10-27-2004, 08:53 AM

hi all, need some pointers. Tomorrow night I am going to the Apple store to purchase a new iBook 12" for $999. I was looking at the 14" at $1299 but am unsure if I should spend more as I'm unsure of what I'm getting for more.

My purpose for the iBook is to get online and surf the net. Use iTunes with my iPod, and use word and excel, and also be able to upload photos from my digital cam. That's basically it. Majority of the time I will be using the iBook for the internet. As for the other programs, I'm not even sure if I'll use them all but...

What are the major differences in the 12" and 14" ($1299). Do I gain a lot if I spend the extra?

I've been a Windows user for the past 12yrs so this is going to be a drastic change for me (sort of). When I was a kid I grew up on Apples. II, IIE, Mac, Mac SE, up until 1992 - that's when I switched to PC.

Anyway opinions, suggestions, pointers are all appreciated!

10-27-2004, 09:58 AM

Personally I am leaning towards the 12in iBook just because I want it to be smaller and easier to carry around, the speed different wouldn't be noticeable and I would have no need for a 60gb hard drive. If the 14in iBook came with an SXGA screen, my choice would be diferrent.

10-27-2004, 10:39 AM

Originally Posted by mynameis

Personally I am leaning towards the 12in iBook just because I want it to be smaller and easier to carry around, the speed different wouldn't be noticeable and I would have no need for a 60gb hard drive. If the 14in iBook came with an SXGA screen, my choice would be diferrent.

i am leaning towards the 12" as well for the portability (I will be taking this on the go) but was curious if there is really much difference in processing speed between the two. 30GB *SHOULD* be enough for me as I don't really store a lot songs, pics, etc... My DELL has 120GB HDD so I store all my iTunes there.

I'm just concerned about the speed of the 12". Again my main use for the iBook will be surfing the 'net and iTunes and storing pics from my digital cam. I wonder if I should just bite the bullet and buy the 14".

Oh I also would like to get the iBook with BT as to link my cell with the iBook. $999 is a bargin if you ask me. But I just wish it had better construction like the Powerbook but i'm really not complaining.

10-28-2004, 10:17 AM

anyone? 9hrs to go.... 12" or 14" someone told me to just get the 14" as you never know when you'll need more space, others have told me that the 14 does run faster than the 12 when opening certain programs, etc... so i'm trying to justify getting another $300 out of savings to buy the 14... but i originally wanted the 12.... decisions .

10-28-2004, 11:50 AM

I went for the 12"....can't comment on how fast cos I'm still waiting for it ...dam those 6 - 7 days deliveries

10-28-2004, 12:09 PM

Originally Posted by code777

you never know when you'll need more space

Going from 12in to 14in doesn't give you more space it just makes things bigger, both screens are 1024x768 native. I really doubt you are going to notice the .13 ghz difference in actually use.

10-28-2004, 12:37 PM

6.5HRS TO GO...haha

i think i should stick to my first choice - 12". i know .13ghz - i think that is a marketing gimmick. mind tricks...

well i'll probably buy the $999 12" and then a Netgear wireless router and maybe 256MB of mem...

10-28-2004, 12:37 PM

Originally Posted by code777

hi all, need some pointers. Tomorrow night I am going to the Apple store to purchase a new iBook 12" for $999. I was looking at the 14" at $1299 but am unsure if I should spend more as I'm unsure of what I'm getting for more.

My purpose for the iBook is to get online and surf the net. Use iTunes with my iPod, and use word and excel, and also be able to upload photos from my digital cam. That's basically it. Majority of the time I will be using the iBook for the internet. As for the other programs, I'm not even sure if I'll use them all but...

What are the major differences in the 12" and 14" ($1299). Do I gain a lot if I spend the extra?

I've been a Windows user for the past 12yrs so this is going to be a drastic change for me (sort of). When I was a kid I grew up on Apples. II, IIE, Mac, Mac SE, up until 1992 - that's when I switched to PC.

Anyway opinions, suggestions, pointers are all appreciated!

I have a 12". The screen size is fine for me, and I wear glasses. You can get an external HD if you need more space (I did). And I would recommend you purchase AppleCare within the 12 months of your iBook warrenty.

Henry

10-29-2004, 11:04 AM

just want to say I picked up my 12" iBook and its wonderful. I haven't played with it much yet but i will this afternoon. I almost bought the 14" but after extensive testing between the 12 and 14 I saw no real difference in speed with the 14 - the screen was bigger and i guess easier to read but that's not a concern for me. I found it a bit bulky for transporting - but that's just me.

Very happy with purchase although I got suckered into paying $100 for 256mb from the Apple Store (i got 512 now). Oh well, they were pushing that .mac program so much on me but I did not want it. Also they wanted me to purchase a HP printer for $100 but you get the money back (after 3 months) because of rebate so in a way its free - you just have to wait for your money... didn't need another inkjet. The 12" according to the saleskid is a hot seller. They have sold out of the new version once already but have plenty in stock now. The 14" he told me doesn't sell much at all. He says for 999 you can't beat the price. The 12" and 15" PB's are still hot sellers also. But not as much as the 12" iBook.

Well I'm off to play! :cool:

10-29-2004, 04:20 PM

Congrats on the new iBook. I know you'll love it. Now go play with you cool new toy.

Henry

10-31-2004, 11:52 PM

Isnt $100 US a little much for 256??? :alien:

11-01-2004, 12:13 AM

ust want to say I picked up my 12" iBook and its wonderful. I haven't played with it much yet but i will this afternoon. I almost bought the 14" but after extensive testing between the 12 and 14 I saw no real difference in speed with the 14 - the screen was bigger and i guess easier to read but that's not a concern for me. I found it a bit bulky for transporting - but that's just me.

Very happy with purchase although I got suckered into paying $100 for 256mb from the Apple Store (i got 512 now). Oh well, they were pushing that .mac program so much on me but I did not want it. Also they wanted me to purchase a HP printer for $100 but you get the money back (after 3 months) because of rebate so in a way its free - you just have to wait for your money... didn't need another inkjet. The 12" according to the saleskid is a hot seller. They have sold out of the new version once already but have plenty in stock now. The 14" he told me doesn't sell much at all. He says for 999 you can't beat the price. The 12" and 15" PB's are still hot sellers also. But not as much as the 12" iBook.

Well I'm off to play!

Congrats man!

I have a 12" PowerBook and I don't really mind the small screen either, I even use it for watching movies and playing games, and the resolution's so good it doesn't bother me at all!

Congrats again, 12" laptops are amazing, especially for the new iBook, for that price it's a great deal!

Have fun, man!

11-01-2004, 09:27 AM

Originally Posted by shaun89

Isnt $100 US a little much for 256??? :alien:

yes a bit too much but i got suckered and figured since I was there mine as well do it now... but after thinking about it i should have just bought aftermarket and saved myself a bit of money, maybe even buy a 512 to add to my 256 but...too late.

well been fooling with my new iBook and its a lot more smooth than XP that's for sure, oh and its a lot more fun looking than XP. But where I work I deal with XP Pro all the time and I'm sic of it basically so hence my move to Mac OS X.

Oh well, i have more questions but i shall post them in the correct threads. Thanks guys!

11-01-2004, 01:53 PM

I just purchased the 14in iBook yesterday. I sure am glad I got the 14in instead of the 12in I was looking at. Looking at the screen for a few hours at a time is better on the eyes instead of the 12in. I would spend the extra money to get the 14in. I am not sure of the difference in specs, for that you would want to visit apple.com/ibook. Also, whichever you purchase definately upgrade the RAM! I purchased an extra 512mb (768 total) and it flies. I have the 1.33gHz processor with 60gb harddrive. After installation and everything I think you have around 50gb of space.

11-01-2004, 09:12 PM

for me the 14" and 12" really had no difference for my eyes. both have the same resolution and you can enlarge the text / graphics on the 12" if need be. you can see more with the 14" but not on all webpages... the 14" has a large HDD and that is a plus. As for the processor, no difference - just a number. Since I do not use photoshop or protools or whatever... i can't tell the difference in speed... maybe that .13gHz makes a difference for larger programs. I'm very happy with the 12" as I take this thing with me everywhere.

yes you must upgrade the RAM on these things. 256 is not enough. 512 is the min. i think and more would be wonderful but again, i'm not using any huge programs, etc...