900mhz iBook- Should I Buy One?
I'm thinking about getting a 900mhz iBook. I will be using it primarily for watching DVDs on airplanes, burning CDs of photos from a digital camera when I'm on vacation, Playing MP3's, Web Browsing, MacMAME and a little Photoshop/Illustrator work when I absolutley must (I have a Dual 1ghz MDD for the heavy lifting of real work.)It will therefore be kind of an 'entertainment' machine. I was thinking iBook vs. Powerbook for more of a 'durability' issue rather than an overall performance beast. Any thoughts from anyone who owns one? (and is there any indication they'll be updated soon? I was hoping to get by October! Thanks!
Comments
In fact, I really think that this was designed as a G4 iBook, because of the similar physical layout, lack of L3 cache and idiotic memory config (stock comes with 128Mb on mobo and 128 in the only extra slot)
David
The Powerbook, on the other hand, has Airport X, an exceptionally tactile keyboard, and looks like a million bucks. Not to mention that it's a lot faster than the iBook in all aspects.
And at only $200 or so more than the iBook (and with prices recently dropped), it's a really good deal.
Just my 2 cents.
I do have a small, about 1 cm, faint scratch on the bottom, stupid concrete desk area in the library. No biggy. Other than that, very durable, I've even dropped the bag once with the top open, and had the notebook slide out and hit the floor, still in it's sleeve though, no damage.
The plastic on the iBooks scratches very easily. You might not notice untill one day you really notice lots of little scratches everywhere, and the white plastic really looks like ass next to the old transluscent models.
If you can get an edu discount, get the PB, but if you don't need a comp right away, WAIT!!! PB's are due for a bump.
As for dropping it: both the iBook and the powerbook have their hard drives insulated in a shock-abosorbing assembly.
Originally posted by Placebo
The [12"] Powerbook ... is a lot faster than the iBook in all aspects.
I hate to burst your bubble, Placebo, but MacSpeedZone's tests clearly show that for some non-AltiVec applications, the iBook is faster. (albiet not by much)
It doesn't sound like iJAFO has any use for a portable G4, as he has a pretty decent desktop for anything that requires speed. For watching DVDs, burning CDs (which the iBook does faster than the PB ), web browsing, and light gaming, the iBook is probably better suited for his needs.
The iBook also has the 12" PB beat in terms of battery life, airport reception, heat, and durability (bouncing vs. denting).
Ohyeah! And the iBook follows a pretty standard 6-month upgrade cycle. Last update was April 22, so the next one should be mid to late October.
(Info from Apple tech spec sites)
The iBooks can boot into OS 9 ("System Software Mac OS X, Mac OS 9).
The 12" PB can't ("System Software Mac OS X v10.2 Jaguar")
EmAn:
Was your friend just using the stock 128 megs of RAM? If so, then it'd just be brutal. A friend of mine (same situation as yours) just got his 512 chip today, and it works so much better he's giddy... it's kinda scary, really...
(get the 12" PowerBook)
iBook can boot OS9, PowerBook can't, but really... OSX is where it's at.
Originally posted by Phroggy
I hate to burst your bubble, Placebo, but MacSpeedZone's tests clearly show that for some non-AltiVec applications, the iBook is faster. (albiet not by much)
Um...the Macworld tests had a Powerbook 12" safely beating an iBook by a factor of two. The tests were in Cinema 4D performance, Quake III, and MP3 encoding.
Look here: http://www.macworld.com/2003/04/revi...inchpowerbook/
Scroll down half way to see the performance chart.
Extremely durable (clamshell) ... been around the world several times.
But, If you;re gonna buy new, I just can't see buying a G3 these days.
Originally posted by Placebo
Um...the Macworld tests had a Powerbook 12" safely beating an iBook by a factor of two. The tests were in Cinema 4D performance, Quake III, and MP3 encoding.
Look here: http://www.macworld.com/2003/04/revi...inchpowerbook/
Scroll down half way to see the performance chart.
If I'm not mistaken, all of these test apps (including Q3) are altivec-optimized. This is an old, old story - unless the app is optimized for altivec, G3 = G4. Of the uses iJAFO mentioned, only Photoshop will be much faster with a G4, and he says he will only use it lightly. According t BareFeats, though, even actions that you'd think would benefit heavily from the G4 - iTunes encoding and a general PS workflow - are only a few percentage points faster on the PB. And the PB's better gaming performance is largely due to its better graphics card.
For a primary computer, I'd go for the PB. For an on-the-go machine, though, the iBook's advantages in battery life (5 real hrs with a new battery), Airport range (astoundingly long), and heat comfort would sway me. You give up only a tiny bit of performace (if any, depending on what you do) and get several very practical advantages in return.
Originally posted by Phroggy
EmAn:
Was your friend just using the stock 128 megs of RAM? If so, then it'd just be brutal. A friend of mine (same situation as yours) just got his 512 chip today, and it works so much better he's giddy... it's kinda scary, really...
Nope, she's got 384MB. I told her she should get more, but I don't think that's going to happen.
That said, i rate the current line of iBooks very well. It is very capable, and in general I prefer it to my G4 tower. No doubt, the 12" PowerBook is a great machine too, but it truly is in a separate class.
With the PowerBook you gain extra speed, features, and sex in exchange for added cost, heat generation, a shorter battery life, and decreased durability. The iBook is a durable machine and is very quiet most of the time.
If you frequently do any of the following, the PowerBook would be best for you: print-based photoshopping, video production or encoding, lengthy software compiles, music production, or high-performance gaming.
Ok, long enough. Either way, get more Ram. 512 is the minimum. Just bump that iBook up to 640.
Surfs, e-mails, writes papers, some Excel (she bought Office v.X) and iTunes (she has, in less than 3 weeks, gotten around to encoding the majority of her CD collection and she's become a bit hooked on the iTunes music store thing too).
We put a 512MB chip in so she does sport the maximum RAM of 640MB.
I've used it quite a bit myself and I think it's a fine machine.
You say you're not doing heavy work on it and besides you have a nice dual 1GHz G4 for "serious work".
In your situation (looking at heat and battery life issues, along with ruggedness, AirPort performance, solid basic usage, etc.) I'd get the iBook.