iBook - Now or Later?

**doofy10** · May 6th, 2002, 10:15 PM

Here is my dillemma -
I am graduating from high school (yes! high school!) and going to summer school at FSU in June. I am getting an iBook as a present and to use for school over the summer and in the Fall. However, I have a feeling that the minute I get my iBook (or the month or two after I get it) there will be a newer, faster, better iBook for sale for the same price. Should I:
A. Get the iBook now and feel sorry for myself when the better iBooks come out.
B. Wait till Macworld and hope a better iBook comes out, and suffer the consequences of not having a computer at school.
What should I do??
-Doofy

**Fahrvergnuugen** · May 6th, 2002, 10:19 PM

Never buy a mac this close to MWNY. Never.

**simX** · May 6th, 2002, 11:42 PM

I think the iBooks will be updated sooner than MWNY, especially given that the newly announced Jaguar upgrade to OS X requires 32 MB of VRAM to run Quartz Extreme; the only piece of hardware that Apple sells that does not live up to this spec is the iBook, and I think Apple will definitely need to rev the graphics subsystem for this feature alone.

Expect a two-tiered jump in the graphics subsystem like the TiBook.

In other words (actually, that should be "word"): wait.

**rinse** · May 6th, 2002, 11:45 PM

here is another vote for wait.

**dlookus** · May 7th, 2002, 06:52 AM

Wait.

**ElDiabloConCaca** · May 7th, 2002, 09:05 AM

Originally posted by simX
I think the iBooks will be updated sooner than MWNY, especially given that the newly announced Jaguar upgrade to OS X requires 32 MB of VRAM to run Quartz Extreme; the only piece of hardware that Apple sells that does not live up to this spec is the iBook, and I think Apple will definitely need to rev the graphics subsystem for this feature alone.

Quartz Extreme does NOT require 32MB of VRAM. 32MB of VRAM is RECOMMENDED for optimal performance.

What IS required is an NVidia card, or an ATI Radeon AGP card. That is, to say, that a 16MB AGP Radeon card WILL run Quartz Extreme.

**Nummi_G4** · May 7th, 2002, 09:36 AM

Another vote for wait. But for another reason. iBooks have G3. Save up for a G4 Powerbook. That is what I would do/ I am doing now.

**phatsharpie** · May 7th, 2002, 09:58 AM

If you can save up, DEFINITELY get a G4 PowerBook. I used to have an iBook/500, but I just updated to the DVI TiBook/667, and the difference is significant.

It's like night and day.

Even though the iBook was a good performer, it really can't compare.

However, if you can only afford an iBook, I would wait until the next refresh. It's unlikely that Apple would put 32MB of VRAM in it, but they should updated it a Radeon with 16MB of VRAM, so you can still use Quartz Extreme, just no optimally.