which apple mac should i get?

[floy2d]

hi fairly new designer here: about to invest in my first apple mac.

i'm gonna use the mac @ home for freelance work, coz i work all day doing design full-time. should i get the 14-inch-superdrive-included ibook, or should i just go with my better instincts and get the 12-inch-powerbook? for casual users (ie: freelance on the side) are you guys all using the powerbook?

i'm still finding my feet with this, and have worked on both mac and PC, can anyone give me an opinion? has anyone worked doing graphics on the ibook?

thanks

[colonel5]

1) I'm sure Morea will be along soon with some links to all of our previous conversations

2) I've been unfortunate enough trying to design on an old ibook and a 12'' powerbook (ibook isn't powerful enough & 12'' screen is too small). Having the laptop is nice because you can take it everywhere, but if that's the route you go, get the 15'', i did that and also got a 20'' screen so i can do dual screens. But if Money is an issue, the iMac's are pretty sweet for basic design. A downfall of both the iMac and iBook is that you can't do dual screens with either, you can only mirror...but if you're getting a 20'' iMac than the second screen isn't as needed. + for the iMac too is that it has up to a 2.0GHz G5 in it as compared to the powerbook which tops out at a 1.67GHz G4. Portability vs. power, a question only you can answer for yourself.

[Rocketpig]

A few questions: Do you have a larger monitor and regular keyboard to attach the laptop to when you're working at home?

If yes, you might be able to get by with the 14" iBook or 12" Powerbook.

If no, get the 15" Powerbook.

In any case, I would still go for the 15" Powerbook no matter what. My 14" iBook was recently stolen and when I replace it, I'm definitely going with a Powerbook. The 14" screen just didn't have a high enough resolution to deal with my palette-happy nature.

My advice? Buy a slightly older 15" Powerbook on eBay and wait until next year to buy a new laptop when Mac switches over to x86 architecture. Once Apple gets their hands on the new Pentium Ms, the speed jump will be enormous for little or no extra cost over the current G4 chips.

[Only Seen Here]

Don't buy an x86 mac until 2008 when it;s all completely integrated. Steve Jobs admitted that the first few years are going to be rough. Aside from that, apple has a terrible warranty policy and worthless customer service, so stay with powerPC until the x86 architecture makes sense.

I can talk trash about apple, I own LOTS of apple equipment, and have for years.

Rocketpig's advice (save for the last part which I expressed my opinion) is perfect. With a screen and keyboard, the any old g4 will work just fine.

If not, you can get a brand new 15'' pb for 1999 if you can con the store out of a floor model (which comes with a free warranty).


AVOID APPLECARE LIKE THE PLAGUE

[Rocketpig]

Don't buy an x86 mac until 2008 when it;s all completely integrated. Steve Jobs admitted that the first few years are going to be rough. Aside from that, apple has a terrible warranty policy and worthless customer service, so stay with powerPC until the x86 architecture makes sense.

I'm going under the assumption that when he buys a new laptop, it should last at least three years.

I won't be an early adopter of x86, but as soon as Adobe launches a new creative suite for it, I'll be switching over since I pretty much only use Adobe products (save for Flash, which I don't use very often anyway).

And I bet there will be far fewer hardware failures under x86 when Apple switches over... After all, it is the most-researched architecture ever produced. There shouldn't be any hardware bugs whatsoever.

Plus, the hardware speed will be so much greater that I'll risk a few bugs here and there... The G4s are pathetic compared to the new Pentium Ms.

[colonel5]

I'm not sure what ONLYSEENHERE is talking about. The only people who I've found to not like Apple's service is angry customers who screwed up their own crap or are trying to con Apple into giving them brand new product rather than fixing their current one. Apple actually has the highest rated Customer Service in the computer industry (well above dell or anything else).

What other computer company will sell you a computer and offer in store service? that's right no one. So unless you want a goo back best buy employee selling you your computer that you can bring to the geek squad only so they can hold on to it for a few months I'd say hit up your local apple store, strike up a polite conversation with one of the mac specialists and you WILL be taken care of.

I'm sure a lot of people get tired of my rants for Apple and against anything Windows based in our industry, but, i guess i put my effort into creating less headaches than necessary in our dialy work.

A good friend of mine's philosophy on buying anything is "buy once, cry once" meaning bite the bullet and fork out the extra cash, rather than going cheap and causing yourself a bunch of tear jerking headaches ;o)

[Mynock]

I would by a Dell-intosh :P

[Rocketpig]

I'm not sure what ONLYSEENHERE is talking about. The only people who I've found to not like Apple's service is angry customers who screwed up their own crap or are trying to con Apple into giving them brand new product rather than fixing their current one. Apple actually has the highest rated Customer Service in the computer industry (well above dell or anything else).

What other computer company will sell you a computer and offer in store service? that's right no one. So unless you want a goo back best buy employee selling you your computer that you can bring to the geek squad only so they can hold on to it for a few months I'd say hit up your local apple store, strike up a polite conversation with one of the mac specialists and you WILL be taken care of.

I'm sure a lot of people get tired of my rants for Apple and against anything Windows based in our industry, but, i guess i put my effort into creating less headaches than necessary in our dialy work.

A good friend of mine's philosophy on buying anything is "buy once, cry once" meaning bite the bullet and fork out the extra cash, rather than going cheap and causing yourself a bunch of tear jerking headaches ;o)

I've heard my fair share of AppleCare nightmare stories, but Colonel is right. Apple far and away has the highest customer satisfaction rating almost every year.

Personally, I've never had to deal with them so I only have second-hand information.

[colonel5]

Mynock where do i get me one of dem' der' a dell-intoshes?

[Mynock]

Right next to the iMachines, golly.

[D-Zine]

I would by a Dell-intosh :P

Dats what I did last year :D

[colonel5]

i got me on of dem der rioPod music boxes too

[Only Seen Here]

The only people who I've found to not like Apple's service is angry customers who screwed up their own crap or are trying to con Apple into giving them brand new product rather than fixing their current one.

FALSE

Just do one search for "apple care scam" or anything similiar on google. The stories never stop. Apple has admitted in press to have suffered customer service problems as a result of growing pains. Having completely replaced the applecare support executive staff, their high customer service rating, in terms of warranty, is a recent development. Research before you make generalizations.


What other computer company will sell you a computer and offer in store service? that's right no one.

FALSE

What? Like, all of them. My local compUSA does in store same day repairs on anything except for apple-exclusive parts like power adapters and keyboards. Power adapters they just replace, keyboards they send to apple and get apple-care support for CompUSA-warranty holders. CompUSA STILL offers a carry in replacement policy (I'm sure you know that means you can admit to ANY kind of abuse to a broken piece of hardware, and they will replace it on the spot, save for the circumstances of fire and theft), a service that Apple has never offered. My local Comp and Best Buy both send out on-site apple technitions for all software issues. Apple doesn't do that, either.


I own two powerbooks, and iBook, two iPods, and two Powermacs. I've dealt with apple a lot. Another powerbook I had last year had screen intermittency problems that the Apple Store and Apple Care fought me on for 6 months. Finally I wrote a letter directly to Steve Jobs and CC'd the VP of AppleCare. My computer was replaced in three days. I've had iPods die, ethernet ports fail, CD drives go bizarre. Name it. Inspect any of my machines and they're cosmetically flawless. Any time I've tried to claim apple care it's been a fight and a struggle. I have friends, Co Workers, Parents, and Siblings who have all gone through the same thing. I have no idea where you're coming from with anything you said. Apple has notoriously poor service (which, again, has been improved dramatically over the last 8 months).

To reiterate my advice. Don't get apple care. Both best-Buy and CompUSA offer very attractive service and replacement policies that are often cheaper than Apple care for the same time length (mine was actually more expensive, though).

[D Lucks]

Well that's your own fault for letting them lead you around by your nose for six months. I had a similar situtation. I had mine laptop shipped in twice, and nothing was fixed. I called up to Apple and it was back in my hands fixed within 10 days. You do have to take a firm stance with them and not afraid to make an extra phone call or two. The main reason being is that the techs are all contracted and not direct Apple employees. I found the AppleCare helpful just for the phone support.

As for the computer decision. If it's going to be a laptop only get a Powerbook. For the soul reason that you can use a monitor with them. I own a 17" Powerbook and love it!. I've also used extensively used a 12" Powerbook. The small screen isn't that bad for using a hour or two until you can get home and hook up to a monitor. the 12" and 15" are good if you're going to be taking it everywhere. I love my 17" dearly but it is a beast and can be a pain hauling around all the time.

[D-Zine]

Tho I'm not a fan of Apple, I took a nearly brand new computer from work into a reseller who took care of my power supply problem via apple care in a matter of about 2 days. If you have a reseller nearby, take it into them and have them do the footwork and save yourself the headache is you think there is going to be one.

[PrintDriver]

I've got nothing bad to say about Applecare. My local Genius Bar does excellent work.

I might have something bad to say about the quality of the machine that required a new Motherboard AND 2 new processors all at one time. Glad I have the extra coverage. For the price they wrote on the repair slip, they shoulda just given me a new comp.

[D-Zine]

I know what you mean PD! Same as here at work on the repairs!