14" iBook.

matsu · October 1, 2002 7:06PM

Sorry style weenies, but after seeing my first 14" iBook in the flesh, I have to say it doesn't look nearly as bad as some people say or as it does with the whitish cast it gets from web pictures. It's not worth the extra cash Apple charges over the 12, but it looks quite nice and is definitely not fugly. The surface detail around the keyboard is nice and neat and I really don't see what people are complaining about. Price as no object, I'd rather have the 14, and the extra battery life. The weight makes no difference to me, both are light enough for a fit person. Some of you waifs may disagree.

zo · October 1, 2002 7:25PM

i have th e14inch since Febuary and like it a lot. But I wouldn't mind having the 12inch for portability reasons.

Like in a plane, the 14 inch doesnt fit well on the trays. The 12incher is perfect.

The 14inch screen is really nice and bright. Am very happy with it.

I just wish I could have gotten the 16MB vram version that came out months later. Damn them.

dave marsh · October 1, 2002 7:28PM

I purchased a 14" iBook this past April, have been using it all summer, and love it.

I suspected Apple would be doing a refresh during the summer, probably with better video and faster (which happened), but I couldn't wait. This is a great little portable computer. I connect to my DSL connection over AirPort, which works perfectly. I'm also running 10.2.1 on it, which is a great upgrade. I'm envious of those with the newer model that can take advantage of Quartz Extreme (which runs great on my PowerMac with ATI 8500 card), but that's all it is, envy. With 10.2.1 I seem to have lost the ability to print to my old LaserWriter IIf on the network, but I can print to my Epson C80 on the network just fine. There was indeed a performance bump with 10.2.1, and it is noticeable on the laptop. You should have the same great experience with the 12" model. The larger screen is better for my aging eyes, but should be fine for anyone with 20-20 vision. :cool:

serrano · October 1, 2002 7:37PM

The 14 does not fit on the mini-desks in a university lecture hall. That and I'm a waif.

matsu · October 1, 2002 8:47PM

I had previously liked the 12" best. For the price there really aren't comparable sub-notes, and while the 12" isn't exactly a subnote, it has the benefit of a real keyboard, optical, and decent durability!

However, 14" really is the new entry level laptop screen.

Maybe it's time to split the line into three and put some better feature into the 14" -- mebbe a G4, mebbe support for higher external resolutions, certainly more max RAM -- while co-developing the 12" to be lighter still, more efficient, that is emphasize its smallness.

IF it didn't cost so much more, the 14" would be a no brainer as far as I'm concerned.

[ 10-01-2002: Message edited by: Matsu ]

brianmacos · October 1, 2002 11:21PM

I've had my iBook for I think around 5 or 6 months now and love it. I was looking at the 12" and I wanted a little better screen. My previous laptop had a 15" display and I really wanted the bigger display so I went with the 14". I have the newest model with the 16 megs VRAM, 30 gig hd and combo drive. I also bought the pro mouse for it the same day. I will never buy another Wintel machine again. The hardware has been stable and the OS is amazing. I'm currently running 10.2.1 and I've had no problems. It goes with me to College every day and gets used at least 2 hours out of my 6 hours every day I am in school. The iBook actually stays clean and never looks dirty, which was one thing I was looking for in my next Laptop. Although I am very picky as it is when it comes to using my iBook but still even if I wasn't so picky it would still stay clean. I upgraded my ram to 384 also the first day I bought it. OS 10.2.1 runs fine with this amount of ram along with all my apps like VPC (win2kpro), photoshop 7 among other things I use on a daily basis. ALL I CAN SAY IS GO BUY AN iBOOK NOW!!!

serrano · October 2, 2002 1:44AM

[quote]Originally posted by Matsu:

IF it didn't cost so much more, the 14" would be a no brainer as far as I'm concerned.

[ 10-01-2002: Message edited by: Matsu ]<hr></blockquote>

Well, i guess that's you. Money wasn't really an object for me and I chose the 12.

alcimedes · October 2, 2002 2:07AM

to me it's easy. 1 hour of possible extra battery life (most likely 30 - 40 min) isn't worth 1lb. more weight in a laptop. that's 20% more weight, and you pay a boat load more to get it. to me the no brainer is obvious, but in the other direction.

stunned · October 2, 2002 3:00AM

Just an additional point to note, the 12' ibook is nearly unuseable with 128mb of ram,

u definately have to increase its ram.

allenchristopher · October 2, 2002 5:24AM

Ok, here's a counterpoint to every complaint about "too much unused flat space on the 14" iBook's palmrests."

<a href="http://www.thinkgeek.com/stuff/computing/5ad3.shtml"; target="_blank">http://www.thinkgeek.com/stuff/computing/5ad3.shtml</a>;

I'd sure rather have a nice flat surface to use that on than unneeded style lines. It shows it working on a TiBook, so it should work on an iBook, but you could always put a sticker on. The flatness of the case is still key.

Edit: Inches, feet, whatever.

[ 10-02-2002: Message edited by: AllenChristopher ]

matsu · October 2, 2002 6:15AM

Here's the thing, as a second machine the 12" takes it. But as an only machine, the 14 wins.

1 hour and two inches in exchange for a pound of weight and 300 dollars more cost makes the choice a little sticky. But as a miserably myopic bastard, the difference between 12 and 14 matters. While the 12 is also highly viewable, I wouldn't want it as my only machine. 5 lbs or 6 ? I know I wouldn't notice. But 2399 to 2899? That I would notice, that's 500 bucks I could put towards Office and a few other key apps.

We'll see what the next round of updates brings.

zo · October 2, 2002 6:51AM

yeah, that was my thought too Matsu. As a secondary protable computer, the 12inch rules. But seeing all I have is this 14incher, I'm glad I got this model for the moment.

Maybe I'll sell this iBook in a few months, buy a PC (for my gaming crack habits) and get either a 12inch iBook or a 17inch iMac

murbot · October 2, 2002 12:07PM

[quote]Originally posted by stunned:

Just an additional point to note, the 12' ibook is nearly unuseable with 128mb of ram,

u definately have to increase its ram.<hr></blockquote>

That's the first thing most people do. Too bad though on the 14" that Apple FORCES you to take RAM in the ONLY free slot. You can either buy it with a 128 MB chip and upgrade yourself, after which you'll have to unload that 128 MB chip somewhere - or you can pay them their ridiculous rates and upgrade it to a 256 or 512 chip.

I'm surprised Matsu hasn't jumped all over this one.

matsu · October 2, 2002 8:28PM

You could say I have a split personality, I think that would be a very honest way to describe my posts, if not entirely accurate.

Yes, that's a cock-up for sure, why not just solder a 256 into the factory slot? I dunno.

Question:

While I observed my first 14" iBook, and also the last time I viewed a 12 in store, the contrast seemed off. Can it be adjusted? Brightness, sure, but what about contrast?

satchmo · October 2, 2002 9:35PM

I've said this all along about the 14" iBook. It's not unattractive as many have said. Sure it's not cute like the 12" or sleek like the Titanium, but it still looks good.

I'm so ready to buy an iBook...when Apple simply does any of the following:

1) drop the 12" G3 iBook to $999

2) introduce a G4 model

3) make iBooks have desktop spanning

Is this asking too much? I think not.

14" iBook.

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