 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
Mac Forum / General / Portable Macs / January 2006Durability of PowerBook vs. iBook?
Yes, I've dug through the archives and found some comments, but not many, on the topic, and most are several years old so I don't know if they are current. I'm in the market for a Mac laptop and want to get one before I'd be forced to get a Macintel model. How much more rugged is the iBook than the PowerBook? Would, say, an iBook survive a fall from the bed or couch to the floor? A PowerBook? (I"m trying to decide between the 14" iBook and the 15" Powerbook.) I can see a lot of reasons why I'd be willing to pay the extra for the PowerBook (resolution, extended desktop, covered connectors) but if it turns out to be a hot-house plant rather than a reliable ground cover I'm not sure the price is worth it. -- Ted Lee Minnetonka, MN > Yes, I've dug through the archives and found some comments, but not many, on > the topic, and most are several years old so I don't know if they are [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > out to be a hot-house plant rather than a reliable ground cover I'm not sure > the price is worth it. I once tripped over the power cord on my old iBook and sent it flying off my bedside locker. It was completely undamaged afterward. It seemed to a very tough little machine. I now have a 15" PowerBook and I'm not keen to repeat the trick to see how this computer would handle it. By the way, unless you have a particular need for a Classic application, I'd think you were better off getting the Macbook Pro instead of a PowerBook. > > Yes, I've dug through the archives and found some comments, but not many, on > > the topic, and most are several years old so I don't know if they are [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > I'd think you were better off getting the Macbook Pro instead of a > PowerBook. Being a major clutz, my 3-year old Tibook has been dropped hard several times. My first time dropping it was when it flew out of a backpack which had a broken zipper (I didn't realize it) and it bounced along a concrete driveway and hit the curb. It hit hard enough to push the cd slot closed (I had to pry it apart with a screw driver. After the third drop, the motherboard eventually failed. I have AppleCare and the repairs were done absolutely free even though the computer was obviously dropped (several dents and the entire case was warped). I would have no hesitation about buying another PowerBook for reliability/durability issues. I do; however, plan to buy a MacBook Pro soon to replace my aging PowerBook (which I am using now to write this msg). ... > I'm in the market for a Mac laptop and want to get one before I'd be forced > to get a Macintel model. > How much more rugged is the iBook than the PowerBook? Would, say, an iBook > survive a fall from the bed or couch to the floor? A PowerBook? (I"m > trying to decide between the 14" iBook and the 15" Powerbook.) Here is what happened to me, FWIW: Had my 17" PB in a nice padded hull (Crumpler) when I dropped it on a bare concrete floor from 1m height. Unfortunately it fell exactly on one of the two bare corners (no padding of any sort ...). Except for a small dent in its aluminum corner it did not show any signs of damage - no data lost, no new unreliabilities etc. HTH Marc  SignatureSwitzerland/Europe <http://www.heusser.com> remove CHEERS and from MERCIAL to get valid e-mail > How much more rugged is the iBook than the PowerBook? Would, say, an iBook > survive a fall from the bed or couch to the floor? A PowerBook? Here's another data-point. A friend keeps his 15" Al Powerbook in an ordinary backpack, which is usually zipped closed. On this occasion it wasn't, and as he swung it out of the car and onto his shoulder, the computer was hurled out, flying through the air and down a one-storey flight of concrete steps. The back-left corner of the case, where it first landed, was dented, and the side plate came away from the top for an inch or two. The modem socket moulding also fell out. Being an amateur mechanic (of big heavy steel things) he didn't see that repair should involve any more than beating the panel back into shape with a small hammer and pushing the modem socket back where it came from. And, miraculously, that's all that /was/ required - the machine still works fine almost a year later, including the modem. I don't recommend throwing your Powerbook down the stairs but, cosmetic dings aside, these things do seem to be tougher than they look. > I can see a lot of reasons why I'd be willing to pay the extra for the > PowerBook (resolution, extended desktop, covered connectors) Covered connectors? Pete I have owned both a Ti Powerbook and a G4 iBook and my experience (and the reason I brought the iBook) is that the powerbook, while a beautiful machine, is not as tough as the ibook. The case on the PB cracked after a year of use while the ibook has been problem free for 2 years now. Nigel On 27/1/06 8:38 AM, in article 43t1akF1p8nppU1@individual.net, "Pete Verdon" <usenet@verdonet.organisation.unitedkingdom.invalid> wrote: >> How much more rugged is the iBook than the PowerBook? Would, say, an iBook >> survive a fall from the bed or couch to the floor? A PowerBook? [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] > > Pete > On 27/1/06 8:38 AM, in article 43t1akF1p8nppU1@individual.net, "Pete Verdon" > <usenet@verdonet.organisation.unitedkingdom.invalid> wrote: > > >> How much more rugged is the iBook than the PowerBook? Would, say, an iBook > >> survive a fall from the bed or couch to the floor? A PowerBook? Both might or might not survive the fall, depending greatly on the specific circumstances involved. What you mean by "survive" matters too; even if the LCD were to be broken, your HD is far less likely to crash on a machine with the sudden motion sensor in it than an older PowerBook (I don't remember whether current iBooks have the SMS or not, but if so, then as above). That means that you data will survive even if your machine isn't worth repairing. While I don't have an SMS-equipped PowerBook, I do carry substantial insurance on my PowerBook, and try to back up my data frequently (optical disk and external HD). If something happens that the PB doesn't survive, I'll buy a new one and rely upon the backup in case the HD is toast. While the extra insurance cost (around $40/year) may seem a bad bargain, with my dissertation on the PB I'm not messing around...come to think, I'm going to back that up again. ;-) Fwiw, I keep the PB in my backpack, inside a Spire sleeve. > > Here's another data-point. A friend keeps his 15" Al Powerbook in an > > ordinary backpack, which is usually zipped closed. On this occasion it [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > > > > Pete > I have owned both a Ti Powerbook and a G4 iBook and my experience (and the > reason I brought the iBook) is that the powerbook, while a beautiful > machine, is not as tough as the ibook. The case on the PB cracked after a > year of use while the ibook has been problem free for 2 years now. > > Nigel Current PowerBooks are substantially more robust than the Titanium PowerBook was. When they shifted to Aluminum cases they switched to more robust hinges, better airport antenna location, etc. SignatureLater, John johajohn@indianahoosiers.edu 'indiana' is a 'nolnn' and 'hoosier' is a 'solkk'. Indiana doesn't solkk. > Here's another data-point. A friend keeps his 15" Al Powerbook in an > ordinary backpack, which is usually zipped closed. On this occasion it [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > I don't recommend throwing your Powerbook down the stairs but, cosmetic > dings aside, these things do seem to be tougher than they look. Pretty impressive. Thanks for the account. > > I can see a lot of reasons why I'd be willing to pay the extra for the > > PowerBook (resolution, extended desktop, covered connectors) > > Covered connectors? Musta imagined it. -- Ted Lee Minnetonka, MN |
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2008 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.