Powerbook or Imac?

Im buying a Mac tmmrw and im stuck between these two. I can't dedide wheter to get the 17" Imac or a 12" powerbook. I need one for these reasons:
Aim
Music & photos maybe videos
Email
Net
1 or 2 games maybe
And word
I would like it to last 3-4 years. I also have 2 houses ( mom's and dad's) and the portability of a pb would be nice. Bottom line is that Im going to go with whichever one will last longer. Thanks to whoever can help me out.

I just had to make the same decision for most of the same purposes...I went with the extra processing speed and input/output ports of the Powerbook. The better processor will keep you happier for longer.

Go with a Powerbook and consider one of the refurbs on the Apple site.

Whatever you get, if you want it to last 3+ years then I suggest the Apple protection plan, its not that expensive (compared to other places) and they really do provide excellent customer service if ever you need any repairs done.

Tel said:

Whatever you get, if you want it to last 3+ years then I suggest the Apple protection plan, its not that expensive (compared to other places) and they really do provide excellent customer service if ever you need any repairs done.

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Doesnt an Imac have a faster processor?

Brewer said:

Doesnt an Imac have a faster processor?

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I"m sorry, I was thinking iBook not iMac.....yes it does have a faster processor....

Your decision then is whether you need a notebook or not.

Brewer said:

Doesnt an Imac have a faster processor?

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Yes, the new iMacs have a G5, instead of a G4.

Badmojo how do you like your imac?

oooh.. im goin through the same... cand decide.. and ugm... so far the powerbook has 1+ point for portability ... ::bone::

Brewer said:

Badmojo how do you like your imac?

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I dig it, bigtime. I'm not much into games or CAD, although the new iMacs have 128 mb of vram, but it's a solid machine for day-to-day activities. The screen is much better than my on PC LCD. It's much quieter than any computer I've ever owned, barely making a sound.

When I show it to friends/relatives who've never seen one before, much less a mac at all, they're wowed by the simplicity of the machine. and cannot believe that the screen is all there is to it. "Where's the tower for it?" is the usual question I get. My response, "What tower?"

I've even taken it to a couple business presentations, although it's not that easy to lug around. People come out of the woodwork when I set it up, and watch the presentation just to see the computer. I stopped doing that because the iMac became a distraction, if you will.

I say this: If you're going to need portability (i.e. college, business travel, etc) then get the iBook/PB. If you don't think you'll need portability very often, get an iMac.