doubt about it - a Mac PB is sexy. Apple has been doing laptops for a long time - longer than many of the other players and they, generally speaking, do have their act together. Yes, there are problems:

* 15" white spots
* TiPB paint issues
* others I'm sure I'm forgetting

I purchased a 17" Rev A a few months ago and have been very very pleased with it - no problems at all. I had a 15" TiPB before that and was a bit disappointed at the oil from the keyboard staining the screen. My DP tower has had zero problems. The Cube had zero problems. The Mac128k still works to this day.

Do Windows laptops have problems? Sure, I suppose. Fill in the blanks for your particular make/model.

At the end of the day you're going to buy a modern laptop and should get one based upon your needs - does it support your applications? Are you comfortable with weight, battery life, and features? Will your wallet support the cost? Do you like it?

[hardcat1970]

Vi0 obviously has different needs for a notebook.

Most people I know are looking for portablility (light, easy to carry) and good battery power. If the laptop he recommended only lasts 1.5 hour and weights 7.5 lb, then i don't care what kind of processor they put it in.

I have a pismo, even though it is a 14" and weights just 5.9 lbs, it is heavy to carry it everyday from place to place. Then i bought a 12" powerbook because i realize i could hook it up to my LCD at home and at work and i could carry it around better since it is one pound lighter and the processor power is enough for what i do for work.

So the choices are really depend on what you need.

[Dr.Michael]

This is a good question. You know that the IBM would cost you 2000 $ more than the Powerbook but you still think about the thinkpad. This is at least a sign that you value quality over price.

If you can afford it, this way of thinking is the best (my grandmother used to say: "I can't afford to spend my money on cheap things." Right she was).

I try to answer your question because I have an IBM thinkpad t40 at work and a 12 inch Powerbook (1GHz) at home. For my private use the powerbook is my 4th mac.

To make it short: Both, the tinkpad and the powerbook are excellent notebooks with comparable battery lifetime and comparable quality. If you want my precise impression: the thinkpad seems to be a little more mature and more sturdy than the powerbook. IBM uses this design for centuries now and thus they had every chance to make their notebooks perfect. Apple on the other hand changes the design and material of their notebooks more often. So the risk to get a machine with little hickups is higher (in fact this is my experience with powerbooks, so I recommend apple care which brings the powerbook 300 $ closer to the thinkpad).

The thinkpad is also a little faster than the powerbook (please check for example benchmarks at barefeats.com).

Since quality is good in both cases and money plays only in the second league, the decision is between osx, windows or linux.
Linux is also not the problem: its available for both machines.

At work my thinkpad runs Linux and WinXP. Most of the time I run Linux (suse) because in my project we develop open source software (for a space research project). We don't spend a lot of our money for software tools which means we also use open source software. I never counted how many programs are available for which os, but my impression is, most of those programs run on linux. That might be because a lot of open source software is written by researchers and these guys mostly use some flavour of unix for historical reasons.
At least you get professional quality software for linux without spending a cent.

On the other hand: What if you want to connect to your bluetooth phone? Or enter a wireless lan access point, or mount an external harddrive, or a USB stick, or want to burn a cd with your internal drive? In general: use some of the latest aquisitions in business computing. This is all possible with linux on the ibm I guess, but its a hell of work to find out how! My modem for example (definitely not the latest aquisition of business computing) is operational since I upgraded to suse version 9.0 two weeks ago. Before I could not use my internal modem on the thinkpad! The trackpad still does not work.
Thats why I have WinXP on the machine. Windows is for business-, easy to use apps and compatibility (mainly with MS Office - you cannot go out of their way). Linux is for productivity (and lots of trouble if you want to do something fast and easy for example install a common ink jet printer).
Together windows and linux can do everything you want.
Except two things:
1. You have to reboot.
2. You have to have a bad taste if you can stand to look at the shabby desktop design of linux (sorry guys, but thats my opinion).

And osx?
It literaly marries both worlds!
Its easy, every build in tool works (hey, yes, the modem works here! The wireless lan, bluetooth, cd burner, external drives etc.). And thanks to the build in xterm and unix kernel and thanks to the fink project (100.000 congrats for this my friends) you have access to TONS of open source highest quality unix software.

This combination makes the unbeatable power of Mac os!

And neither Microsoft nor any linux distribution has any chance to catch up (because of some business or dogmatic decisions).

So now after many lines you get my answer: If you want to use free software or enter the cool world of unix, forget windows. If you want easy and working software (and don't care about your bucks) you really should avoid linux.
With Mac os you have every option.

By the way. I could imagine one more thing: You might not know how to program a computer. But maybe you like to use the same computer that real professionals use (I don't talk about .Net professionals, you have understood this). If you use Mac os you will enter a world of freedom AND have the option to use every commercially available program at the same time.

Why go for less?

[slffl]

There will never be as many games on mac until people start buying them. It's not that XP is necessarily better for gaming, the reason there are more PC games is because developers make them for the system where they can make the most money.

Another example of this are the consoles. PS2 has the worst hardware out of the 3, but more games because brainwashed fanboys continue to buy PS2s based on the name, so the developers make the games for PS2.

[Macpilot]

There is no comparison to the Powerbook. Especially the 17". It's COMBINATION of all the great things they have managed to squeeze in a 1 inch thick machine is AMAZING.

It can do anything you want, and play games pretty well. You won't need another display, and the thing weighs less than 7 pounds!

I have had mine for 7 months now and my only issue is battery life, but I don't think any manufacturer is telling the truth when they advertise battery life.

It is simply an amazing machine wrapped in an awesome design that will turn heads a year from now.

Panther is great. Very fast and fun to use.

This is the finest Powerbook I have owned, by a large margin. It has taken a beating.

Your only problem with the Powerbook will be the inevitable amount of time spent "selling" it to all the people who will ask you about it. It is really quite amusing.....examples:

"What kind of computer is that?" This one gets me as these people can clearly see the big Apple logo glowing on the display!

"How much did you pay for that?" It looks a lot more expensive than it is.

"You don't get ANY viruses?"

"Where do you get one?"

and after showing Expose in Panther...

"Whoahhhhh!"

and just the other day at work....

"Dude, that is the coolest looking computer I have ever seen!"

"Bluetooth? What is that? Built-in?"

It is almost impossible to not be approached by Windows-folks when using an Apple notebook. The iBooks get their fair share of stares and inquisitive looks as well, as my girlfriend is always explaining her iBook.

I guess if you don't want all that attention, just get a PC laptop....you will probably get more work done!

Good luck in your hunt for a Powerbook. Whatever Apple notebook you get, I am sure you will be pleased. If you are new to OS X, you should think about getting The Missing Manual....excellent book. You can get it at Amazon.

[11011001]

Originally posted by Vi0:
.7" and 2.25 lbs makes almost no difference. Besides at 1" thickness, the PowerBooks get dented easily and they're pretty much toast if you drop them since there's really not much of a case.

The 3.2 GHz processor and 7200 rpm hard drive are killer in addition to the huge list of other features over the PowerBook. $2999 for the PowerBook and all you get is 1.33 GHz and a 4200 rpm hard drive? You gotta be kidding.

Not quite. The PBs are actually quite rugged. People have reported on these forums dropping them, and they remaining okay. One member even ran over their 12" with a car, and it was still running, though the screen had lines across it, and their was a dent.

I know mine is quite rugged. I have a 15" Al. I carry it in my bag everyday. No scratches or dents yet. This is just in a normal shoulder bag mind you.. not a fancy laptop bag. (though I did put a piece of foam to slide my PB into)

Ryan, you might have said this, but what type of degree are you taking at school?

For computer science, a PB is wonderful, especially if your school is using Unix for the supplied systems, and Java or C for the language.

I think if you kept a PC around for gaming and such, and got this PB you would be quite happy. For a mobile, one of the most important things is the mobility, and the PB is quite mobile.

[Badwisdom]

i ran on a Titanium 15' 1Ghz machine with my car TWICE (once in reverse, then in 1st gear) and it is now happily running on an external 17' Apple TFT monitor. The only thing that got broken was the screen !!!

So anyone who says apple powerbooks aren't build to last are talking out of their ****.

Cheers