PowerBook dilemma
Tuesday, January 25th, 2005
I have an interesting situation and since I’m writing a lot today and was just talking to a friend about it on the phone, I figure I’ll let it out and see if I can get a few comments.
Background
I currently have a 3 year old, 800mhz TiBook (titanium PowerBook) that has served me well, still serves me well but is long in the tooth and needs replacing.
I do not run photoshop nor do I do much high end DTP. I do run Garageband which heats my machine up to red hot. So does prolonged use of iSight. So, given what I do and where Mac stuff is going, I need a processor upgrade for sure.
Our house is wireless and I like being able to move around the house with this machine, although, truth be told, I tend to sit right here in my office with it. Yes, on very cold mornings I unplug and use it down by the woodstove but that’s rare.
I was in an Apple Retail Store the other day and checked out the 20″ flat screen connected to a PowerBook. I loved it and might consider getting one or a bigger screen somehow as it allowed me to see more of a page and more stuff.
Foreground
A friend just sent me the Apple employee price list and all the PowerBooks are on it at prices approximately $600 lower than current retail. This is a good indication that Mr. Think Secret is right and there are new PowerBooks coming out soon. I tend to think these will be a speed bump of current models, not the rumored G5s. But, even if they were G5s I doubt I’d want to be an early adopter of one of those.
Choices
1. Replace this machine from its equivalent on the employee price list, saving about $600 if the price of the new 15″ remains about the same.
2. Replace this machine with whatever latest, greatest 15″ model is the new one.
3. Replace this machine with a 12″ PowerBook and a 20″ screen.
4. If #2 is at all appealing, why not make that 20″ screen a 17″ G5 iMac and replace this machine with a 17″ G5 iMac and a 12″ PowerBook.
#4 gives me a G5 processor right away and a 12″ machine right away.
The reason I’d even consider #3 is the great application, SuperDuper!which allows me to do incremental backups easily. I could easily keep two machines in sync with this app. Before it, no way I’d want two machines.
Then again, I like having a single machine as my only machine. But, that means either current G4 on Apple list, or new higher speed one with or without an external monitor.
I’m not into the Mac mini so that’s out. If it has a G5 in it I’d be totally into it but it’s the same processor as any new PowerBook so why not get the PowerBook, or, for that matter, why not get an IMac which gives you a screen and a G5?
I can sort of tell how this story ends: 15″ PowerBook, either on price list or off, but every time I consider this stuff I go wild with ideas of other setups. Argh!
Richard - my first reaction was #3, which is replace your current machine with a 12″ PowerBook and a 20″ screen. I’ve used the configuration before (altho mine is a 17″ screen) and really like the bigger screen, plus just plugging my 12″ PB in gives me immediate access to what’s in my PB.
However, as you’re used to a 15″ screen, you might find the 12″ a tad too small for your liking. I actually saw a picture of your 15″ screen (the one with your cat resting on the keyboard) and like what I saw - being able to have a few apps open on the “desktop” (I think there was a word processor and a couple of sticky notes) which I don’t think a 12″ screen will allow.
Having said the above, if you stay with a 15″ screen, then it’s no point getting a 20″ external screen since the difference is only 5 inches.
So, what do I think you should get? Maybe #2, which is replace your current machine with whatever latest, greatest 15″ model is the new one.
Richard,
I think you’d do fine with option #3. The 20″ would be great for viewing photographs and be easier on your eyes for all the writing you do. And the 12″ PowerBook is light and great for travel, which you do a fair amount of. It’s a great combination that makes the 12″ work well at home, and on the road.
Choices, choices! Good Luck,
What about a G5 iMac and a 12″? Gives me a G5 in a much less expansive enclosure and portability with the small “compagnion” computer. As I drift off that sounds like a nice solution… In the morning it will be something else.
Richard - After that good night’s sleep, how about adding a Canon 20D digital camera to the mix? Ha.
What about a G5 iMac and a Dana? :)
I will give you my personal take on this later (need to wrap up some urgent work first), but keep in mind that the difference between 12″ and 15″ PB is about more than just screen. The computer inside is quite different. The 12″ has a less powerful graphics chip with less memory, does not have 1000 BASE/T ethernet, cannot have more than 1.25 GB of RAM, no FireWire 800, no PC Card slot, and there may be other internal differences. whether any of these things are an issue is another story, but I did want to point out that the choice is about more than just screen size. BTW, with Tiger, graphic cards and their RAM size are going to make much more of difference also for non-gamers than they do today, because Tiger will move a lot of graphic processing to the graphic card to get huge speed boosts (for those cards that are capable) in all aspects of imaging on the screen (windows, photo-editing, anything).
Here are some comparisons between 12 and 15″ PBs you might want to read:
davidn.
Looks like the url’s were dropped, lets try again:
http://www.sportsshooter.com/news/1183
MacReviewzone
Good points David although if I had a G5 iMac on my desk, the need to replicate all the high end stuff in the 12″ PowerBook would be less as it would not be my primary machine.
What I would miss most, given that I do a lot of photography and fast movement of images from CF card to computer is the PCM slot and the inexpensive reader I have. However, I’m pretty sure that even FireWire 400 is faster than PCM for transferring info so I might be willing to give up some “portability” and carry around a small firewire card reader (I have an older one, and it does work).
The question is, what might the differences be between a G5 iMac and a high end, 15″ PowerBook in terms of processor, bus speed, graphics chipset, etc.?
One thing Steve S. mentioned is that having portables means you’re supporting a lot of battery conservation firmware and a layer of software that can be a pain when all you want to do is compute on your desk, plugged in. One of the “events” that’s prompting this move (besides the Apple employee price list coming out) is the fact that both of my batteries, the one that came with this TiBook and the second one I bought a year later, are dead and do not hold charges for long. If my wife inherits this computer in the family trickle down that will be an issue as she likes to use her iBook unteathered. Might be better off buying her a 12″ PowerBook on the price list…
I need a Cray to crunch this stuff… Thanks all, great feedback.
If I somehow didn’t have the impression that you are a PB 1-compupter guy, I would suggest you consider the following option too: Get a 20″ G5 iMac now (I think the 20″ screen is worth the extra price if you work with photos and do web development) and get a 12″ or 15″ PB later this year with a good chance of it being a G5. Does not solve your battery problem now, but would give you the best of everything.
On differences between 17″ PB and iMac G5 look at: http://www.barefeats.com/imacg5.html
Note that the difference between iMac G5 with the 12″ PB will be more noticable. also, don’t forget to read the conclusions at the bottom of the article.
My personal recommendation to follow later today (tonight)…
Interesting. Not sure I’d ever treat a G5 iMac as carry on luggage for travel but I agree it’s a great value and a nice looking machine.
The pros: G5, value, design, great price
The cons: portability, keyboard (I like the flat PB or iBook keypads)
And, in our home scheme it will not trickle as my wife is a portable computer junkie just like me and uses her computer all over the house, even more than me. Not a deal breaker but it is part of our model (trickle down).
I just “built” a 20″ iMac at Apple’s site, more RAM, etc. plus applecare:
• 1GB DDR400 SDRAM - 2 DIMMs
• 160GB Serial ATA drive
• AirPort Extreme Card
• Bluetooth Module
• Keyboard and Mouse + Mac OS X - U.S. English
• APP for iMac/eMac - Enrollment Kit
• 20-inch widescreen LCD
• 1.8GHz PowerPC G5
• SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW)
• NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra w/64MB video memory
Subtotal $2,422.00
Same price as a new 15″ PB (minue applecare which is more in a PB)
Now I’ll do 17″ just for the heck of it, same options…
• 1GB DDR400 SDRAM - 2 DIMMs
• 160GB Serial ATA drive
• AirPort Extreme Card
• Bluetooth Module
• Keyboard and Mouse + Mac OS X - U.S. English
• APP for iMac/eMac - Enrollment Kit
• 17-inch widescreen LCD
• 1.8GHz PowerPC G5
• SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW)
• NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra w/64MB video memory
Subtotal $2,122.00
So, the extra screen size costs $300. Hmmmm.
Ok, getting back to you on the PB decision. More and more I get the impression that the iMac G5 is not the way to go for you. Performance wise it is not so earth shaking that you could not use just a PB. The area where desktop computer perform best is on HD size and HD speed and on price. But price aside, Apple’s PBs are not that bad, especially not if you get the 80 GB HD and maybe also use an external FW (800?) drive.
I have used a PB 12″ for 1.5 years now and love the computer because it is light and small, great for travelling. However, it’s screen size is limiting with many of today’s apps. For writing and emailing it is perfect, for presenting too. But, when working with multiple documents at the same time in Word (or using Excel plus Word at the same time) or designing a Keynote presentation the screen size is really limiting. You cannot really put anything side-by-side or have multiple palettes open. Before you know it you are juggling between apps and windows all the time. For web development (which you do quite a lot) I would also consider it non-ideal. At home you can hook up an external screen, but that does not help you if you want to do multi-window or multi-document work while you are on the road. It also does not help you if you like to work anywhere in the house, which you clearly do. So I think that in your case a 15″ might be the best choice. My guess is there may be a 15″ G5 PB announced at WWDC this year, but wheather you can wait until a September shipping to get a new PB I cannot tell. Waiting a few more days to get either the current model cheaper or order the new speed-bumped model expected soon now may be worthwhile.
As to getting an extra screen, I think that that is a very good idea. I know several people using the 20″ plus a 15″ PB. The extra 5″ may seem small, but in terms of pixels it is a huge difference. Also, I think you should not exclude the option of using both the PB screen and the external one at the same time. When you are doing web development work, writing or photo-editing having two monitors is great and saves a lot of fiddling with windows. In other words, more pleasant and more efficient. You need to get used to a dual monitor setup, but I think you will like it as long as you focus on one of the monitors and use the other one for palettes and other stuff you need to have around to work efficiently. Obviously, you can get the extra monitor at any time, like when there are further price cuts (don’t epxect them soon as there ere just price cuts).
Give your interest in using a PC Card the 15″ would be a better choice than the 12″. It is also a better choice if you want to have access to a fast HD because it can handle FW 800.
All in all, I think you should shoot for the 15″. And if you are still eyeing the iMac G5, get it with a 12″ iBook, will save you a lot of money and in many respects the 12″ iBook is almost as good as the 12″ PB. Maoin drawback is that it only-mirrors video on a second monitor.
Hope this helps,
davidn.
One additional note, I use my 12″ on the road, not at my desk, there I used a G4 DP and now a G5 DP.
And the winner is?
At the moment, the winner is a 15″ PowerBook to simply replace what I have. How I buy it: current model on the Apple employee price list or whatever is coming out next is the next decision.
I’m swayed both ways:
1. Go with the price list to save some money and use that money to get a nice 20″ flat screen.
2. Go with the newer, undoubtedly faster one as it will do more of what I’m buying the new computer for: faster processing of apps like GarageBand.
There is an option 3 which is to go with a new one AND get the screen. The problem with that one is that i may lose my wife in the process.
Hmmm, let’s see…
Allow your wife to hook up to that screen too, every once in a while ;-) Might safe your marriage :-)
Option 3 sounds ideal. But don’t tell your wife I said that.
After sleeping on it I’m pretty sure it’s a new 15″ PowerBook, either on the Apple price list or from Apple (new model). The price list extends past what will surely be the release date so let’s see what the new models bring besides faster G4s and HDs and go from there. If the speed bump isn’t quite worth it then it’s the price list and maybe the big screen. If it is, then just the PB and the screen if I ever sell any Apple stock.
All of this can change at any moment… of course. Keep those new options coming in. Except of course, a Dell running XP. Ugh.
A Vaio then perhaps ;-)
As I mentioned earlier, aside from speed and HD, keep an eye on the video card of a new PB, if it has more memory or better chip this will make an important difference in Tiger.
The rumor sites are all pumped up today about the new PowerBooks being G5s. Oh boy, glad I waited. Or, whatever, we’ll soon see.
On the other hand, version1.0 of a new computer can be troublesome… and expensive. Argh!
not all 1.0’s area problem. i have had them a few times without issues. Also, AppleCare is your friend and, just don’t buy it the same day it is released, wait a few weeks to see if serious issues are reported. In most cases the issues come up pretty quickly.
David: of course. I always buy AppleCare and yes, that helps. And, undoubtedly I’ll have this older PowerBook around for the break-in/breakdown period if there is one so I can go back to it if need be.
Okay, you’ve given me confidence: Bring on the G5 PowerBook!
Well, now’s the time for all good PowerBook users…
http://www.apple.com/powerbook/index15.html
I will probably order a 15″ model, loaded, later today. YES! I like it: a bit faster and a price drop. Way to go.