iBook v PowerBook

[AikiDale]

Why is a comparably configured powerbook $700 to $800 more than an iBook?

Everything I've used for the last 20 years is a PC (except for the Vic 20) and if I am going to buy a new toy I thought I'd go with a Mac notebook. However, I know nothing about them. It will be used for wordprocessing, Web designing and DVD movie making.

[sargenv]

Well, I just asked my Guru Friend and he says that the Power book is actually much more powerful (bus speeds are higher, nicer keyboard, Aluminum case as opposed to a plastic case, etc). He said the difference in keyboards was substantial, also the Video card in the Powerbook has about twice video ram, which would be better for the DVD movie making. Apparently the Powerbook is just a better, more well built machine overall, hence the price difference (VW beetle to a Porsche 911).

Vince

[George]

The PowerBook is a higher end machine and will start in the low twenty’s for one with any oomph and go up to $3k for a fully loaded machine. You can get a fully loaded iBook for $1799 and a stripped down one for $1099.

The iBook lacks a couple things compared to the PowerBook. Metal vs. plastic case. Lower quality LCD display with lower res (1024 x 768 display vs. 1440 x 992 max). No PCMCIA card support. No direct DVI display out (big point for display on large screen projectors). No dual monitor capability. Lower graphics performance, ATI Mobility Radeon 9200 with 32MB DDR vs. ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 with 64MB DDR. Slower hard drive, 4200 rpm hard drive versus 5400 rpm (5400 is upgrade option on PowerBook). Max HD size = 60GB vs. 80GB.

That about covers it. Here is an example:

I have a PowerBook and it is over 4 years old and still in great shape, bright display, original hard drive, all keys on keyboard work perfect even though the letters are worn off them (I type a lot). The metal case has plenty of scratches, dings and dents, but still is in perfect shape.

My wife got her first iBook (original clamshell type) about two months after I got my present PowerBook and it was retired after three years because it had a very dim display that couldn’t be read in daylight anymore and had big purity problems (even output across display). The case was spiderwebbed with little stress and heat cracks (these little boogers run hot). The USB and Ethernet jacks were wobbling in their sockets. Her new white iBook spit its first hard drive after 10 months and even though Apple replaced it fast and free, my wife incurred some data loss due to her Hard Drive Clone Copy being over a month old (my fault and she is still letting me know it ).

For casual work and the expectation of a 3-4 year lifespan before it starts going down hill (it is not easy to replace parts in iBooks like it is in PowerBooks) then get the iBook. If you are a road warrior and want to beat it around a bit more than the usual user, get the PowerBook.

As to which of the various configurations to get, I would be hard pressed to give an exact recommendation without a discussion of workflow and goals for future progression.

I do recommend buying direct from Apple on their webstore. Their prices are within a dollar or two of the discounters and delivery is fast. It is always a good idea to get the AppleCare extended coverage when you buy a portable. It is a great repair and coverage program. If you just get the base RAM they offer you can save about 50% from MemoryX and other reputable online RAM sellers.

BTW, either one will edit video and do fast Photoshop work nowadays because all the recent iBooks now have G4 processors in them and the speed disparity is not very great anymore. The PowerBook is just plain more rugged in the end and has more display real estate in the larger models.

I hope this helps.

--

Regards,

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Vince was posting as I was still typing and I swear I did not copy what he said

Edited August 14, 2004 by George

[AikiDale]

Thanks guys, I was hoping it was a quality v marketing difference. I think I'll go with the Power Book.

[BigDave]

I second the George's note with buying straight from the source. My wife and I made the switch from Windows to Mac 9 months ago and could not be happier. We have a iBook G4 900mhz that sits directly beside my work computer (IBM X30, 1.2 Ghz, 504 MB RAM, Windows XP Pro) and, if given the choice, I'd pick the iBook every time now.

Stability is a wonderful thing.

[Nik Habicht]

Dale,

From all I'm hearing from other photographers Powerbook is the way to go. There are a lot of stories on photojournalism boards, including a fair number from reliable folks, that they've had serious issues with their iBooks......

FWIW....

[DJPoLo]

Here's my story:

In Jan. 2004 I had to take an extended trip to Boise for work so we purchased a G3 800MHz 12" iBook, maxed it out with 640 MB RAM and loaded it up with everything I needed for work (Photoshop, Quark Xpress, Illustrator, Freehand, Pagemaker, InDesign, Suitcase and virtual PC loaded with all those same programs in Windows versions). This way I could deal with anything that the gurus at work couldn't handle on their own. This worked great, was light in weight and the only downside was the small screen, but I'm a professional, I can deal with that.

Then I decided to learn video editing as a hobby. This is where things changed. Now I needed a DVD burner, and got a FireWire external. Fire up iMovie and do two projects. Wow. A bigger screen and more computing power would sure make this easier, especially since I'm new to this. And, it turns out, iDVD is only compatibale with the Apple Super Drive (CD-RW/DVD-R) which I don't have on the iBook, so I had to get Toast for DVD stuff.

So I put the money down on a 17" 1.33 GHz PowerBook G4 and add a Gig of RAM. It's a huge screen (for a laptop) and now video editing and DVD authoring is made much easier. I also added Final Cut Pro HD and DVD Studio Pro which wouldn't have even loaded on the iBook.

I kept the iBook for about three months longer (before selling it on eBay) and that setup (having a huge PowerBook and the tiny iBook) was the best. The iBook was great to carry anywhere in the house or out in the backyard, while the PowerBook stayed in the bedroom with the plasma monitor in the evenings and travelled with me to work during the day.

So it all boils down to what you are going to be using the laptop for. If it was just for email, web surfing, iTunes, iPhoto, home business, gaming and even iMovie, I would only need the iBook.

-Chet