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iBook versus Powerbook

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trialsboy50

Monkey
Nov 23, 2004
160
0
What are the main differences between the two? I'm going to college next year, and deciding between a Mac and PC, and have kinda decided on a Mac unless someone can convince me otherwise.

Aside from basic typing and college stuff, I need a solid computer for listening to music, lagre harddrive (at least 80gb), hopefully not too slow, reliable, and decent for digital photo editiong(photoshop) and possibly video editing.

From what I hear, editing of any sort is best on Macs. So my question is, am I better off with an iBook or Powerbook? The iBooks are cheaper, but I would have to spend money to upgrade the memory and hardrive.

Thanks
byron
 
Toshi

Toshi

butthole powerwashing evangelist
Oct 23, 2001
39,744
8,745
the 12" ibook and powerbook are quite similar. differences are in case construction (duh), video card, available superdrive, dvi output, motion sensor a la ibm, so if you drop it the hard drive heads will be parked. the 15" and 17" powerbooks offer the widescreen aspect ratio, lighted keyboards. the powerbooks are a tiny bit slimmer, too, i think.

http://www.apple.com/ibook/specs.html
http://www.apple.com/powerbook/specs.html

if you can spring for it go for the powerbook.
 
T

trialsboy50

Monkey
Nov 23, 2004
160
0
I'm fairly a fairly newb to comp stuff, I'm assuming the 1.33 or 1.6 GHZ Mac Processory is comparable to a higher Intel Pentium processor correct? I'd prefer more memory, but processor speed has always confused me.
 
kinghami3

kinghami3

Future Turbo Monkey
Jun 1, 2004
2,239
0
Ballard 4 life.
What school? I currently have an eMac and am considering switching to a laptop. Unless you're planning on doing a lot of graphics intensive stuff (i.e. the latest games like Doom or WoW, photoshop, or video editing) get the iBook because it's plenty powerful for Office and even a lot of games. Mobility is a big plus and it has WiFi built in and the iBook can take a beating. In my opinion it's perfect for college. As for Mac vs. PC, it's the small details that make the Mac a better machine. The screens are better, keyboards smoother, they last much longer in general, etc. There are duds, but you can't avoid those. Also Mac OS X is much more refined, thought out, and customizable than Windows (I use 2000 at work).
 
James

James

Carbon Porn Star
Sep 11, 2001
3,559
0
Danbury, CT
Toshi said:
the 12" ibook and powerbook are quite similar. differences are in case construction (duh), video card, available superdrive, dvi output, motion sensor a la ibm, so if you drop it the hard drive heads will be parked. the 15" and 17" powerbooks offer the widescreen aspect ratio, lighted keyboards. the powerbooks are a tiny bit slimmer, too, i think.

http://www.apple.com/ibook/specs.html
http://www.apple.com/powerbook/specs.html

if you can spring for it go for the powerbook.
Click to expand...
I traded up from a 12" iBook to the 12" PowerBook a couple of years ago, and it's surprising how much smaller the PowerBook is. It's a little slimmer, but the overall dimensions are quite a bit smaller. The PowerBook is only very slightly bigger than the actual screen itself, whereas the iBook has a bit more there.
I love the PowerBook though, it's almost too small for my lap...:) GREAT for watching DVDs on the plane.

James
 
Superdeft

Superdeft

Monkey
Dec 4, 2003
863
0
East Coast
I've been using macs since the mac SE, and love my powerbook. For college having a speedy, mobile computer is a great asset for group projects at the library or when you need to find a quiet place to type a paper.

When it comes to power v. iBook, I would say the powerbook is better in the long run. It's going to be faster and last you longer, so unless cost is a huge issue, go for the powerbook. (and don't forget that educational discount! it's saved me 400+ bucks alone)

To elaborate, the powerbook is going to be a little smaller and feel snappier with a metal case and greater speed. I have a friend who has had his 14" powerbook for a while, and it seems like a little more chunky and sluggish compared to my 15" on bigger tasks. If I was to do it all over again, I might spring for the 12" (it's so small and convenient) because I don't play lots of games. Also, upgrading the speed of your hard disk is one of the best ways to speed things up, in addition to keeping your system clean and organized.
 
mobius

mobius

Turbo Monkey
Jan 25, 2003
2,158
0
Around DC
I have a powerbook g4 1.5ghz and had a ibook before. The overall finish is different for a less expensive computer that is powerful the ibook is good. For more power, better video card, better screen, more professional and powerful computer i'd say the powerbook. If you plan to use photoshop a lot for more then just simple things id say the powerbook is the route to go.
 
Five

Five

Turbo Monkey
Mar 8, 2003
1,506
0
West Seattle, WA
Don't forget to upgrade on the RAM - ibooks come w/ 256k, get at least 512 - it'll help when running multiple apps.

I got a 14" ibook in February - I love it.
 
ZoRo

ZoRo

Turbo Monkey
Sep 28, 2004
1,224
11
MTL
I have been an owner of a 12' Ibook for over a year now. I use it every day for school and to work on a couple of websites. I think it's great for what I do aka listening to a lot of music, write some papers and go on the net+it is REALLY portable so it's amazing what you can do with it.

Anyway, like Toshi said, if you have the money to fork out, go for the PowerBook but if $$ is an issue, you will be as happy with the Ibook, it just does not have the trick look of a PowerBook. Also, if you buy one in the next couple months, you will have the Tiger O/S on it (aka Mac OS 10.4) wich looks very nice and reliable with a lot of new improvements over Panther 10.3

GOod luck with deciding and remember, if you buy an Ibook, make sure it has the wireless card or wireless internet installed 'cause it's not all Ibooks that come with it (espcially if you go to school, they all have a wireless network setup)
 
ZoRo

ZoRo

Turbo Monkey
Sep 28, 2004
1,224
11
MTL
Superdeft said:
I've been using macs since the mac SE.
Click to expand...
Hey, me too!! Those were bad ass computers, and they crashed less than a PC computer with Windows XP!!!
 
D

d-sop

Guest
honestly, i like pcs. i also think that whatever you're running now is the platform you should take to college. dell makes very good pcs, as well as hp. my bro's running a dell laptop; its a pos, but thats cuz he got the very cheapest one and cuz he doesnt know anything about computers.
 
M

mace2

Chimp
Oct 27, 2004
54
0
i've had a 12" ibook for a while now
it is awesome

its replacement will definitely be a powerbook though

if you can afford it, get the PB...
 
Five

Five

Turbo Monkey
Mar 8, 2003
1,506
0
West Seattle, WA
manhattanprjkt83 said:
ps i never realized how pro mac the board was til recently, :monkey:'s have got their shat together.
Click to expand...
Yeah, it's good to see all the Mac users. I'm surprised how many have ibooks/powerbooks.
 
rigidhack

rigidhack

Turbo Monkey
Aug 16, 2004
1,206
1
In a Van(couver) down by the river
kinghami3 said:
Simplified: if you're on a budget, get the iBook. If you have money to spare, go for the PowerBook. They are both excellent computers.
Click to expand...
I've run an iBook for over 2 years (going on 3) and have had no problems aside from a faulty airport card taht F*ed things up a bit (DO NOT buy your stuff from CompUSA -I showed them the CLEARLY faulty card (one of the interface holes was double stamped), and they blamed me for an improper installation!)

Great computer, won't go back to PC
 
MtnBikerNJ

MtnBikerNJ

Monkey
Mar 5, 2003
252
0
jerrrrrsey
my 2 cents. I'm a photoshop guy (like 95% of my work). I'd go for the powerbook 100%. Either way, upgrade the memory as much as you can humanly afford, because photshop likes lots of it. But the biggest reason (for me anyway) would be that with a powerbook, you can hook a second monitor up to it, and use it as a main (or second) display. That means you can work on one display, and have your pallets on another. With the iBook, you are LIMITED to hooking up the second display, and it will only MIRROR the main one. Which really does NO good (but you can do the same thing if you WANT to on the powerbook, like if you have a video presentation).

The other big thing is Firewire 800, which the iBook does not have. It is alot faster than USB2 or regular firewire. Reason #3 is a PC slot (which may or may not be useful - depends on if you want one or not). the ibook does not have one. I know quite a few people that use a cellular card in theirs, for commuting on a train (I work in NYC).
 
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