[kdixey]

I'm in the market for a new(er) ibook (and will have enough soon to afford it). I was wondering which is the best bang for the buck. I know that the 900 is a sweet machine, but I am on a pretty strict budget.

I am thinking that a 700s with the 14" screen might be the ticket, they seem to be pretty plentiful and the prices seem pretty good. I realize the 16mb vram will be an issue with Jaguar and Panther, but as I ma movig up from a 466 clamshell I figure anything will look good.

I considered the new 12" powerbook, but to be honest I have used tibook before and I don't really care for them (at least for my needs)

Any thoughts?

[Arkham_c]

Before you buy, go play with the 14" screen and the 12" screen in a store and compare. Lots of people don't like one or the other (to be impartial, I won't tell you which one I dislike )

[-Q-]

Playing with both sizes is a good suggestion. You'll prefer one or the other and that will make the decision easier. And I won't share my preference either.

[kdixey]

Looked at the 12 and 14 inch ibooks...

12" ibook
WOW what a sharp screen (pause) man is that thing ever small! I really like the small go anywhere feel that it has but I worry that I would find the uber sharp small screen to be a bit of a chore after a while. It feels like it weighs less than my wallet.

14" ibook
I really like the size of it and the screen is quite nice (although not nearly as sharp as the 12"). The 14" reminds me of a white Pismo. The keyboard seems la little small given the available real estate. Sitting next to the 12" the 14" looks huge, but without the other machine sitting there reminding you of that fact I bet it wouldn't be an issue. I like the extra battery life. It seems light compared to my clamshell.

I would be inclined to go for the 14" ibook.

[darcybaston]

Also try:

Sit on the table where the iBooks are on display (well, get one leg up at least hehe) and let each of the iBooks sit on one or two legs in turn. Decide what weight related tactile experience you'd prefer/tolerate too.

It's going to spend alot of time there. laptops...

I also did alot of gripping, turning, tumbling and purposely fumbling a little while trying to decide what experience I'd prefer with a laptop.

Opinion suppressed, but indirectly hinted at.

[kdixey]

That's a pretty good idea. I'll have to do the old "table sit". I got a chance to play with a friends 12" ibook and I have to say that it is so small and light, and I liked that quite a bit. I still have reservations about that little screen (even though it is incredibly sharp)..

I'll report back after my next fact finding trip.

[axlepin]

I've been a happy 12" iBook owner for about 10 months now, and not ONCE have I had second thoughts that the 14" model would have been better.

I am an average-size guy..6' with med-large hands, and I don't feel cramped at all.

Sure, the screen could be larger, but I bought the iBook so that I could throw it in my bag and work on the train, the coffeeshop, wherever. To me, a 12" iBook fulfills this mission much better than a 14"...I HAD a Lombard, and it was awkward compared to the iBook.

axle

[radarbob]

Why not keep the 466 until you can afford the top of the line iBook? When I buy a new computer I want to be buying much more than just a higher speed CPU. That's why I generally go 5 or more years. I'm just gonna tough it out and do w/out an iPod and internal CD burning for a while (no firewire).

You can see from my signature that i'VE upgraded Precious, my 300MHz. If I can live w/ it you should be able to live a little longer w/ a 466MHz model. My total upgrade cost, memory and HD, was about $260. www.4allmemory.com

When the iBooks sport G4 CPUs then I'll be VERY tempted. I wouldn't be suprised if that were to happen w/in 12 months (just a wild guess on my part). Precious will be 5.5 yrs old by then, coinkidentally. Funny how technological timing works out.

[kdixey]

I have my 466 fully loaded. It has 576mb RAM and a 40gb HD and yes I could probably make it last another year. I find the 800x600 screen to be the limiting part that alone may be the reason I jump.

On a different note...

I went in today and looked at the new ibooks again and I don't know why I hadn't noticed it before but they are a really odd opaque off white. It looked a bit like off white wall paint. Maybe it was the light in the store.

[antisonne]

Actually, I have noticed that at the Apple Store some of the ibooks, I didnt check the specs, but had a rough, different shade of white top cover (where the keyboard is), and the screen hinge is also white. My top is smooth almost silver, and my hinge is really silver... I like my way better. 800, 12.1 combo. I paid $1200 for my brand new.