Hey all, I need some help. First of all, I am a huge mac fan. I am going to college next year, and have a dilema. Okay, I need to buy a laptop. I am basically deciding between two portables: the 12 inch powerbook 1.5 ghz superdrive, or the 15 inch macbook pro. My bro, who is a sophomore in college, has a 17 inch dell. Huge, ugly thing. He says "Go with at least a 15 inch screen, or you will regret it." I kind of disagree, and want to have something portable. I love the look of the 12 inch powerbook, and with a 1.5 Ghz processor, and when I boost the memory to 756 mb, I think it would be plenty fast enough. I'm only wondering, if you are editing video in final cut, do you find yourself wishing for more space on the screen? When you watch a movie, do you say "Man, i wish I had a 15 inch screen"? The big question: When I am using the 12 inch powerbook, will I be noticing how small the screen is? I used my friend's 12 inch Powerbook 1.33 ghz, and the thing was lightning fast. And, I didn't notice that the screen was too small, I kind of enjoyed it, but I didn't edit video or watch a movie. And, will the G4 be absolutely obsolete by the time I go to college in fall 06? Like I said, I need some help.
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Help! 12 inch 1.5 ghz PB or Macbook pro?
- Thread starter crazydrumma
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crazydrumma said:
I'm in a similar predicament....and I'm either gonna go with the MBP or wait until April to see what comes out. Can you wait?
I've just got rid of my 12in for a MBP so you can guess what I think 
12in screen is just too small to be useful enough for me anymore.
12in screen is just too small to be useful enough for me anymore.
Personally I would recommending waiting to see how Apple refreshs the rest of the line up of laptops. I would not buy a 12" PB right now, being as it hasn't been updated in more than a year now I believe.
BTW - I have a 12" PB myself and love it, the size is perfect (although it could weigh a little less) and I have no problems with the screen size. When I use it at home I plug it into a Dell 2001FPW 20.1 LCD, and it drives it beautifully. I travel a lot so the smaller laptop is ideal for me.
However given all that, I would still hold off buying anything new. You'll be kicking yourself if they bring out a 13" Intel MacBook Pro in April otherwise.
BTW - I have a 12" PB myself and love it, the size is perfect (although it could weigh a little less) and I have no problems with the screen size. When I use it at home I plug it into a Dell 2001FPW 20.1 LCD, and it drives it beautifully. I travel a lot so the smaller laptop is ideal for me.
However given all that, I would still hold off buying anything new. You'll be kicking yourself if they bring out a 13" Intel MacBook Pro in April otherwise.
I have a 12" 1.33Ghz pbook (and a work provided 12" 867). Never really feel the need for more screen though I'd be tempted by a 13.3 macbook.
The situation with universal binaries isn't great right now though and apple is sure to come out with new machines over the next couple of months so I'd defo wait.
The situation with universal binaries isn't great right now though and apple is sure to come out with new machines over the next couple of months so I'd defo wait.
I would get the Macbook pro, but I would wait until rev. B so some (if any) bugs will be worked out. The 12" PB only has a screen resolution of 1024x768. The screen that I use with my Mac mini is also the same resolution. There isn't alot of room to work on that. When I am working in Flash, sometimes I have to hide toolbars because I can barely see what I am working on.
Also, by the time Rev. B comes out, there will be more Universal apps.
Also, by the time Rev. B comes out, there will be more Universal apps.
mikes63737 said:
Remember that expose is definitely needed on small screens. Without it I couldn't cope with the small screen.
What I'd suggest, and what I wish I had done, is gotten a 12" laptop, and a 20" monitor to go with it. That way, when you're taking it with you, it's small, but you don't feel like you don't have any screen space when it's just sitting on your desk.
With that said, I'd wait until the summer to see if a 12" MacBook Pro model does come out, and then get that, and put the rest of the money to a good 19" or 20" monitor.
With that said, I'd wait until the summer to see if a 12" MacBook Pro model does come out, and then get that, and put the rest of the money to a good 19" or 20" monitor.
I'd suggest you wait till they release 12" Macbook Pro. I mean it's a "portable" computer you don't want it to be big !
I have a 12" powerbook 1.5Ghz 756mb RAM and it's great ! you will not notice the size of the screen when watching movies.. trust me !
The only thing is that i personally would never buy something that's not the latest ... so if you are in a rush i would suggest you get the Macbook Pro.
I have a 12" powerbook 1.5Ghz 756mb RAM and it's great ! you will not notice the size of the screen when watching movies.. trust me !
The only thing is that i personally would never buy something that's not the latest
... so if you are in a rush i would suggest you get the Macbook Pro.If you don't need the PowerBook now, I'd wait. Merom ships in quantity in September/October. I'm tempted to say that the 12" won't be released as a MacBook Pro since they won't be able to fit the duo core intel chip into such a small/light enclosure. I could be wrong on this though....