pb 12'' or thinkpad x60?

[typewriterchimp]

really would appreciate some advice here:

I'm a grad student looking at taking a big prelim exam in the next year. this means reading a lot of books, taking notes, managing databases, and some digital media stuff. my high use applications are firefox, endnote, and office. I have office xp and office 2004 (pc and mac versions), but I do not yet own endnote. that said...

should I buy the 12" powerbook (I can get off amazon for 1300 after rebate and gift certificate I have)

or...

buy one of the new thinkpad t60s with core solo,

http://www-131.ibm.com/webapp/wcs/s...yId=2049168&dualCurrId=1000073&catalogId=-840

I'd really prefer mac, but the thinkpad just seems like a better buy. all apps would run natively, and it actually incorporates newer technology (unlike the pb, which is a bit long in the tooth).

So what to do? My cheif problem with windows is the gradual slowdown (install uninstall apps) and the general bugginess of it. oh, and that there will have to be a "windows defender" application in vista. is there a way to keep xp clean and keep it running well?

ok folks. you decide if I switch back or not

-c

 

[grapes911]

This is a mac forum. Most people here either own macs or are saving to purchase one. Not many people are going to tell you to get a PC and I am no different. Did you expect a different response?

 

[typewriterchimp]

er...

This is a mac forum. Most people here either own macs or are saving to purchase one. Not many people are going to tell you to get a PC and I am no different. Did you expect a different response?

yes, honest advice. part of being a mac consumer is deciding how to handle to transition to intel. I have also seen other posts like this...didn't mean to offend.

-c

 

[grapes911]

didn't mean to offend.

No offense taken. But in my most honest opinion, I'd rather get a 3 or 4 year old mac ( and I'm not saying that PowerBook is 3-4 year old technology) than a brand new PC of any make.

 

[typewriterchimp]

well...

No offense taken. But in my most honest opinion, I'd rather get a 3 or 4 year old mac ( and I'm not saying that PowerBook is 3-4 year old technology) than a brand new PC of any make.

...looks like the beloved pismo will give up the ghost soon. it is 6 years old. I bought it a year and a half ago after I sold my pc...a sony. all of this would be easy if it weren't for the sudden drop in ppc support (3 years from now?). would that change your choice?

 

[BlueT]

The specific ThinkPad that you linked to is seriously underpowered, under-accessorized, and not worth the amount of cash you're throwing at it. In a couple of months when the new iBooks come out, while they might have the same specs, they'll be 300-400 dollars less.

If you have to buy now and want immediate advice, get the ThinkPad. I have the 12 inch and when I bought it, it was a very competitive product (a year and a half ago). Now, the 12 inch PB G4 is just a dinosaur. If you can afford it, go after the MBPro. If not, wait for the new iBooks. If you can't wait, go ThinkPad. In that order.

 

[grapes911]

all of this would be easy if it weren't for the sudden drop in ppc support (3 years from now?). would that change your choice?

My guess is that you'll see PPC support for 4, 5, or even 6 years. It wouldn't sway my decision at all.

 

[cb911]

it depends which OS you really want to use.

for me - i'd rather keep my 2+ years old PB than have any brand new PC.

 

[budugu]

If you are looking for "Solo" you can get excellent deals on the current line of Pentium M, which is better. Unless you want dual core there is no point buying the new intels. Save a load of cash by buying the older models that are going on sale. Your specs are not that demanding. I did not get what you meant when you said "database". What is the software that is required should drive your purchase. If are not sure get a 500$ Wintel for now and decide later. I am sure it will get you over word, references and digital media.

 

[typewriterchimp]

I think I'd rather keep a 2 year old powerbook too. The only problem is that the two year old powerbook still costs as much as a new one!

I suppose I do want to buy the mac, but it really hurts to either 1)buy intel machine and emulate all the software I will need over the next year (and this will be a year of intense use) or 2)buy ppc machine for near top dollar (haven't been impressed with any discounts that apple has offered on discontinued machines, except for those sweet deals on 20" imacs).

how are other folks resolving this?

 

[budugu]

My guess is that you'll see PPC support for 4, 5, or even 6 years. It wouldn't sway my decision at all.

I seriously doubt it. Never count on apple legacy support. They suck at that. Period. They just donot have enough man power to support many versions. You will quickly see all the upgrades dry up in no time.

 

[grapes911]

I seriously doubt it. Never count on apple legacy support. They suck at that. Period. They just donot have enough man power to support many versions. You will quickly see all the upgrades vanish in no time.

The G3 is still being supported and that hasn't been sold since about 2003, and even then is was in very new machines. I'd bet it will even be supported in the next version of OS X.

 

[typewriterchimp]

If you are looking for "Solo" you can get excellent deals on the current line of Pentium M, which is better. Unless you want dual core there is no point buying the new intels. Save a load of cash by buying the older models that are going on sale. Your specs are not that demanding. I did not get what you meant when you said "database". What is the software that is required should drive your purchase. If are not sure get a 500$ Wintel for now and decide later. I am sure it will get you over word, references and digital media.

that does indeed help...guess dothan still rocks the ol' g4. and you are correct, I have not need for dual core. endnote is the database software, so I guess I was being kind of redundant. thanks for the tip.

-c

 

[portent]

Looking at the specs of the linked ThinkPad...

It's slightly faster*
It has a larger screen (same resolution)
It has a lighted keyboard
It's thinner

It has less included memory
It has a smaller hard disk
It has "integrated" graphics (steals graphics memory from system)
It's slightly heavier with the optical drive
It's wider and deeper

So I'd say it boils down to personal needs, and OS/software preferences.

I don't understand what you mean by "all the apps would run natively." The PowerBook is a PowerPC-based system; all current Mac applications are native on the PowerPC.

[SIZE=-3]* 1.66GHz Solo vs. 1.5GHz G4...the "Core Solo" (Pentium-M core) and the G4 are roughly comparable clock-for-clock, so I'd say there's about a 10-15% speed advantage for the higher-clocked ThinkPad.[/SIZE]

 

[typewriterchimp]

Looking at the specs of the linked ThinkPad...

It's slightly faster*
It has a larger screen (same resolution)
It has a lighted keyboard
It's thinner

It has less included memory
It has a smaller hard disk
It has "integrated" graphics (steals graphics memory from system)
It's slightly heavier with the optical drive
It's wider and deeper

So I'd say it boils down to personal needs, and OS/software preferences.

I don't understand what you mean by "all the apps would run natively." The PowerBook is a PowerPC-based system; all current Mac applications are native on the PowerPC.

[SIZE=-3]* 1.66GHz Solo vs. 1.5GHz G4...the "Core Solo" (Pentium-M core) and the G4 are roughly comparable clock-for-clock, so I'd say there's about a 10-15% speed advantage for the higher-clocked ThinkPad.[/SIZE]

thanks for your help. by "everything would run natively," I mean that they actually have apps that run natively on intel for windows machines (of course). I said this to distinguish this choice from, say, buying an intel mac and then running ppc apps in emulation. sorry for the confusion there.

-c

 

[QCassidy352]

i would buy neither and see what small intel laptops apple releases in the next few months, if you can wait. If you must buy, I'd buy the powerbook, even though it's old. As others have said, I'd rather have older hardware running OS X than newer running XP. But this is a mac site... of course we're going to say that.