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Is The 14-inch iBook Value Challenged? - Plus PowerBook Mystique Mailbag

by Charles W. Moore

If has been said that there is no such thing as bad beer, but some beers are better than others. And so it is with Apple laptops. They are all wonderful machines, but there is a hierarchy of desirability, and of the current crop of Mac portables, I would have to say that the 14-inch iBook is the one I find least compelling.

However, it seems to have sold well enough that Apple has kept making it longer than any other of their portable models in history, save for the 12 inch version. Indeed, Apple has made the 14-incher the distinctly "upmarket" iBook in more ways than physical size. While the original 600 MHz 14" G3 iBook shared its clock speed with the 12" model, when the machines were upgraded to G4 power in October, 2003, the two 14-inch models got faster chips than the lone 12 - partly I guess to maintain more marketing distinction between the 12" iBook and the 12" PowerBook.

The 14" iBook has been built in 600 MHz, 700 MHz, 800 MHz, and 900 MHz G3 versions, and 933 MHz, 1 GHz, 1.2 GHz, and 1.33 GHz clock speeds over its 3 1/2 year production run. Currently, the 14" iBook G4 is available in two models, both with 1.33 MHz G4 processors — the only distinction being that the higher-priced machine has a DVD-burning Superdrive, while the $200.00 less expensive base unit gets by with a CD-RW/DVD combo drive.

It's not that there's anything in particular wrong with the 14-inch iBook. It is a good, solid machine. However, I've never found that the scaled-up 12 inch iBook's styling really worked for me, any more than I was enchanted by the scaled-up PowerBook 5300 styling of the PowerBook 3400. The smaller version in both cases was/is charming, while the "stretch" models come off as stylistically ungainly.

I also prefer the bright and crisp sharpness of the 12.1' 1024 x 768 displays in the 12 inch iBooks and PowerBooks to the larger 14.1" unit at the same resolution in the 14-inch iBook. I experience this comparison on a daily basis with my 12-inch iBook and Pismo PowerBook, and I definitely prefer the smaller display with its tighter pixel density.

However, these points I just related are subjective evaluations upon which others may differ. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder to a considerable degree, and some people will prefer a physically larger screen at the expense of some image sharpness.

The objective shortcoming of the 14-inch iBook is on the value front. Compared with the 12" iBook, the top of the line 14-incher sells for 50 percent more, but offers essentially the same technology, engineering, and design. What you get for your extra 500 bucks is a 133 MHz faster processor, a 100 percent larger capacity hard drive, a DVD-burning SuperDrive, and the larger display. It's not a ripoff, but it certainly isn't the bargain of the year either.

And for the same money, you can now get a 12-inch PowerBook, albeit with a combo drive, but with a 166 MHz faster processor, twice as much standard RAM, a better video card that supports OS X Core Image fully with twice as much video RAM, and a much better keyboard plus a scrolling trackpad.

And if you really can't live without a SuperDrive, $200 extra buys you a 12-inch PowerBook with one, plus a 33 percent larger capacity hard drive than the one that comes in the iBook.

Personally, I think that the value advantage is substantial in either of the 12-inch PowerBooks. I continue to maintain that is hard to argue with the value of the 12-inch iBook at $999, but you come a lot closer to getting your extra money's worth with the 12-inch PowerBook rather than the 14-inch iBook.

Another issue for prospective purchasers of lower end Apple portables right now is that the iBooks in general are way overdue for at least a refresh. A particular conundrum is whether there will be a significant new model introduction for the iBook prior to the MacIntel changeover next year.

As I have previously discussed in this column, there have been strong rumors of a 14 inch widescreen iBook coming in the fall or early 2006, but that timetable would be too early for Intel chips to be included. Another possibility would be for Apple to use Freescale's new G4 7448 chip, which on paper seems ideally suited to laptop applications while offering significantly better performance and lower power consumption/heat generation then the current G4 7447 chips used in Apple laptops.

However, would Apple strategically want to dedicate a major new model redesign that would have to be superseded by major motherboard reengineering a few months later? A 14 inch widescreen iBook with a 7448 processor, more powerful video support, and more standard RAM at the same price point as the current machine would certainly address the value for the money issue, but timing of introduction is the big question.

Whatever, in my opinion, Apple has to do something with the iBook before much longer if sales are not to suffer a significant decline. Apple has stopped providing model by model sales breakdowns in their quarterly reports, so it's unlikely that the ratio of iBook to PowerBook sales will be revealed in today's conference call, but the scuttlebutt I'm hearing it that iBook sales have recently fallen off, with more Apple laptop buyers opting for a PowerBook, and quite sensibly so, at least in terms of the 14-inch iBook vs the 12-inch PowerBook, for reasons discussed above.

I have noticed that I am getting a lot of reader mail querying as to whether it is sensible to buy a new iBook now, or wait for new model introductions. as much as I admire the White iBook, unless one has a really compelling reason to purchase right now, my recommendation would be to wait. There has not been any upgrading of the iBook for more than eight months, and reason dictates that there has to be some movement on that front soon. With its RADEON 9200 video accelerator the current iBook does on fully support Core Image graphics in Tiger, 256 MB of RAM is simply not enough, and it's hard to get excited about 1.2 GHz or 1.33 GHz clock speeds.

I would advise giving the 12-inch PowerBook serious consideration instead if you are obliged to make a purchase at this time, and if not, hang on a few days, weeks, or months until Apple finally shows their iBook upgrade hand.

PowerBook Mystique Mailbag

Help?

From Jon Alain Guzik

Mr. Moore,

I am an avid reader of your columns and articles on the Powerbooks. I have a Lombard with a major problem. I own one, yet can't seem to find a wireless card that works with my computer. It is running OS 9.2.2. What should I do. No one is selling the Proxim card anymore and the Macsense card doesn't work worth a lick. (also it has that nagging system cache error too). Please help.

thank you, thank you, thank you,

Best,
Jon

Charles

Buying iBooks G4

From Dr. Lee H. Solow

I have a Mac connection and can get iBook G4 SuperDrive for $1199 for my 10th grader. I will add memory to have it run faster. I know this is a good deal BUT

Should I wait until the new models are introduced later this year? Will the "speed bump" make much difference? What about widescreen?

Or is it just the usual, whatever you buy is outdated when it get out of the box, so take the good deal and not worry.

Thanks,

LEE

Charles