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powerbook versus ibook

2K views 15 replies 7 participants last post by  Ohenri 
#1 ·
Just reading the barefeats test page http://www.barefeats.com/ibG4.html#anal

It seems very interesting that the 14" 1 gHz G4 ibook actually beats the 12" 1 gHz powerbook in many tests.....what the hell is going on here?? Shouldn't the extra 256 cache on the 12" powerbook make it beat the 14" ibook? This is making me think that a G4 ibook is a better deal....any insight here??
 
#2 ·
I don't know about that but we have a 12"pb 1 ghz and a 12" 900 mhz ibook and for most things there is very little noticable difference in opertation. Surfing, programming, chatting, most graphic needs( not heavy rendering ), the iBook spans monitors. I'm kinda wondering now why I bought the powerbook... but it is sweet. ;)
 
#4 ·
TCB, the main drawback of the 14" iBook that I bought is the fact that there is no iDVD, which is one of the iLife apps I want to utilize. However, since I also wanted iMovie and iPhoto, and my son wanted iTunes, I set aside the idea of a PowerMac/PowerBook until another one to two years. This way, I am able to learn iMovie,OS X, et al, and when the time comes, be a more knowledgeable Mac consumer. Also, the money saved with the iBook over a more powerful Mac computer shall go to a quality digital camera. Thus, from my perspective, the iBook was a winning combination. Still, think about your own situation and consider this situation now and two to three years from now. This is what I was advised to do by many of the MacMavens here in ehMacLand.
 
#5 ·
idvd isn't a concern...I have that app on my G5. I just want the "best bang for my buck" it seems the ibook is this. Barefeats.com has the 14" 1 gHz G4 ibook beating the 12" 1 gHz powerbook on many tests. How?? I have no idea.
 
#6 ·
TCB, I have only seen a 12" PB in action twice. While they are outstanding laptops, the screen is too small for my vision. Still, I think that you should consider what you want this laptop to do for you, and let that guide your decision. I considered Bare Facts tests for making my G5 PowerMac decision, but realized that they were talking a matter of seconds when they said one computer was 50% faster than another computer. I am not in need of power, at least not now. This is why the iBook is ideal for me to learn on and then, at some point, turn it over to my son.
 
#7 ·
2-3 years :eek:
You'll be wearing your Mac behind your ear and working on 30" OLED screens.

It is foolish to even try to look out that far. Buy what you need NOW.....as I think I've been harping at you for a while. :D

There is very little performance difference fro the 700 iBook right through the 1 ghz Powerbook and Panther flattens the differences even more.

Buy for value and reliability.

Remember buying a mid iBook AND a mid tower can cost about the same as a middle Powerbook.
Until the G5 Powerbooks arrive there is a value problem and when they do arrive the G4 versions will nosedive in value.
It's good to analyse your needs carefully right now.
I've had several clients who were waiting for Powerbooks take the 14" 900 iBooks home and fall in love.
There is very little downside to those over the next year while you can bet a G4 Powerbook will be cut in half.

:cool:
 
#8 ·
Macdoc, the 2-3 year timeframe was the advice you gave me when I was considering the G3iBook, the iMac, the 17"/15" PowerBook and the G5 PowerMac. I thought that it made sense then, and I still do, even moreso now that I have the 14" iBook. Still, it is all personal and this is a relative factor that should only be decided upon after reflection.

I guess it could be said that I "reflected" upon this decision from July, 2001 until Halloween, 2003 (when I ordered the iBook), but this is part of my "uniqueness" (as my wife is fond of telling me). Of couse, I know where her doxies sleep, so she has to be nice to me some of the time. :D
 
#9 ·
You may have misunderstood the advice a bit - it had only to do with what you might be doing with the Mac not the specific model as open architecture whichh we were discussing at the time allows that time frame to come into play in upgrading whereas AIO either portable or iMac restricts that "growth".
NOT restricting your growth in use is an important consideration as is preserving your hard earned money.
Buying behind the market OR buying open architecture allows a cost effective progression over time.
Buying front edge but closed architecture =
and frustration down the road and that road can be very short at times.

The 14" iBook is a terrifically useful tool. Personally the G3 vrsion would have been fine but you get breaks anyway and for authoring DVDs an external unit is much faster anyway.
 
#10 ·
Macdoc, mea culpa. Personally, I shall set aside the iDVD application until I go with some sort of Mac desktop. I envision giving my son my Dell 8300 and replacing it with an iMac or PowerMac with iDVD and SuperDrive. I learn on the iBook and grow into the next Mac. I never thought that I would hear myself say "on my NEXT Mac", at least not on this forum. Such is Life.
 
#12 ·
Sinc, someone bet me that they could read through the entire Shangri-la Club House in one day, and if they did, I had to buy a Mac. This was when we were nearing 100 pages. I declined the bet, but the person went right on and started at P1/Post 1. He emailed me when he reached page 77, releasing me from his bet which I never accepted. He has not been heard from since in our fine community.

Thus, you may wait on my second Mac purchase, but it shall be at least until this summer, if not next summer, before such a decision is made. Still, if a new iMac Cube (which I thought was the most unique computer made) comes about, who knows????????????

Bon soir, mon ami. It is late and these tired eyes of mine are slowly closing. Still, it was "a hell of a day" learning how to utilize the iBook and all of Panther's surprises.
 
#15 ·
RRRRRRRRRRR......


As I recall, I already pointed out in another thread that Apple was FOOLISH to release an iBook that was comparable to Powerbook performance.

Not only has it sunsetted a very cable machine (the iBook G3 series) it screwed up the channel for an existing line of Powerbooks (the 12"). But I will not rant about this further since my views on the subject are well known.

Bad Apple... Bad Apple...
 
#16 ·
:rolleyes:

Apple has really done it. trying to make a decision re: a new lap is about as clear as reading hieroglyphic writing.

Thanks for the link TCB. I'm trying to make my decision soon, but man... this is something else... why did I not want the iBook G4 again?? It's getting all blurred again... I can afford both (12" PB and new 12" iBook), but am trying to recall why I need to pay $800 morte for the PB again...

H!
 
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