[mrhaz1]

Hey images/icons/smile.gif After taking a trip down to my local Mac reseller (local = hours drive away!) I've pretty much decided on a 14" iBook. The TiBook is too expensive for me, and I'm not sure I like the idea of buying refurbished (I have a thing for new things). The 12" iBook, whilst cool, just has too small a screen for me to be staring at 24/7 (as the ibook will replace my PC as my computer during the college term). But one thing struck me...does the 14 look...not quite right? It just seemed not to fit together as well as the 12, not 'gel' quite as well together. That said, still looks a million times nicer than any Wintel notebook I've seen! Also, can anyone recommend a nice carry case (something that looks like an average bag preferably, rather than screaming (I'm a laptop, nick me!)

Cheers,
Wil.

[Nobody]

I personally like thr 12" inch screen better, mostly for the portability reasons, but the 14 inch is still better than most laptops out there.
I just bought a sleeve/bag thing by InCase, that is really nice. It is more of a sleeve, the iBook slips into, but it comes with handles and shoulder strap. At $40 this is one of the nicer ones. The best thing is that they have them in the Apple Retail store, so you could look at them before ordering one. You can look at them online @ blank>www.goincase.com
Another excellent company is Water Field Designs. Their sleeves outsides are made out of something they call ballistic nylon. Probably the most rugged case you could find, without going to steel, or krypton. At about $40 they are the same price and worth checking out. blank>www.sfbags.com

I know what you mean when you say you want a bag that does not scream COOL PORTABLE INSIDE!!! I am a full time student myself and most of the time have my Ti with me around campus. That is why I suggest you should get a "normal" book bag and buy one of the above mentioned sleeves. They will protect your nice new mac but will easily slip into the book bag. Nobody will suspect you have a laptop in there. Of course book bag theft is still a problem around all campuses (except the Apple campus I guess... images/icons/wink.gif ) You will still need to have an eye on it, especially when you are studying at the library. Never leave it unattended, no matter how shortly you will be back.
This all sounds scarier than it really is though. A bit of common sense, and your mac will be safe.

[ 07-27-2002: Message edited by: sebimeyer ]

[Kajo]

I had the decision to go between the 14 and 12 inch models myself. I chose to get the 12 .1 iBook. The 14 looks bad in my opinion. Well not bad, just way out of proportion. Honestly, the 12 inch screen is very nice to look at for quite a while at a time. Why not just bring a secondary monitor with you to campus and hook the iBook up to that? Problem solved.

Also, the 12 inch iBook is cheaper and you said you were on a budget. Save the money, get more memory. Nevermind the fact that the 12 inch is a pound lighter.

shrugs

Kajo out-[/LIST]

[hamed]

You could always hold off on your iBook purchase till Apple redesigns the whole 14" line which is pretty likely considering the current design was originally created for the 12" model. Also, if I'm not mistaking, this current design has been out for about 2 years, and the iBook is due for another makeover pretty soon. Wait a little longer if you can, otherwise you might be sorry you didn't.

[Kajo]

Seriously, playing the waiting game is not fun. If you have NO use for the iBook imediately, sure, play the waiting game. Honestly though there is always going to be something better on the horizon and something better out then what you purchase.

It could be next summer before apple redesigns the thing at the rate they do stuff. But hey, at least you don't feel that all your crap is obsolete the second you walk out the door with it like on Windows machines images/icons/smile.gif Just don't compare the power of a windows and mac machine... hehe

Kajo out-

[Matt_G]

I've got the 14" model and I really like it...it doesn't seem "awkward" to me at all. If the slightly bigger size and one extra pound really mean that much to you, certainly go for the 12" model. I however opted for the model with the bigger screen--that was more important to me.

[Nobody]

Everyone seems to have their own opinion on how the 14" iBook looks, so I suggest you go with what you think will fit your needs best. However, using a secondary monitor when you're at home or in your dorm room is a viable alternative to the 14". As far as bags go, both Best Buy and CompUSA sell backpacks with a padded section for a laptop. While I've never used one of thse myself, you may want to take a look at these.

[Matt_G]

As for bags, I like the sleeve-case from sfbags.com.