The 15" and 17" PowerBooks are much wider machines than the 12", but the 14" iBook and older 14" PowerBooks are not wide enough to get any benefit. Of course, to be wide enough to give some benefit (15 and 17" PB) makes the machine too wide to be used well as a portable, making it really a portable desktop.
Personally, I bought my 12" to use as a true portable, a decision I have never regretted, especially when I see people trying to use bigger laptops such as Titanium PowerBooks in crowded airplanes. I actually saw some poor idiot's 17" PowreBook get pushed by a passing flight attendant, the result was a spilled drink on another passenger, the flight attendant visibly in pain and the PowerBook face down on the floor with a sickening crunch, followed by a whole lot of shouting by the fool who tried to use a massive shelf of a computer in a confined space. The 12", in contrast, is so small that even if the passenger in front of me reclines, I won't have my screen crunched. That, and of course I still have room on my tray table, as opposed to bleeding over into another person's space. The 15" isn't that bad, but it still can't touch the 12" for portability and light weight. Of course, the 12" is such a delight to type on that I've never wished for anything larger for that purpose. Speaking of RSI, by the way, your hands shouldn't be touching the palmrest AT ALL, making a wider one of dubious benefit. The only time I can see a benefit of a large palmrest area is for sliding around a small optical mouse or as a surface to write rest your post-it pad on for writing real pen-and-paper notes. The 12", by the way, has a very generous palmrest and is an ergonomic delight, as far as laptops go with their low screens that force bent necks. Andrew On 1/1/05 11:58 AM, "Marcin Wichary" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> Hands never rest on the 3/4" strip of plastic on the sides of the >> keyboard, >> and that space has no ergonomic benefit. The deeper palmrest may have >> some >> benefit, but the difference is very minor. > > That space has no ergonomic benefit indeed, but the corresponding space > on the palmrest has. When you type, you shouldn't have your arms > perpendicular to the space bar, but at a certain, comfortable angle. If > your palmrest is not wide enough, this forces your arms to use a > different angle (people tend to do that subconsciously), which > translates to more chances of RSI in longer run. > > Now, I don't say that it's exactly the case with 12" vs. 14" iBook, but > I presume it's the same situation with 12" vs. 15" PowerBook. I have a > PowerBook 15" which is great, and I tried 12" once, but it was just > much less comfortable, for the reason I outlined above. > >> The only reason the 14" iBook and larger PowerBooks have space >> alongside >> their keyboards is because those large screens are much wider than the >> standard Apple laptop keyboards. Now if Apple used that space by >> fitting >> larger keys, or on the 17" PowerBook by including a full numeric >> keypad, >> that would be an ergonomic improvement. > > I seriously disagree here. As far as I see, the keys on Apple's laptops > are roughly the same size as standalone keyboards, and I see nothing > but trouble with bigger keys. > > With full numeric keyboard, you'd have to have your hands moved to the > left most of the time (for the alphanumerical part), which is just bad > for your posture, would probably necessitate moving trackpad to the > left as well (bad aesthetics), and your left palmrest would be too > narrow, as I mentioned above already. > > > Marcin Wichary > e:\> [EMAIL PROTECTED] > w:\> www.aci.com.pl/mwichary >> Attached > w:\> www.aci.com.pl/mwichary/gui >> Graphical User Interface gallery > w:\> www.10yearsofbeingboring.com >> 10 years of Being Boring > w:\> www.usability.pl >> Usability.pl > -- 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:G-Books@mail.maclaunch.com> 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/> --------------------------------------------------------------- iPod Accessories for Less at 1-800-iPOD.COM Fast Delivery, Low Price, Good Deal www.1800ipod.com ---------------------------------------------------------------
