[Leica] Mark Rabner's 12" Powerbook replacement

[lrzeitlin at gmail.com (Lawrence Zeitlin)]

Mark,


The 12" Powerbook G4 is one of my favorite laptops. It is attractive,
capable, runs every version of Photoshop before the last one, hosts
GraphicConverter, and fits easily into a backpack, photo bag, or briefcase.
If yours is tired from overwork you can pick up a newer, less used version
on eBay for far less green stuff than buying a new one. But if you must have
a newer MacBook, I suggest the 13" Intel Duo Core MacBook Pro version,
retailing for $1199. It is fast, will run both Mac and PC programs, and
comes with 2GB ram and a 160GB drive. It also has an SD slot. You can knock
off $100 by buying the 13" MacBook in the white polycarbonate case. It
doesn't quite have the sex appeal of the aluminum model but bulletproof
polycarbonate is even more rugged. If you know someone in the academic
community, you can knock another $50 to $100 off, depending on the model. If
you buy it before Sept. 8, Apple will throw in a free iPod Touch, a $229
freebee.


There is little advantage that I can see in buying the 15" model.
Performance specs are almost the same. Essentially you are paying $400 more
for an extra two inches of screen real estate. It will also be harder to
carry around. If you want a big computer on your desk, simply spring for a
24" iMac. It will cost a good bit less than a laptop.


Larry Z