12" iBook....too small?

[crazeinc]

I found a great deal on one: 1.2 ghz, 768 MB, 30 GB, AE , Tiger, Box opened never used for under $900 shipped to my door, but I'm having concerns about the screen size. I especially like the 19" LCD I'm sitting in front of now, is a 12" ibook gonna drive me nuts or what? When I had my previous laptop, most of the time was spent with my 19" plugged into it, but as the summer months approach I imagine I'll be doing a lot more development away from this cave I call the basement and out in the sun. I already have 20/400 eyesight, so I can't imagine doing any sort of real development on a screen that size is going to be very practical. That having been said, the guy I work with that has one seems to get along just fine with his 12" iBook.

 

[uOpt]

The 12" screens in ibook and powerbook are the only apple screens with more than 100 DPI (they are close to 110).

Also, there's only 1024x768 which is just not enough for a bunch of oversize xterms and emacsens.

Personally I don't buy screens with more than 100 DPI, so I would recommend against it if you are not sure about your eyes.

I also don't think that is that hot a deal, amazon always had $100 mail-in-rebate on the ibooks, and the extra RAM is cheap when bought on the free market.

 

[phisrow]

That's something of a personal judgement call, I think. I would be driven absolutely nuts by such a screen(I'm accustomed to 1400x1050 on a 14.1); but some people are happy with them, and they sure are small. Try testing one in person, if you can.

 

[uOpt]

Another way to look at pixel size. Instead of theone-dimensional dpi use a square measurement for what is actually a surface (a pixel).

On a 12" 1024x768 display one pixel has 5.67035 um^2 (square micrometer).

A 14" 1024x768 pixel has 7.71798 um^2.

Unless you have good eyes or fiddle a lot with fonts and find a solution for pictures the 14" one actually has much bigger pixels.

 

[crazeinc]

This would be my first Apple and I'm trying to keep it a low cost investment in case it turns out that I prefer linux. While a 12" screen isn't exactly ideal, I think the price I'm getting it for is low enough that if it's really not what I want, I shouldn't have a problem getting back what I paid for it ($820). The 14" ibook and 15" powerbooks are substantially more expensive used.

 

[hopejr]

I have a 12" iBook (am using it now) and I don't mind it. However, the screen real estate is a bit small (exposé helps a bit though when switching windows/apps). I've done the screen span hack and so I can spread stuff out now.

 

[caribiner23]

I am also using a 12" iBook, and I don't mind the screen since it works better for my commute.

The thing I really like about it is the fact that it has the same, full-sized keyboard as the other iBooks.

Is there a store (Apple Store, CompUSA) nearby where you can check out the computers "live?" That would be the best way to see what would work for you. Failing that, you could stalk someone at your local Starbucks and see how they like it. Or perhaps your local public library has an iBook or two that you could look at.

Good luck!