Which would you rather have: the White 14" iBook or "son of Pismo"?

jet powers · July 13, 2002 6:36AM

I was just thinking that Apple would have been better off sticking to the Pismo design for the 14" G3 product, rather than the supersize iBook. I had the chance to toy around with a Pismo, and aside from the chocolate colored keyboard (which looked a little tacky) I thought it was a pretty laptop. Stylish and conservative at the same time.

Just a thought before I go to bed.

What do you think?

ting5

luca · July 13, 2002 7:18AM

I would like that too. The Pismo was almost as thin and light as the 14" iBook, and it looks really cool. I have a Wallstreet, which looks very similar to a Pismo except for the larger size and black keyboard, and it's a nice looking laptop. But the Pismo doesn't really fit with the rest of their lineup, both in color and shape. Even if they made it gray or white, it still wouldn't look quite right.

BTW, I believe the code name for the 14" iBook is "Son of Pismo."

jasonf · July 13, 2002 9:14AM

Isn't the 14" iBook universally hated?

I love the old Pismo design, but I don't see Apple bringing it back. It really wouldn't go well with their current snow theme.

g4dude · July 13, 2002 11:10AM

The Pismo is the best Apple laptop ever. Put a 15" display in it and the best hardware such as a Superdrive and Apple would have the ultimate PC killa.

Inside Steve's Mind:

Oh no, but it weighs almost 6 lbs, poor mac people having to carry around ALL that weight, let's make a thin laptop that uses unusually thin components so we can blame our lack of a superdrive and such on the thiness, woo hoo, that's a great idea! And we can get rid of expansion bays cause they are so un-mac like; they ADD functionality.

eman · July 13, 2002 11:15AM

I'd definately take a Pismo over that ugly, huge 14" iBook.

pscates · July 13, 2002 3:50PM

If I could get a G4 12" iBook (at 800MHz or higher and in the current white glossy styling), I'd get rid of this LCD iMac and get one.

I'm missing the portability thing (would LOVE to sit in bed or on the porch and surf/e-mail). And I LOVE the iBook, but I've come to appreciate a G4 (iTunes, Photoshop, OS X, etc.).

HOWEVER, I don't really like the TiBook, nor can I afford one.

I want iBook style/toughness and G4 power. Maybe someday.

brianmacos · July 13, 2002 4:31PM

[quote]Originally posted by EmAn:

I'd definately take a Pismo over that ugly, huge 14" iBook.<hr></blockquote>

I personally think the 14" white iBook looks nice.

macubus · July 13, 2002 5:40PM

Pismo all the way.....it was so slick looking. Even if it was 'heavy' at around 6 pounds. Just think of those alienware (I think) laptops that weigh around 12-14 pounds!!! :eek:

matsu · July 13, 2002 5:49PM

It's not the thinness of the Ti that makes new drive technology a little late in the offering, it's Stevie's fetish for slot loaders. Switch back to a tray and lets get some options in this things. geez.

luca · July 13, 2002 6:01PM

The Alienware Area-51m is 1.7" thick and 9.7 pounds. Pretty big and heavy, but it is a really hot performer. It's just meant to be a portable machine you can take to LAN parties. I'd never want to be stuck underneath one, but it looks like a powerful Wintel desktop alternative.

I've been spoiled by my 14" screen and I don't want to go to 12", but the 14" iBook is too expensive for me and I heard it's dimmer too. I don't mind the fact that it looks a bit oversized; I think it still looks okay but not as good as the 12" iBook. Still, if the screen is dimmer, I probably won't want it, and I probably won't be able to afford it either. I'll have to settle for the 12"

cubit · July 13, 2002 11:39PM

The Pismo IS still an extraordinary machine. It is still my work horse and joy (and I have a little Japanese iceBook 500 original which I link and use as an external HD!) There is no comparison with the 14" iBook in its curren config.

Running a G3 at 500 it is a little slow for OSX, but at max memory, my PowerBook is fine. Better yet, remember Pismo was expandable with the bays...?

I've got everything and use, or have used them all: DVD for life, 250 Zip to simplify file transfer, an extra battery for those longish archive sessions, a SuperDisk for my work in Japan, a CD/RW when needed (My Cubes were the DVD models), and an extra 20 GB HD (the least useful of my purchases, since I things are so easy to transfer to other Macs). I have not really used the Infered transfer, though I did buy that little gimmick. I have an Adaptec card for accessing SCSI and it works great, though I've now moved beyond my older external SCSI drives. What I use all the time are USB and Firewire of course! What more is there to say? The TiBook had a great screen, but when it had only a DVD, why move. Now the combo is fun, but....

I was waiting for ADC, now they have it, so next week I will see if there are any moves on the PB front, if not, I'll stick with my Blackbird Pismo for at least one more iteration. <img src="graemlins/hmmm.gif" border="0" alt="[Hmmm]" />

cubit · July 13, 2002 11:44PM

[quote]Originally posted by pscates:

If I could get a G4 12" iBook (at 800MHz or higher and in the current white glossy styling), I'd get rid of this LCD iMac and get one.

I'm missing the portability thing (would LOVE to sit in bed or on the porch and surf/e-mail). And I LOVE the iBook, but I've come to appreciate a G4 (iTunes, Photoshop, OS X, etc.).

HOWEVER, I don't really like the TiBook, nor can I afford one.

I want iBook style/toughness and G4 power. Maybe someday.<hr></blockquote>

PSCATES really has it right. What I want now is a G4 portable; an iBook 12.1 form would be wonderful. If we need to go TiBook to get a G4 then it needs the ADC and improved screen it now has. But.... I am still hanging there on the edge. IF you don't have another machine or even another portable, then the TiBook is ideal if you can afford the tariff. I've waited more than a year now and finally got ADC and a speed bump, so I am still waiting another week a t least. I am still waiting for a "new" on the Apple Store.

kcmac · July 14, 2002 9:24AM

I'm also with pscates.

The 12" iBook is the perfect blend of portability and rugged design. It's size factor allows me to use it in the tightest of airline seating conditions and the screen is more crisp than than the 14" version.

I have dropped my iBook several times, twice on pavement. (I've got a bad briefcase bag design.If I don't zip up the sides all the way, bad news.) It's got a few battle scars but that's it. Don't think the Pismo could do this.

I think if you need a bigger screen it is because you don't use your laptop in very many places. In that case, get a less portable TiBook. Or a desktop. I am constantly on the go and the 12" was perfect for me when it came out and still is today. A G4 would be nice but an even faster g3 and bigger bus would be just fine with me.

junkyard dawg · July 14, 2002 9:27AM

I like the 14" iBook just fine.

Why do people hate it? It's nearly identical to the 12" iBook, but I don't hear anyone complaining about that.

I just wish the iBook had a G4, but someday...

Also, I agree that there should be one more Titanium model, with a very small screen for ultimate portability. However, the internals may not all fit inside a smaller case.

Still, if I had the money, I'd buy a Titanium for sure.

eman · July 14, 2002 9:35AM

[quote]Originally posted by Junkyard Dawg:

I like the 14" iBook just fine.

Why do people hate it? It's nearly identical to the 12" iBook, but I don't hear anyone complaining about that.

<hr></blockquote>

Sure, it looks almost like the 12" iBook, but the thing is that they must not have put too much though to it. There's too much empty space around they keyboard. It's the things like that that make it ugly compared to the 12".

[ 07-14-2002: Message edited by: EmAn ]

zo · July 14, 2002 6:17PM

i have a 14inch iBook and while its a fine computer, I would rather have a new 12incher seeing that I move around more than I thought I would have.

Other than the bigger size, the 14inch screen is great, the battery lasts me a whopping 5h20 minutes (listeneing to iTunes and typing all that time uninterruptedly), and the DVD/CDR works great.

Also gaming has been a better experience than I first thought it would be. Ive been playing RtCW, Q3, UT, WC3, etc without problems.

Still, if it werent for the size and my travelling needs, I would enjoy it even more.

ZO

PS as to the question of this thread, yeah I wouldnt mind having this 14incher a bit more curved and such.

allenchristopher · July 14, 2002 10:32PM

Some of us have hands that are rather too large for the 12.1" iBook. There isn't "too much space around the keyboard." What would you put there? It's palm rest space. You can't put buttons there because they'll be accidentally pressed. You can't put speakers there because they'll be muffled. You can't put a curve because you'll waste internal space as the old iBooks did, making the frame larger than the screen. You can't put a design because the current Macs are about zero decoration on functional surfaces.

I love my 14" iBook, and in my hands it feels like a small device, as distinct from a tiny device. It's pretty well balanced, though a little weighted towards the battery compartment.

It's also tough as all get-out.

brianmacos · July 14, 2002 10:48PM

[quote]Originally posted by kcmac:

I have dropped my iBook several times, twice on pavement. (I've got a bad briefcase bag design.If I don't zip up the sides all the way, bad news.) It's got a few battle scars but that's it. Don't think the Pismo could do this. <hr></blockquote>

If I ever drop my iBook I will CRY!!

-Is that a bad thing? <img src="confused.gif" border="0">

Which would you rather have: the White 14" iBook or "son of Pismo"?

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