What do you think? Will the ibook fit my needs?

Hello, I’m a pc user looking to switch to Mac for this semester for college, and I was looking into the recently updated iBook g4 14”.

I have never used a Mac before so I was wondering if you could tell me if the iBook would be good for what I need it for.

I’m going to be using for Image Editing (Adobe Photoshop)
Web design (Dream weaver)
Microsoft office
I will also be putting my entire music collection on it.

So I was thinking about this configuration:
14” 1.42ghz
512 standard (will be upgrading to 1.5 gig when crucial ram is in stock)
100gig HD
Superdrive

Thanks for your input!
Cheers, Jmo

 

Sure, an iBook will do all of that, but I suppose I need to ask...why? If your needs change it could be that the iBook won't work for you any longer.

 

I am looking at the same machine as well. I think its design is very pretty. However the 14" and 12" models have the same resolution,so why not the 12" model? I think 0.09 ghz difference wouldn't make much difference.

 

i'm getting the 12" next week.

I'd recommend the 12" too, it's cute, sleek and small

 

Why not?

The 12" iBook is one of the best values in that category. You could compare it to the Dell 700m. It costs less, is built stronger, and has a much longer battery life. The iBook can suit most of people's computing needs. What if he buys a thin & light or ultraportable (even if it isn't a mac), and his "needs" change to gaming? No matter what, he won't have a computer suitable for that.

For the past 6+ months, I've been looking at a computer that would do everything I want. Then I realized "why am I trying to spend so much on something I don't actually NEED." I was looking at a W3V which is priced $1000 more (canadian) than the iBook. It's a complete package, with everything I would need, even games. But I really don't game that much, but I do enjoy playing the new games (usually keep my interest for a few weeks.)

I don't need it, or really care if I play games or not, so why pay a heftier price.

As a college student, I'm sure his budget is quite tight, so any money he could save is good. The ibooks are a good choice, and will suit the needs you listed, and it can multi-task much better than on windows.

 

I don't think the iBook is less expenisive than the Dell at least when Dell has a coupon which is pretty much all the time now.

 

Even if you could find the softwares,
it is better for you to check the price~
Because the users are limited, the price of the software for iBook might be higher~

I love the iBook~
for its looking and high quality~
but there are so many softwares do not support the Apple computer~
so I still do not have an Apple notebook until now~

:centrino:

 

Of course, the iBook is always more expensive than the Dell notebook~
For its design, great looking & high quality~

 

I recently purchased a 14 inch iBook G4 and have been very happy with it. It should easily handle the tasks you mentioned.

I think the iBook is well priced for the computer you get with its combination of performance and looks--the Dell laptops are just plain ugly, in my opinion. You could probably get a Dell or some other Windows-based laptop for a little cheaper, but I can't imagine it would be that much of a difference.

I've never really understood why all these mainstream American-owned laptop compaines like Dell, HP, etc. have such a hard time making a really nice looking computer that can rival the cosmetics of an Apple. It seems like there's a big market out there for people that actually prefer Windows, but are lured away because of the looks of a Powerbook/iBook.

 

I am thinking about getting the small iBook as well (actually I am just waiting for somebody to buy my current laptop). I have two questions (random?):

1. When the new Intel based iBooks come out, will the G4 iBooks become junk? (future software support)

2. At the moment and for the next 5 days there is a Free iPod deal out for college students that get an iBook. Can I use the $179 to get a Nano instead? Also, on the rebate form, it says that the 12'' CDROM iBook is excluded from the offer. Is that referring to the combo drive one?

 

I had similar concerns when I bought my iBook. Actually, I was looking at a Powerbook, but decided to bide my time with an iBook anticipating the changes to Intel next year.

I'm not sure anyone can really say what the support will be like for the PowerPC based Macs once the Intel based ones come out next year. However, I don't think the iBook is really designed to last you more than a couple of years or so, at least where processor speed and the other hardware stats are concerned. By the time support for the PowerPC based software is dropped, I would guess you'd have to upgrade your laptop anyway to run the new software out there by then.

Regarding the student rebate, I was disappointed to find out that the Nano doesn't qualify. Makes sense, though--how stupid would Apple be to offer this rebate when they're trying to phase out the Mini and usher in the Nano? I kind of feel burned twice. Earlier this year I bought a 20 GB iPod about two weeks before they changed all the iPods to color screens. Now I buy an iBook and have to settle for a Mini with my rebate when I know the Nano is out there. Oh well, I guess the Mini isn't really bad at all.

 

Macs have the rumour of lasting for many years. I know quite some people who have 1999 macs that run on Tiger right now. I would just hate to see myself left with a machine that will not be able to be get an updated version of MacOS in 2-3 yrs. I dont expect to be able to run Photoshop 12 in full speed, but I do expect to be able to have the latest version of MacOS/office

 

Answers to DoomX

1. When the new Intel based iBooks come out, will the G4 iBooks become junk? (future software support)

No, the G4 iBook will be good for many years down the road b/c Apple has implemented two plans to cross-platform compatibility once the Transition to Intel x86 architecture begins in 2006. First, the new XCode development suite for OS X software is now enabled to compile "universal binaries", meaning the software can be run on both PowerPC and x86 processors.

Second part will affect you if you buy an x86-based Mac down the line and have old PowerPC-specific software you want to run, that is, software compiled specifically for PPC (before the Transition and universal binaries). When x86 Macs appear, they will have a built-in binary translation software called "Rosetta". It is a transparent compatibility program which converts PowerPC software into x86 executable code. Existing binary translation programs, like VirtualPC which runs x86-specific MS Windows on PPC, suffer a significant hit on performance because translating the binary itself takes up enormous system resources. This is why VirtualPC won't work smoothly on an iBook. However, Rosetta is designed to take advantage of asymmetrical parallel processing within multi-core systems. Right now, we only have the dual-CPU G5 PowerMac, but the Pentium M CPU's Intel plans to roll out next year are dual-core, so Rosetta would theoretically be using one core to translate the code on the fly while executing it on the other core, instead of switching back and forth between translation and execution on a single CPU core.

Apple is not doubt proud of their hardware's reputation for longevity and it is obvious they've put a lot of thought and planning into making their PowerPC products viable computing platforms for many years into the future. If your need for a computer is urgent, you shouldn't feel the need to hesitate.

2. At the moment and for the next 5 days there is a Free iPod deal out for college students that get an iBook. Can I use the $179 to get a Nano instead? Also, on the rebate form, it says that the 12'' CDROM iBook is excluded from the offer. Is that referring to the combo drive one?

The 12'' CD-ROM iBook is a special "budget" model available only through the Apple Education Stores. You don't see it on the normal Apple Store online. It's only $50 cheaper than a 12'' iBook w/ Combo Drive.