Who here owns (or has used) the minibook?

bioflavonoidbioflavonoid
Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
Hey guys,

Who here owns, or has used a minibook? Are they fast? Are they quiet? How do they compare to other macs in your home/workplace/friends etc... In general, how do they add up? Is it worth the purchase?



[ 02-06-2003: Message edited by: Bioflavonoid ]</p>

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 14
    paulpaul Posts: 5,278member
    i have used one at the apple store CambridgeSide



    it seemed cooler (literally ) then the 15"ers and the 12" ibooks, but that was just a passing observation... all three machines were at rest I believe



    it is NOTICEABLY SMALLER then the iBook and looks GREAT. the new hinge also looks much more pleasing then the old version used on the iBooks...



    is it worth the premium over the iBook? I'd say yes, if you have the scratch, go for it and get the 12" super, that is if you can find one. the apple store sold out of the 12" supers in one day!!! :eek:
  • Reply 2 of 14
    torifiletorifile Posts: 4,024member
    I've got one. Small, fast, quiet, beautiful. I love it. Go to macnn's forums and see all the reviews and comments on it. But be careful because you'll end up with one by 'accident' before you know it
  • Reply 3 of 14
    mccrabmccrab Posts: 201member
    Bought one two weeks ago and have used it extensively. It is an EXCELLENT machine - great keyboard, good speed and bomb-proof case (there is absolutely no flex - it is waayyy better than the TiBook). I travel a lot and I like the size and the range of features offered (including slot-load Combo Drive). Apple have done some serious engineering on this baby - it is without question one of their best products ever (alongside OS X)
  • Reply 4 of 14
    formerlurkerformerlurker Posts: 2,686member
    [quote]Originally posted by torifile:

    But be careful because you'll end up with one by 'accident' before you know it <hr></blockquote>



    Especially if your name is "murbot" !







    I have a client who ordered one and is expecting to receive it Monday or Tuesday. I'll be installing a 512 RAM chip and an Airport Extreme card, as well as all his apps, data transfer, etc. etc., so I will have a nice opportunity to "play".



    I'll post a mini-review



    [ 02-06-2003: Message edited by: FormerLurker ]</p>
  • Reply 5 of 14
    bioflavonoidbioflavonoid Posts: 723member
    [quote]Originally posted by FormerLurker:

    <strong>



    I'll post a mini-review



    [ 02-06-2003: Message edited by: FormerLurker ]</strong><hr></blockquote>

  • Reply 6 of 14
    cosmonutcosmonut Posts: 4,872member
    Chris, my brother,

    Unfortunately doesn't have one

    Really. But you can't

    Refuse playing with it in the store,

    Especially when it's

    Not even as large as

    The iBook.



    Help me understand, though, the

    Advantages to getting the small one.

    Remind me why not having a PC card slot

    Definitely makes it better than the 15 or 17"ers.

    Why shouldn't I wait for

    Another update

    Regarding the 15".

    Everybody thinks it'll come soon.
  • Reply 7 of 14
    bioflavonoidbioflavonoid Posts: 723member
    [quote]Originally posted by CosmoNut:

    <strong>Chris, my brother,

    Unfortunately doesn't have one

    Really. But you can't

    Refuse playing with it in the store,

    Especially when it's

    Not even as large as

    The iBook.



    Help me understand, though, the

    Advantages to getting the small one.

    Remind me why not having a PC card slot

    Definitely makes it better than the 15 or 17"ers.

    Why shouldn't I wait for

    Another update

    Regarding the 15".

    Everybody thinks it'll come soon.</strong><hr></blockquote>

    Lol, looks like you spent a while on that one! Couldn't this be considered buying advice though... I could be wrong... O, and one more thing, I'm totally up for a 15" AlBook with all the "goodies" ... lets hope it comes soon.



    [ 02-07-2003: Message edited by: Bioflavonoid ]</p>
  • Reply 8 of 14
    tacojohntacojohn Posts: 980member
    I've seen it in the store.



    Yes the new hinge is nice



    the finish on the case is nice



    the G4 is nice



    slot load combo is nice (superdrive is nice too)



    I have a 12" iBook and it does look smaller- I didn't think I'd be able to see a difference but I could.



    Only things wrong (in my opionion) are 1024x768, no Firewire 800, no backlit keyboard, no cache



    what they could do is change the screen to 13" wide screen w/ 1160 x 780 or something like that (like the old res on the TiBooks) add FW 800, some cache, and the sweet backlit keyboard...
  • Reply 9 of 14
    cosmonutcosmonut Posts: 4,872member
    [quote]Originally posted by Bioflavonoid:

    <strong>

    Couldn't this be considered buying advice though...</strong><hr></blockquote>



    Well, let me think about that...



    No.
  • Reply 10 of 14
    bioflavonoidbioflavonoid Posts: 723member
    [quote]Originally posted by CosmoNut:

    <strong>



    Well, let me think about that...



    No. </strong><hr></blockquote>

    <img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laughing]" /> Fair enough! LOL
  • Reply 11 of 14
    bioflavonoidbioflavonoid Posts: 723member
    [quote]Originally posted by tacojohn:

    <strong>I've seen it in the store.



    Yes the new hinge is nice



    the finish on the case is nice



    the G4 is nice



    slot load combo is nice (superdrive is nice too)



    I have a 12" iBook and it does look smaller- I didn't think I'd be able to see a difference but I could.



    Only things wrong (in my opionion) are 1024x768, no Firewire 800, no backlit keyboard, no cache



    what they could do is change the screen to 13" wide screen w/ 1160 x 780 or something like that (like the old res on the TiBooks) add FW 800, some cache, and the sweet backlit keyboard...</strong><hr></blockquote>

    Lets hope they add that stuff into a 15" version... That would be cool. I may not be able to fund this baby until the summer anyways, so, maybe it'll be out in time for me to get it. O, and at the Apple Store at Aspen Grove here, they took the iBook off the counter and put it on the little rotating presentation table thing in the front window
  • Reply 12 of 14
    daveleedavelee Posts: 245member
    OK,



    If you want some justification for General Discussion, let me ask of you guys a question.



    I had a look at the minibook last week and I really liked it. I currently have a DP867 with 768 MB RAM. I am about to start writing a PhD thesis however, and may come to appreciate the portability that the minibook affords. Am I crazy to think that I will be as satisfied with the powerbook as the PowerMac?



    I also do some 3D work as a hobby, but the powerbook seemed very zippy with the standard store installed software. Do you think it will cope?



    Do you think that I could successfully trade the PM with very little financial penalty?



    [Apologies to Bioflavonoid for apparently hijacking the thread ]



    [ 02-07-2003: Message edited by: DaveLee ]</p>
  • Reply 13 of 14
    mccrabmccrab Posts: 201member
    [quote]Originally posted by DaveLee:

    <strong>OK,



    If you want some justification for General Discussion, let me ask of you guys a question.



    I had a look at the minibook last week and I really liked it. I currently have a DP867 with 768 MB RAM. I am about to start writing a PhD thesis however, and may come to appreciate the portability that the minibook affords. Am I crazy to think that I will be as satisfied with the powerbook as the PowerMac?



    I also do some 3D work as a hobby, but the powerbook seemed very zippy with the standard store installed software. Do you think it will cope?



    Do you think that I could successfully trade the PM with very little financial penalty?



    [Apologies to Bioflavonoid for apparently hijacking the thread ]



    [ 02-07-2003: Message edited by: DaveLee ]</strong><hr></blockquote>





    The power gap between Desktops and Laptops (particularly if you use "regular" apps [browsers, office productivity etc]) has pretty much evaporated. In fact, in Apple's case in particular, the gap is probably narrower than with any other manufacturer because Apple does such a magnificant job with its laptop line (processor, memory, all-round config etc).



    As far as a trade (between Desktop and Laptop) is concerned, I would tend to trade a desktop sooner rather than later - with the 970 (or something) likeltyy to be around the corner, the depreciation penalty is likely to increase.



    If you can afford it, the best solution however is to have both. Nothing beats having the big screen at home!

    :cool:
  • Reply 14 of 14
    scottscott Posts: 7,431member
    Typing on one now. I knew I'd like the size because my wife has the iBook and that always felt good. I was also long over due for a new compputer, my old one is a 266 iMac. So you can bet the PiBook feels fast to me. The last bit is that because of my current living situation i needed a portable. So here I am. The second degree burns on my left wrist are not that bad either. I'm total just kidding it's not "hot" at all just what I would call "slight warm".



    [ 02-08-2003: Message edited by: Scott ]</p>
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