I'm considering the purchase of an iBook, but can't decide whether I should buy the 12.1 inch or 14.1 inch screen. I'm a writer and photographer and will want to edit digital video using iMovie. Any advice would be helpful.
you might consider doing a search for threads on this topic, if the search database works (i always have problems with it, then again havnen't tried it in like a million years)
here is a conversation between 2 people about it:
Person A: "they have the same resolution, so why bother with the 14?"
Person B: "but the screen is so small. the text is hard to read."
Person A: "you must have bad eyes. the 14" is unnecessarily big and defeats the purpose of a portable in the first place"
Person B: "i just like to see what i'm working on. go for the 14" i did and don't regret it"
Buy the 12", add the spanning hack and use the money you save to buy a 19" CRT for your external 1600 x 1200 screen. BTW you can very easily adjust the font size of everything including desktop fonts etc. So reading things on the 12" can be just as easy as on the 14". Plus the 12" is sharper and higher definition because the same number of pixels are closer together. The 14" is too big.
[quote] and will want to edit digital video using iMovie <hr></blockquote>
murbot will likely jump in here soon...he will know more about this than any of us since he buys and tries every freakin mac made....but i would suggest getting a PB if you can if you want to edit video...the G4 is much better at that than the G3....
iBook is great at portability and durabilty and for use with iTunes, email, etc (think portable classic iMac
PB is more like an iMac G4 800 that is portable...use it for all the things an iBook can do but then add iMovies, iDVD, photoshop etc...
how soon do you need it?? can you wait till spring....by then "perhaps" a top line iBook could get a G4 if moto can get it cool enough (down to .13 process) and apple starts taking early sales for a three month down the road PB with 970 chip inside.... g (the dreamer)
murbot will likely jump in here soon...he will know more about this than any of us since he buys and tries every freakin mac made....but i would suggest getting a PB if you can if you want to edit video...the G4 is much better at that than the G3....
iBook is great at portability and durabilty and for use with iTunes, email, etc (think portable classic iMac
PB is more like an iMac G4 800 that is portable...use it for all the things an iBook can do but then add iMovies, iDVD, photoshop etc...
how soon do you need it?? can you wait till spring....by then "perhaps" a top line iBook could get a G4 if moto can get it cool enough (down to .13 process) and apple starts taking early sales for a three month down the road PB with 970 chip inside.... g (the dreamer)</strong><hr></blockquote>
The topic is iBook Screen Size. I agree with you. But the creator of the topic probably has financial constraint. Plus iMovie editing with an 800 MHz G3 is no slouch as long as it is mostly straight cuts.
My brother's PowerBook 1400c has an active matrix, 11.3" screen at 800x600 and it's pretty freakin' awesome. I want it.
That aside, I think 1024x768 on the iBook's 12" screen might be fine. That's 106 pixels per inch. Here are some comparisons:
PowerBook G4 (1280x854): 101
PowerBook G4 (1152x768): 91
14" iBook: 91
Clamshell iBook: 83
15" LCD: 85
17" LCD: 96
17" Wide iMac LCD: 100
22" LCD: 86
23" LCD: 98
17" CRT @ 1280x1024: 100
17" CRT @ 1152x870: 90
17" CRT @ 1024x768: 80
I made all these stats out in Excel a couple days ago. They are pretty useful. Anyway, it looks like about 100 pixels per inch is the sweet spot for LCDs, which is what Apple's aiming for. All their recent ones are near there - the 17", the iMac 17", the PowerBook, the 23", and the iBook (which is at the high end).
At the same time, I'd say CRTs are probably best around 80-90 pixels per inch. My 17" CRT looks pretty bad at 1280x1024, but it's fine at 1152x870 and super sharp at 1024x768.
<strong>you might consider doing a search for threads on this topic, if the search database works (i always have problems with it, then again havnen't tried it in like a million years)
here is a conversation between 2 people about it:
Person A: "they have the same resolution, so why bother with the 14?"
Person B: "but the screen is so small. the text is hard to read."
Person A: "you must have bad eyes. the 14" is unnecessarily big and defeats the purpose of a portable in the first place"
Person B: "i just like to see what i'm working on. go for the 14" i did and don't regret it"
Person A: "I have the 12" and love it."
Person B: "Blah blah blah blah"
Person A: "Blah blah blah blah"</strong><hr></blockquote>
Then I'll usually pipe in about the need for a 13.3" G4 iBook which would end this argument once and for all!
As usual, I would have to recommend the 14 inch display. I recently advised a person in the market for an iBook, saying I'd prefer the 14 inch. I did add, however, that the best thing was for them to go into an Apple shop and toy with the two models. They did end up buying a 14 inch.
As always, I don't understand people putting stress on portability. I have never wanted my iBook to be any smaller so as to be more portable. It's just about the most portable portable I've ever had, and it's my FOURTH (previously 180, 1400c, pwb G3 and now iBook). It's easily the thinnest (except maybe for the G3), and that, methinks, is the most important feature.
I would have to agree about the iBook being so thin that it makes it much more portable. The 14" and 12" have the same thickness of just 1.35". The G3 series (the later ones) were 1.7".
All my laptops have been thick ones... all two of them . First it was my PowerBook G3 Series (Wallstreet) which was 8 lbs and 2" thick, making it a bit of a pain to haul around (not to mention the huge 14" screen that made the footprint big as well). Now I have this PowerBook 3400c, which is 2.4" thick with that bulging lid and weighs almost as much as the G3. At least the footprint is smaller.
My brother's PowerBook 1400c, by comparison, is pretty small. The screen is only 0.7" smaller but the entire thing seems miniature. It's thick but a lot thinner than this 3400c, and it weighs quite a bit less too. I kinda want to trade, I'd give up the speed of this 3400c for the portability and much better construction of the 1400c.
The endless 12' vs. 14" debate. It's impossible for anyone to tell you which is better, it's something you'll have to decide for yourself. Try them out in person if possible.
To me, the 14" is definitely NOT worth the extra money. It would be different if the price were similar and you were choosing solely on size. In Canada it's $500 to get that extra 2 inches. Now maybe for other things someone would pay $500 for a couple of inches... tonton for instance, seems to have an issue with size.
With that price difference, you can easily buy a CRT, keyboard, and mouse. If the 14" had an increased screen resolution, that would be another story... but they're both 1024x768, and can both be hacked to span displays, so my vote is for the 12" as well.
You didn't ask about performance, but I see that you are going to be managing digital photos and editing video. If you're going to be doing either of these as more than a hobby, I would strongly suggest you look into getting a PowerBook. With a library of about 1500 photos in iPhoto on my last iBook, it was a slug. And these are not 5 MB photos or anything, half that at the most. And sure you can edit video on the iBook, but you will really feel that G3...
I don't know what your financial situation is like of course, but if you can get the extra clams, the PowerBook would be a wise purchase.
Comments
here is a conversation between 2 people about it:
Person A: "they have the same resolution, so why bother with the 14?"
Person B: "but the screen is so small. the text is hard to read."
Person A: "you must have bad eyes. the 14" is unnecessarily big and defeats the purpose of a portable in the first place"
Person B: "i just like to see what i'm working on. go for the 14" i did and don't regret it"
Person A: "I have the 12" and love it."
Person B: "Blah blah blah blah"
Person A: "Blah blah blah blah"
murbot will likely jump in here soon...he will know more about this than any of us since he buys and tries every freakin mac made....but i would suggest getting a PB if you can if you want to edit video...the G4 is much better at that than the G3....
iBook is great at portability and durabilty and for use with iTunes, email, etc (think portable classic iMac
PB is more like an iMac G4 800 that is portable...use it for all the things an iBook can do but then add iMovies, iDVD, photoshop etc...
how soon do you need it?? can you wait till spring....by then "perhaps" a top line iBook could get a G4 if moto can get it cool enough (down to .13 process) and apple starts taking early sales for a three month down the road PB with 970 chip inside.... g (the dreamer)
<strong>
murbot will likely jump in here soon...he will know more about this than any of us since he buys and tries every freakin mac made....but i would suggest getting a PB if you can if you want to edit video...the G4 is much better at that than the G3....
iBook is great at portability and durabilty and for use with iTunes, email, etc (think portable classic iMac
PB is more like an iMac G4 800 that is portable...use it for all the things an iBook can do but then add iMovies, iDVD, photoshop etc...
how soon do you need it?? can you wait till spring....by then "perhaps" a top line iBook could get a G4 if moto can get it cool enough (down to .13 process) and apple starts taking early sales for a three month down the road PB with 970 chip inside.... g (the dreamer)</strong><hr></blockquote>
The topic is iBook Screen Size. I agree with you. But the creator of the topic probably has financial constraint. Plus iMovie editing with an 800 MHz G3 is no slouch as long as it is mostly straight cuts.
That aside, I think 1024x768 on the iBook's 12" screen might be fine. That's 106 pixels per inch. Here are some comparisons:
PowerBook G4 (1280x854): 101
PowerBook G4 (1152x768): 91
14" iBook: 91
Clamshell iBook: 83
15" LCD: 85
17" LCD: 96
17" Wide iMac LCD: 100
22" LCD: 86
23" LCD: 98
17" CRT @ 1280x1024: 100
17" CRT @ 1152x870: 90
17" CRT @ 1024x768: 80
I made all these stats out in Excel a couple days ago. They are pretty useful. Anyway, it looks like about 100 pixels per inch is the sweet spot for LCDs, which is what Apple's aiming for. All their recent ones are near there - the 17", the iMac 17", the PowerBook, the 23", and the iBook (which is at the high end).
At the same time, I'd say CRTs are probably best around 80-90 pixels per inch. My 17" CRT looks pretty bad at 1280x1024, but it's fine at 1152x870 and super sharp at 1024x768.
<strong>you might consider doing a search for threads on this topic, if the search database works (i always have problems with it, then again havnen't tried it in like a million years)
here is a conversation between 2 people about it:
Person A: "they have the same resolution, so why bother with the 14?"
Person B: "but the screen is so small. the text is hard to read."
Person A: "you must have bad eyes. the 14" is unnecessarily big and defeats the purpose of a portable in the first place"
Person B: "i just like to see what i'm working on. go for the 14" i did and don't regret it"
Person A: "I have the 12" and love it."
Person B: "Blah blah blah blah"
Person A: "Blah blah blah blah"</strong><hr></blockquote>
Then I'll usually pipe in about the need for a 13.3" G4 iBook which would end this argument once and for all!
As always, I don't understand people putting stress on portability. I have never wanted my iBook to be any smaller so as to be more portable. It's just about the most portable portable I've ever had, and it's my FOURTH (previously 180, 1400c, pwb G3 and now iBook). It's easily the thinnest (except maybe for the G3), and that, methinks, is the most important feature.
All my laptops have been thick ones... all two of them
My brother's PowerBook 1400c, by comparison, is pretty small. The screen is only 0.7" smaller but the entire thing seems miniature. It's thick but a lot thinner than this 3400c, and it weighs quite a bit less too. I kinda want to trade, I'd give up the speed of this 3400c for the portability and much better construction of the 1400c.
To me, the 14" is definitely NOT worth the extra money. It would be different if the price were similar and you were choosing solely on size. In Canada it's $500 to get that extra 2 inches. Now maybe for other things someone would pay $500 for a couple of inches... tonton for instance, seems to have an issue with size.
With that price difference, you can easily buy a CRT, keyboard, and mouse. If the 14" had an increased screen resolution, that would be another story... but they're both 1024x768, and can both be hacked to span displays, so my vote is for the 12" as well.
You didn't ask about performance, but I see that you are going to be managing digital photos and editing video. If you're going to be doing either of these as more than a hobby, I would strongly suggest you look into getting a PowerBook. With a library of about 1500 photos in iPhoto on my last iBook, it was a slug. And these are not 5 MB photos or anything, half that at the most. And sure you can edit video on the iBook, but you will really feel that G3...
I don't know what your financial situation is like of course, but if you can get the extra clams, the PowerBook would be a wise purchase.
just call me nostrodumbass.... my kids do...g