ibook G4 vs. Powerbook G4--I need opinions!

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ibook G4 vs. Powerbook G4--I need opinions!

Hello everyone!

I am considering selling my trusty 12" ibook G4 800 and upgrading to a 12" Powerbook G4 1.33ghz. Other than the obvious hardware related differences--higher speed, higher max. RAM, etc.--I am looking to establish my criteria for justifying the switch.

I am looking for opinions, rants, devils advocates to give me their humble opinions on the merits of the newest series of powerbooks.

Essentially, I am trying to justify the purchase to myself, so I need to hear some arguements for and against. I love my ibook, but feel limited by it. If I decided to keep my ibook, I would want to upgrade the RAM and the hard drive.

On a related note, if I do switch, I want to move my itunes music to the new 'book, some of which is purchased music from the ITMS and therefore copy protected. Is it going to be easy to copy the files? I figured a simple authorization of the new computer would do. Is there anything else that any of you have experienced which might make this process more of a bear than I think it will be.

I thank everyone in advance for their participation in my twisted process of affirmation and avoidance of buyers remorse.

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The ITMS music will transfer

The ITMS music will transfer without a hitch, the only thing of ntoe is you will have to copy the songs themselves. They don't automatically download again. I reccommend the powerbook because of the supereor keyboard and more capability for expansion and flexibility.

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Go for the Powerbook

My wife recently got a 12" G4 1.33 Powerbook. Its very nice, although the aluminum shell feels "cold" compared to the plastic case of her old Pismo. The best feature is the DVI port that lets her use the Powerbook with a 22" Cinema display at home. Its the best of both worlds -- big screen on the desk, compact machine on the road. The built-in Bluetooth and Airport Extreme are nice also.

The only minor downsides are the lack a PC Card slot (only available on the 15" and 17" PB) and the fact that you have to shut down (not just sleep) the 12" PB to swap the battery. But we're glad to live with those two nits in exchange for the machine's very small size and light weight.

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Do it

I have a friend who just recently made the exact switch you did, and he's thrilled. Not only is the processor faster, but your RAM limit goes up to 768MB (vs. 640 in your iBook) and you get a better graphics chip. The Powerbook is also much smaller than the iBook but still has the same size screen and better features. The built in speakers on the 12" powerbook are amazing, you won't believe it when you listen to a song or watch a movie. You also get support for monitor spanning and clamshell operation. And finally, aluminum just looks waaay cooler than white plastic.

I'd definitely say go for it.

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Re: Do it

your RAM limit goes up to 768MB (vs. 640 in your iBook)

um ... my iBook has a limit of 1.2GB! ... and i think the 12" G4s are similar ...

You also get support for monitor spanning and clamshell operation.

easily fixable Wink

http://www.rutemoeller.com/mp/ibook/ibook_e.html

And finally, aluminum just looks waaay cooler than white plastic..

debatable ... its really personal taste ... but the PowerBooks do feel nice and solid ... my iBook is a tad flimsy Wink

TOM

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Wait for the G5 PB's

The bigger (Apple supported) desktop space availability (that comes built in standard) of two side by side monitors is (in my humble opinion) what makes the Powerbook worthwhile.

Apple is currently having problems with their shippng schedule on the new iMac G5's, but you can guess that the G5 PowerBooks are coming soon, so if I were in your position, I'd wait until those come out to make the purchase.

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No Hard Evidence = Rumor

you can guess that the G5 PowerBooks are coming soon

There's no hard evidence of this at all. And thats all I'll say because rumors are prohibited here.

In response to the first question, I'd say go for it. If money isn't much of an issue, I think you would be very happy going with the PowerBook.

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Ram limit for real?

I know in some cases you can put more RAM in a machine than it is rated for and it is OK. I know that my ibook G4 800 has a RAM limit of 768mb, but the new 1ghz+ models have upwards of 1gb limit--Tom Levens apparently has one of those models. Blum 3

Money, unfortunately is an object. I would obviously sell my ibook if I did this--which I am leaning more and more against actually--but the resale amount plus my available cash fund would barely get me into a decent 12" Powerbook. Plus, in reference to my reticence about "switching" I just love the polycarbonate case. I considered a newer 1ghz 12" or even the 1.2ghz 14" ibook (for the Superdrive) instead so that I could keep what I love about my machine, and still boost the power.

Anyway, if anyone has exceeded their RAM limits successfully--or unsuccessfully for that matter--please let me know and share whether there is anything special I will need to do to make it happen.

Thanks for all the responses so far. You guys really are a big help! :macos:

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Resolution...sort of

Compromise is the best answer in situations. I have ordered a new ibook G4 1ghz!! I am excited about it. I can keep everything that I love about the iBook, and get a speed boost and higher memory cap to boot. My wife is excited too because now we can retire her old 500mhz ibook an get her upgraded with my old one.

I thank everyone who weighed in. Tom, I tried the screen spanner, and it worked beautifully!! Thanks for the link!

Thanks again!

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