help help. Over the last few weeks, I've been slowly talking myself into buying a new laptop. I can't afford a new laptop. I'm going to get one anyway, apparently, but I just feel like clarifying the issue here, that I'm going into debt to get a new laptop.

requirements: I want something I can take back and forth to campus every day without injuring myself. I am also sick to fucking death of Windows, so I'm most seriously considering the Apple laptops (and OSX appeals to the unix geek hidden deep in my soul), but I'll accept particularly persuasive arguments about PC laptops. The screen and keyboard need to be good enough that I'm not going to hurt myself using them regularly. I'm going to use this mostly for research and email, so it doesn't need super-snazzy graphics capability, but I'd also like to not find myself needing a new computer in two years.

The "light enough to bring to campus every day without killing myself" requirement is the most important one, though, because that's the one that's allowing me to even indulge this gadget-lust.

Ideas? Suggestions? Warnings? Clearly I'm coveting the titanium powerbooks, but I realize that's the least economical and practical solution to my problem.

-- Anonymous, August 15, 2002

Answers

Get an iBook! They're lighter than the titanium models (I think) and are at least a grand cheaper. Plus you can get them w/ a combo drive, different screen sizes, FireWire, etc. I definitely want one-- my iMac is aging & I don't know if it will handle OS X very well.

-- Anonymous, August 15, 2002

Don't tell Jeremy, but I secretly want an Ibook.

-- Anonymous, August 15, 2002

Oh, bugger all, if I get an iBook I'll have to get a new printer too.

But oh! They make iBooks with bigger screens now, and I should be able to get an educational discount somewhere. Oh, so tempting.

-- Anonymous, August 15, 2002

If you're on a budget, and you don't need the latest, snazziest model, I'd check out the auctions at UBid.com.

-- Anonymous, August 15, 2002

I got an iBook just a few weeks ago, and she is a beaut. Check out your local Apple store: Mine was running a promotion where if you bought a certain printer, you'd get a rebate worth the cost of the printer itself. I got the combo drive, and maxed out on the RAM. She purrs like a champ.

-- Anonymous, August 15, 2002

Definitely go for an iBook if you don't need the fastest bestest video. I have a TiBook that goes back and forth to work with me every day. I've used it for probably 10 hours a day, minimum, for the last year, doing programming and graphics and TUS, and it's still happy as a clam.

You can definitely get it at an educational discount. You could also get a refurbished one (direct from Apple) at a good price. Buy before September 20th and get an EPSON Stylus Photo 820 free (insert legal disclaimers here).

The UNIXosity of OS X is lovely and wonderful, and besides, iBooks are cool.

-- Anonymous, August 15, 2002

I have myself an iBook. Wonderful things they are. I got mine off of macwarehouse.com and with it, I got a free (after rebate) Epson Photo Stylus 820 printer and a really nice carrying case. Also, "free" RAM (the RAM itself was free, but there was a $30 installation fee, but that's decent for 128MB).

If you're worried about old programs transferring over, don't. Apparantly, Mac is becoming very user friendly. I wouldn't know from first-hand experience as I'm a mac girl through and throuh. www.apple.com/switch explains much better than I'm able to.

-- Anonymous, August 15, 2002

If you're sick of Windoze, you can install Linux and BSD on i686 laptops too. G's laptop runs only Debian Linux. Mine is a dual boot. We installed those ourselves, but if you don't want to *pay* for the frickin' windows only to delete it, you can order laptops from dell with RedHat on 'em.

You could get more power and a non-MS OS for the same price as an Apple machine.

-- Anonymous, August 15, 2002

Nita-- I know, I know, I could just have linux or BSD on this laptop, or some cheap PC alternative. That would make me so happy--XWindows is still my desktop of choice, you know? But I'm all tied up in these bibliographic database packages that don't have functional equivalents on unix-y systems. I've tried, I used TeX and BibTeX for my undergrad thesis, but I've gotten lazy and stupid since then.

See, this is the problem. I'm totally going to buy an iBook tomorrow. I can't afford this. Oh, wait. Should I wait another week or so, until Jaguar is released?

-- Anonymous, August 16, 2002

You may want to, but you can get it for $20. It's not loaded with it yet, I don't think. Though the new G4s are. Go pretty iBooks!

-- Anonymous, August 16, 2002

According to this (all the way at the bottom of the page), new machines are shipping with 10.2 update disks. If yours doesn't come withJaguar, you'll be able to snag one from an Apple Store or CompUSA.

-- Anonymous, August 16, 2002

I love my iBook. I adore it. It is not named George, but almost. I love the portability so much I only barely care about the smaller screen. The only thing I notice is the absence of the forward-delete key.

-- Anonymous, August 16, 2002

I'm sure I'm going to love mine. My very own iBook, coming to me via FedEx early next week.

I ended up going with the 12-inch, because it didn't feel too small when I was using it in the store, and it's about a pound and a half lighter than the 14-inch. It doesn't sound like much of a difference, but it felt like a noticeable one.

I can't believe I'm doing this.

-- Anonymous, August 16, 2002

I'm jealous even though I truly love my little Compaq Armada. It's not very new and it's not pretty like an IBook, but it's just the right size and it was cheap and it hasn't crashed or broken on me yet.

-- Anonymous, August 16, 2002

Didja knock on wood when you wrote that?

Sheesh. Scary. Murphy, there's nothing to see here.

-- Anonymous, August 16, 2002

I did just now. Thanks for reminding me, Lisa. Of course, the laptop is sitting on the kitchen table right now instead of being stashed safely in its case like usual, so I think we can assume that a big fat stupid cat just shoved it off the table and onto the floor.

I'm off work in an hour and a half. If the cat did something evil, you'll probably hear me screaming all the way back east.

-- Anonymous, August 16, 2002

smalldog.com also has good deals on refurbished ibooks. I'm considering getting one too. hooray for new toys!

-- Anonymous, August 19, 2002