i was wondering with all the negative reviews of the screens for the 15in and 17in PowerBooks (which i planned on buying) are the new 12in PowerBooks decent? if apple doesn't fix the screen issues i'm leaning towards a 12in PB with a 20in ACD. if i plan on maxing out the ram and am only going to use the computer for standard apps in college, there shouldnt be a big difference in speed right?
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How Are The New 12in PBs?
- Thread starter Z6128
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The 12" PBs have not been changed.... Do yourself a favor and buy an iBook, spend the savings on 1gb of ram ($100) and you still have money left over.
The 12 inch screen is reliable but it's not known for its brightness. It gets the job done pretty well and you're very unlikely to have a problem with it.
As for the speed drop, are you talking about the Dell? Yeah, you'll notice a drop fro intensive tasks but generally speaking that doesn't matter for day-to-day tasks. If you're comparing the 12 inch to the larger PowerBooks then the speed difference will be practically unnoticeable.
Have you had a Mac before?
As for the speed drop, are you talking about the Dell? Yeah, you'll notice a drop fro intensive tasks but generally speaking that doesn't matter for day-to-day tasks. If you're comparing the 12 inch to the larger PowerBooks then the speed difference will be practically unnoticeable.
Have you had a Mac before?
I agree - buy an iBook instead of a 12" PB unless you really need to use it in clamshell mode and/or want an external monitor to be attached and not mirror the primary display.
I have a 12" PB, bought in May, and I LOVE it. Absolutely love it. Typing this on it now. But... with the iBook updates that came after that, I'd recommend the 12" iBook unless one of the few differentiating factors of the PBs sway you. As the PB is just my traveling/post-on-the-couch/etc. Mac, there's no reason it couldn't be an iBook. I bought it because of the scrollpad - which I love - but that's now on the iBooks.
Edit: just noticed you'll be adding an external display. So... maybe the PB is right for you. As far as speed? Well, it's hard for me to say, as I work mainly on my dual-2.0 and my Macintel dev box, but when I was in Finland for a week I did Symbian development (Nokia phone OS, also used by others), compiling and building w/the UNIX version on my PB, and it worked great. Not as fast as the PMs, obviously, but fine. And the portability is absolutely fantastic.
I have a 12" PB, bought in May, and I LOVE it. Absolutely love it. Typing this on it now. But... with the iBook updates that came after that, I'd recommend the 12" iBook unless one of the few differentiating factors of the PBs sway you. As the PB is just my traveling/post-on-the-couch/etc. Mac, there's no reason it couldn't be an iBook. I bought it because of the scrollpad - which I love - but that's now on the iBooks.
Edit: just noticed you'll be adding an external display. So... maybe the PB is right for you. As far as speed? Well, it's hard for me to say, as I work mainly on my dual-2.0 and my Macintel dev box, but when I was in Finland for a week I did Symbian development (Nokia phone OS, also used by others), compiling and building w/the UNIX version on my PB, and it worked great. Not as fast as the PMs, obviously, but fine. And the portability is absolutely fantastic.
no, i'm ashamed to say i've never had a mac before and the only reason why i'm not looking at the 12in iBook is because i like the look and feel of the PowerBooks casing and keyboard and i (somewhat) need the extra vram and superdrive. i also heard the 12in iBook's screen is really dim at times. i'm in love with the 15in PowerBooks but i can't go and spend $2,000 on a computer when a majority of people are saying that there are screen issues. if it wasn't for me needing portability i'd go for a 20in iMac all the way.
and the only reason why i'm not looking at the 12in iBook is because i like the look and feel of the PowerBooks casing and keyboard and i (somewhat) need the extra vram and superdrive. i also heard the 12in iBook's screen is really dim at times. i'm in love with the 15in PowerBooks but i can't go and spend $2,000 on a computer when a majority of people are saying that there are screen issues. if it wasn't for me needing portability i'd go for a 20in iMac all the way.
I've never got to the bottom of this but I'm pretty sure the iBooks and PowerBooks use exactly the same 12.1 inch screen. If this is your first Mac, then you'll love it no matter which one you choose.
You make a pretty good argument for the PowerBook since you want a Superdrive and the better GPU however I think the iBook would be fine for your needs, remembering that the 14 inch one has a Superdrive. Of course, fine isn't always good enough, so maybe the PowerBook would be a better buy.
Is there any way you can make it to a retailer to see them all side-by-side?
You make a pretty good argument for the PowerBook since you want a Superdrive and the better GPU however I think the iBook would be fine for your needs, remembering that the 14 inch one has a Superdrive. Of course, fine isn't always good enough, so maybe the PowerBook would be a better buy.
Is there any way you can make it to a retailer to see them all side-by-side?
OK, the 12" PB screen isn't exactly a beacon of light in the daytime, but, honestly, I've had no problems with it, although I use it indoors and not out in direct sunlight. I think it's absolutely fine for indoor use, and I tend to use it at nearly the lowest brightness setting anyway to conserve battery.
Also, my very first post-PB purchases were a RadTech Notebook ScreensavRz and Sleevz (one's for the keyboard when closed, one's a sleeve for the PB) and a RainDesign iLap. I'd get similar items to protect your investment!
Also, my very first post-PB purchases were a RadTech Notebook ScreensavRz and Sleevz (one's for the keyboard when closed, one's a sleeve for the PB) and a RainDesign iLap. I'd get similar items to protect your investment!
Don't be - it's great you're looking to get one now!Z6128 said:no, i'm ashamed to say i've never had a mac before
I was a Mac guy, then UNIX, then Windows until 2002, when I bought an iMac for my wife. Yeah, she never had a chance to get on. I thought I'd set it up for her, and it took me two days to pry myself away from it. I had to buy another Mac to give her time on the first one. And Macs/OS X are even better now. the closest place to me that sells Apple products is CompUSA which for some reason refuses to put a 12in iBook on display. (the nearest apple store is about an hour away) i have compared the 14in iBook's screen to the PowerBook's screens and wasn't impressed with it. unless there's something wrong with the display model (which could be) the iBooks screen appeared to be fuzzy. maybe it was just me
Z6128 said:
It's because the 12" and the 14" have the same resolution, all that differs is the size of the screen - the pixels on the 14" are just bigger. That mean's that all the information on the 12" screen is exactly the same on the 14" screen - it's just been "stretched" to fit.
Yeah, unless you either can't handle the smaller pixels on the 12" or need the features on the 14", I'd go with the 12" PB or iBook simply because of the phenomenal portability.Chundles said:
carpe diem said:
I second that; I've convinced a couple of people to take the Mac plunge, but they went the iBook route. I have subsequently worked on their computers, and I don't like the tactile feel of the iBook keyboard. I've also noticed that while their processors have a higher clock speed (1.42 vs. 1.33 for me), mine still seems a bit faster. It's all about the bus...and the 768 MB of RAM
i'd third that.
I became a mac user in april.
I ordered an ibook, but something just didnt feel right. So i changed the order to a 12" powerbook and am confident that it is the best buying decision i have made in the computer world.
In looks, Powerbooks are in an entirely different class
That applies to feel as well.
You really need to see them side by side.
I became a mac user in april.
I ordered an ibook, but something just didnt feel right. So i changed the order to a 12" powerbook and am confident that it is the best buying decision i have made in the computer world.
In looks, Powerbooks are in an entirely different class
That applies to feel as well.
You really need to see them side by side.
I couldn't afford the PowerBook when I bought mine but I would've if I could. Not that i dislike my iBook - it was the best I could afford at the time and is serving me phenomenally well, I just would've liked to have bought the PowerBook.
In the end the decision was either:
12" iBook
Good Targus backpack to carry it across Canada/USA/here at home
Digital Camera
Memory Card
OR
12" PowerBook.
I think I made the right decision.
My next one will hopefully be a fully tricked out 15" PowerBook (or whatever they're called in about 3 years).
Mind you, I'm glad I was able to hold off for a while and deal with my PC whilst the iBooks came down in price and added USB 2.0 - 5G iPod here I come....hopefully, please Santa????
In the end the decision was either:
12" iBook
Good Targus backpack to carry it across Canada/USA/here at home
Digital Camera
Memory Card
OR
12" PowerBook.
I think I made the right decision.
My next one will hopefully be a fully tricked out 15" PowerBook (or whatever they're called in about 3 years).
Mind you, I'm glad I was able to hold off for a while and deal with my PC whilst the iBooks came down in price and added USB 2.0 - 5G iPod here I come....hopefully, please Santa????
I would NOT buy anything at CompUSA.
They tend to push older revisions for those who are clueless about
updates and they've been know to sell used and refurbs as new, so watch
out!
I would either drive to the AppleStore or order online.
Since you need the DVI for an external, the 12" PB is the right machine
for a reasonable investment and far more portable.
I'm not sure why the new 15"and 17" models are having screen issues.
It could very well be a firmware issue that will be taken care of wit 10.4.3
It's a tough call because the 15" model really does offer some major
improvements for the $400 difference.
They tend to push older revisions for those who are clueless about
updates and they've been know to sell used and refurbs as new, so watch
out!
I would either drive to the AppleStore or order online.
Since you need the DVI for an external, the 12" PB is the right machine
for a reasonable investment and far more portable.
I'm not sure why the new 15"and 17" models are having screen issues.
It could very well be a firmware issue that will be taken care of wit 10.4.3
It's a tough call because the 15" model really does offer some major
improvements for the $400 difference.