[iMacguy]

I currently own a 1.5ghz 15" PowerBook and I hate the AirPort reception and it's just too big to take with me everywhere I go. I travel for a living and I used to have a 12" PowerBook and miss it's compactness a lot. I'm about to buy a 1.2ghz iBook with maxed out RAM, 80gig hd and the Bluetooth module. I don't do any intense graphics or music production. The only thing I run thats really processor intensive is Virtual PC. So tell me, will I be disappointed? Will I be waiting for the machine? This isn't meant to be a silly question. I know my current machine is faster but I'm hoping somebody and quantify that a bit for me. Also, I chose the iBook because I don't really need the super drive offerred in the 12" PowerBook and my old 12" also had poor AirPort reception.

Thanks for you help.

[far200]

I have an ibook 1.33 ghz and I really like it..... One big difference is the powerbook has a fast front side bus so your ibook may seem a little slower in some things but not to much to complain about..... I haven't tested the powerbook to the ibook for the airport reception but i hear the ibook has better reception.....not sure if this is true...

If your just doing everyday things then I'd say you'll be happy with your ibook.

[iluvmymactoo]

I went from a Rev C PowerBook 12" to the current iBook and I'm not missing a thing to be honest.

I use Macromedia Studio MX, PS, Painter IX and they all perform as well as they did on the powerbook.

As for airport, yes the reception is better on the iBook and so is battery life by about 30 to 45 minutes.

[ghporter]

I've never had any problems with the wireless range of my iBook. We can go all over the house, and onto the patio and still get a great signal from the access point in the front of the house. I should point out that it's not a huge house-1800 square feet-but it is sturdily built. Still, the construction doesn't interfere with the signal enough for the iBook to have any problem at all.

[Voch]

I love my TiBook 667 DVI but its AppleCare will be up within a year so I'm considering an upgrade in the near future. Anything I buy new from Apple now will fly in comparison, I'm sure (and I'm not doing anything too processor-intensive anyway).

The iBook is my current frontrunner as a replacement because of its price, battery life, wireless reception, compactness, and the fact that if something "big" comes out within a year I can pass it off to my Dad without having made too big of an investment. I see it as 80-90% of the power (and a few less doo-dads like DVI and Gigabit ethernet) for half the price of a 15" PowerBook.

I had one of the first iBook/500/DVD models released back in May 2001 and sometimes miss just how damn handy it was to carry around. Personally, I may be waiting an rev or two, though (my TiBook is still very useful), but if my TiBook were to spontaneously combust or something I'm about 50-50 right now with replacing it with an iBook (the 12" PB and 15" PB are, of course, the other contenders).

I remember when I first got the iBook/500. My friend lauded the screen complimenting on how sharp it was. Now all I see on the iBook and PB forums are complaints about the Apple 12" screens in comparison to the 15" and 17" models...

Excellent topic. I've been meaning to bring this one up, I guess.

Voch

[Mrjinglesusa]

I have a 14" 933 MHz iBook with Airport Extreme, built-in BT, and 640 MB RAM. It runs everything I throw at it flawlessly. Even VPC 7 runs decently (I only use it for online poker software though). I don't think you will be disappointed at all.

[iMacguy]

Thanks for your comments. I orderred it this morning and I'm expecting it next week sometime. Can't wait.