Dell 700m or 12-inch Powerbook? - Page 2

They both have optical drives, the Powerbook comes with either a ComboDrive or SuperDrive.

To repeat I think it depends on which OS you prefer. I use both and I prefer OSX, but XP is also good. Also, there is just some software that is not available for the Mac. The only thing really wrong with the powerbook is the limited screen resolution compared to the 700M. Of course with the Dell coupons you could get a 700M and an iMac for the same price as a loaded 12" powerbook.

I like the 700m, the only two downsides I can see is that it's a little thick for a 12" notebook and the mouse buttons seemed loose on the one I used.

I actually had a 12" PowerBook which I sold to get my 700m. I used a Mac years ago and decided to give it another shot - when I first got the PB I LOVED it.. I was 'back on the bandwagon' and very pro-Mac.... But once i realized that it was just the newness, the uniqueness, and the idea of having something no one else (i knew) had and the novelty wore off I sort of decided I didn't have a use for it any longer.

There were 2 main factors in my decision to get rid of it; when I started seeing 12" widescreen notebooks hitting a decent price range and wanted something widescreen (yet still small and portable).

And for a while I was really frustrated because I couldnt get VirtualPC to work on my Mac with any sense of speed... I sorta took a step back and realized that if my biggest frustration with a Mac is that I couldn't use my Windows applications then maybe I didn't need a Mac anymore.

With all of that being said, if Mac made a 12" widescreen Powerbook and Microsoft made a decent upgrade to VirtualPC, I'd get a Mac again.. In the meantime I love my 700m, I love the price I paid and the way it looks/feels...

So really - I'm not helping your decision - just go with what the other people recommended.

Also - I think price is a big issue here. I got all my configurations for $1100 from Dell... Whereas the cheapest possible you can get a 12 Powerbook configured for is $1499. That would make a huge difference to me. I mean, I was looking for an ultra-portable with an optical drive that was affordable and I chose the 700m not only because it's a Dell, but because of the price.

Also I'm looking here: http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPL....1.1.1.0.0.1.0

And it says that it's 4.6 lbs. The Dell 700m is 4.5 lbs WITH the EXTENDED battery.

my friends got rid of their 12" PB for the 700m, too, now that we are done with school. The reason being that unless you are in the graphic design business, etc, most companies use PCs, and work is a calling. The 12" PB does not have backlit keys. i like apple's alloy casing. i dislike it's lcd lid desgn where the screen touches the keyboards. software compatibility is an issue (some programs for work do not work with apple OS). then you have to decide if you are a windows or apple OS fan

I'm surprised bluetooth is not an option with the 700m or am I missing it on Dells site?

no internal bluetooth for the 700m. sucks, but that's reality. your only option is pc card based or usb dongle. "the man" is stupid, because no one has made a combo wireless +bluetooth mini pci publically available. that would be great. there was one company who reported to having done it, but that was like over a year ago.

i use bluetooth pc card, b/c i hate the usb dongle since it sticks out and i'm too lazy to take it off on reinsert every time.

yah 700m doesn't have an internal bluetooth which sucks...

but the 700m is still a GREAT LAPTOP for the price!

I know a lot of Graphic Design/Web Design/Advertising/Magazine Companies that require MAC OS knowledge over PC knowledge. I would say it's about 50-50, only because companies that use PC for their artistic work, don't have any people who are advanced enough to realize the capability and power of a Mac. I used to work for a major retailer and went to work in their corporate offices editing their training videos and converted them all to Mac G5's. More Efficient.

^^isn't that what i said? the oeprative word in my statement being "unless"

but, it is all hype anyways since the applications are software base not the system itself. and having used both for such, i really don't see that having a mac has any benefits to a pc for this kind of application or vice versa. i think it's a urban legend that says that mac is better for graphics designing etc. i think graphic designers are geared more towards the mac, b/c the mac seems to be more a product of design than pc. after all, they are cooler looking compared to pc's out there. that doesn't make them better for graphic designing, though. all hype

I worked for a large advertising house and had to have good working knowledge of both macs and PCs. That said, it really a personal choice or one dictated by the working environment. Most of the people I worked with would never consider a PC.

Macs vs PCs

In general Macs have better construction quality and IMO. Apple has always been a hardware company. The body is constructed with polycarbonate and is pretty darn tough. Overall, I doubt any PC manufacturer can stand up to the quality and tolerances of an apple machine. Just compare the keyboards on the 700m and the PB and you will see a dramatic difference. The mac keys have no play. The 700m is good, but not great when it comes to this aspect.

Macs have a better, more stable and secure OS. The unix based OSX far less susceptable to crashing then XP, Win2000 or OS9. By using a unix based kernal, applications that crash has a much lower chance of causing the OS to go down. XP is better than Win2000 for a lot of failed app scenarios, but XP still gets befuddled a bit easier than OSX.

There are fewer viruses and spyware issues on the mac platform. There just aren't enough macs out there to attract many anarchist types, they can cause a hell of a lot more damage with PC-based viruses and get a lot more information with PC-based spyware; simply because the PCs outnumber the mac users 4-1. Macs win hands down in this reguard.

However, macs are less versatile because the majority of software is PC based. But if the PB runs all the programs (and games) that you are going to use, then it is a non-issue, otherwise the PCs take it.

I am not a big fan of apple notebook displays, in general, they are dim and leak light. For the money that an apple based machine commands, I would expect a much better display. I was lucky because my powerbook display was great, but my friends PB display was leaky and just got worse from the point forward.

Price. You get a lot more computer power for the same money in the PC world due to economies of scale.

I would get the mac if you want:

(1) the best construction quality,
(2) a more stable OS
(3) more data security

and are willing to:

(1) have fewer applications available
(2) have to deal with cross platform compatibility issues when interfacing with PCs - sometimes really simple files can get corrupted as it passes from platform to platform.
(3) Pay more money.

Buy the 700m if:
(1) You want the glossy high res display for movie playback
(2) Ease of compatibility and a huge variety of applications
(3) Pay less or same money for more overall computing power

and are willing to:
(1) sacrifice some OS stability
(2) sacrifice some data integrity due to viruses and spyware

This all has to do with the other platforms that your work requires you to interface with; most of the world is PC based.

If it were my choice, I would buy the 700m and let the company buy the mac.
YMMV.

Great explaination!!!

Brilliant explanation. From personal usage, I prefer Final Cut Pro over Premiere Pro 1.5. especially on a dual 2.5 G5 with 8GB of RAM

Only the 15" and 17" PB's have backlit keyboard

I use a USB - RS232 adapter to connect my 700m to my Magellan GPS

it's not all apples and roses for PB's though...i've seen plenty whobbly ones. and i will say the biggest design flaw was the lid construction

I agree. I like the polycarbonate ibooks, and the metal apple towers better. The metal PBs tends to bend and scratch if you are not careful.

Same goes for PDAs and cellphones, I don't buy the metallic finish ones.

You can't compare Apples to PC, it is a matter of choice, taste and what you want. For college I would not purchase the dell 700m, I would go with a Latitude 610. 14.1 its pleasant for the eye. Having said that this is a Dell forum. Go to Mac Forum and you will get millions of response againts a pc. I don't care if plays this or that for college, I care foremost quality, construction, and tech support. Now, dell may be pretty responsible and good with their tech support, and quality... now, construction and most of the time quality goes to MAC. And whatever you can do on a pc you can do in a mac, if there is the software for it. Other than that, for web design, graphics, and animation.... MacIntosh. Soooo, irregardless of the money, you get what you pay for in the end. We can applaud the Windows Os, and its application as well as the Mac camp. So... operative word is unless... like was said there. Personally, I own a dell 700m, I like it, but if I had the money, I would have gone for the ibook or pb, B