If you were gonna buy a Mac...

[guapo337]

PowerBook 12" or iBook 12"?

Whats the difference in thickness/weight?

Is the powerbook worth the extra 500+ dollars?

 

[mosco]

i would wait until they release new powerbooks which I am guessing should happen soon and then see which is the better value.

 

[EyeMWing]

Powerbook. The iBook is teh fruit, made largely of plastic and quite disposable.

 

[guapo337]

What about capability?

I use the internet. I listen to Mp3s. I never game on my computer. I use AIM. I type papers.

Which will do that better?

 

[UltraWide]

I applaud you on your correct use of grammar(were instead of was), it is very rare these days.

Back to the question, I would go for the ibook and save money. Then use that money you saved to upgrade the RAM as high as possible. For the applications you mentioned the ibook should run just fine. The Powerbook will be faster, but you will only "need" it if you crave speed more than anything.

 

[guapo337]

Originally posted by: UltraWide
I applaud you on your correct use of grammar(were instead of was), it is very rare these days.

Back to the question, I would go for the ibook and save money. Then use that money you saved to upgrade the RAM as high as possible. For the applications you mentioned the ibook should run just fine. The Powerbook will be faster, but you will only "need" it if you crave speed more than anything.

Heh thanks

Would I even notice a speed difference?

 

[UltraWide]

I can't tell you from personal experience since I don't own a Mac, but they both use the exact same processor. The only difference seems to be the L2 and extra speed. If you look around you can probably get the Powerbook with the slower CPU for a good price. I recommend you go to the Apple store or COMPUSSR and just spend a good 30-45minutes just playing around with both laptops to see how much slower the iBook really is. There is nothing like checking out things in person to see what you like. It might be that once you look at the Powerbook you might just like it more. Sorry I can't speak in absolutes.

 

[Wuzup101]

Just had a chance to play with an 12" i book this weekend. They are quite nice for what you pay for them. Not the fastest things on the market, but certainly will get all you want done... and do it in style. The new panther OSX revision is supposed to be faster than jag (though I was using jag). Itunes is great as are a lot of mac programs. Panther also now has an X window program that you can run any linux software in... which is nice quark I guess (you can use open office). Anyway, as far as the ibook vs the powerbook... well both come with panther, both use g4 processors (800mhz for the i and 1ghz for the pb), the ibook has 256k l2 and the pb has 512k l2. The new powerbooks come with 256mb ram integrated to the mobo and the ibooks have 128. Both can handle 1 more gig in their 1 bank for additional ram (though apple says the ibook can only use a 512mb stick for a total of 640mb this has been proven wrong). Both use the same rez screans to my knowledge and the ibook actually has a better gpu (mob rad 9200 on the ibook vs FX Go5200 on the powerbook both 32mb) if memory serves me right. The powerbook has the option of the superdrive if you need a dvd burner on the fly, but both are standard with combo cdrw drives, the pb also has a larger standard hdd by 10gb. Finally... both have usb2.0/firewire (400)/and are airport (wireless g) ready... the pb will come with bluetooth standard.

Personally I am considering both, and I can tell you that the powerbook should be plenty fast for your needs (with a sub $100 512stick of additional ram just incase). The machine i'm using right now is a 1ghz g4 w/ 256k l2 and 1gb of ram... and it's plenty fast for my needs. Though it isn't as fast as my personal windows based machine (yes I don't own the mac) it would make a very competative laptop (and I suspect the powerbook would be just as fast if not faster). BTW... they are truly beautiful machines... and the build quality is great... even if some tell you the ibook is too "plasticy"... it's definitely not... it's solid...and lite... and compact.

BTW... i'm sorry for any grammar/spelling erros....that's a long post and it's late...

 

[frazzled]

guapo337,

I have one of each (12" iBook in the lab and a 12" PB for my everyday lug around). I'm a new switcher, BTW, fell for the OS a couple of months ago.

Be SURE to go to a retailer and try them out. IMO, the Powerbook keyboard is one of the best for typing that I have ever used (including IBM). The iBook (which I'm using right now) is more solid than the older version but the overall "feel" is very different than the Powerbooks.

For serious typing I really prefer the PB, hands-down.

JT