[acorder]

I'm moving cross-country soon, and in the process of selling my beloved 20" iMac for something more portable. I'm eyeing a 12" Powerbook, because I realize I don't need a ton of power, and I figure once I get to the east coast I'll buy a cheap 19" LCD for my desk.

I'm a little concerned about warranty issues. I know there have been recalls to various of the Powerbook batteries, as well as some logic board problems, but I'm having a hard time finding a consolidated archive of such problems. I'm hoping that ye of vast Powerbook-y knowledge can help me decide if I really do want to buy a laptop that either doesn't have AppleCare or won't be eligible within a year or so.

I'm currently looking for a 1.33GHz or 1.5GHz model (preferably the latter). Anyone have any specific reasons why one model of the 12" PB G4 is better than the other, assuming prices are all relatively fair?

I appreciate the help. (And if anyone's after an iMac, do PM me...)

Cheers!

[fisherKing]

i actually replaced my 1.33 with a 1.5 last year; i gained:
less heat, brighter screen, bigger hard drive, superdrive.
the 1.5 gets warm, my 1.33 got really hot.

b&h in ny had 8 NEW ones, so i got it there, and got applecare as well.

pleased with it (since apple won't give us a 12" intel machine...sigh).

check craigslist, maybe even call b&h...

[acorder]

Forgive my ignorance, please, but what is B&H?

[Snow-i]

i have a 1.5 ghz for sale. If you're interest for a really good price, PM me.

[tripletaker]

B&H Photo Video - Primarily photography and video selling place in New York, but also sells a lot of other electronics stuff.

[Larry Klassen]

if the original poster isn't interested, I'd be interested in purchasing. Or if anyone else has one for sale for a good price, I'd be interested in purchasing. Email me directly at larryjklassen (at) hotmail (dot) com - replace words in parentheses with symbols, of course. I don't check for PM's or replies too often.

thanks,
larry

[Macola]

I wouldn't be surprised if 12" PB prices actually go up, now that the MacBook Air has been announced and everyone's hopes of a 12" PB replacement have been dashed.

[acorder]

Macola-

Shhhh!

[fisherKing]

Originally Posted by Larry Klassen 

if the original poster isn't interested, I'd be interested in purchasing. Or if anyone else has one for sale for a good price, I'd be interested in purchasing. Email me directly at larryjklassen (at) hotmail (dot) com - replace words in parentheses with symbols, of course. I don't check for PM's or replies too often.

thanks,
larry

if i decide to sell mine, will post at macnn. it's a good one; applecare thru nov09, 1.5g, 2gig ram, etc etc etc...

hmm sounds good. guess i'll keep it (and give up waiting for apple to make a 12" mbp)....

[acorder]

So... anybody with particular preference for the 1.5 over the 1.33? Not to get back to my original query or anything.

[I WAS the One]

I own a PB 12"... and let me tell you, Leopard runs slow on it with Max out RAM and a 80HD, so.. my advice bought a Mac Mini Intel or a used Mac Book and keep it real... peace

[tinkered]

Quick question:
Why is the 12" powerbook superior to the macbook for your needs?
My understanding is that the 12" powerbook is slightly smaller and slightly lighter, but is inferior in every other way to the current macbooks. Am I missing something?

[fisherKing]

Originally Posted by tinkered 

Quick question:
Why is the 12" powerbook superior to the macbook for your needs?
My understanding is that the 12" powerbook is slightly smaller and slightly lighter, but is inferior in every other way to the current macbooks. Am I missing something?

it's just a great form factor, that some of us prefer.
i like the size, weight. my 1.5g, with 1.25 gigs ram, is running leopard beautifully (tho not like my intel desktop of course).

the macbook, for my needs/tastes, is too bulky (and i personally prefer a matte screen...)

apple apparently has no plans to give us a 12" mbp, and the air is a whole other beast entirely...

[acorder]

The form factor is a primary concern. It's the smallest laptop in my price range, is durable, looks incredible, and most importantly it's cheapest. I'm driving across the country; have you seen gas prices lately? Yes I can find a used Macbook for $800 probably, but I don't need it. I don't need all the computing power I purchased in the iMac, and I need to downgrade.

Price and form factor, I guess is what you're missing.

[acorder]

BTW, fisherking, how did you get 2 gigs of ram? I thought the powerbook had 256MB soldered to the motherboard, and only one ram slot open... perhaps I was mistaken?

[HazMacFan]

I think that is the iBook you are talking about. My iBook G4 1.2 came with 256 soldered so I could only max it to 1.2 Gig RAM

[fisherKing]

Originally Posted by acorder 

BTW, fisherking, how did you get 2 gigs of ram? I thought the powerbook had 256MB soldered to the motherboard, and only one ram slot open... perhaps I was mistaken?

oops. fixed! that's 1.25gigs ram...

i went to the apple store yesterday, played with the macbook.
i still prefer the weight & size of the 12" pb.

btw prices seems high for 1.33 or 1.5 12" powerbooks...a coveted item i guess...

[OreoCookie]

IMHO you should skip the 12" PowerBook and go for a MacBook. It has a lot more processing power and is just a tad heavier.

[Eug]

Agreed. Don't waste your time with a 12" PowerBook, and get a refurb MacBook.

It's better in basically every way, and it's not very expensive.

If you really want to save money, you might want to consider a G4 iBook.

[acorder]

Yes, well, Oreo, I'd love to have a MacBook. Heck, I'd love to have a MacBook Pro. But three or four hundred dollars is a heck of a lot of money to me, and I can't find any reason that I need the power of a MacBook over a PB G4. What will it do for me? I'm a freelance writer and editor, so all I really need is to run office suites, use the internet, and have it not get in my way. The only advantage I can see for me personally to get a MacBook is that I could get AppleCare for it. Aside from that, it doesn't seem like there's anything to gain for me.

And I've thought about getting a G4 iBook, but there's little enough difference in the price points there to make it a toss-up considering the features of the PB. So while $300 is a lot, $50 or so isn't. Or at least it's a small enough difference to be outweighed by the benefits of the PB. In my opinion.

[Eug]

Personally, I think the warranty is worth $200.

[acorder]

Personally, I don't.

[Eug]

Well, up to you, but I've had to make use of the warranty for an iBook, a PowerBook G4, and a MacBook, as well as two iMacs.

[I WAS the One]

want mine? I got a nice PB 12" for $500.00