12" or 15" Powerbook?

Hey guys,

I've decided that I want to switch to a Mac from my current PC based notebook. It'll supplement my PC notebook and my PC desktop.

Anyways, when I first started looking at new notebooks, I looked at ultraportables. I recently went to the Apple Store to get first hand knowledge of the notebooks and how I feel about each.

I qualify for a student discount, so take that into consideration.

I really like both the 12 and 15 Powerbooks. I can't decide which one I want. My current notebook is a 15" notebook, and probably weighs about 10lbs, so anything new will of course be lighter, but I learned that the size of it seems almost a little too big to carry with me everyday to class (which I want to do with the new notebook).

So that makes the 12" the obvious choice, but I can't overlook the features you get with the 15". First of all, I like asthetics, and the concept of a backlit keyboard is really cool. Also, the 15" can have 2 gigs of ram and the 1.67ghz G4, whereas the 1.5ghz in the 12". Also, the PC card slot and full DV are on the 15, and only a mini-DV on the 12" and no PC card slot.

I plan on using the computer full time, and yes, probably write papers and do PowerPoint presentations on it. However, I do have a desktop computer that I can use for the hardcore assignments (if the screen seems too small on the notebook).

The weight difference between the two notebooks is minimal (1 lb) so that's not really a concern either, but the form factor of the 15" is naturally bigger.

I know this is kind of a stupid question to be asking, but which one do I want? I don't know much about Mac processors so I have no idea if the speed difference is minimal or actually a lot, same with the use of RAM. I plan on getting the SuperDrive either way.

Thanks everyone,
Chad

 

basicly i have the same problem with you. i would choose the 15" but $$ is the problem, so maybe ill grab 12" for now, and maybe upgrade to 15" later. im a pc user too like you and this powerbook will be my 1st mac computer.

i also got a 17" dell monitor, i dont really understand bout the whole dvi - mini dvi thing.... can i connect my powerbook to my dell monitordo to work with larger screen ?

 

I believe you just answered you question. Since you have a powerful desktop the laptop will be complementary to what you have. Save you money and get the portabillity of the 12 inch Mac. Carrying a 15 Inch laptop around will seen be a chore. When buying something like a laptop it is easy to "justify" something with more and more features. If that is the case for every person, everyone would be walking around pulling their 17 Laptops around with 2 Gigs of ram, 100 GB HD, GPS, Bluetooth, WIFI, DVD burner, remote control with Video cameras. Why stop at 15 Inches? The 17 Inch is clearly the best.

All sarcasm aside, the portability of a 12 Inch will redeem itself in the ease of going to the coffee shop with small tables, airplanes, train tray tables, and when going to LAN parties.

Dell Inspiron 6000
1.6 GHZ Centrino (Sonoma)
WUXGA 15.4" WS
512 MB RAM
60 GB HD
Wireless B/G
DVD/CD-RW
9 Cell Battery x 2
---
Palmone Tungsten C/WIFI

 

Thanks guys, you've been very helpfull.

 

keep us posted on what you will get since im struggling myself deciding which to get

 

I got a Powerbook 15" about 4 months ago, and I JUST LOVE IT. Sitting on my desk, it is fantastic. However, I am thinking I would like a 12" for portability. However, the 12" is a little small for long-term desk use. Really can't make up my mind. Having one, I want the other. Hmm...

In the end, the features that swayed me were:
- 512 mb ram (less of an issue now) with 512 standard)
- Faster processor
- Illuminated keyboard
- Full size DVI port
- PCMCIA slot
- Bigger, more BEAUTIFUL screen.

Incidentally, if anyone is interested in arranging a 12" (+ cash) for 15" swap (or wanting a good deal on a mint condition 15" with Superdrive) Please contact me.

Cheers,
Mark

 

I ended up getting the 12" Powerbook. Superdrive and 1.25 gigs of RAM with the 100gig HD.

I love it. The only thing that I wish the 12" had was the backlit keyboard, but the small portability more than makes up for the loss. I also purchased Office 2004, because while the free software that comes with the computer is excellent, as a business student I needed the office suite, and also the Virtual PC (which is a PITA to use).

Haven't gotten to play around with it too much, but it seems to be a pretty fast machine (compared to my previous PCs I've owned), and the only thing about the beautiful case is that in the morning I'll pick up my notebook off the desk and it'll be freezing cold. hehe.

So far, no concerns, other than finding a notebook case that isn't really huge, but can also carry what I need it to.

 

...Yeesh. 1.25 gigs of ram. Nice. That must be sweet. Did you buy the ram yourself, or go through Apple? Incidentally, while you're a student, you should also spring for the Adobe Creative Suite. It is literally $115 CAD for FULL VERSIONS of over $3000 of software. It is literally every program that Adobe has ever released. The version I got comes on 3 DVDs!! The only catch is, it can only be used for personal and/or non-profit use, and you are TECHNICALLY supposed to pay for full licenses for the programs you use when you finish being a student. It is way worth it just for Photoshop CS and Acrobat full alone. Check your university bookstore.

Cheers,
Mark

 

I too thought the backlit keyboard was really worth having. I couldn't be more wrong. It's always too dark when set to auto, so I have to stumble around to find the F10 key in the dark to brighten up the keyboard. Anyway backlit keyboards are like the screen autosensing the room light in order to set the LCD screen brightness, feature. Nice sounding, but I'm not sure how practical they are. (Right now there's a bug in 10.3.8 that causes the screen brightness sensor to flicker anyway, so I've got that feature turned off until 10.3.9..)

 

Congrats on your Powerbook purchase! I too am an Apple convert, having just purchased my first 15 inch Powerbook this past Friday. I LOVE IT!! I struggled with your issue while standing in the Apple store and will list why I went with the 15. Not to change any minds or anything, just to help others who may be curious:

-I like the wide screen and extra desktop space the 15 inch screen allows
-I LOVE the backlite keyboard feature with auto-dimming. On the 2005 Powerbooks, Apple has made many changes. They are using a completely new keyboard backlite system which is twice as bright as previous models, and is completly adjustable for brightness just like the screen
-I liked having a faster GPU (ATI Radeon 9700 mobile), especially since Tiger OS will run smoother with a faster GPU

Those reasons alone summed it up for me. I do love how portable the 12 is, but these reasons justified the slightly larger size of the 15 for ME. What helped was being able to go to an Apple store and play with them side by side.

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by jas