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Anybody have opinions on them? Good/bad? I'm thinking about getting the 17 inch powerbook G4, but am afraid that new hardware will be relased later this year. Think this will happen?

Oh, and where's a good place to buy?

By Haithman (Haithman) on Monday, June 16, 2003 - 09:25 pm: Edit

don't get the 17inch pb! It is freaking huge and a pain to carry around. The best apple laptop is the 15inch PB small size and huge screen. Trust me this is coming from a 15 year old who is obsessed with computers and wants to study computer engineering in college!
So if you have any questions about computers please do ask.
-Thank You

By Morgantruce (Morgantruce) on Monday, June 16, 2003 - 11:40 pm: Edit

New hardware will ALWAYS be released soon after you buy ANY computer. If you want to buy something that will never become obsolete, I recommend a diamond. ;) I actually bought my iBook because I was afraid they would be coming out with a G4 chip which, although more powerful, would suck a battery dry quicker. The iBook is by no means slow!

I've had an iBook since February and like it very much. There is almost no price competition on Apple computers, but you can shop around to find an online vendor that offers free shipping and no sales tax---that's about as good as you'll do. If you do your homework, you'll also come to the conclusion that all the goodies that are offered with the notebook are not really very good deals at all! Who wants to pay $40 to install RAM that's barely worth that price? The printers offered leave much to be desired. Strip away the deals... you'll get a machine shipped free without sales tax.

My daughter is going of to college in the fall with a PowerMac G4.. built like a fine jewel.

I've always liked Apple hardware... still have a 2e and a 2c packed away (can't bear to part with them!)

By Emeraldkity4 (Emeraldkity4) on Tuesday, June 17, 2003 - 12:35 am: Edit

I bought my 7th grader a snow ibook from smalldog in vermont that was refurbished but still had one year warranty.
Very nice
buy land if you want something that wont be outsold in 6months
dare I tell you how much I spent for my 540c powerbook with 24RAM and 350MB HD??????
Hers already came with much Ram but also easy to upgrade yourself & cheap!

By Uncchlocalmayor (Uncchlocalmayor) on Tuesday, June 17, 2003 - 01:11 am: Edit

LOL

By Alex00087 (Alex00087) on Monday, June 30, 2003 - 01:52 pm: Edit

I can't wait to get my college notebook: a new 12" Powerbook! 867MHz G4! I like the 12'' because it is soo small, even a little smaller then the iBook. Im sure mostly everyone else will be using a PC one so I can't wait to stand out with my beautiful Silver Aluminum Powerbook. =D

By Elleneast (Elleneast) on Monday, June 30, 2003 - 05:31 pm: Edit

I spoke with a friend who is in charge of student computer services at a local college and he said that Apple usually upgrades in Sept/October and occasionally makes minor changes in July. Unfortunately, my daughter cannot wait until October to buy a new computer. She is going with the 12" Powerbook.

By Totoro (Totoro) on Monday, June 30, 2003 - 05:36 pm: Edit

Well, the WDCC has already passed this June and the big event was the powermac G4. It seems that Apple will either upgrade the PB line this July or wait until past September. I'm holding out till the beginning of August, and if no new powerbooks come out, I'm going with the 12 PB G4.

By Alex00087 (Alex00087) on Monday, June 30, 2003 - 07:57 pm: Edit

Yeah they usually hold an Apple Special Event in the begining of September...so you might want to wait just a couple more weeks.

By Coles (Coles) on Thursday, July 03, 2003 - 02:45 pm: Edit

I live in a rich public school system that provides all middle/high school students with Apple iBooks. They are constantly breaking and are a pain in the ass, I would recommend going with a PC.

By Morgantruce (Morgantruce) on Thursday, July 03, 2003 - 03:08 pm: Edit

Yes, PC notebooks never break, and the operating system they use is always a joy to use.

By Emeraldkity4 (Emeraldkity4) on Thursday, July 03, 2003 - 03:13 pm: Edit

what exactly is the matter with them Coles?
I have had powerbooks/ibooks for about 15 years, and while laptops are more fragile than desktops, or they seem to be just cause you don't haul your desktop around, I have found that they are remarkably sturdy- especially my clamshell ibook that has fallen off of a desk onto thehardwood floor with not even a loose connection.
OSx is the best OS that I have used, and I am in the process of updating my OS 9 files so that I can dump them.
My daughters school issued toshiba laptops to all 9th graders, and they had plenty problems let me tell ya.
The only problem she had with her powerbook was that she ripped the modem cord out too fast so her jack was damaged.
However Apple has great customer service, and fixed it right away while it was still under warranty even though it was her fault.

By Alex00087 (Alex00087) on Thursday, July 03, 2003 - 04:08 pm: Edit

Don't listent to Coles Macs ARE the way to go. I have owned several iBooks and believe me they have been dropped everywhere imaginable and only suffered a few cosmetic scratches. Mac OS X is the OS of the future, with a unix core it never crashes, and if one app crashes, it does not bring down the whole operating system. Go with a mac you wont be sorry.

By Moonm2 (Moonm2) on Sunday, November 02, 2003 - 08:42 pm: Edit

I am a senior (in HS) looking for the best notebook for college. I like the macs because of the clean look, sturdy built, decent speed, and sensible OS. But, I am worried about making the right decision between the iBook and the Powerbook. Before, it was a no-brainer G3 versus G4, but now that the iBooks are G4s as well I having second thoughts. When I add in the software I need to the top of the line iBook under the education discount and the 10 gig iPod that will ONLY BE used for playing audio-schoolbooks...lol; the total is right at 2 grand. This is about what I need it to be, so there's my price"range" I suppose. Am I making the right call here? I want the abacus to be a very essential part of my life, from playing DVDs to holding my pictures from my digital canon. I think the 14.1 size is just about right, the 12 doesnt seem feasible for media purposes like waatching a movie, but the 15 is enticing with the widescreen, which would be better for movies, but would be les portable from class to class. Well there are some of my mind's meanderings. Have anything that can lead me towards a conclusion? Anything you have is welcome.

By Alex00087 (Alex00087) on Sunday, November 02, 2003 - 09:09 pm: Edit

Well, even though the iBook is at G4 level now, I still like the aluminum finish of the powerbook b.c. it is more scratch resistant then the glossy white iBook finish. Although the iBook is probably more bang for your buck. Its hard to decide now! ugh//