Making the switch help!

[MikeAppz]

Hey everyone. I am a college student and my dell notebook crashed for good this time. I have decided that I am making the switch to Apple and hopefully saying goodbye to all the crashing and headaches of Windows. I am very interested in the MacBook Pro, however I would prefer a more mobile smaller notebook. The iBook 12 inch and the 12 inch Powerbook look appealing, but I would prefer to start with the newest technology. The bugs reported in the new intel macs don't bother me because I have faith Apple will eventually take care of things, but basically the size is my consideration. I don't go back to school until August, but I more or less need something for this summer (starting in May). Money is not an issue because I am getting insurance money for my previous crashed laptop, so I am debating whether or not to get a 12 inch Powerbook. I want as much power as possible, but would really like to get in on the new MacBook. Is there any chance we will see a smaller MacBook Pro before August???

Thanks,

Mike

 

[Eidorian]

I'd expect to see an Intel iBook before then. Apple really depends on the post graduation market for sales. (May-June) I got my iMac G5 in June and got an additional $100 off.

 

[MikeAppz]

One more question

Sorry for another post, but are there any advantages to owning the 12 inch iBook over the 12 inch Powerbook other than cost?

 

[devilot]

Sorry for another post, but are there any advantages to owning the 12 inch iBook over the 12 inch Powerbook other than cost?

Yes. I've owned both.

iBook:
-runs cooler to the touch (doesn't sound like much, but my PB would get uncomfortably hot; I'd have to leave it alone for an hour to cool off)
-gets MUCH better wifi reception (in the same spot; full reception vs. PB's 2 bars)
-has MUCH better battery life (6 hours vs. my PB's 4ish)

Plus, because it is cheaper, I feel more apt to take it out and actually use it, rather than to constantly worry about scratches etc.

I'm not a power user, just a simple college student and to me, battery life, wifi reception, and just simple functionability are what matter most to me-- I had a PB and I 'downgraded' to the iBook. If I could have done it all over, I would have never gotten the PB. But don't get me wrong, the 12" PB is absolutely gorgeous. So sleek, and so slim and compact, and let's not forget the awesome keyboard. But those aren't the features I really need.

 

[Eidorian]

Sorry for another post, but are there any advantages to owning the 12 inch iBook over the 12 inch Powerbook other than cost?

The PowerBook natively supports screen spanning and has more video RAM. The 12" PowerBook also has a DVD burner while you need to get the 14" iBook for that.

 

[Diatribe]

Sorry for another post, but are there any advantages to owning the 12 inch iBook over the 12 inch Powerbook other than cost?

You don't have to excuse yourself.
The new iBooks (MacBooks) will inevitably have Intel processors, so they'll most definitely be the better choice. Buying a PPC based notebook new is suicide right now if you ask me. Unless you were talking about the MacBook Pros then I'd say if you don't care for the higher specs the MBP has over the MacBook then it is only down to the design. I like both but could never live with the lower specs of the iBook/MacBook because it is my only computer.

Edit: Oh and yes, the iBooks have the better battery life but I am not sure there will be that big of a difference with the MacBooks.

 

[Diatribe]

Yes. I've owned both.

iBook:
-runs cooler to the touch (doesn't sound like much, but my PB would get uncomfortably hot; I'd have to leave it alone for an hour to cool off)
-gets MUCH better wifi reception (in the same spot; full reception vs. PB's 2 bars)
-has MUCH better battery life (6 hours vs. my PB's 4ish)

Plus, because it is cheaper, I feel more apt to take it out and actually use it, rather than to constantly worry about scratches etc.

I'm not a power user, just a simple college student and to me, battery life, wifi reception, and just simple functionability are what matter most to me-- I had a PB and I 'downgraded' to the iBook. If I could have done it all over, I would have never gotten the PB. But don't get me wrong, the 12" PB is absolutely gorgeous. So sleek, and so slim and compact, and let's not forget the awesome keyboard. But those aren't the features I really need.

My MacBook Pro gets about the same reception as my mum's iBook.
And power come always at a price... in this case heat and battery life.

 

[MikeAppz]

screen spanning

what exactly is screen spanning? i didnt think that i was that much of a novice so hopefully this isn't an everyday thing I'm missing out on

 

[Eidorian]

what exactly is screen spanning? i didnt think that i was that much of a novice so hopefully this isn't an everyday thing I'm missing out on

You can extend your desktop onto an external display. The PowerBook also has DVI output instead of the VGA on the iBook.

You can hack screen spanning on the iBook. I've never encountered anyone with a problem with it. I've had a professor's iBook running an external 17" Dell LCD for 6 months now without a hitch using the screen spanning hack.

 

[Demon Hunter]

what exactly is screen spanning? i didnt think that i was that much of a novice so hopefully this isn't an everyday thing I'm missing out on

This may or may not be important to you, but if you use your computer to give presentations a lot, the DVI is pure digital quality, and an extra 32MB of VRAM helps a lot with Keynote presentations. Every little bit helps.

Buying a PPC based notebook new is suicide right now if you ask me.

Suicide! Plague! Doom! Apocalyptic visions and black despondency! It's the fate of all those who buy last year's processor!

 

[Eidorian]

This may or may not be important to you, but if you use your computer to give presentations a lot, the DVI is pure digital quality, and an extra 32MB of VRAM helps a lot with Keynote presentations. Every little bit helps.

Actually you can just mirror your display for presentations. It's not that bad. My Mac User group's president does presentations on her G3 900 just fine.

 

[Diatribe]

Suicide! Plague! Doom! Apocalyptic visions and black despondency! It's the fate of all those who buy last year's processor!

I wouldn't have put it that drastically, but yeah.

(You know exactly I was talking about the platform and not a specific processor )

 

[Demon Hunter]

I wouldn't have put it that drastically, but yeah.

(You know exactly I was talking about the platform and not a specific processor )

Hehe.

 

[carve]

ibook g4

if you are a college student who needs a computer i would go with the ibook g4 12 inch. I mean if you wait until the intel ibooks there going to be like 500 to 1000 dollars more and you'll really see no difference if you are a casual mac user.

 

[disconap]

Other advantage to the ibook G4 over the Intel Macbook or Macbook Pro:

Cost.

If you are a student, and plan to use it for at least a couple of years for mostly web surfing, basic artwork/webwork, and paper writing, the G4 ibook is your BEST purchase, as you don't need top of the line anything. Which means you can buy everything, including the older gen software (pre-Intel/Universal upgrade versions) for a lot cheaper. To get the same/better performance out of an intel Mac, you have to buy newest versions/upgrade of software, whereas you can deck out a G4 with lots of software using ebay and clearance sites for around half the cost. By the time you'll want more out of your machine, you'd probably want to upgrade or replace an Intel mac anyway.

I know I've said this a bunch, so sorry for people that feel I'm being repetitive, but a machine that does what you want it to now will still do the exact same stuff in two years (or four or even 8). Our office uses G3 and G4 Imacs, Ibooks, and Powermacs, and all of them work exactly as they have for years doing exactly what we need them to (including our recording computer, which is a G3 tower). Plus the G4s and zif G3s are upgradeable, so we've never needed to bother with buying top of the line in five years (last top of the line machine I bought was the G4 tower, a Sawtooth, which runs most of our company off a 1gHz upgrade card). Just my two cents, and I am a geek over hardware so I love reading about the G5s and Intel Macs, but I probably won't buy either for years...

 

[ero87]

Hehe.

ooh a great time to ask this ... how would you pronounce "hehe."

option 1: hee - hee
option 2: heh - heh.

 

[count chocula]

ooh a great time to ask this ... how would you pronounce "hehe."

option 1: hee - hee
option 2: heh - heh.

i think its more of a hee hee

 

[amac4me]

Timing is an issue here.

I wouldn't consider purchasing an iBook because they are essentially EOL - End of Life. There are expectations that we'll see an Intel based update to the iBook - the new name will likely be MacBook - before August. I think Apple will indeed get these out prior to the Back to school shopping season.

I noticed that you stated "as much power as possible". I guess your decision will boil down to need versus want. That's something you'll have to assess. If you will be using it for daily activities related to your coursework, the MacBook (new iBook) will do just fine. Note that nobody knows the specifications yet, it most likely to be somewhat comparable to the iBook just as the MacBook Pro is similar to the old PowerBook.

Either way, I'd wait to see what Apple releases and then I would make my decision. Congrats on your decision to make the switch.

 

[student_trap]

If you have to get something soon, don't be afraid to get a PPC powerbook, they're so stable and are still very fast machines. Their build quality is superb and they'll probably run PPC based apps better than new macbooks (under rosetta). Plus, you'd get to have a laptop rather than wait for a laptop (always a good plus point!).

 

[Agathon]

Just wait for the MacBooks. It won't be long. You won't be sorry when you do.

If you don't like them, then you will have a small window to order a PPC notebook if you want.

 

[sintaxi]

You can extend your desktop onto an external display. The PowerBook also has DVI output instead of the VGA on the iBook.

You can hack screen spanning on the iBook. I've never encountered anyone with a problem with it. I've had a professor's iBook running an external 17" Dell LCD for 6 months now without a hitch using the screen spanning hack.

I did the hack for my 20" iMac G5 iSight. I added a 19" LCD and the video card handles both screens no problem. I cant believe it ships disabled.