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General discussion

How does the Powerbook stack up?

Jan 11, 2005 9:48AM PST

I'm a student and I am looking for a new notebook. I recently got a demonstration of what a powerbook can do from a professor and was pretty impressed, now I am thinking about switching over. How does it stack up to the competition in terms of power and capabilities? Is it worth the price premium? Any advice or experiences appreciated.

Discussion is locked

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*shrugs*
Jan 11, 2005 10:43AM PST

What you get:

1) Apple quality (which is pretty good)
2) Mac OS X (which is fairly secure)

What you lose:

1) Cost-effective performance (Apple is expensive)
2) PC Gaming (Good luck)

Apple notebooks tend to be lightweight and quiet for their relatively high-power specs but have low battery life. Occasionally they have heat problems, particularly on the bottom.

As a note, if you really need power (we're talking desktop replacement), the 17" Powerbook is outclassed by its Windows-based competitors.

Since you're a student, make sure you purchase your Apple with the educational discount or it will cost you a body part to acquire.

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Apple versus IBM notebooks
Jan 11, 2005 11:40AM PST

Yes, if you use it in the educational or specialized areas the Apple is #1 in notebook reliability and service. Their cases are very attractive and durable to boot.

But if you are in the mainstream outside college or photo editing, etc. you might want a PC.

It sounds like you are in college though so an Apple can do very well. Sure, the 17" Powerbook is expensive but find a 17" mainstream notebook anyware that weighs only 6.9 pounds !!!!!!!!-- A Pentium 4M 17" is 9 pounds or over and even a Pentium M Centrino 15.4" Dell 8600 is 6.9 pounds .........