powerbook 12" now, or wait for new ibook 12"?

[thorin]

the ibook had just about gotta be due for an upgrade already. so i don't want to buy it now. I have my heart set on a 12" notebook, and so I find myself considering the just-speedbumped powerbook.

course, it does cost more.

and I can afford to wait a month or so i guess...

purchasing advice, anyone?

[Wyatt]

I'm in a similar boat, except that I'm set on the iBook, but refusing to buy until they upgrade it again (plus I won't have the money for several months anyway).

Go ahead and wait it out. If it's not urgent, just wait a while.

[sildani]

Think about the new Operating System - Tiger - that's coming out soon. At the very least, wait until the new PBs and iBooks come out with the latest OS, and save yourself the $130 upgrade cost!

In terms of PB vs iBook, I think a PB is overkill for simple tasks like e-mail, web browsing, and the ocassional word processing. When it was G3 iBook vs G4 PB it was easy to advise to go for the PB, but now that they both run G4's, the iBook is not a bad buy.

Having said that, if you want to make DVD movies or do engineering work, the PB is the better option (upgrading the RAM might be a nice thing, too). Also, for aesthetic reasons, the PB might be a good buy. Otherwise get the iBook again. And wait until the new OS comes out!

[squishles]

Having just bought a new PB after upgrading from a VERY OLD iBook, I'd have to say it depends. :-) I have my new PB because I'm running GIS software on Virtual PC and needed the 128VRAM option and all the processing I could get. If not for those 2 options, the PB isn't necessary. It's definitely a downgrade to me now, but I was coming from a real POS. If I had a newer iBook, I imagine I wouldn't think so poorly of them. (Indigo 366 w/ 128 RAM in case you're wondering- I'm surprised it even turned on).

If you're ever going to need Virtual PC, I would definitely go for the PB- I've seen that on the new iBooks and it's not that great. Even the upgrade won't get you the VRAM you need. But if you're just doing normal Mac things then the iBook would be fine. Worst case, add RAM. I shoulda done it years ago, but I knew a new PB was in my future so I refused to spend the $$$. :-)