On Apr 22, 2005, J Schooster <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Hello All... I'm a newbie to this list, but have been a Mac User since way back :) Your list was recommended by a fellow user on another tech list, so here I am, looking for some wise advice!
I currently use an old (grey) G3 desktop. I've had it for years, and it's done what I needed it to, but I really need to invest in a new system.
BIG SNIP
Not mentioned yet in all the excellent advice you've already seen: If you buy a PowerBook, seriously consider AppleCare for warranty purposes. You are accustomed to your old trusty desktop. Laptops are inherently more fragile and trouble prone.
Bruce Johnson mentioned that the iMac G5s are "damned portable." This tests your intent to move from your comfortable desktop with a nice keyboard to a laptop. The ergonomics are certainly different. You may want to play a bit with the laptops at the Apple store. But as already mentioned, you can plug a large monitor into a PowerBook, also a large, USB keyboard.
Another thought: Buying an iMac G5 (or Mac Mini) and a laptop, both, depending on your work habits and portability needs. You need a full set of software and hardware power for your heavy work at home. Do you need all of that on the road? Or will something less do as well on the road?
Work up the cost of your Powerbook as you would want it, along with the extras to make it comfortable to use at home. Then compare that with the cost of an iMac (or Mac Mini) set up to do your heavy work. Will the difference allow you to buy an iBook, or minimal 12 inch PowerBook that you can carry around for demo purposes?
To get fancy on the road, you can have your laptop do remote access to your home machine if necessary, with a package such as Timbuktu. When my son visits with laptop, his Timbuktu gets him to his home machine, slick as a pin with broadband at each end. It's as if his home machine were in my house for what he can do with it.
More points to consider: Both the Mac Mini and the Powerbook have slower hard drives than the iMac; some professional users consider this to be significant. You do not say what hard drive(s) you have on your G3. You should have at least two at home, one for backup purposes and maybe scratch space. In one respect, having a home machine and a PowerBook allow each to backup the other.
Note: The Mac Mini is for folks who already have the appropriate monitor and keyboard. Monitor may require an adaptor. Cost for Mac Mini, new monitor, and new keyboard puts you into the price range of an iMac G5, but you have a lesser system.
Good luck in your decisions,
Al Poulin
Anger, hate, and revenge are for the devil, forgiveness is for God, proactive self-defense is for the rest of us.
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