Which Apple is Right for You? Part I: PowerBooks and iBooks

2005 is hardly a month old and already it's been a busy year in MacWorld. MacWorld San Francisco ushered in the new era of consumer-commoditized Apple products with the sub-$500 Macintosh and sub-$100 iPod, and last week's minor update to the PowerBook G4 line confirmed the sad truth that we likely won't see a PB G5 until the snow melts on the East Coast of the U.S. Working in a school, as I do by day, I'm often asked for computer-buying advice by colleagues and parents alike. I think I've fielded more such questions in the past month than in the previous twelve combined: The Mac mini really has captured the imagination of the consumer market.

When you look at Apple's current lineup -- especially considering the iMac G5 (unveiled late last year) and the newly less expensive PowerBook G4s -- figuring out which Mac is the best choice for you isn't necessarily such an easy chore. Apple has done a very good job of structuring their price points to make doling out an extra couple hundred bucks for the next model up the ladder very tempting indeed. Here, then, is a quick overview of the current laptop, desktop, and iPod lines and some buying advice that might make your next trip to the Apple Store a little less confusing:

Laptops: iBook G4 and PowerBook G4

Last spring I sold my PowerBook G4/500 (Titanium) and put the proceeds towards a new iBook G4/1.07 12" upgraded to 768 MB of RAM. I was able to get $800 for the TiBook (and a bunch of peripherals/accessories) so for less than $300 out of pocket (plus $80 a month later for an Aiport card) I doubled my processor speed and gained an internal CD burner and brand new warranty. At the time, the cheapest PowerBook added so little relative value for the extra cost that it was a no-brainer. Bear in mind that I've also recognized over the past two years that I don't really need every available ounce of computer power at my fingertips like I once thought I did -- I mainly use my home machine for Web/Email, word processing/HTML creation, and iLife. The main drain on my Mac comes when I fire up Reason, Live, or a few other music-creation apps that I like to play with. Even still, my iBook generally does just fine for my purposes.

Now things are a bit different, however. The new PowerBook line makes the price difference between a tricked out iBook and a low-end PowerBook much easier to bridge. Throw in refurbished and closeout deals on the "old" PBs, and things get a little confusing. As of press time, here's a quick look at the Apple Store price matrix (always avaiable at MacPrices.com):

Note: System Configurations are given as Processor Speed/RAM/Hard Drive GB/Optical Drive. All specs are based on Apple stock configurations.

PowerBook G4 (Jan 05 revision)
12" :: $1499 (1.5/512/60/Combo), $1699 (1.5/512/60/SuperDrive)
15" :: $1999 (1.5/512/80/Combo), $2299 (1.67/512/80/SuperDrive)
17" :: $2699 (1.67/512/100/SuperDrive)

iBook G4
12" :: $999 (1.2/256/30/Combo)
14" :: $1299 (1.33/256/60/Combo), $1499 (1.33/256/30/SuperDrive)

Before making comparisons it's worth pointing out right off the bat that if price is your main concern when buying a new machine, better deals can often be found. We track the best deals out there every day on PBCentral and MacPrices, so check in before placing an order anywhere. As of my writing this, Amazon is offering $100 off by mail-in rebate on any new Mac laptop -- so $899 will get you in the game with a 12" iBook and that new entry-level PowerBook is down to $1399. Other retailers like the MacMall family often offer bundles including RAM upgrades -- RAM from the Apple Store is notoriously more expensive than at other stores, (though of very reliable quality) and 256MB really isn't going to keep you happy for very long if you're running Panther, iLife, and most anything else. Then again, if you're a teacher or student, Apple offers some nice educational discounts including $200 off a SuperDrive-equipped PowerBook.

The performance differences in the machines have been well documented elsewhere, so I'll give you my two cents' worth in layman's terms. The current iBook is plenty of machine for the average computer user. This includes business users who primarily need Web/Email and Office Applications. Unless you're either creating a lot of media (audio, video, heavy Photoshop use, etc) or developing applications, spending on extra RAM and hard drive space will give you more bang for your buck than the additional power afforded by the low-end PowerBook. Don't get me wrong -- the 12" PB is faster all around than it's white plastic sibling, but that speed will be all but lost on most people. Also, the iBook sports a longer-lasting battery and a somewhat more durable exterior. Then again, the PB's screen is nicer. We could go back and forth on this all day. So it comes down to price.

The thing Apple has done with this new rev. of PowerBooks is bump up the stock RAM and hard drive configurations across the board while leaving the iBooks alone. This is most noticeable with the base 12" models -- the iBook's 256 MB of RAM cries out for an immediate upgrade and its 30 GB hard drive will quickly fill up if you're an avid music and movie buff (remember, it is legal to load your machine up with copies of movies that you actually own). A quick trip to Apple's build-to-order system tells me that a 12" iBook bumped up to 512/60 is $1,149. Add a bluetooth module (the PB has BT 2.0 standard) and you're up to $1,199. That's still $300 less than the PowerBook, but now we're in to "a few hundred dollars more" territory and those few hundred dollars suddenly get you a lot: faster processor and system architecture, faster hard drive speed, faster RAM, better graphics card with DVI video-out, and so on. Also, all PowerBooks now sport optical audio in/out and two Firewire ports (one of them an 800), which you can't get on any iBooks.

Again, it's the power user difference we're looking at here -- most people don't know what all of that stuff is about nor will they miss it. But if you do think about such things (and I know you do), you get a lot of bang for your 300 bucks. If you're in the market for a SuperDrive the choice is harder -- an iBook with SuperDrive can only be a 14" model, and once configured to match the base PB 12" SuperDrive (512/80/Bluetooth) that iBook will run you $1,674. For $25 more you can get yourself an all-around faster and better PowerBook with its new 8x DVD burner, which is a big upsell from the iBook's 4x burn speed. You will, of course, lose 2" of screen space in the deal as we're talking about a 14" iBook versus a 12" PowerBook.

As my good friend Glen, he of Apple History, puts it:

The one thing apple has done with this revision of the PowerBooks is to make a better distinction between the two lines: 512 MB standard RAM, and 5400 RPM hard drives make big performance difference for even day-to-day tasks. Switching between applications and launching applications are both largely functions of RAM amount and HD speed these days. The processor speeds are pretty insignificant, but RAM and HD are big potential bottlenecks.

Also the low end 15" has a the glowing keyboard now. Hot.

Point is, Apple's portable offerings are well positioned to offer the "average" user a sub-$1,000 entry point in the iBook G4 and an affordable-at-$1,500 entree into the realm of the world's coolest laptop, the PowerBook. They're also well positioned to tempt the power user into realizing that while the iBook offers great value, once you trick it out a little bit the price jump to the PowerBook line isn't all that much to bear. That, of course, is how a guy like me walks into a store thinking he's going to spend just over a grand on a perfectly servicable machine only to come out an extra grand later with the coolest computer on the block. Ahh, the Upsell.

Closeouts and Refurbs: More Bang for Your Buck

As if things weren't confusing enough already, Apple also sells refurbished models directly through their website. These computers represent great value for the budget-conscious buyer who doesn't necessarily need the absolute latest model in hand -- especially given the minor revisions to both PowerBooks and iBooks within the last year, the price/performance trade off in buying "last year's model" often isn't that hard to stomach. My rule of thumb with refurbished gear is that so long as it comes with the same warranty as it's brand-new counterpart, it's not really that much of a risk (if you're managing a mission-critical operation like a coporate IT department, I can of course understand how you might see things differently). All refurbished Apple computers come with the same one-year warranty and optional AppleCare as their new counterparts.

There's actually nothing in the way of refurbished laptops available from the Apple Store today (Sunday, 6 Feburary), but within the past few days the following models have been available, and more may show up at any given moment:

15" PBG4 :: 1.5GHz/SuperDrive - $1799 12" iBook :: 1.2GHz - $849

However, Apple is offering previous-generation PowerBooks for $300 off:

PowerBook G4 (Previous Model)
12" :: $1299 (1.33/256/60/Combo), $1499 (1.33/256/60/SuperDrive)

Bear in mind that these machines come with only 256 MB RAM and no Bluetooth. Also, the SuperDrive is the "old" 4x DVD burning model.

Right now, ClubMac is offering the same models for $5 cheaper each with a bundle including a free RAM upgrade and some free headphones and a carrying case. Particularly if you don't need a SuperDrive or bluetooth, this is a great time to get yourself a current-enough 12" PowerBook for a song.

Buying Advice?

I've had my iBook G4 for about six months or so now and my only complaint is that I sometimes wish I'd opted for the 14" screen instead of the 12". Of course, I've also been meaning to update my eyeglasses' prescription for going on two years now. I love the extra battery life, have plenty of horsepower for what I need to do and really don't care as much as I used to if my computer is titanium, aluminum, or plastic -- as a matter of fact, my iBook has thus far been much more scratchproof than my old TiBook.

So unless you know you either need or "must have" a PowerBook and all it offers, I'd advise you to take a good, long look at the iBooks. They're really top-notch computers for everyday use, which in today's world means everything from word processing to video editing. If you have specific needs that the iBook's bus or hard drive speed can't meet, or need an internal DVD burner, the PowerBook is the machine for you. The new $1,699 12" SuperDrive model is a whole lot of computer for well under two grand, especially if you've got access to a DVI-compatible desktop monitor for those times when you need some extra screen space.

Of course nothing can beat the sheer aesthetic pleasure of Apple's widescreen LCD displays, so if your pocketbook is set on that 12" model do yourself a favor and order it online. Once you walk into an Apple Store and play with the 15" or 17" widescreen PowerBook (and see its nifty backlit keyboard in action), you'll immediately start tallying up all those things lying around the house you could sell on eBay to scratch up the extra $500 all those lovely pixels will set you back...

Coming in Part II: Looking at Apple's Desktop and iPod Lines.

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Noah Kravitz runs the Technology and Culture blog Threebase.com. He is an educator, musician, and writer who lives in Oakland, CA and is the author of Teaching and Learning with Technology.