[ikeem]

I am more confused than ever to which laptop I will buy, with all the talk about the ibook problems I am scared to buy one and I am also scared to buy a powerbook

So I have created a list of computers I am checking out right now

1. Apple ibook 933Mhz

2. Apple ibook 1GHz

3. Apple Powerbook 15in Combo

4. Toshiba Satellite M30/M35

I like them all but I am afraid of the ideal of owning my first mac, will I like it will I hate it, will it annoy me, what if I get a bad laptop will that completely turn me off of Mac's I don't know I am more confused than ever can someone give me some support.

[mrgaskell]

Don't get a PC. Buy the best that you can afford. If that is the 15" PB, then go for it. The reason why I say that is that if you do not buy the best, you'll always be left wishing you had.

However, you must also figure out what you want to use your laptop for. Normal surfing and writing of papers, digital photography, movies, graphic design, web page design, etc? Are you a "power user" or pretty computer illiterate? Tell us what YOU want to do with your machine.

[PBAddict]

The top 3 are all great computers, I would always go for the fastest process you can get, then it really is a question of screen size and portability and this is a personal decision.

Don't get the 4th one in the list.

[@ho]

go for the fastest mac you can afford, it will last long and in any moment you will agree you made the right decision.

When i bought my first mac I decided for an ibook with cd-rw, but now I cant live without my powerbook 15 superdrive, It is really amazing with a big display you wont need an extra display for work, speed and screen size were the main reason to upgrade and the backlight keyboard is a great plus.

[Mr. Bob]

Although this forum is inherently biased "it is the Mac News Network after all" I would not just blindnesly detour someone off from a PC. PC's are better for some things then Apples, and vice versa.

I understand the problem you have because it is similar to mine. I think it is about time to upgrade from my current machine, but the number of problems that Apple computers have at the moment "quality control issues" creates a gap that I must wait to close before shelling out a large amount of money.

Indeed, Apple has a bad history when it comes to taking care of its people "The G3 iBook problem, the multitude of problems with the Powerbook, nado nado". With me, switching from an Apple, only to get a dud, then having to deal through horrible customer service, which then forces me back to PC's, only costs me money and nerves.

I fear Apple has only started to make worthy products for a short period of time -- then again so has PC manufactures -- but, I think Apple still has a little bit to go with admitting their mistakes, and much further to go with quality control.

For you, I would ask if you really need a new computer at the moment, or has the sleek look and feel of Apple gotten you roused up? If your older PC is doing what you want still, I would recommend for you to wait and see if Apple starts to take a better look at its assembly line. If you need a new computer now, then what are you going to do?

Is money tight? You can get a pretty darn good PC laptop for cheap, and that should tide you over until better PC's or Apple computers ship. Are you gaming, if so, I would recommend getting a PC, Voodoo Laptops are worth looking at. If you�re doing basic things, Internet, school work, nado nado, just stick with what is compatible with your current digital lifestyle. If you want to have a computer with built in Unix, plus an OS and applications that are not just easy to use but very powerful "like movie editing and such", then Apple currently has it going for them.

It�s kind of hard to find an unbiased opinion "especially in a proprietary conversation forum like this one" but hopefully I have given you some ideas.

As for me, I am very interested in making my next computer a 15" Apple Powerbook, and so am doing a healthy dose of research -- which is the reason I am a member of this forum. I suggest the same course of action for you too. When I hear of another revision that is -- for the most part -- bug free, then I will probably make my purchase. But while I hear of white spots, bad notebook latch hooks, bad key boards, and uneven screens with play when closed, I will wait to make my purchase. When consumers buy products with known defects, it only exacerbates quality issues when companies realize that people do not care.

Anyway, good luck in your new purchase -- that is if you choose to purchase a new computer -- and ask any extra questions if need be.

[Drakino]

Originally posted by Mr. Bob:
As for me, I am very interested in making my next computer a 15" Apple Powerbook, and so am doing a healthy dose of research -- which is the reason I am a member of this forum. I suggest the same course of action for you too. When I hear of another revision that is -- for the most part -- bug free, then I will probably make my purchase. But while I hear of white spots, bad notebook latch hooks, bad key boards, and uneven screens with play when closed, I will wait to make my purchase. When consumers buy products with known defects, it only exacerbates quality issues when companies realize that people do not care.

My latch took 10 seconds to fix. My white spot issue left me without a Powerbook for 20 minutes while the repair center opened it to replace the screen. The "play" in the screen seems normal to me, nothing unusual. Bad keyboard? Can't see any problems with mine, and it has the backlight. If there was a problem, well, thats another 20 minutes without my Powerbook.

People here tend to overreact when problems arise. Yes, the white spot issue is something that should have been caught, but in the end, it never made me loose any productivity, and I have had my Powerbook in my hands a week after the announcement.

Are you honestly better off worying about all these problems, and delaying your purchase? Is Apple somehow getting the hint from you? No. The 15 inch Powerbook is selling very well. And it's your loss for delaying, not Apples.

The only legitimate complaint I can see with the 15 inch Powerbook is battery life. I'll probably end up getting a second battery in a few months for any upcoming traveling. The battery issue however does not outweigh my good experiences with the unit in any way.


To the first poster, get what you can afford. The iBook issue is over inflated, and most likely the issue has been solved with the G4 units anyhow. Personally, if you can, get the 15 inch Powerbook. The upgrade to the higher resolution screen is worth it. Just keep in mind during the switch that a Mac is not a PC running Windows, so don't expect it to be. They act differently, but overall, the experience for me on a Mac has been great. OS X is why I thought about switching, and the iApps and such have helped quite a bit.

[JerryB]

Good post Drakino, I am leaning toward your machine as the Sony Vaio is dead.
For all those that think apple support is not up to par....just surf on over to dell and other support discussion groups and read a little of their gripes.

[typoon]

Originally posted by JerryB:
Good post Drakino, I am leaning toward your machine as the Sony Vaio is dead.
For all those that think apple support is not up to par....just surf on over to dell and other support discussion groups and read a little of their gripes.

Also try Calling DELL. I've been on hold with them so long the times I've had to call them the time has probably equaled close to a week if not more. Sometimes it required 2 or 3 calls to get an issue fixed.

[dennis cheung]

First and foremost you should definately re-evaluate what programs you need to run on the laptop. If its for web browsing or simple stuff then either architectures will work. Not only are you talking about switching architectures you are also talking about switching OS's.

I recently bought the powerbook myself and I couldn't be happier. I haven't ran windows as a daily os for over a year now (mostly ran gentoo and freebsd) so I'm used to the change but, I recently convinced my brother to switch to a powerbook and he's having a bit of a problem adjusting. Now I'm not saying it's difficult but it's definately different. Hell I'm having a hard time trying to adjust to the lack of "uninstall" feature in OS X. I'm soooo used to a package manager of some sort (ports or emerge or even the windows add/remove programs) but, I guess I'm still learning.

That said, you will not be sorry with either the toshiba or the powerbook. Toshiba laptops have been very well designed as far as I have seen and the powerbooks are just plain sexy right now -=).

That being said I am very pleased with my powerbook after owning/using several laptops from Sony, Dell, and Generic ones. The quality on the powerbook is absolutely amazing. It honestly takes experience to fully appreciate the powerbook i think.

[Blizzake]

i got a powerbook, now i HATE my pc. im looking to sell my tower and get a g5

i was nervous about buyin a powerbook comming from a thinkpad, but ill never look back