What mac to get? (iMac, PB or ....)

[paulman]

I've decided to get a mac to replace my aging PC (2.6 athlon, 512 RAM, 20GB HD , 3 year old graphics, 14" CRT screen) but can't decide what to get.

The powermac is too expensive and big, the eMac is too CRTish, the mini is not powerful enough so I'm left with the iBook, the iMac and the PB. I will be getting edu discount and also will get £21 off with a coupon.

PowerBook: £1039 with 768MB RAM
Pros: Looks GREAT, best 12" laptop, better keyboard, better HD, superdrive if I need one
Cons: Not as much software free, expensive

iBook: £751 (12") with 60GB HD and 1GB RAM
Pros: cheaper than the PB, nice software
Cons: slower HD, looks worse than the PB

iMac (17") £844 although I would spend another £82 to get a 1GB chip in bringing the RAM total to 1.5GB so thats £926 really.
Pros: bigger screen, software, G5
Cons: iSight, not portable

In terms of usage I would probably use it for internet, photo management when I finally put my travelling photos on the computer, iTunes (I already have a 15GB iPod). I might wanna do movie stuff but I dunno yet. The laptops appeal since they take up less space, I already have a wee-bee bag and I could take them around with me. Plus I really love the powerbooks. I will also be working on Word (or similar) and wanna play around with garageband.

I don't care about games since I have a PS2 and will be getting a PS3. I do wanna get rid of my PC eventually though. I love the idea of working outside using wireless and just moving the book around the house.

What should I do?

 

[Apple!Freak]

iMac! I have two -- they're OKAY.

 

[peterparker]

Looks like the PowerBook would be the best choice for you.

 

[wdlove]

Either the iMac G5 or PowerBook would be an awesome choice. If you need portability then the PowerBook. My preference would be the iMac G5 though.

 

[rye9]

For your desires and usage, I would say a 15 in PB in a heartbeat. I say this because the PB's are one of my favorite Macs, you say u love them, being able to carry ur laptop around the house is great( i dont own a desktop and never will ), and they look great and perform great. Also, they were just updated, no better time to buy than now! Also, im not a fan of the Apple keyboard but the PB keyboard is just awesome. It looks great, feels sleek, and even lights up!

 

[Apple!Freak]

By the way, iMac's are just as portable as PowerBooks. Just unplug them and run.

 

[Apple!Freak]

Wow (!) wdlove, you have over 16,000 posts! I haven't even been alive this lifetime for that many days. Haha.

 

[Koodauw]

Well if the Mini is not powerful enough for you, I dont see how an iBook / PB is going to be much better.

The new iMacs are great.

 

[paulman]

Just been to the apple store regent street (UK) and had a play on the new 15" PBs (couldn't use the 12" since all of them were taken by people using the apple store as a free internet cafe )

To put it simply, the 15" PB is simply amazing and has loads of great features the 12" doesn't have plus a better screen, the coolness of the backlit keyboard, better graphics etc etc

But...its gonna cost about £1250 after edu discount and thats without the extra RAM I'll probably buy. Plus I already bought a 12" wee-bee crumpler bag.

So...what should I do?

Will the 15" be OK for all that I wanna do with it? Or shall I get a 12" ibook/PB just for typing and internet and try to use other people's desktops for other stuff? Or shall I just get the iMac?

 

[FFTT]

Honestly, I would get the 17" WS iMac G5 and save up for a refurb iBook
for your portable needs for about the same money you'd be spending on the 15" PowerBook alone if it's well equipped.

The iMac is a 64 bit faster processor, full speed 7200RPM 160-250 GB HD
PCI-express 128MB GPU and a much finer display. not to mention the remote control and A/V ichat capabilites.

I'm looking at a refurb 12" iBook to go with my G5 tower for $799USD
not bad at all.

 

[BlueT]

I think the Powerbooks are seriously overpriced when compared to Dell/Toshiba laptops of similar specs. Yes, OSX is nice, but not worth hundreds of dollars. I would get the iMac G5 or wait for the intel Powerbooks.

If you bought the G4 Powerbook last year or before, I'd say it was worth it. But now they look silly compared to their Windows counterpart.

 

[rhb1899]

Here's the questions you should be asking yourself.
If you DO buy a more expensive computer, will you be able to pay if off in a timely manner without too much worry?
If you're already stretching your bankroll for one of the less expensive computers, then (unless you NEED a computer now) I'd suggest saving up a little more money before going out and buying one. It sucks just "settling" for a computer when you know if you'd saved a little more, you could have gotten a GREAT computer (or at least one that makes you happy).

From your posts, I'd say you'd be a fool to NOT get a laptop. Honestly, you sound like me. I LOVE my IBook. Soooo many people told me to get a desktop, and I almost did (because they're cheaper and you get more). However, I would have been miserable with it. So, I saved a little more and bought my Ibook. I absolutely love the fact that my computer can go with me anywhere I want it to. And, it does everything I need it to. No, I won't be able to do fancy dancy stuff with my computer. Thankfully, I don't really need to. However, if I did, I guess I would simply use someone else's computer. That's what friends are for (buy 'em dinner!). What I'm saying is, if you like portability, you wouldn't be happy with a desktop.

Now, if you're planning on buying a computer anyway, what's another 200 or 300? Honestly. Computers are like investments. If you get the one you want, with all the frills attached, you won't be quite so bitter 3 years down the road when you want a new one. It'll last you longer (in terms of what you need) and you'll be happy with it. You're already going to be spending a lot, so you don't want to spend a grand but still be slightly unhappy with what you purchased because, gee, if you had another 200 or so, you could've gotten such and such, etc...I rest my case.

Verdict: go with the 12 " or 15" PB. You can get all the stuff on the 15" on the 12" too. But, if you like the 15 " so much, wait, save, and buy that one instead. Trust me, you'll be glad you did.

 

[Subliving]

I'd have to vote for the iBook to be honest... However, max out the RAM and hard drive. My friend uses hers for all of her uni work and it's great. And it's really robust too. She doesn't exactly treat hers great and it's not got a scratch on it yet.

Subliving

 

[FFTT]

I just ordered a refurb 12" 1.33 GHz/512MB iBook for my daughter.

It's hard to go wrong for $799 USD and it will cover her needs quite well.

I'll probably go for AppleCare before she leaves for school this coming fall,
otherwise I think she'll very quite content.

 

[paulman]

Right,

I've narrowed it down to either the 15" PB or the 17" iMac. I wanna get a desktop or desktop replacement so I can get rid of the PC.

Is the iMac much faster than the PB for most things?

So which would be better?

In answer to the question about money I'm prob gonna use the 10 month interest free plan (as long as I order by tomorrow)

 

[FFTT]

The iMac is remarkably superior in performance, storage capabilites and visual quality.

I'm sure there are some G4-G5 benchmarks around here somewhere.

The performance difference may not matter for text editing, chat, e-mail
and surfing, but once you start working with large files the difference is clear.

 

[rye9]

I personally love laptops because they can do almost just as much as a desktop can do but its really handy since it is portable. If you are uncomfortabe, you can move u and ur laptop... or its awesome how u can type a report or something in bed! Thats really great too. You seem like u might need a laptop for some intensive apps occasionally, right? Well.. Apple offers two types of laptops, iBooks and PowerBooks. iBooks are general and PowerBooks are advanced in a sense. So it is like Apple is making a laptop specifically for those intensive users like you may be. This laptop is the PowerBook of course. So I say get a 15 in PB and you will be very happy. You would be happy with an iMac too but I just like laptops a little more. its up to you but if i were u, i would get one of the brand new dazzling 15 in PBs.

 

[paulman]

Just to update everyone.

My parents have decided to get a 17" iMac and having thought about it, I decided to go for the 12" iBook. The portability is so much better with the 12" plus I already have a wee-bee bag. The powerbook seems not worth the extra seeing how the battery and wireless are better on the iBook.

Just a few quick questions:

Should I go for 60GB or 80GB? I currently have 5GB of tunes but I reckon it'll expand. I am going to get 1GB of RAM.

Also is virtual PC worth it? I really want to use MS Money but is it worth the £109 for VPC? Plus you can't play ladbrokes poker on the mac!

 

[zap2]

use Quicken (06 or 05) with you iBook cuz it well free(with your iBook)

 

[SummerBreeze]

I'd go for the largest hard drive that you can afford. OS X uses extra hard drive space as memory, so you want to have a few gigs of free space open for the system to use. You'll probably end up using the iBook for a long time, so the twenty extra gigs would definitely be worth it.

 

[zap2]

iMac (17")
Con: iSight

How is the iSight a Con?

 

[muffinman]

yeah, how is the isight a con?

whatever. go for the powerbooks if u want to go for portability. they are soooo good looking.

but if u want to do more media-based work, the imac might be a better option

 

[paulman]

I thought the iSight would look rubbish, it didn't once I saw it. Still its useless to me.

I'm in the UK so no quicken (damn!)

I prob will go for the 80GB since I'll probably be glad of it one day! And I want this computer to last at least 3 years.

 

[poolin1243]

good luck with the new system! you will enjoy the mac no matter what though

 

[Seasought]

Plus I really love the powerbooks

There's your answer.

Seriously, if you really, reallly like the way the powerbooks look, feel, work just go with what you like.

I switched from a desktop (been using them for years as primary computer) to powerbook and the mobility is a huge advantage.

You could also build an iBook (if you can tolerate their looks) and pimp them out with more RAM and storage space. I love my Powerbook personally and would suggest that.

Whatever you buy, I'm sure you'll love it regardless. Good luck with your decision!