scoob_dood

Not knowing much about Macs, and trying to make sure that my girlfriend makes the right decision over her new purchase I am looking for some advice!

The iBook 12" G4 800MHz
12-inch TFT Display
800MHz PowerPC G4
256K L2 cache (at 800MHz)
256MB DDR266 memory
30GB Ultra ATA drive
DVD/CD-RW drive

PowerBook 12" G4 1GHz
12.1-inch TFT Display
1GHz PowerPC G4
256MB DDR266 SDRAM
40GB Ultra ATA/100
DVD/CD-RW Drive
AirPort Extreme Ready

Is there really much between them, and is it worth the extra £400+ ?

- Jon

GaryK

Jon,

Well being a Mac newbie I looked into it and bought a G4 867Mhz 12" powerbook. If I remember correctly the L2 cache on an ibook is half that of a powerbook, an Ibook doesnt havent bluetooth and as you mentioned an ibook isnt airport ready, these arent big things and not sure they will make a huge difference to you.

What you may not know is apple sell refub stock every wednesday upto 45% off list, (link from the main shop site) so you could get a 867mhz with 35% off and I think I was quoted £844 inc vat and delivery, you have to be in there quick though! These are just returned machines with probably a scratch or two but still have full 12 month apple warranty.

One other thing having used pre-DOS/DOS/WinXXXX machines for 20 years the Mac rocks, totally different mindset needed but cool anyway!

Gary

scoob_dood

Cheers for that - I would still question the extra £400+ but will look at the refurb option!

I am totally neutral to the whole Mac thing, I would always want to have a PC, but would love to know more about the Macs, so now I get to play

Jon

AllanB

PowerBook is aimed more at the proffesisonal user with more enhancements for performance and functionality. Some of which you may find irrelevant.

What are you going to be using it for ? If its failry basic stuff go with the iBook and if its heavier stuff that required better graphics and performance go with the PowerBook.

I'd personally never buy from Apple directly as I have heard many a story of shockingly bad service and items in stock taking weeks to turn up.


AllanB

scoob_dood

It's for my girlfriend, and she is going to be mainly doing journo stuff, bit of word processing and DTP not much more. She was mainly after a compact solution with decent specs.

Jon

C4RtM4N

Now then you lucky people!!

The question you asked is dependant on what you are going to do with your computer.

If you need the machine for video work, using software like Final Cut Pro and DVD Studio Pro you will need to go for the powerbook as it comes with a G4 Processor. The Powerbook will be slightly faster in areas such as this, but you lose battery life and the aluminium models get very hot.

The iBook is great for general use, such as web surfing, video editing using Final Cut Express or iMovie and image manipulation. The machine will not run as quick as the nearest G4 PowerBook, however the unit will not get as hot and its battery life is superior to that of the PowerBook.

Now this is the best part. PC World have some stocks of the old G3 iBooks left. The 900MHz iBook, with 128MB RAM, 40GB HDD and DVD/CD-RW Combo drive can be bought for less than £700. The 867 G4 PowerBook has been discontinued, although some PC World stores have them in for just under £1000.

For the money, I would go for the iBook as it is cheaper, but then I have 2 desktop macs to do all the heavy stuff with. Great price for the 900 iBook.

C4RtM4N

Just noticed, someone mentioned that the iBook isnt airport ready.

This is incorrect as the iBook is airport capable, but only compatible with standard airport (WiFi 802.11b) cards.

The PowerBook is compatible with Airport Extreme (WiFi 802.11g)

class_A

G4 iBooks accept AirPort Extreme (802.11b/g) cards which aren't too hard to install. They can also have internal Bluetooth but you must order a Configure To Order machine from Apple or an Apple Authorised Reseller for the internal BT option.

http://www.apple.com/uk/ibook/specs.html

Major differences between G4 iBook and 12" AlBook:
- 256kb vs. 512kb L2 cache
- ATI vs. nVidia graphics (most rate the iBook's ATI card as better than the PB)
- video mirroring only vs. desktop spanning and mirroring
- VGA out vs. VGA/DVI (DVI needed for Apple Studio Displays, preferred for LCD's in general)
- no SuperDrive option on iBook
- Polycarbonate vs. Aluminium case (many say iBook feels cooler and doesn't damage as easily)

Unless you need a SuperDrive on the go, or are looking for more of a desktop replacement machine, personally I would save my money and go for the iBook. You can always spend the extra cash on an iSight, iPod or more RAM

I'm sure AllanB would be able to fix you up if you contact him.

[Edited by class_A - 1/1/2004 6:25:40 PM]

scoob_dood

Thanks again, more Mac heads than expected!

How easy is it to integrate these Macs with an existing PC network setup?

I think she is settled on an iBook, the main factor being cost and I don't believe she would get the most out of the differences the PowerBook offers.

Will look up AllanB now also

Jon

AllanB

Drop me a mail at work tomorrow at allan.bayman@eu.mwhse.com , I work for MacWarehouse.

Oh and wait a few days if you can as there is a keynote speech by Steve Jobs on 6/1/2004 and there may be some new announcements.


AllanB

class_A

Windows network integration is easy. Open System Preferences, click Sharing, click Windows File Sharing. The Mac appears in the Network Neighborhood/My Network Places just like another PC would.

To connect to Windows shares, press Apple-K from the desktop (Finder) and then click Browse.

scoob_dood

Cheers.

Jon