Sold 12in Powerbook, but now tempted by another 12in Powerbook!

[kmarketing]

Hi,

Several weeks ago, i bought a mint 12" rev a. powerbook for $475. I sold the powerbook yesterday for $550. I even managed to keep the 512 chip, and was either thinking of selling it separately or looking for friends or family who could use it. My intention was to either look towards a macbook (with all the great excitement about it) or possibly just holding off for something else to come along with talks of another soon to be upgrade.

Here comes another 12" powerbook that I am having a hard time looking past. It's a mint 1.33ghz/768/60gb/etc. for $600. Casing is beautiful, battery give a 4+ hour charge, the works.

So what do you think? Go for it? I do like the form factor of the 12" powerbooks, but there is alot of hype about the macbooks that is really catching my eye.

I was doing fine with the older powerbook, but a nice speed boost would be nice.

So go for another powerbook?
Thanks!

 

[Sutekidane]

meh, g4s are sooo year 2000...

I mean, it has plenty of life left, but move forward, not backward.

 

[MattyMac]

the 12in powerbook is sweeeeeeeeet

 

[kmarketing]

A little bias I see! Me too though. I never thought a 12" screen would be good enough for me, but i have really enjoyed its portability to the max. The aluminum casing (as long as it stays in good condition) is such a thing of beauty, and of all the ones with that casing its the one that has the best battery life.

I think for the programs that I will be using, the powerbook will be fine, but I just don't want to spend too much on something that will be obsolete right away.

But what's great is that it is only $50 more than what I sold the older powerbook for, and it would come with a really nice sleeve/case.

 

[Collin973]

My 12" powerbook should be arriving this week. It'll be my first mac and I plan to sell it at the end of august or september when the rev b macbook pro's come out...unless i fall in love with the PB...

 

[T-Stex]

I'd probably go for the PowerBook as well. As long as the things you'll be doing won't be too much for the PowerBook, it really won't matter much between it and the MacBook. For only $50 more than what you sold the last one for, you're getting much more. Also, I still think the 12" PowerBook is one of the best looking laptops that Apple's ever made. I'd get the PowerBook now, wait about a year for the next series of Intel processors to come and see if all the issues get worked out, and look into a new computer then.

Also, on a side note, if you're looking to get rid of that RAM for a few bucks, let me know.

 

[kmarketing]

Hi,

Thanks for the replies. Let me get dibs on the powerbook then, I'll follow what most of you said and hold on to it until at least the next batch.

And I agree with the 12" being one of the best looking laptops. I was so used to the widescreen ones, but after using the 12" powerbook (and in the past ibooks), it's been a joy to carry it around and just use it anywhere. It has a great feel to it, and upgrading it seems simple enough.

Also, let me see if anyone of my friends and family want the memory, if not I'll just post it.

I'm actually getting excited about another 12" powerbook again!

 

[California]

If you are going to get a 12" PB, get the last revision. The motion senson and scrolling trackpad are completely worth it. I actually may have my pristine 12" 1.5ghz to sell if my other buyer doesn't come through this week. I will still have my OTHER 12" PB 1.5! These are the smallest, lightest computers Apple will ever make.

 

[kmarketing]

Hi,

How much would you be selling your 12"? The only reason why I would buy the 1.33 is that it is for $600 which is only $50 more than what I sold my 867 for. If the price is quite a bit more, then I'm really heading towards macbook price territory which is what I'm trying to avoid.

Thanks!

 

[Chrispy]

I would suggest sticking with the 12" powerbook for now if you want portability. I have had nothing but trouble with the two macbooks I have owned.

 

[7on]

I for one LOVE my macbook. One of the better buying decisions I've made. Even though I am selling a huge amount of electronics to pay off the ole CC…

 

[A is jump]

I love my 12inch PB. But I have to say, depending on what you're using it for, I might recommend the Macbook.
I use mine with Logic Pro, Its a 1.5Ghz, with maxed out ram, and it really doesnt have the power to really take full advantage of that program. If I didnt have a G5 I would be getting rid of my powerbook as soon as the next generation macbook pros came out... then again I still might.
but for simple every day use its awesome. I take it with me almost everywhere I go, the portablility of it is SO nice, and its certainly very capable of handing all my mail/web browsing/Itunes/iphoto/word processing needs.
so if you're going to use it for everyday kinds of tasks like that, and money is an issue, I say the powerbook is a great deal. and dont listen to anyone who says its got a ancient CPU blah blah blah... the G4 is not as cutting edge as the core duo... but it unless you really NEED that extra power... in my opinion, its a needless expense.

 

[YS2003]

I think I will stay with my PBs as my main apps are CS2, MX2004, Corel Painter IX.5, and Office X. Even though the G4 is slower than the new Core Duo Intel chip, my 15" and 12" Al PBs are running those programs without any problem.
Once the MBP becomes more mature next year, I will get the 15" MBP and Desktop Mac. By that time, I would be interested in moving forward to 3D apps (such as Cinema 4D) and FCS while at the same time Adobe might be releasing CS3 on universal binary. It seems the current rev. A MBP and MB may be subject to higher risk of some types of "rev A" problems; my previous purchases of computers are done after thorough checking on user reviews on various forums. So far, I've been able to avoid lemons.

 

[sk1985]

I think the 12 inch power book is the best looking computer apple has put out. It looks so sleek and high tech because of it's size. I really wish I bought one over my 12 inch ibook. I just couldn't because the performance differences weren't that great to warrant the extra money. My bro has a 12 inch Powerbook and I'm a little jealous. Why apple won't make a replacement for this model is beyond me.

 

[sk1985]

I think the 12 inch power book is the best looking computer apple has put out. It looks so sleek and high tech because of it's size. I really wish I bought one over my 12 inch ibook. I just couldn't because the performance differences weren't that great to warrant the extra money. My bro has a 12 inch Powerbook and I'm a little jealous. Why apple won't make a replacement for this model is beyond me.

 

[CanadaRAM]

Sold 12in Powerbook, but now tempted by another 12in Powerbook!

OK, you get the first edition of the new T-shirt I'm printing up:

--I'm a --
'BookSlut

 

[Demon Hunter]

I'm still rather upset I sold my 12". I miss it very much... this MacBook is still an iBook in disguise.

OK, you get the first edition of the new T-shirt I'm printing up:

--I'm a --
'BookSlut

If you're serious, I'll buy one.

Slap on a picture of the G4 line.

 

[kmarketing]

Hi,

I got the powerbook today, I'm very impressed. No wear to the trackpad or keyboard, the thing is in gorgeous shape. Not only that it came with a beautiful TUMI sleeve, and the purchase for $50 more than the 867 was worth if not just for the case!!

It comes with a 60gb hard drive. I have a Hitachi 80gb 5400 speed one that I can install. Would that be recommended? I want to have the best battery life possible, so I'm not sure if the battery life will be reduced because of the speed. Is it worthwhile, or do you think the speed increase will be minimal?

Thanks to all who thought it was good to go ahead with the purchase!

 

[California]

Yeah and guess what? You can save up your pennies and rev up your 867 pb to 1.67ghz at DayStar. It'll also put it back under warranty. I am going to do it to one of my 1.5ghz machines that does not have Applecare -- they say they can take it up to 1.75ghz or more if I watch the heat and don't mind battery suck. I'll have them drop in a new hard drive at the same time.

As to the 80 5400, I've only used a 60gb 5400 and I have to say that I'd go with a 100gig 7200 rpm drive. While the 5400 drives are a leap from the 4200s, the 7200prm drives really pack a better wallop.

I love these 12 pbs and my pristine 1.5ghz was too expensive for you, anyway. Enjoy yours!

 

[kmarketing]

Hi,

Thanks California, but the whole thing was to not spend so much on a machine has already been replaced with some thing "better". The 12" will at least keep me going and I will know that I saved a little from not buying the macbook right now.

The processor boost sounds interesting, but I'm sure it will cost a pretty penny, and again it still leaves us with a g4 with the same bus speed, etc. And like you mentioned, there is that heat issue that you would have to worry about, which is one of the issues holding me back from the macbook/macbook pro lines.

I've thought about getting a bigger 7200 hard drive, but it really defeats my purpose of saving a buck here or there. Also, battery life is of the biggest concern to me, as I want the most when I'm out and about. I put the 80gb 5400 drive in the 867 when I had it, and I remember it to drain the battery a bit. But what I don't remember was how good the battery was to begin with. I just don't want to open up the powerbook without consulting the experts here.

Thanks for your opinions and suggestions, it really helps with all the possibilities for these great machines.

 

[ncbill]

A note of caution

The Toshiba 80GB drives in the final 12" Powerbook (1.5GHz, Superdrive), are prone to sudden failure:

http://monkeyinchief.blogspot.com/2006/05/powerbook-hard-drive-failure.html

http://www.macintouch.com/readerreports/powerbookg4/topic2024.html#jan19

Budget for their replacement if you get that particular hard drive with your 12" Powerbook.

Here's a nice 120GB drive:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822152032&CMP=BAC-dealmac&ATT=HM120JC

 

[Demon Hunter]

Hi,

I got the powerbook today, I'm very impressed. No wear to the trackpad or keyboard, the thing is in gorgeous shape. Not only that it came with a beautiful TUMI sleeve, and the purchase for $50 more than the 867 was worth if not just for the case!!

It comes with a 60gb hard drive. I have a Hitachi 80gb 5400 speed one that I can install. Would that be recommended? I want to have the best battery life possible, so I'm not sure if the battery life will be reduced because of the speed. Is it worthwhile, or do you think the speed increase will be minimal?

Thanks to all who thought it was good to go ahead with the purchase!

Use your Hitachi. 5400rpm is a huge difference for application load times, startup, etc.

 

[kmarketing]

Hi,

Besides the startup, will it be a big improvement in the actual usage of the application?

Also, will I notice a big loss in battery life (that is probably the most important thing for me on the road)?

Thanks so much!

 

[Demon Hunter]

Hi,

Besides the startup, will it be a big improvement in the actual usage of the application?

Also, will I notice a big loss in battery life (that is probably the most important thing for me on the road)?

Thanks so much!

You said it has 768MB? If you run out, OS X will use virtual memory which is on the HDD. These are page-outs, and a fast drive is a must. It will also help with all file transfers. So the answer is yes.

I think it actually increases battery life. Less load time equals less spinning which equals more battery life. I could be wrong though.

 

[cait-sith]

I think for the programs that I will be using, the powerbook will be fine, but I just don't want to spend too much on something that will be obsolete right away.

Get used to 'obsolete' -- things are obsolete a few months after their release date.

What's important is if the machine can do what you need it to do -- and these powerbooks are not going to be 'useless' for a long..long..time.