So i want to get an ibook
Hi, im new to the forums and to Macs in general. I am about to start my 1st semester as a college freshman, which coincidentally is the same day of my 18th birthday. My parents, out of the graciousness of their heart, are going along with me when i said that i would like a laptop for my birthday. Being a pc user i am really intrigued about getting a mac laptop instead, and more specifically the ibook. Although i would be open to other options in the mac line, i dont think my parents will go for the 17' powerbook. So which ibook would fulfill my needs of typing, net use, power to run games at a decent rate, and maybe some photoshop(nothing extreme, just minor touching up)? Thank you.
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Originally posted by nwhysee
Hi, im new to the forums and to Macs in general. I am about to start my 1st semester as a college freshman, which coincidentally is the same day of my 18th birthday. My parents, out of the graciousness of their heart, are going along with me when i said that i would like a laptop for my birthday. Being a pc user i am really intrigued about getting a mac laptop instead, and more specifically the ibook. Although i would be open to other options in the mac line, i dont think my parents will go for the 17' powerbook. So which ibook would fulfill my needs of typing, net use, power to run games at a decent rate, and maybe some photoshop(nothing extreme, just minor touching up)? Thank you.
See if you can at least push them to get you the 12inch Powerbook. The money will be well spent. It will last you a lot longer than a G3 ibook over the next couple of years.
I happen to have a friend that was asking me today about purchasing an iBook for when she starts college this year, so I've been looking at Apple's store for a while trying to evaluate the best buy too.
I see there as being three options. All with advantages.
All have a 40gb hard drive with combo drive (dvd/cd read with cd burning capability)
The 12.1" Powerbook is the ideal computer that I've been evaluating. After EDU discount it costs $1399 (for the 3 colleges that I viewed on the site... so I assume this is the general EDU price) the advantage this has over the iBooks is that it has a 867MHz G4 processor. To my limited knowledge this is generally a faster CPU than the G3 and will likely support the Apple operating system (OSX) for a longer period of time than the G3. The G4 also has Altivec which for cetain applications (such as Photoshop) will speed up certain functions.
At the same price is the 14" iBook with the G3 processor. The advantage over the 12" Powerbook is that the display is larger allowing more screen space to have more windows open when working. This computer has a faster Mega Hertz rating at 900MHz but does not have Altivec.
The third option is the 12" 900MHz iBook. It's the same as the 14" except with a smaller display size and a lower price ($1,199).
I'm no expert on the technology Apple uses but I know there are other members of this BB that are. Hopefully they will add some insight and help both you and me (and my friend) in finding the most suitable student's laptop.
Originally posted by DefJef
At the same price is the 14" iBook with the G3 processor. The advantage over the 12" Powerbook is that the display is larger allowing more screen space to have more windows open when working.
Keep in mind that the 14" screen has exactly the same resolution as the 12" screens: 1024x768. Same number of pixels, so same amount of space to keep windows open. The only advantage is that the pixels are each larger - but unless your friend is an 18 year old with the eyes of a 65 year old, that shouldn't matter much.
Also don't forget about the special iPod-laptop deal: buy one of each and get $200 off.
Personally, if I were shopping for a laptop, I'd go for the 12"PB. The G4 helps with OSX and iApps, and the PB is a little more feature-rich than the iBooks (Aiport Extreme, for example). And it looks nicer than the current opaque iBooks. You'll probably be happier with it longer than an iBook. At only a $200 premium, I wouldn't be able to resist.
This person got and returned the 12 inch Powerbook because of overheating. She could not type on it after a while -- the left palm rest would feel like a hot plate.
Originally posted by GreggWSmith
The heat problem is becoming an issue with mine! I am not sure what to do? It gets really uncomfortable!
I feel for you. What a wonderful design ruined by an ugly flaw -- heat. I am afraid there is nothing you can do. Max out the RAM, if you have not done so already. That should at least reduce disk access somewhat, which might help a little bit.
Originally posted by GreggWSmith
The heat problem is becoming an issue with mine! I am not sure what to do? It gets really uncomfortable!
Make sure air can flow under the laptop - put in on a hard surface, not on something that molds to the shape of the 'book (like a pillow). If you want to use it on your lap for extended periods of time, try getting one of the lap desks that a number of vendors offer. I think typing habits play a role, too. I put my hands on the keys only to type. If I had a habit of leaving my palms on the palmrests constantly while I thought about what to type, my hands would get uncomfortably hot.
Originally posted by Towel
Make sure air can flow under the laptop - put in on a hard surface, not on something that molds to the shape of the 'book (like a pillow). If you want to use it on your lap for extended periods of time, try getting one of the lap desks that a number of vendors offer. I think typing habits play a role, too. I put my hands on the keys only to type. If I had a habit of leaving my palms on the palmrests constantly while I thought about what to type, my hands would get uncomfortably hot.
The "heat" problem with the 12-inch PowerBook, in my opinion, is not processor/board heat most frequently felt through bottom of the machine, but rather the heat radiated by the hard disk located under the left palm rest. There is simply nothing anyone can do to alleviate this problem. The issue also exists in i-books, but it is not as "palpable. ".