Blues 0 Report post Posted October 27, 2005 thinking of going the Mac route since my friend has shown interest in my current laptop. Thinking of the 12" , for portability. But really how much different from 15" or is it better to get 15" since the price difference not that big? and how does mac do Photoshop etc? is the loading slow woth 512? 1gig needed? More qns to come later.. thx for the patience Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
idkfa 0 Report post Posted October 27, 2005 For portability, 12inch is the simply the best. It's really very portable. If you are doing lots of photoshop, get a bigger harddrive for scratch disk space. 1Gb ram is good if you can afford but not that much difference from 512Mb. It'll be good for multi-tasking between photoshop and maybe illustrator. The real notable difference is definitely a large harddisk upgrade. If internal HD upgrade is expensive, get an external HD instead. Nothing different within the mac and pc OS for photoshop. Just the ctrl key for pc and option/command key for mac. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Blues 0 Report post Posted October 27, 2005 thx for the reply idkfa I heard that 12" kinda small for photo editing .. hm wonder if I really should just spend abit more for 15" Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
idkfa 0 Report post Posted October 27, 2005 If you don't need to do layout and designs, a 12inch screen is good enough for photoshop. Unless you are deep into digital imaging and heavy retouching... You should be looking at powerbooks. But that's out of the point. If it's just digital images(8megapix images + average 10 PSD layers), a 12inch screen and with an ibook G4 processor is more than enough. Just spend the extra on the Harddisk AND get a decent mouse. (I know a design creative director who carries his 12inch ibook everywhere, and even does all his design layouts with it. Even presentations on it) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rameish 0 Report post Posted October 27, 2005 12 inch is really really portable. Instead of a PowerBook, do look into the iBooks as well as there are some really useful software from iTunes (for your iPod to iPhoto for your digital pictures and there's appleworks as well. Either way you really cant go wrong with a mac :-). Think about getting one with a DVD burner as you may wish to shoot movies and edit (in which case go for the powerbooks). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
N@Z 0 Report post Posted October 27, 2005 Arggh!!! Whatever you do avoid the ibooks if you intend to use photoshop! SLewww compared to a G4 Powerbook! I've used PS on both iBook G4 & 15" PB G4. 15" PB G4 would be nicer because of the excellent display. However much to my dismay during my travels, it's one heavy mutha if you're lugging it around for long periods. If portability is your criteria go for the 12" PB G4, most of the time you'll be resizing your pics for the Net/email anyway. It's just as beautiful & solidly built. If you intend to do alot of multi tasking up the RAM to 1G. My usage with Firefox, messenger, iTunes & PS open at the same time equates to about 3/4 of the 512 MB RAM was used up. A few points to consider/remember when you switch over to Mac: - You won't be able to use alot of software you're used to on WIN. Even MSN Messenger feels like an older version of WINs version. Thankfully PS's functions are exactly the same (at least the ones I've used anyway). - An XP machine will start up & load programs (generally) noticably faster than on a mac. After that it's either faster or at least on par. - Don't bother getting third party anitvirus programs like Norton. I assure you, macs don't need it. - You have to learn not to fiddle around with the system (other than the general user settings/preferences) like you're used to on a WIN. I know, I know, it's a windows user thing, old habits die hard! What I do like about the iBook/Powerbooks: - Connecting to the internet is so easy be it via modem, ethernet or wi-fi. - The elegant minimalist design, synonimous with almost if not all Apple products. - Simple & seemless integration with periferals. Something you should consider if you decide to stick with WIN... the even lighter & smaller Dell 700m. Costs not much more than an iBook G4 if nicely specced. Plus it has that gorgeous 12" wide screen. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Blues 0 Report post Posted October 27, 2005 (edited) Thanx a million for the replies guys.. really helpful!! I think I will stick to 12" powerbook.. don't want to end up with yet another heavyweight machine at the same time I think I need the extra hdd , now using 40gig with my toshiba abit restricted.. plus I love the screen on the powerbook.. The thing that attracts me most to consider mac is the very clean and simplistic design.. love it windows look abit cluttered to me .. :X now must ask my parents <parental consent> hopefully get it by next mth .. Edited October 28, 2005 by Blues Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Blues 0 Report post Posted October 28, 2005 oh ya btw I just checked again in applestore, the ibook 12" with : 1GB DDR333 SDRAM (512MB built-in & 512MB SO-DIMM) 80GB Ultra ATA drive Combo drive (DVD/CD-RW) Keyboard/Mac OS X 12-inch TFT XGA display 1.33GHz PowerPC G4 ATI Mobility Radeon 9550 w/ 32MB DDR video memory will set me back $2k whereas the powerbook 12" w/ 768MB DDR333 (256MB built-in + 512MB SO-DIMM) 80GB Ultra ATA drive @ 5400rpm SuperDrive (DVD±R/CD-RW) AirPort Extreme Card 12.1-inch TFT XGA Display 1.5 GHz Processor will set me $2.5k How will the performance on this 2 machine differ?(more ram vs more clock speed). Since the superdrive is more like an extra thing for me (already have external dvd burner), then other than the nicer screen and nicer exterior, is it more worth to settle for an ibook instead? hm... really headache hahaha Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
idkfa 0 Report post Posted October 28, 2005 Buying ram from applestore is pretty expensive. You can get third party vendors to upgrade them for you or you can do it yourself. Can save a little with it. Did you ask for the student/academic discount price? That's another $150~ off I think. A 1.5GHz Vs 1.33GHz Cpu doensn't make that much of a difference ya? Unless you are talking G5 Vs G4. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Blues 0 Report post Posted October 28, 2005 while I like powerbook's sleek alu exterior, I quite fancy the old milky white look on the ibook too.. arrggg it's so hard to make the decision yea the prices quoted are under 'education programme' Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
idkfa 0 Report post Posted October 28, 2005 Let me give you one good advice if you really consider Macs cos of the appeal. iBooks are a pain to maintain. exterior wise. You will be surprised at the no. of stuffs they sell out there for keeping that surface smooth and white. Once u kena THAT scratch, it's game over. lol. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Blues 0 Report post Posted October 28, 2005 then what about the pbook? are the alu really more scratch resistant? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Blues 0 Report post Posted October 29, 2005 yay my father has given me the greenlight.. added to that I've also secured the deal with my friend.. transaction going through monday can't wait to play with the powerbook thx for all those who've helped to make the decision.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
