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webb3201 · Jul 14, 2003, 08:46 PM

I have spent almost a week with my Powerbook 12" and must say that this is one of the finest machines Apple has ever released. After owning Pismos, Tis, and iBooks, I decided that I really needed the more portable design. My travel schedule has increased and my Ti was a bit difficult to handle on the plane and in laps. I was also very worried about scratching the machine.

I grabbed a Superdirve equipped machine from another Macnn poster and sold my 667 DVI on list as well.

I had a few moments of remorse as a adjusted to the smaller screen space. Once I was used to the small scrren, all feelings of remorse were gone. I have carried the machine with me all week, something I rarely did with the TI.

The bottom line is Apple makes laptops for each useage pattern, and mine requires portability and decent performance. The iBook my wife uses was just a bit underpowered, although I thought seriously about a new 900 mhz machine. In the end, I was paying comparable prices for both and went for the G4 in a slightly smaller case.

TiUser · Jul 14, 2003, 08:57 PM

Webb3201, good to hear that you are enjoying the 12" after moving from the 15". I am contemplating the same "downsizing" from my 2 1/2 old Ti 400. Do you have an external monitor attached to the 12"? Are you able to do what you did with the 15" on the 12"? Thanks.

ink · Jul 14, 2003, 09:32 PM

I agree; I was in the market for a laptop about 2 years ago and I really wanted to get an Apple machine. At the time, though, they only offered the TiBook and the colored iBook -- so I was moments away from buying a 11" Sony Vaio to run Linux on. I waited until Jobs' keynote, and as soon as he demoed the 12" white iBook, I ordered it that day. The thing hasn't EVER been turned off since I got it (other than upgrades, of course). I leave it asleep when I'm not using it, and I only reboot it when I do a System Update thingy. It's been to Mexico, and just about every city in the US with me; it fits perfectly in all situations, and I can even use it in those tiny seats on Southwest airlines.

I must disagree with Dodge... wider is definately not better (at least for me).

DigitalEl · Jul 15, 2003, 01:39 AM

I've had my 12" for all of five days now and have to agree with you, webb3201. It's my third Mac and easily my favorite. People here will laugh, but I still have the stock 256 MB of RAM in my Combo Drive machine and for what I use it for, it's not screaming for more. I know graphic artists or numbers crunchers would find it inadequate, but it's working for me. Can't wait to actually get it off my desk (or the couch) and use it the way its meant to be used.

tisoncam · Jul 15, 2003, 01:44 AM

Digital,

I thought the same thing about the RAM and then I added a 512 last week and the difference is amazing. The machine just feels much faster with the additional RAM. I was going to wait for the upgrade but I realized that RAM prices were starting to go up again so I decided to just go ahead and buy.

jonasmac · Jul 15, 2003, 02:35 AM

I bought a 12" Powerbook in these forums just a week ago. Upgraded from my Tibook 400, which I was sad to see go.

I had them on side by side to see if I would miss the screen real estate. To tell you the truth, I did. The 12" is pretty small when compared to the tibook.(I do graphic design and light web work). But without the side by side comparison, I hardly even notice it. The better video card allows for substantially better monitor spanning (much faster IMHO).

I'm really loving it. It runs a little hot, but then again, so did my tibook.

--jonas

Flash2000 · Jul 15, 2003, 07:32 AM

Glad to hear everyone is enjoying their new PB, I should get mine in the coming days and I am very excited. I'll post my own comments with the 12 once I have it.

coolphage · Jul 15, 2003, 11:27 AM

This is all great news.

I am at school right now doing research. But when I get home I am going to be getting a 12" powerbook. Now I really want mine.
Its so good to hear the positive reviews.
Thanks but you making me jealous.

Nick

Flash2000 · Jul 15, 2003, 11:54 AM

Originally posted by coolphage:
This is all great news.
I am at school right now doing research. But when I get home I am going to be getting a 12" powerbook. Now I really want mine.
Its so good to hear the positive reviews.
Thanks but you making me jealous.
Nick

You and me both, I can't wait to see my new 12" PB on my doorstep.

webb3201 · Jul 15, 2003, 12:10 PM

TiUser,
I have hooked it up once to an old 17" CRT and ran spanning for a few hours. All ran like a champ. I have not found any task that I could perform on the 15" that I cannot on the 12" other than the obvious PC card slot.

As a former 400 user, I think the jump from a Ti400 to the 12" would be a phenomenal upgrade. The speed improvements in the OSX Gui are amazing.

I burned a few CDs last night with the machine in my lap and the adapter connected. It was my first really hot moment. It reminded me of my Pismo, not too hot to touch but uncomfortable on the legs.

Note I laid the machine next to the wife's 12" iBook (both closed), and I was amazed at how much smaller the Pbook is when side by side.

bplatt · Jul 15, 2003, 01:25 PM

i feel exactly the same way about my new 12" powerbook. i've used it for about a week now. it's been super fast in most applications, and doesn't run at all as hot as i had feared. charging up and burning a dvd seemed to be the two biggest heat producers.

unfortunately, it's being sent back to apple at the moment because the latch doesn't engage anymore. it was having a little trouble with it when i first got it, and now it doesn't engage at all. fortunately, we have a local apple authorized reseller here and it really puts a face on the repair, which i like. should anything go wrong i will be sure to relate my experiences. i read on here though, that the latch problem seems widespread enough to make me think they know how to fix it quickly. i tried to tape it open for 24 hours to loosen the spring to no avail.

of course, i have received surprisingly nasty jibes from my PC friends because i had to send it back in for servicing (please don't erase the hard drive i bought apple music!). however, this machine's hostname is "sieben" because before this i've had 6 macs (IIc, GS, 9600, 3 ibooks), and this is the only one that's ever had to go back in.

perhaps i'm just lucky and this kind of reliability is strange.

Adham · Jul 15, 2003, 01:54 PM

I also recently upgraded/downsized from a Pismo to a 12" PB and just love the new thing. It's stylish, it's fast, and the Superdrive is a cool new addition that will finally allow me to get rid of the clunky external burner I was using.

One question that I'm not quite clear on from looking at the specs for both machines: can I use the RAM from my Pismo in the 12"? One says PC100, the other PC2100, but I don't know how interchangeable they might be.

Thanks,

Adham

tisoncam · Jul 15, 2003, 01:57 PM

You can't use PC100 RAM in place of PC2100. You can however use PC 2700 RAM in the 12" PB. I think that the best place to find RAM is www.dealram.com--it sorts the ram by machine type so you know you are getting the right module.

Maflynn · Jul 16, 2003, 09:26 AM

I've been waiting (I can't say patiently) for today to see if there's a speed bump. I use a ibook 500mhz and that is good but I'd like somthing a little faster now, it kind of growns underneath OSX and I think the keyboard is a lot better in the PB.

Mikw

escher · Jul 16, 2003, 12:42 PM

Originally posted by Maflynn:
I've been waiting (I can't say patiently) for today to see if there's a speed bump. I use a ibook 500mhz and that is good but I'd like somthing a little faster now, it kind of growns underneath OSX and I think the keyboard is a lot better in the PB.

Same here. I guess I'll be stuck with this iBook/500, which has served me well, for a while longer. I refuse to buy a 12-inch PowerBook before it is updated. Even though the current pricing is quite attractive, I want to wait for a 1Ghz+ processor, higher max RAM capacity, and hopefully (or wishfully?) DVI-out and L3 cache.

To make a play on my signature: Until we get a Rev.B 12-inch PowerBook, my Rev.A iBook/500 will do.

Escher

DevNine · Jul 16, 2003, 01:57 PM

I love my 12.1" but one thing that is driving me crazy is the lack of a pc card slot.I really need one as I want to go wardriving with an external antenna and my airport extreme can't do it.Perhaps I can attach an antenna to the airport extreme card ?

Mastrap · Jul 16, 2003, 02:42 PM

Originally posted by DevNine:
I love my 12.1" but one thing that is driving me crazy is the lack of a pc card slot.I really need one as I want to go wardriving with an external antenna and my airport extreme can't do it.Perhaps I can attach an antenna to the airport extreme card ?

We've been there, no?

Mastrap · Jul 16, 2003, 02:44 PM

Originally posted by escher:
higher max RAM capacity,

Higher than 1.1GB of RAM? Because that's the max for the 12"

AssassyN · Jul 16, 2003, 02:59 PM

Well I'll chime in and say that I took my 12" PB w/ me last week on a week long vacation in NYC and loved it! I used it daily be it at the wireless hotspots at Starbucks, at the Apple Store SoHo, or to watch a DVD at midnight every night while just chillin' in the room...also used it on the drive there & back! It proved very useful and I was thrilled to have had it.

And yes, 1.12gigs of RAM is really the 12" PB's max, but I think he meant "More RAM slots" so you could reach 1.12gigs of RAM w/o spending an insane amount of money on a 1gig DDR2100 chip.

escher · Jul 17, 2003, 10:29 AM

Originally posted by AssassyN:
And yes, 1.12gigs of RAM is really the 12" PB's max, but I think he meant "More RAM slots" so you could reach 1.12gigs of RAM w/o spending an insane amount of money on a 1gig DDR2100 chip.

AssassyN understood what I was getting at. I'm really curious to see whether Apple will put the "power" back in the Rev.B 12-inch PowerBook.

Originally posted by Mastrap:
Higher than 1.1GB of RAM? Because that's the max for the 12"

I undestand that. I should have stated explicitly that I refuse to shell out $800 for a 1GB RAM chip. Soldered-on RAM with a single slot for additional RAM is just a joke for any PowerBook, even for the bottom-end 12-inch. With 1GB RAM chip prices like that you might as well get a 15-inch PowerBook and put up with the size and weight.

Escher

PS: I did see the smileyface you added, Mastrap. I just feel very strongly about power features being included in all PowerBooks. So my reply doesn't have one.

Big Mac · Jul 18, 2003, 01:38 AM

The 12" produces a significant amount of heat on the left-side palm rest. Do you regular users find that tolerable?

DigitalEl · Jul 18, 2003, 02:16 AM

The 12" produces a significant amount of heat on the left-side palm rest. Do you regular users find that tolerable?

I'd read a lot about the heat before getting mine, so I wasn't surprised. The only time mine is crazy hot is while recharging on AC power or doing processor-intensive tasks, such as ripping CDs. With long pants on, it's not an issue... In shorts, it can get uncomfortable after a little while. And with temperatures here in Phoenix reaching 117 this week, you're always in shorts this time of year.

macxtal · Jul 18, 2003, 07:38 AM

Biggest problem with the 12" IMHO is no DVI; they're already using a dongle, so this was left out as a product positioning angle e.g. incentive to get a TiBook. Seems silly when the 12" is one of the notebooks that would benefit most from an external display. Yes, you can use the VGA display, but it seems kind of silly that I can't get an Apple monitor that will work.

..on apple's "professional" line of notebooks

..when the much cheaper ibook has the same limitiation

..soldered on memory? 128mb?

G4 iBook, indeed.

Spheric Harlot · Jul 18, 2003, 10:26 AM

Originally posted by Big Mac:
The 12" produces a significant amount of heat on the left-side palm rest. Do you regular users find that tolerable?

Yes.

I was doing a lot of video crunching the last few days, and it got *quite* hot (hey, it's a hell of a summer here in Hamburg), but I expected that, and I *MUCH* prefer "hot" to "leaf-blower". The machine gets very warm, but it's quiet, even when the fan comes on - which it only does for me when the CPU hits over 85-90% over a prolonged period of time (more than a couple of minutes. Even in hot weather.

And I don't find the fan noise annoying, in contrast to that of the tiBooks.

Just a very, very pleasant machine, in every respect.

-s*

lucab1982 · Jul 18, 2003, 11:25 AM

This has probably been discussed at great length, but here is the dilemma.

I have two brothers who have just hit 18 and are getting laptops for their birthday, the question is, 900Mhz iBook or a 867Mhz 12" G4.

The problem is:

1. Gotta get them by the end of August so they are a surprise on the way back from vacation.

2. Will a 900mhz iBook be sufficient under Panther, even with it maxxed out with ram or is it worth waiting for a Rev. B 12" Powerbook?

Any help, am truly stuck and would hate to get a 12" Rev A close to a Rev B release!

Luca

Spheric Harlot · Jul 18, 2003, 02:24 PM

Well, since the 900Mhz iBook is pretty old now, too, the chances of the same thing happening with that are pretty high.

And the 12" Powerbook is just *that* much cooler (though not in temperature) than the iBook.

It would suck, yes, but the Rev. A 12" PB is mondo cool, and will stay that even after the advent of its successor.

-s*

Simon · Jul 18, 2003, 04:13 PM

Originally posted by Spheric Harlot:
Well, since the 900Mhz iBook is pretty old now, too, the chances of the same thing happening with that are pretty high.

[snip]

It would suck, yes, but the Rev. A 12" PB is mondo cool, and will stay that even after the advent of its successor.

I disagree (even though I also prefer the PowerBook).

The 900MHz iBook was introduced in April. So it is actually rather new whereas the 12" PowerBook has been around since February, making it due for an update.

So, if you really buy a PowerBook instead of an iBook, you are buying the product that with no doubt will be outdated sooner.

If you need one right, right now I would get the PowerBook if you can afford it. If you can wait another month or two, I'd try to get the rev B PowerBook. The iBook is a very mature machine, but it seems to have hit something like the end of it's line's time. The 12" PowerBook is very new, but also very incomplete. The rev A buyers have been raving, but even they had to admit, that cutting DVI, L3 and giving it a crappy GPU was a rather half-hearted decision on Apple's behalf. Rev B will hopefully get rid of these shortcomings.

LfGrdMike · Jul 18, 2003, 04:26 PM

Well the iBook is one of Apples best sellers. The 12 inch powerbook might have taken that from the iBook now but still the iBook was a good seller for a long time. I imagine it will be around for a long time.

Oh and the 12 is so small they couldnt put in that stuff for heat issues. Think of it this way specifically designed for portability! hehe Also Steve said himself this was the most affordable PowerBook. This may be another reason to cut some stuff off this specific model.

lucab1982 · Jul 24, 2003, 10:48 AM

Macrumors has posted information stating the possible new speeds for the powerbooks. They also believe that september will be the time that they will update them at the Paris Expo.

Im going to wait...

cheers