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Why or why not purchase a PowerBook?

post #1 of 46
2/14/05 at 1:43am
Thread Starter 
I recently got accepted to the college of my dreams (I'm 30 and going back to school) and convinced my wife that I need a laptop. Miracle of miracles, she agreed! I admittedly don't do any music or video editing but have owned an Apple in the past and always loved their design. I'm looking at a 15" PowerBook. Why should I buy one or why shouldn't I? My main concern is reliability and the ability to multi-task. I don't want to have to fiddle with it everyday to keep it running or keep it from not crashing. And I feel that good customer service is a must....

Thanks
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post #2 of 46
2/14/05 at 1:54am
Well, as for why, because you want it and can afford to buy one hopefully.

Why not? I don't know, based on your post it seems like a waste of power to me and you'll probably be better off with an iBook G4 which according to some reviews I've read on cNet has better battery life than the powerbook and is cheaper. The iBooks are just as reliable and backed by the same customer service.
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post #3 of 46
2/14/05 at 3:44am
What do you want to do with your laptop?

The 15 inch PowerBook is nice, and if you can afford it go for it, but as Youhou said, maybe an iBook would be a better match for you.

Congrats on getting into college, btw!
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post #4 of 46
2/14/05 at 3:53am
Depends on your needs. Do you need a super drive? Either rig is a winner.
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post #5 of 46
2/14/05 at 5:21am
Thread Starter 
Honestly, I'll have to admit that I don't really need the PowerBook. But...because I'll be using the computer for both school and entertainment (DVD's), I wanted the larger screen. I just didn't want to have to lug around the 17". And yes, I can afford it, I just wasn't sure if it was just overkill or totally over the top. Once I graduate, I may be doing some minor graphic design, but not anything that couldn't be accomplished on a PC based system. Also, you can't rule out the sleek factor of the aluminum case.
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post #6 of 46
2/14/05 at 8:22am
oh yeah, since u r a student again, use your student discount!
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post #7 of 46
2/14/05 at 6:22pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by JerBead
Honestly, I'll have to admit that I don't really need the PowerBook. But...because I'll be using the computer for both school and entertainment (DVD's), I wanted the larger screen. I just didn't want to have to lug around the 17". And yes, I can afford it, I just wasn't sure if it was just overkill or totally over the top. Once I graduate, I may be doing some minor graphic design, but not anything that couldn't be accomplished on a PC based system. Also, you can't rule out the sleek factor of the aluminum case.
If you can afford it and you want it, by all means go for the 15 inch PowerBook. The extra resolution is nice, and watching DVDs on a widescreen monitor is quite nice as well.

The next revision of the iBook and 12 inch PB should be widescreen.
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post #8 of 46
2/15/05 at 3:06pm
if you can afford it then powerbook is obviously the thing to get. im in the spot where i cant afford or neeed a powerbook, but the ibook is too femme so im choosing to go with nothing. i get it that apple is trying to make white their trademark, but why do the end users have to suffer just for them to have visual identity? ive been dying to get back into mac for several years now but im not going to spend powerbook prices when all i need is a low end that doesnt look like its a prop from iRobot.
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post #9 of 46
2/15/05 at 8:33pm
white is a terrible color for a laptop in the realworld, and that aging ATI 9200 chip are major turn-offs for the iBook. As far as the powerbook goes, asside from the 1 button touchpad, the fact that they use the same keyboard for the 12" powerbooks as they do fo the 17" sickens me. you have all that extra space all the way around in the 17" model, useless wasted space, while your hands have to suffer on that midget of a keyboard. Maybe it is because i am too used to the spacious keyboard of my 15" uniwill....but the 12" powerbook keyboard sucks 4ss
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post #10 of 46
2/15/05 at 8:48pm
Why is "white is a terrible color for a laptop in the realworld"?

I happen to like the look. It's just a matter of one's personal preference.
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post #11 of 46
2/15/05 at 10:28pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by abf
white is a terrible color for a laptop in the realworld, and that aging ATI 9200 chip are major turn-offs for the iBook.
That doesnt make sense. Sure the 9200 is an aging chip, but it still is tons better than the intel extreme chips that they use in 80% of the laptops out there.

Quote:
As far as the powerbook goes, asside from the 1 button touchpad, the fact that they use the same keyboard for the 12" powerbooks as they do fo the 17" sickens me. you have all that extra space all the way around in the 17" model, useless wasted space, while your hands have to suffer on that midget of a keyboard. Maybe it is because i am too used to the spacious keyboard of my 15" uniwill....but the 12" powerbook keyboard sucks 4ss
"while your hands have to suffer on that midget of a keyboard". huh? why on earth are you assuming keyboard size should be scaled along with screen size. you may not realize this but owners of 30" LCD's dont ask for larger keyboards to match their huge monitor. all the powerbook keyboards are standard size and thats the way most people (even in the pc world) like it.


i havent taken note of your post history, but it feels like youre grasping for ways to put down the mac for some reason.
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post #12 of 46
2/15/05 at 10:40pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by kwick7
Why is "white is a terrible color for a laptop in the realworld"?

I hopen to like the look. It's just a matter of one's personal preference.
1) its pretty flashy. some people may be attention whores and want to be noticed 24x7. but most people want to blend in when trying to check their email at the airport

2) white gets dirty without any effort.

3) theres an article i just read about how people are getting targeted by their white headphones. they see the blindingly white headphones and they know that guy has an ipod just waiting to be stolen. with high-tech devices then its not smart to scream out "look at me! im carrying something expensive!"

4) it looks more like a toy than a business tool. as great as the ibook is, theres something about it that takes away from the corporate/professional look.


i agree its preference. and thats the point. if someone wants a cheap notebook running osx then they have no choice but to get white. id kill for a $1000 black ibook, but until apple stops making its customers be human billboards then white is here to stay and im stuck on a compaq.
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post #13 of 46
2/15/05 at 11:20pm
Heh i spelled happen as "hopen." Nice!

I am not sure if I like the powerbook "color" more than the white ibook, I really don't know. I'm not saying I am all about white laptops, I just happen to like them. I think they are nice.
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post #14 of 46
2/15/05 at 11:22pm
i am not saying that 32" owners must have HUGE keyboards, i am simply saying that i can understand the standard (small) keyboard on the 12" due to less space, but now that on the 15 and 17" you have the extra space, why not make use of it and make the keyboard more USABLE! Not to mention it is an effective way to lose all the dead space all the way around. And as a compaq owner, have you noticed that HP mounts a num_pad on their 17" models? Ever wonder why?

I am not trying to derail apple...i am just saying that for the laptop with that much usable space, it is poorly utilized with that TINY keyboard.
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post #15 of 46
2/15/05 at 11:30pm
the keyboard is FULLSIZE. read next time, it was said just a few posts up.

and yes, apple could have added a numpad which i agree would have been nicer, but instead they stuck speakers there. the 17" has really nice speakers for a laptop (i've heard it at the apple store) because all the extra space on it is utilized for them.
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post #16 of 46
2/15/05 at 11:51pm
My girlfriend is getting a mac for college too, and I did a lot of checking up. The ibook is great for the student (Portable, Reliable, Visually appealing [in my opinion], and for it's purpose powerful). If you want a computer that is easy to carry and suits your needs for school, get the ibook. The powerbook is way more powerful, but somewhat less portable (For student needs) and unless you are doing hardcore gaming, photo editing, or software rendering, I don't think the powerbook is really all that necessary. The powerbook may be overkill for what you are looking for. There is a negligable difference in dvd playback between the powerbook and ibook.
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post #17 of 46
2/16/05 at 1:29am
it doesn't seem that the keyboardis "fullsize". my school uses macs, and many of my teachers have powerbooks (all across the line from 12" right though to top of the line 17" models) and i have tried them all. the keyboard feels rediculous after using a normal laptop keyboard that uses MAXIMUM space on the chasis allowing the buttons to be bigger than cell phone button-sized buttons found on the powerbook.
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post #18 of 46
2/16/05 at 2:31am
Quote:
Originally Posted by abf
i am not saying that 32" owners must have HUGE keyboards, i am simply saying that i can understand the standard (small) keyboard on the 12" due to less space
again. the 12" powerbook keyboard is FULLSIZE. that means its the same size as a pc notebook and a pc desktop. the only keyboard apple currently has out that is less than fullsize is the 12" ibook but even that is pretty comfortable since i think its 95%.

Quote:
but now that on the 15 and 17" you have the extra space, why not make use of it and make the keyboard more USABLE! Not to mention it is an effective way to lose all the dead space all the way around. And as a compaq owner, have you noticed that HP mounts a num_pad on their 17" models? Ever wonder why?
but do they put a num_pad on ALL their 17" notebooks? nope. toshiba, sony and hp all have some models with num and some without. personally, i think any 17" notebook should have it but if it will cost me $200 more then id prefer they leave it off.

as for the "dead space" around the 17" powerbook. yes, i think its ugly and it looks like you could play ping pong on the extra space they gave. but just because it doesnt have buttons or funky lighting gizmos on it doesnt mean it isnt being used. those are speakers under there so while a num_pad would be nice, better sound is probably more appreciated.

Quote:
I am not trying to derail apple...i am just saying that for the laptop with that much usable space, it is poorly utilized with that TINY keyboard.
youre not trying to derail apple. youre just allowing personal bias create fictitious arguments as to why apple isnt as great as people hype it up to be. apple has its own legitimate problems so you dont have to make up things in order to get people to realize that.
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post #19 of 46
2/16/05 at 6:01am
abf, even the 12" ibook has got a pretty spacious KB compared to most small laptops. w/ the rest of the books having full sized KBs it's even better. put down the crackpipe and back away from it my friend, u can do it, just put it down. ;P

btw, full size means the size of the keys, not necessarily that they are crammed together (like 99% of all laptops) unlike desktop KBs. duh, obviously laptops that do not use a layout w/ gaps and spacers between the arrows, f keys, etc, are not "full size" compared to desktop KBs.

i do agree however that on the 17" PB in particular there could easily be a keypad in there for all those business ppl to get their business done.

abf, maybe u could go and picket your local apple store outside and try and show ppl the error of their ways. lol if it's part of a strip mall in a large urban area it's not uncommon to have lines going out the door for ppl waiting to get in at various times of day. u'd have ample time to piss ppl off as they wait. maybe u could bring your linux lappy and show all the ppl looking for a mini or an ibook how easier their life would be if they just learned how to use linux and command lines. lmao

i have to stop, i think my side is cramping up
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post #20 of 46
2/16/05 at 1:10pm
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