ibook screen size

I am going to college this fall and would like to buy an ibook. As of now I am leaning toward the 12inch model for its portability. However I am worried that the screen might be too small when considering that a lot of my time on the computer will be writing papers. Is using such a small screen
tiring, or difficult? Should I be leaning more toward the 14inch screen? This is basically the only decision I have left before buying my notebook. I know this is a mundane question but I just would like to hear what people who actually own this computer think about the different screen sizes.

p.s. Buying an extra monitor is not an option I an on a very strict budget.

Thank you so much for any one who can help!

Since your on a strict budge, I would recomand saving the money, and possibly upgrading the ram and hardrive. Also Applecare is important when going to college, and maybe even Microsoft Office.

But All I can say is find a CompUSA/Apple Store, and test out the 12 inch. You could even find a bestbuy and just test out a 12inch PC.

Thank you for your reply. I was already planning to upgrading the ram, the hd, and getting apple care which is why my budget is so tight. I have been to an apple store and played around with the 12inch ibook. However playing with it for thirty minutes verses working for long periods of time on it are different things entirely. I guess I just want some peace of mind before spending up to $1500.

I have the 12" and have been more than happy with it. It's really not that big a deal, and the portability it gives you is amazing. I went through my first 3 years of college with a 14" Thinkpad thats about 50% thicker than the iBook too. You will love the portability of the 12"..

I think a 12in would be ok if you are just writing papers with it.

My kid loves her 12 inch ibook. Easy to take to school and she find the screen good enough for her needs. (Keep in mind she ain't very technical she doesn't even have a cell phone.) I use mine everywhere, but mostly to work on the couch. Just remember to increase the zoom in your word processing program to at least 125%.

Bone

Thank you all for your help!

lilbit86 said:

Thank you all for your help!

Click to expand...

I guess I'm the only one here who'll suggest opting for the 14" model. If this is going to be your primary machine for school, you're going to want all the screen size you can get (at least I did). The 14" is still quite portable, but will be easier on the eyes when you're doing work with it.

Padawan said:

I guess I'm the only one here who'll suggest opting for the 14" model. If this is going to be your primary machine for school, you're going to want all the screen size you can get (at least I did). The 14" is still quite portable, but will be easier on the eyes when you're doing work with it.

Click to expand...

You're not the only one. I go the 14" one myself for the same reasons. Sure a 12" is smaller but it isn't any more 'portable' than the 14" as far as I can tell. I looked at both and ended up getting the larger screen. IMO it is the better choice, especially if it is going to be the primary machine.

I would only go 14 if the screen resolution wasn't the same as the 12...

its still 1024....
but yeah i agree get the 14'

lilbit86 said:

I am going to college this fall and would like to buy an ibook. As of now I am leaning toward the 12inch model for its portability. However I am worried that the screen might be too small when considering that a lot of my time on the computer will be writing papers. Is using such a small screen
tiring, or difficult? Should I be leaning more toward the 14inch screen? This is basically the only decision I have left before buying my notebook. I know this is a mundane question but I just would like to hear what people who actually own this computer think about the different screen sizes.

p.s. Buying an extra monitor is not an option I an on a very strict budget.

Thank you so much for any one who can help!

Click to expand...

I think the bigger screen makes a world of difference. For me it was the 12 inch PB or the 14 inch iBook and I went with the bigger screen. That's just me though

Well, I guess if you're gonna be spending most of the time on it and you have the money for it, then a 14" would be best for you. I personally would go for the 12" myself and use the spare money to upgrade but that's me I have the 12" myself and it's perfectly fine for me, which I use for hours daily as my main machine.

i say get the 12 inch, i use it for school and i see nothing wrong, especially since the resolution is the same for the 12 and 14 inch

14 inch because after typing for hours U don't want to hurt your eyes from look'n a little screen.

macEfan said:

14 inch because after typing for hours U don't want to hurt your eyes from look'n a little screen.

Click to expand...

Exactly. I don't necessarily agree with the argument about the 12" and 14" models sharing the same screen resolution. It's true that they do, so you aren't gaining any additional "screen real estate" by going with the larger model, but that doesn't make the 14" pointless. Hypothetically, I could have a portable computer with a 6" display, and a 14" noteboook that both had 1024x768 maximum resolutions. However, I certainly wouldn't chose the model with the 6" display as my primary computer.

get the 14 inch, it is just as portible as the 12 inch, I have ran with my powerbook 15 inch with it open no problem... yes i had to get somewhere quick but did not want to put my computer to sleep.

Both being 1024x768 means that to have the same physical apearance (ie, making fonts look the same on both screens) will sacrifice a small amount of room on the 12" what padwan said about your eyes hurting froom looking at a small screen is stupid, the 12" can show text exactly the same as the 14" would, it will just show a few less lines of text, and I can't see how that would hurt your eyes.

The main disadvantage is when editing photos etc, having a smaller screen means basically you can see a 1024x768 image as 14" on a 14" screen and only 12" on the 12", meaning if you want to see a 200x200 part of the image close up, you would have to zoom more on the 12" screen that you would on the 14" for the same effect. This means that on a 12" screen, you'll see a little less than the 14" when close up and you would also have to scrool more when zoomed in.

Seen as I work with a 6.2MP SLR, I have this problem with pretty much every screen under the 20" size anyway

Get the 14". I use a 14" at home and have a 12" at work. The difference is extremely noticable. After typing at work I feel exhausted from squinting at the screen. Unfortunately my job doesnt allow outside electronics to be brought in, otherwise, my 14"er would be by my side everywhere i go!

where do you work that won't let you use your 14 inch version of the same computer that they have, pluss they are macs do they don't have to worry about spreading viruses.