upgraded ibook or standard powerbook

First off I am a graphic design major and I start school the 1st of feb. I'm not sure I think I may need the 64mb video card instead of the 32mb in the ibook. I was looking at the ibook with added 512 ram making it 768 60g hd and bluetooth $1250 w/ student discount or a standard powerbook for $1400 and wait to add ram later.
Now I hear ther may be a revision on the powerbooks and I dont know if I should wait. also if I go to an apple store get I get a custom config ibook and pick it up there. I hate to wait.
any comments or suggestions for be much appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

It's kind of hard to understand what you were trying to communicate...but based on my interpretation of your post...

1. If you're going to get a powerbook for the video card, then I suggest that you opt for the 15 or 17-inch versions, as they come with ati radeon 9700 cards. If you were trying to decide between the ibook and the 12" pbook, then I suggest that you stay with the iBook. As for the RAM, you may want to look into upgrading it yourself. The apple store does not sell custom-configured computers, to my knowledge. If you want a custom-configured Mac, you'll have to purchase it through Apple's website. In many cases, it is cheaper to purchase the computer through Amazon and then upgrade it yourself, but upgrading the hard drive in an iBook is quite a chore.

 

Sorry for the confusion I was typing that late last night and even I had a hard time understanding it. I am deciding between the 12" ibook and the 12" pbook. I was already thinking about the ibook when I went into an apple store. The sales guy told me if I am a graphic design major I would probably need a better graphics card found in the pbook. I do want the ibook to have bt, 60g hd and an extra 512 ram. That was another reason I looked at the pbook because it already has the first two options.
1. Is it worth it to upgrade to the 60g hd ($67) through apple w/ student disount? or just stick w/ the 30g and maybe down the road get a large external hd?
2. Is the apple 3yr warranty worth it? And can I buy that before the 1yr warranty runs out or do I have to buy the warranty at the same time I get the ibook?
Again sorry for the long post and thanks in advance.

 

1. I would stick with the 30gb hard drive. I have a powerbook with an 80gb drive and really only use about 20gb for my main partition (programs, etc). An external hard drive, especially a 3.5" 7200rpm drive running through your firewire port would definitely be adequate for file-storage.

2. I believe that you can buy the AppleCare extended warranty any time before the first year of ownership comes to a close. You may use your student discount if/when you decide to purchase it. As for the graphics card...sadly, there is much debate as to which option is better. Although the 12"pbook has more RAM (note: double ram doesn't equal double power), the ibook's ati radeon 9200 is a stronger performer than the pbook's nvidia solution. Perhaps you should research the graphics cards to determine which one suits your specific graphics-designer needs.

 

wow thanks again, so i guess i'm getting an ibook. Now all I have to do is determine if i need bluetooth or not. I really only want it for a bt mouse but my phone has bt and i may like having it in the future. I know I can save alot of money buying an ibook from amazon though.

 

I had the 12" PowerBook Rev A for two years and a half years but sold it because it was getting out of date rather quickly and I had a good opportunity to sell it for a reasonable price. I used it daily in school and at home. Rev A was known for heat problems but I most of the time I had the laptop on a stand while I used it on my desk so it wasn't a big issue, I think Apple fixed the heat problem on the newer models. The reason I bought a PB was because a few years ago iBooks only had G3s chips and I wanted more power. Now you get G4 chips on the iBook and the difference is speed is very marginal. My 40GB HD was never full, eventhough I was downloading TV shows and movies every week. With proper space management I always had 10 GBs free. Current PowerBooks have 60GBs which would be good if you are planing to have lots of music/video content. Two of my friends have iBooks right now, the only thing that they don't like about it is the keyboard. For some it might feel like a spunge but some users might like the soft feel. I recommend that you go to your local Apple store, CompUSA or an authorized reseller and see how you like the keyboard yourself. Keyboard on 12" PowerBook on the other hand is amazing, the keys are a bit larger than regular PC keyboards but in the same time the layout is go genius enough, Apple is able to fit it on such small laptop frame. The feedback is very good, it's not too soft as it is on iBooks. Another thing is the location of WiFi antennas on the PowerBook they're located on the sides of the screen, where in the iBooks I think antenna is under the keyboard. Reception was really good, I was always wardriving around city and was able to go online on open networks while being parked 20-30 feet from the house or an office building. Battery life on slower iBook is around 4 maybe 4.5 hours, where a PowerBook would last me 3.5 hours on reduced cpu speed setting. Graphics very good, I was able to play Warcraft III without any lag, even with reduced power consumption setting I was fighting other players online without any kind if slowdown. OS X has never failed me, the only time I had to do a complete reinstall was when I upgraded 10.2 Jaguar to 10.3 Panther this past summer.

That's probably more than you needed to know but hey I really can't convince you to buy anything since it's your money and you can spend it on w/e you wish. In my opinion PowerBook has a little bit more power, I think it looks more profesional than an iBook.

Good luck!

p.s. There might be an upgrade tomorrow or next week. If there is one I would buy a new PowerBook because iBooks just had a revision and the next upgrade will probably be sometime this summer.

 

Thanks for all the info. I know what you're saying about the pbooks. I do like the keyboard and the look. The only thing holding me back is if the extra cost is needed. I've been to the apple store and I just got back from compusa. I am considering a pb again but only if there is an upgrade within this week. I need to have something by the time I start school next week. I guess I can wait a little while longer but I dont want to. Hopefully tuesday is the day. Thanks again.

 

Well, there were no update today. Apple usually shows off new stuff from 8am to 9am Eastern time.

I would wait one more week. PowerBook is would be a great investment if you wait a little longer.

 

yeah I probably willl wait a week and see what happens. I start school next week too so I hope they are out soon.

 

ok so I couldn't wait and I just purchased a 12" powerbook. Well my dad bought it for me. (first I'm already 25yrs old but I'm filipino and filipino parents will always take care of their kids. so if I didn't want to pay for the pb then I had to get it tonight. So my dad could buy it) Now I might have to wait until tuesday to see if there is an upgrade. Oh man, a new flashy toy and I can't open it. Well I can but I'd have to pay a restocking fee (10%) if I return it opened. So I'm still in the same boat only I saved myself $1500 since I called the good old dad.

 

Great to hear you made a good choice man. The thing that suck about new models, you would have to wait up to a month for them to hit the store. [:0] Actually, I don't know, it might be only for models that were showed off duing Steve Jobs Keynotes. They might sell newly updated PBs right way...

 

If they update the Powerbooks, they should be available immediately.

Be sure to get the revised model if one is released. I believe that, in addition to other features, the new line will have faster hard drives. For me this would be perhaps the biggest asset.

- - - - -
Former owner of the eMachines M6809 until the hinges cracked on three seperate occasions.

 

ok so I talked to an apple rep from my local store. He gave me a couple options. I can keep my pb now and get credited $200 from the price drop or I can even exchange mine for an updated pb or pay another $100 and get an updated pb with superdrive.

 

Go with second option, too many goodies on the new PowerBooks + 8x superdrive and 80GB HD. New lineup looks awfully good, I might as well go back to Apple.

 

Man I call the apple store at least two time a day waiting for the new pb to arrive. I'm thinkin I should just order one online and return the "old" pb I have to the apple store. It's probably a crazy idea but I can't have this pb box in my house if I can't open it. you know!

moments later...
So now my local apple store has the new 15" pb but still no 12". Now I'm thinking I should just shell out the extra $300 for the 15". If you can't tell I'm a little impatient.

 

Don't be too hasty, you might prefer the portability of the 12" model. A lot of people dismiss this model too easily!

However, you've got to love the extra space the 15" screen provides you. It's a tough call!

- - - - -
Former owner of the eMachines M6809 until the hinges cracked on three seperate occasions.

 

yes!! my first mac! I got my 12" pb with superdrive yesterday and I love it so far. I was using a sony vaio p III and it's a huge difference. thanks to this site, it helped my get my powerbook ( i almost bought a dell or hp) thank god I didnt.

 

only slightly off topic....
What do you do to get a student discount (besides being a student)? I am about to enter ASU, and I am planning on picking up the 14" ibook rather quickly.

 

Ben17,
well, when I went to the actual apple store they just asked for my student ID. I didnt have one from my universty but they took my old one from a community college. When I tried to order it online it seemed like they wouldn't be abe to check but I'm not sure about online.

 

Go to the apple store online. Look to your right and look for "more stores", then choose education. You should be able to find your school by zip code. If not, you will have to order by phone or in person.

Barry J. Doyle
Editor in Chief
TabletPCReviewSpot.com
www.tabletpcreviewspot.com

 

Hi all,
My girlfriend has an ibook G4, with 256 mb ram. she always complains that its really slow, and i was thinking that maybe she should upgrade ram?

If so, is apple notebook ram and pc notebook ram the same? or is there special ram for apple?

thanks

 

RAM is no different, to get the best deal I recommend that you buy it from www.crucial.com

 

Hey guys,

This is my first post so go easy on me
Anyways I am having the same dilemna that NOSSER went through. The only difference is the onboard Airport Extreme wireless range. I like everything about the powerbook over the ibook excluding the price of course and the AP RANGE. Anyone with the new revision have any experiences to share that can help me make my decision?

Thanks a bunch!

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by adm58

 

bump for any help on this...

 

hi, i have the same dillema too
multimedia deisgn student here

at first im thinking bout getting a 14" ibook, but again the guy at campus store told me Pbook is better for multimedia/graphic works, and i think the new pbook upgrades seems nice too
so my final option is 12" powerbook with superdrive for $1500 with student discount
then a new dillema comes,... is 12" big enough for my works ? i.e. graphic/ video editing....and also, i heard from my friend who have used pb 12" ... teh screen is too small for him, and he only use that pbook only for web browsing and watch some movies....
so in this case which one is better
upgraded 14" ibook superdrive vs 12"pobook superdrive vs 15" pbook combo drive

NOSSER: how do u like ur new 12" pbook? hows the screen size is it big enough for your graphic works ?


thanks

 

sorry took so long to post back. anyways I ove the pbook so far the screen is a lille small but the resolution on the 14" ibook is the same as the 12" pb I considered exchangeing my 12" w/ superdrive for a 15" w/ superdrive but I changed my mind. I carry the pb to school everyday and I love the portability of the 12". good luck on your decision. as far as the screen being too small is actually is okay for me I hope to buy an imac sometime this year. If this will be your only comp maybe you should lean towards the 15' pbook.

as far as the airport range I have no problems so far. At my parents house they have a linksys and at my apartment i ick up my connection perfectly and even a few connections from my neighbors.

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by NOSSER
If this will be your only comp maybe you should lean towards the 15' pbook.
<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'></font id='quote'></blockquote id='quote'>

thanks, this answer my question
im have desktop pc, so i think the 12" will be the best for me