Advice Needed: iBook or Powerbook

Hi guys,

I need a Mac notebook for school this fall and was looking at the iBook or Powerbook. The specs for the configurations I was interested in are as follows:

iBook 1.2GHz Combo (14"TFT) $1,649.00
512MB DDR266 (256MB built-in & 256MB SODIMM)
AirPort Extreme Card
60GB Ultra ATA drive
SuperDrive (DVD-R/CDRW)

PowerBook 15.2TFT/1.5GHz $2,299.00
1.5GHz PowerPC G4 with
64MB Graphics Memory
80GB Ultra ATA drive
SuperDrive (DVD-R/CDRW)
Backlit Keyboard/Mac OS - U.S. English
512MB DDR333 SDRAM - 2x256 SO-DIMMs
AirPort Extreme Card

The Powerbook is really slick but is it worth the extra $600? BTW, I'll be using it for everything except heavy duty numerical computation and image generation and manipulation.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated...Saaby? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Wilkey

I think your calculations are a bit off.

iBook -
• 512MB DDR266 (256MB built-in & 256MB SO-DIMM)
• 60GB Ultra ATA drive
• SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW)
• AirPort Extreme Card
• Keyboard/Mac OS X - U.S. English
• 14.1-inch TFT XGA display
• 1.2GHz PowerPC G4
• ATI Mobility Radeon 9200 w/ 32MB DDR video memory
Subtotal $1,779.0

Powerbook -
• 1.5GHz PowerPC G4 with 64MB Graphics Memory
• 512MB DDR333 SDRAM - 2x256 SO-DIMMs
• 80GB Ultra ATA drive @ 4200 rpm
• SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW)
• Backlit Keyboard/Mac OS - U.S. English
• AirPort Extreme Card
• 15.2-inch TFT Display
Subtotal $2,499.00

Thats a difference of $720. Now the million dollar question "is it worth it". That depends on what you are looking for. A Powerbook will give you a bigger hard drive, bigger display, more video memory & a faster processor.

You may want to check out the discussion forums at apple.com for more information as well as the "buyers guide" section of macrumors.com

I have been using Macs for years and you'll love either one.

I pulled those calcs off of the Educational Discount part of the Apple website. They're correct. I qualify because I have been accepted into a full-time program. Good advice. I'll look into it.

Wilkey

My son't a EE grad student and picked the 14" iBook, he likes it very much. More than powerful enough and tougher plastic shell (scratches less visible). The Airport card works better in it also as the metal Powerbook shell affects reception.

I liked the 15"/`17" Powerbook screens, but they cost a lot more and I couldn't afford anything after paying for his...

I think it is a question of need and want. I am a photographer and I use an iBook for location shoot. I find that the iBook is in itself capable of doing a decent job but of course not as tough as the PowerBook. I drool over the sleek and metallic PowerBook but can't justify the extra cost as I am waiting to see if Apple would be launching a G5 version. As a student, do you really need the PowerBook?

The iBooks are excellent, and better for in-class use because they trump the Powerbooks in the battery life department. That said,

I have a 15" Powerbook and LOVE It to death. The backlit keyboard is every flashaholics dream. Forget the photo's on Apple's website, it's white--and if you'd like it to be, it's BRIGHT!

I decited I needed Powerbook over iBook, this is why:
Built in Bluetooth. I didn't buy a bluetooth cell phone for nothing!
Wide screen: droolworthy baby! I don't do a WHOLE LOT of video editing, but it is my primary hobby which requires a computer
Resolution: 1024x768 just isn't enough for me. The POwerbook gives me 1280x968 or something like that. Further more I can hook up an external display (23" Anybody?) and have it display a completely separate set of pixels
Superdrive: When I started shopping you could only get a superdrive in the PowerMacs. You can get it in a 14" iBook now.
Feel: iBooks are nice, but they feel very plasticy as compared to the Powerbook.

Evaluate your needs. They're both fantastic machines. The iBook is a bit more portable and a bit cheaper and gets better battery life, but if you could pony up the $$$ for the Powerbook I think you'd find it's an expensive machine, but an excellent value.

Just make sure you don't order a Powerbook with 1 GB of RAM or you might end up like this guy:
http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.cfm?catid=38&threadid=1342720&enterthread=y

Ginseng,

Unless you don't mind the smallest iBook, definitely get one of the powerbooks. Also keep in mind that the next from the smallest iBook, while it has a larger screen, has no better resolution than the smallest iBook. The smallest iBook is a great buy, but I can't stand the tiny screen. I'd go for a powerbook.

Thanks for all the comments guys. I think I'll go to the local CompUSA and fondle one of each to see how they stack up in the tactile department. I hope to take this computer with me to my faculty assignment after my program so I expect it to last a few years.

Wilkey

If you're going to be doing any burning of DVD's get the one with the biggest hard drive you can afford. I have had to clear a bunch of stuff off my old 60 gig just to be able to burn some home movies for the grandparents recently.

I LOVE the wider screen on my powerbook 15", but my wife has the 12" iBook and loves that. The screen is not large though. It's fine for general use (email/surfing/word processing) but if you use it for anything like image editing or movie editing which requires a lot of pallets open and such you will be very happy with the little bit larger screen.

i carried a tiny little 2400c around for a couple of years and thought I'd hate the larger powerbook, but really I have no trouble lugging around the 15". And I think the newer aluminum models are a little bit lighter than my older one.

The airport reception has been fixed in the new aluminum powerbook models. In the older titanium models (like mine) the antenna were in cutouts on either side of the keyboard. In the new machines they have moved them back up into the screen with large cutouts of the metal and the reception is once again excellent. you MIGHT be able to tell the difference if you're on the edge of the range between it and an iBook, but I don't consider this to be a problem anymore.

Keep in mind also that the buss speeds and the like are faster on the powerbook than the iBook, so even though the processor isn't a whole lot faster, overall the powerbook will do things faster and the graphics will be faster too which gives them a noticeably faster feel just when moving around in things.

If the money is not a problem, go for the 15" powerbook, without question. That being said, if the money is a concern then the iBook will serve you well and you really won't miss the speed unless you're trying to encode DVD's /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

The aluminum is likely to scratch more, but I think a scratched up aluminum case lends itself to a kind of well used patina fell to it /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif Where scratched plastic is just scratched plastic. You can't worry about that, just use it and dont sweat it. They both share the same hinge design now which is working out pretty well as far as I know.

I have a 15" Tibook and love it. One thing about the larger PBs is they have a PC card slot, which I like to use for digicam Compact Flash cards (with an adapter). Otherwise, iBooks are a little better value and PBs are flashier and overall have the premium horsepower and capabilities. Just be sure to factor in the Applecare 3 year warranty plan. I've never bought an extended warranty in my life until my PB, and I haven't needed it yet, but I'm convinced it's almost needed for laptops.