> Hi all- > > Like all of you, I've got serious drools for the 17" PB, but > missing a mortgage payment or 2 isn't really worth it (yet...) I'm > curious as to the bottom line differences between the new PB 12" and > a combo drive iBook. Aside from the G3 vs G4 and potentially faster > Airport and Firewire (which both need faster peripherals to make any > difference), why should I buy one vs the other? (don't tell my > Wallstreet that I'm typing this ;-) > > Marty Lindower > [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Here are the differences: 1. G4/867 processor instead of G3/800. Should be much faster because OS X is optimized for the G4. 2. 133 MHz bus speed. The bus speed is generally regarded as even more important than processor speed. The 292 MHz Wallstreet with the 83 MHz bus, for example, is faster than the 300 MHz Wallstreet with the 66 MHz bus. The iBook has a 100 MHz bus. 3. DDR RAM. It's not a full implementation but it does help. 4. Airport Extreme ready, instead of merely Airport ready. Not a big deal unless you're on a wireless network (no internet connection is going to max out an Airport card). 5. Bluetooth. The PowerBook has built-in bluetooth which lets you sync bluetooth-enabled PDAs and phones with your computer, without wires. It should also let you use a bluetooth mouse (not many are out yet though). 6. Combo drive, with super drive option. The iBook has no superdrive option, but the TinyBook does. Also, the combo drive has a 24x burn speed instead of 16x for the iBook, and it's slot loading. 7. Audio input. The TinyBook has analog audio input, unlike the iBook. Not important for some, critical for others. 8. Monitor spanning. The TinyBook supports monitor spanning, unlike the iBook. However, the iBook can easily be hacked to allow monitor spanning. 9. Smaller and lighter. The TinyBook is smaller and lighter than the iBook by a small amount. Not a whole lot but it'll leave just a little more room in your case. 10. Better standard loadout. The TinyBook comes with a standard 40 GB hard drive, but that's a $100 option on the iBook. You can also custom configure a 60 GB hard drive (unlike the iBook). Finally, the TinyBook comes with a standard 256 MB of RAM (though it still has only 128 MB soldered onto the motherboard). 11. Three speakers. Yeah, it has two stereo speakers plus an auxiliary midrange speaker for better sound quality. I don't know how good it sounds but it might be an improvement. 12. Since the Airport Extreme card and RAM upgrades are now accessed through doors on the bottom of the case, the keyboard no longer needs to pop out. Because of that extra room, they were able to remove the little tab things, making room for an extra function key. So now the eject key is only an eject key, and there's a dedicated F12 key. Want to know what the TinyBook doesn't have? 1. No FireWire 2. That's only on the 17". 2. No light-sensing keyboard. Also only on the 17". 3. Still difficult to replace the hard drive, like on the iBook. It's encased in rubber just like the iBook, for extra durability. 4. No PC card slot. 5. No gigabit ethernet. It uses 10/100. -- G-Books is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Refurbished Drives | -- Check our web site for refurbished PowerBooks | & CDRWs on Sale! | Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> G-Books list info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/g-books.html> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; Send list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/g-books%40mail.maclaunch.com/> --------------------------------------------------------------- >The Think Different Store http://www.ThinkDifferentStore.com ---------------------------------------------------------------
