so here's the deal. i'm abroad for the year between high school and college. i'll be starting at MIT next fall. i'm on a year program in israel and about to begin the academic studies portion of the year.

previously i had thought about getting a hooked up ibm thinkpad for about $2000 (mit gets good deals) and using it as my main computer for school. i couldn't afford it before i left the states so i decided to push it off till next year.

now i'm thinking i might spend a little more than 1000 bucks (like 1200-1250) on a 1.33ghz 14.1in ibook w. combo drive. and then sometime in the next year build a cheaper desktop (athlon64 prolly) for like 800-1000 that would probably be faster than that thinkpad.

if i do so, i could probably buy the ibook now and have my parents bring it next month when they come to visit me, so i can use it for this upcoming semester.

i hear rumors of the powerbooks being updated with a price drop on the 12" model. should i maybe wait for that because i could maybe get a 1.5ghz 12" pb? will the 1.33ghz ibook last me like 4 years even if i end up only using it for taking notes and wireless internet access (and whatever os x apps i become attached to) in the future?

what do you think? i'm also relatively new to macs. would it also be useful to have the ability to run both mac and windows (linux on either) software?

thanks in advance for any advice.

~jsklar

I'd suggest that you wait until after the MacWorld expo thing (Jan. 11 or so?) to see if Apple updates any of their product lines, etc. before you make your decision.

yea I am sure something is gonna change with the powerbooks at macworld so I would wait the 2 weeks and see

yeah, most definitely. Wait til macworld like 10 days and see if they upgrade anything. I would normally advise you to get a 15" PB but those are a bit too expensive given your situation.
have you also considered getting an Imac G5 (around $1300) and then getting a portable windows machine? I mean, you get more punch from the G5 and you're prolly gonna love the mac more than your Windows machine. So, get a nice mac (G5!!) and then get a cheaper portable, like a Pentium 4 Toshiba 15.4" widescreen, 80 GIG HDD, 512 MB ram, and a kick ass graphics card for $1250.
good luck

i don't think it'll be a g5 because they ran too hot for a laptop, maybe dual g4? but if you are going for an ibook i don't think anything is goint to change with them becuase they just updated the models a month ago, either way you wont be dissapointed with an ibook, i love mine to death! I fully recommend ibooks, the software that comes with them to is really good! and the fact it is a mac

iBooks will NOT be updated at MacWorld, but PowerBooks will be...most likely dual G4 as the G5 still has significant heat issues. So if you're in the market for an iBook, now is as good as ever

I actually just purchased a 14" Combo on Saturday, it's currently in Memphis after flying from Taiwan. Should arrive in Toronto on Thursday

Well if you want to wait, in regards to the iBook, you probably would be waiting for Tiger and iLife '05 as opposed to an iBook update anytime soon....

When's Tiger slated for release?

I'm guessing around March - April 2005.


- http://engadget.com/entry/2757543654353854/

perhaps an announcement at the convention in SF ?

mastermik don't even mention windows machines

thanks guys ... the only reason i'd get a pbook after macworld is if theres a price drop on the 12" pbook. otherwise i can't afford a pbook at the moment. if it not then i think ill just go with the ibook.

is there any difference in the keyboard size between the 12" and the 14"? i don't think the extra 133mhz in the 14" would make such a huge difference, but the 12" would be nicer for portability (and price).

I went to Apple Retail Store and played with both 12" and 14",

Their keyboard size seems to be the same.

i just ordered a 14 inch iBook from amazon. definately a better deal than the Apple store. With the educational discount i would have spent $1200 plus tax.

i got it on Amazon for $1299 with a $150 mail in rebate and no tax.

and since i'm getting the $150 rebate, by the time it comes tiger will be coming out so that will pay for it if i decide to get it.

i'd have to say sit back and wait off until after Jan 11th. Just as a confirmation with apple so-to-speak. There may or may not be any changes to the iBook line, but like last year i bought an iBook on Jan 6th, after Jan 11th the price of the 12" had dropped and the cpu was increased from the 800MHz G4 to the current 1.2GHz.

So wait off. then by all means go to the apple store and see whats there. Remember to check out the Educational discounts you may be eligible for too.

i highly doubt they would change then ibooks again. they were just upgraded.