iBook vs Powerbook
 

Hi,

Just want to toss this open to some discussion, i'm in the market for a new laptop, I've got a G4 IBOOK at the moment which is provided by my company, I now need to buy my own.

I'm currently undecided between

G4 iBook 12"
1.2Ghz
768MB RAM
60GB HD

G4 Powerbook 15"
1.33Ghz
768MB RAM
60GB HD

I do quite a bit of SSH, I use bbEdit, office, a few X11 apps, I'm starting to build some java, I use dreamweaver / photoshop occasionally. I'd like to start playing age of empires (myths/kings/ whatever the latest is). I've got an iPOD.

I'm leaning towards the iBook, it costs very very little £700ish if I buy it in the US (where I'm going next week) or if I buy it through the business and claim the VAT back. I've got one at the moment and it's a doozy, nice and compact, light, build really well. When I'm in the office or working from my office at home I hook it up to a 17" ultrasharp dell TFT using the mirrorspan hack. I've no need for a DVD writer so which ever I buy will have the combo not superdrive.

The powerbook is a lot more and the only real benefit is the DVI output and the bigger screen.

Any powerbook users out there care to comment, are they significantly faster than the iBook through the use of level2/3 cache?

Andrew

I don't have either.

But I find whenever I'm coding, gaming, or web building that I need more screen. Higher res doesn't do it for me, then I just have to squint. I wouldn't want to use anything less the 14", unless size and weight were a huge concern.

I can't comment on the "Power vs. i" topic, but I can tell you that if you're going from a 14" screen to a 12", you're going to notice a big difference. I just went from a 12 to a 14, and love the added screen (without much added bulk). Also, I like the added space around the keyboard on the 14" iBook.

In terms of the actual size, you'd love the powerbook's dimensions. Sleek and thin, baby. (The boss has one. No, not Bruce Springsteen.)

Also, I think Apple is now offering their upgraded 14" iBooks at a lower price (40GB, 1.33Ghz, 768 MB DDR SDRAM).

Let us know what you decide, and how you like it!

I have an iBook and I love it, I wanted the laptop to be as small as possible, so I went with a 12'. It suits me fine as all I really use my laptop for is report writing, email, and web browsing.

If your going to be doing any photoshop, web building sorts of activities, you'll really appreciate the bigger screen and the extra muscle of the powerbook.
However, when take price into consideration, I think the iBook is a really sweet laptop for the money, and the powerbook is a little overpriced. If you need the extra screen space, go with the "14 which will run you about 1,299 versus 2,000 for a 15 inch powerbook.

A lot of people coming back with reccomends for a 14" iBook. I haven't seen a 14" screen but as it's the same resolution as 12", presumably it's stretched in some way?

I have a 15" Powerbook 1.25ghz. I upgraded from a G3 iBook. I can tellyou rightn ow i like the PowerBook alot better, but its really not much faster than the iBook anymore. I can't imagine using a screen that small again (12"). But if the screen doesn't bother you, theres not really much of an advatnage of getting a powerbook right now, not until their next upgrade at MacWorld San Francisco in January (presumably).

I think you would be safe going either way, I have the 12" ibook, and screen size is not really a problem.
My only advice is that if you plan on buying it through apple, you should also get the educational discount, which I hear from a friend they really don't check into it even if you're not a student or teacher.

As a macintosh tech, the question to ask yourself is how much abuse do you think you are going to deal your laptop? The iBook is a much more rugged case being plastic, the only problem is that since it is white it really shows dirt badly (my sister has a 14 inch and she used AJax to clean the palm rest when it got dirty, not my first choice) The new powermacs are more sturdy than the original versions which I have and after 4 years it is beginning to show its age. I personally love my powerbook and would not trade it for an ibook for any reason because of the screen size (think PS and Dreamweaver pallets out the wazoo), but if you plan on being rough with it, an ibook might be the way to go.

For what its worth since you are using a second monitor, the iBook does sound to be more what you are looking for, in this case the powerbook is more of a desktop replacement, and I use it as such.

It's a cosmetic thing if anything. I personally like the slicker look of a powerbook. The construction of the ibook seems too cheap for my tastes. I've also noticed the lcd screens on ibooks are dimmer than powerbooks. They don't look as bright or sharp. I guess that's why powerbooks cost more.

Really easy.

Wait for 2 months and buy the G5 powerbook. No reason to jump the G4 wagon now.

I went with the Powerbook. Even splurged for the 1.5 ghz processor. Although I liked the iBooks, I really have to say I love the additional screen real estate. My PB has for all intents and purposes replaced my old G4 733mhz Quicksilver with the 15 inch LCD.

nice buy alpo enjoy your mac....I may be joining you soon :D