The topic of our debate shifted to which Apple laptop he should buy. He logged hours in the Apple Store, deliberating. Screen size vs. weight, weight vs. cost, cost vs. style, and so on. Though Apple's laptop lineup isn't particulary broad or bewildering (shout out to HP--or is that Compaq?), there's plenty that separates the iBook from the PowerBook, and a lot that differentiates the few models in both lines.
If you're looking for an inexpensive laptop, the 5-pound
12-inch iBook (newly upgraded), offers a decent set of basic specs, the trademark Apple white aesthetic, and the excellent Tiger operating system, for about $1,000. It's a good deal, especially since Apple doubled the amount of standard RAM to 512MB. The slightly larger 6-pound
14-inch iBook goes for $1,300.
On the other hand, compared to the iBook, Apple's
12-inch PowerBook offers a faster processor, a superior graphics card, a cleaner design, a more complete array of ports and connections, and a handful of other niceties, all packed into a slim, 4.6-pound case. Of course, it's about $450 more than the 12-inch iBook (if both are configured with 60GB hard drives). The
15-inch and
17-inch PowerBook start at $2,000 and $2,700, respectively. Ouch. I've heard from many Apple users that unless you need maximum processing horsepower on the fly, you're better off buying the 12-incher and hooking it up to a big display when working at home or the office.
My brother settled on the
12-inch PowerBook. He loves it and has become a full-fledged Apple freak. My friend Patrick also recently picked up a 12-inch PowerBook and he, too, swears by it (and at anyone who begs to differ).
Like with any laptop decision, which Apple is right for you comes down to calculating your computing needs vs. your budget. Most of the people I've come across maintain that the 12-inch PowerBook represents the best balance of price, portability, performance, style, and features. Still, my sample size is admittedly small. If you have an opinion on which Apple laptop is the best,
speak your mind in our forum discussion, and let us all know.
