[cql]

I currently have a ti550 powerbook, and thinking about getting a 12 AL powerbook. I kinda like the 12 better than the 15 for price and portablity. I also have G4 1gig MDD with 20 ACD, Keep this in mind.. I have a couple question and concern about this switch:

Oh, my main usage for the powerbook will be internet, spreadsheet, iApps (no video), and lite photoshop.

1. Will I miss my 15 inch widescreen.
2. Is the screen actually get brighter or better than my current book.
3. Will I get a huge jump in speed.
4. Will surfer the net be uncomfortable.

[mchang]

I went from a Rev A Ti/400 to a Rev A 12" 867.

1. Will I miss my 15 inch widescreen.

Yes. But I do not plan on doing much development ON the screen itself. It's a laptop, for use when I'm on the go.

2. Is the screen actually get brighter or better than my current book.

No. To my eyes it is dimmer. It has a narrower viewing angle to my eyes, so needs to be adjusted more carefully or else you will be disppointed.

3. Will I get a huge jump in speed.

Yes. This thing screams compared to my 400MHz. I love it.

4. Will surfer the net be uncomfortable.

The screen is definitely smaller, but I like the 12" better overall for it's toughness compared to the "flex when I pick it up from one side only" TiBook.

Mark

[mrgaskell]

I was forced to move from my TiBook 667 (the one after yours). Mine was stolen from my classroom and I wanted a new laptop with a SD. Unfortunately, my insurance wouldn't cover the cost of a 15" PB with a SD .
Anyways, the insurance amount would cover the 12" with SD plus replace the RAM, etc. Now that I have the Lil' MoFo (as I call it) I love it. It is a solid machine and will definitely run faster than your 550. As for the loss of screen real estate, it isn't too bad, especially with the new Expose' in Panther. if you learn to use that effectively, you can really maximize the smaller screen.

Good luck on your new purchase!

[new newton]

I went from a 667 to a Rev A 12". I was very worried that I'd miss the extra screen size, but I don't. I've had to get used to using my windows a bit differently, but it's just a matter of putting some thought into where I place things. One thing I really do like is the sharpness of the screen.

The keyboard is quite a bit better. I'm a touch typist, so it took me a few hours to really get accustomed to the new keyboard. It took me a bit longer to get used to not having anything to grab onto around the keyboard. Sometimes I reach to pick up the PB and grab it by the keyboard.

Airport reception is markedly improved. I don't have to give any thought to where I might be in relation to my base station anymore, which is great.

The 12" is sturdy. It doesn't flex like my TiBook did, and has a great feel to it. I got tired of lugging around the 15" all day, and the 12" has been great in that regard.

Overall I'm very happy. I didn't want to spend the money for a 15" when Amazon had the 12" for $1085 (with a free iSight!) a few weeks ago. This is turning out to be one of my better Mac buys, and the best of the PB's I've owned.

[AC Rempt]

I also went from a Ti to a 12. I had a Ti 800, and now I have a 12 " 1 Gig.

1. Will I miss my 15 inch widescreen.

Depends on what you do. I have a desktop with a Cinema Display, so if I need a big screen, I know where to look. The 12 is a work machine: I take it to the office where I plan classes, work on text and surf the net. I don't miss the Ti screen at all.

2. Is the screen actually get brighter or better than my current book.

I think it's definitely brighter and sharper than the Ti screen. I also think the brightness is more evenly distributed.

3. Will I get a huge jump in speed.

Oh yeah. Max out the RAM, and you'll be happy.


4. Will surfer the net be uncomfortable.

Not at all. The AirPort strength is much better, as has been noted above, and the with the screen being brighter, it's a good machine for the Net.

The size, the durability and the overall quality of the Rev. B 12" PBs make them a much better potable in my mind.

[Mobile Mod]

Well, heres another point to look at. I went from a 667 Ti DVI to a rev a 867 12" and was not very happy at all. The screen was way to small for me, and the thing got hotter than all hell! I mean, i thought that the size and portability would be nice, but in the end, when I had to squint to see my text (and im only 16) enough was enough. I dont know, if you're going to be doing anything with images ON THE SCREEN of the notebook, the 12 is not for you. You have to take this with a grain of salt however, because after the 12 i went to the 17 And now im getting a 15... Go figure!

Justin

[cql]

Thanks for all of the replies,

I'm not unhappy with my ti550 i just feel like it is just a little lagging sometime. I was planning to upgrade my ram to 1 gig...which will cost about 3 hundred ( i have to buy to new stick). Well someone had just offer to buy my PB for $1,000. Since only take it to work to do my book keeping, safari, and iPhoto....I thought with just 400 more dollars i can get the 1gig 12 PB (I can purchase the powerbook at cost (~$1400) from Compusa, my mother inlaw is a manager of a dept. at Compusa HQ here in Dallas)...that is only 100 more than updating my ram.

Tomorrow I will go the the apple store and look at the 12 inch one more time. This will not be my only computer as the ti550 was. I now also have a G4 PM w/ 20 acd.

I'ts getting late so my writting skills are out the door, sorry if it is hard to understand.

[cql]

One more thing, I do transfer alot of photo from PM to my TiBook via giga ethernet. I've just notice that the 12 PB do not have gigabit ethernet. How much slower will the files be transfer. I transfer about 10-20gig at a time.

[mchang]

Well, the file transfers will be, like, 10x slower . You can use firewire to get faster than 100mbps, though.

Definitely sell the Tibook if you can get $1k, that's pretty good.

[cql]

Forgive me for my dumb question, but how exactly do i transfer files from my PM to my PB through the fire wire.

[Orion27]

Transfer files by firewire in "Target Disk Mode"
Power up the PM. connect the firewire cable to the PB. Start the PB holding down the "T" key.
Wait for the Firewire logo to bounce around your PB screen. You should then see your PB HD mounted on the PM desktop.

[typoon]

I went from a 14.1" iBook to the 12"PB. So far I haven't missed the size. I thought I would. I've enjoyed the larger screens. I don't miss the size at all. It is up to you. YOu should definitely go and play with it more and see what you think. I know when I played with the 12" I loved it. Though I'll always have a wanting for a 17" PB.

[Dr.Michael]

I switched from a Ti500 to a Al12 some months ago.

1. Will I miss my 15 inch widescreen.
For spreadsheet work: definitely yes!
For the rest maybe no. The compact size of the Al12 lets me accept the smaller screen. But no question, the extra wideness of the Ti-screen is very nice for work, not nice for transport.

2. Is the screen actually get brighter or better than my current book.
No and no. Its not brighter, its a little bit too dim. Its sharp, but view from an angle is very bad. For a short time its alright to have the small size. But after weeks of constant work my eyes feel more stressed than on my TiBook (which had less screen resolution than yours I guess: 1152X768)

3. Will I get a huge jump in speed.
Not huge, but the Al12 is comfortably faster and supports Quartz Extreme.

4. Will surfer the net be uncomfortable.
No! Uncomfortable is spreadsheet work maybe also Photoshop. Surfing is ok.

[Riemann Zeta]

Just went from a Ti 1 GHz to an Al 12" 1 GHz, here is the rundown:

(1) Display: Yes, the widescreen display of the Ti is nice, and yes 1024*768 is ridiculously low-res. That said, however, it is fine for mobile work. For serious programming, spreadsheets, powerpoint or anything else, you will need an external monitor.

(2) Graphics: Yes, the drop from a 64MB ATi Radeon to a 32 MB GeForce is disappointing. The ATi is a much better card, however, each is capable of powering a DVI external monitor, so it was not a big loss.

(3) Mobility: The 12" is far more mobile. A priori, it might seem like each laptop would be easy to carry, especially compared to one of those 5 kg Dell monsters, however, the 12" is much easier to just throw in a briefcase/backpack and go.

(4) Durability: The Al design, especially that of the 12", is far more durable than the Ti was, so it is obviously better for traveling.

[rprata]

I haven't read any other replies yet, but I'll throw mine in.

I went from the same machine you have (The Ti 550) to a 12" Ai. For a year, I didn't miss the screen at all, as the 12" was sufficient for what I use it for.

Now, however, I'm getting into more graphics/web/video/etc and I miss the space. Keep in mind, if you have room for an external monitor setup, then you're golden; I don't have room for one right now. So I'm getting a bigger PB, and selling this 12" PB. Anyone want a 12" Rev A PB?

[Ω]

Have you looked at the $700 trade in they are doing on old PB's at the moment? I believe that your model qualifies. However you have to upgrade to a 15" or 17" machine.

[cql]

_?_ if read above i have a buyer for my PB at $1k.

I would like to thank everyone for the inputs. Today i went out and went with the 15 1ghz PB. My orginal plan was to purchase the 12 PB, but after reading my post on how the display is not very bright and have bad viewing angle. I went out and see for my self if this was true. It is true IMO...I'd compared it with the 15 and the 15 is much bright and crisper (due to the hi rez).

As I mention before I sold my ti550 for $1K and use that toward my new machine (1ghz/60 gig/768 ram/AE/Apple Care). I got all this for a total of $2,254.18 before tax (another 185) with my mother inlaw compusa discount. I did the configuration at apple store and the total was $2,647...a saving of ~400...probally ~350 becuase apple ram are a rip off...it suprise me that there is only a 10% mark up on the PB, I know this because it get everything at compusa cost with the discount.

Well my first impression are as following:
-much faster than my ti550
-the screen with the higher rez is very sharp and brighter
-Much better built, feels very solid
-the wrist rest do seem warmer

I'm sure if the screen was brigher and had better viewing angle i would have gone with the 12. Display quality (not quanity) is very important to me. I think in the end I'd made the right decision.

Tanks again for everyone that helped me.