Can Apple Give a Straight Answer?

iPenguin said:
The display goes to sleep after thirty minutes, but the the computer itself is set to "never" sleep. Or does that not make any difference, with the "spin hard-drive down" option checked?
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I believe (and, anyone, please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong) that as long as your display is set to sleep as well as your hard drive spinning down, that would pretty much take care of the computer sleeping. With the hard drive set to spin down and the display set to sleep, that would mean that your computer would be sleeping and no applications would be actively running nor would your screen be lit up in any way, and everything would be in sleep mode, etc.
 
I just looked at the Preferences and it says 'Spin Down Harddisk if Possible', so I'm guessing if you have a download active overnight, converting files or anything, the Harddisk won't spin down, so it wouldn't be as energy saving as Sleep
 
A full sleep saves energy. On my Power Mac G5, (some or all of) the fans turn off, increasing their lifespan.

I think with a laptop it's critical to turn off the display backlight when you're not using it. But there's definitely a difference between spinning down the hard drive and shutting off the display--and actually putting the machine to sleep.

Doug
 
Display and harddrive sleeping is not the same as the sleep function. While from the outside, the computer might seem 'asleep', RAM and processor are still 'alive', so is the network. And as rightly put above, if you're downloading anything or if somebody connects to your computer to get something (if you have any sharing enabled, for example), the harddrive will spin up in order to give the requested data... The computer, thus, is _not_ sleeping, it's just saving power by shutting down non-vital systems.
 
neither mine nor my girlfriends laptop (powerbook and ibook) will go to sleep since we installed tiger. it goes to sleep if i tell it to directly, but it doesnt follow the sleep timer in energy preferences.

and i am not sure if tiger is to blame. it could also be the new version of iScroll that i installed at the same time.
 
fryke said:
Display and harddrive sleeping is not the same as the sleep function. While from the outside, the computer might seem 'asleep', RAM and processor are still 'alive', so is the network. And as rightly put above, if you're downloading anything or if somebody connects to your computer to get something (if you have any sharing enabled, for example), the harddrive will spin up in order to give the requested data... The computer, thus, is _not_ sleeping, it's just saving power by shutting down non-vital systems.
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So, my original question stills stands: Is it alright if I leave my powerbook like this all the time? Or should I put it to sleep (or shut it down) sometimes, just to be safe?
 
iPenguin, I don't know if there's an easy answer to that. I'd say it's okay. Your machine will last years and years. If you put it to sleep when you're not using it, it may last even a few more years.

Fryke: Are you sure RAM shuts off during sleep? How could it be shut off and still retain its contents?

Doug
 
You guys worry too much. Just use it however best it suits YOUR needs.

As for the state where the hard drives are spun down and the display is off, think of that mode as a person sitting still and closing your eyes for a minute.
 
dktrickey: I said if it doesn't sleep, RAM and processor are still active, i.e. they do things and change. Didn't mean that RAM is off in sleep mode, although I didn't put it clearly... In sleep mode, RAM is preserved, i.e. there's still a little power going to that area... (That's why sleep mode doesn't work for more than a few days.)
 
Oh, just use the darn Sleep feature! LOL

Seriously, Apple went to painstaking efforts (which are quite lauded, and rightly so) to implement the Sleep feature in their computers. This is especially nice if you have a laptop. It's quick, easy, convenient and boosts computer lifetime. Use it! Weather you use your laptop as a portable computer or as a desktop computer, when you're finished using it, simply close the lid and it WILL go to sleep (unless there's something wrong with it).

Hint: To further optimize lifetime, if you're not using the power adapter, go into your Energy Preferences and set it for Battery Power and Longest Battery Life. This will automatically sleep your computer AND spin down the hard drive (just check the box) and sleep the display after one minute of non-use and sleep the computer after 10 minutes of non-use. Simple solution! Do this, then you'll be all set, and it won't matter if you close the lid or not! :)
 
I'm getting sleepy LOL

A friend bought a secondhand laptop (don't remember model) he put it to sleep and it never woke up, but that was because of some other hardware issue that opertes the screen. Me thinks it may of been dropped a few times, who knows, but I know I'd want a long sleep if I'm dropped a lot too :D
 
Well, if you're dropped from a high enough place, you'll get the endless sleep.
 
sirstaunch said:
I'm getting sleepy LOL

A friend bought a secondhand laptop (don't remember model) he put it to sleep and it never woke up, but that was because of some other hardware issue that opertes the screen. Me thinks it may of been dropped a few times, who knows, but I know I'd want a long sleep if I'm dropped a lot too :D
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LOL
 
Amie said:
OK, I know this topic has been beaten to heck and overdone. BUT ... believe me, I've done extensive research and I STILL cannot find a straight answer.

The question (and please refrain from throwing large objects at me): Which is better for a new iBook G4--sleep or shut down? I know everyone has their own preference, but does anyone know what APPLE recommends? Every time I research it on Apple/Mac Web sites or ask any employee at the Apple store, I can't get a straight answer!

This iBook G4 is my first Mac laptop, and I want to take good care of it and do what's best to prolong its life, etc.

Please ... if there IS an answer out there, let me have it! :)
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Ever since the invention of OS X, I had almost never shut down or restart my Macs, both desktops and laptops.

Sleep naturally becomes the primary option.

Long live OS X!
 
Every night I repackage my G4 eMac back in it's original packaging, and place it back in it's box. I then shrink wrap the whole thing to make sure it is sealed airtight. Then I place it in a custom made climate controlled storage facility guarded by 2 Mac Geniuses from the Apple store just in case. I was considering using the built in "Sleep" function instead though... ::evil::
 
mambopanda said:
Every night I repackage my G4 eMac back in it's original packaging, and place it back in it's box. I then shrink wrap the whole thing to make sure it is sealed airtight. Then I place it in a custom made climate controlled storage facility guarded by 2 Mac Geniuses from the Apple store just in case. I was considering using the built in "Sleep" function instead though... ::evil::
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LMAO!!!
 
fryke said:
dktrickey: I said if it doesn't sleep, RAM and processor are still active, i.e. they do things and change. Didn't mean that RAM is off in sleep mode, although I didn't put it clearly... In sleep mode, RAM is preserved, i.e. there's still a little power going to that area... (That's why sleep mode doesn't work for more than a few days.)
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Huh? Your last statement threw me. I don't know about you guys, but the Sleep mode on my iBook works for a LOT longer than a few days...
 
Amie said:
Huh? Your last statement threw me. I don't know about you guys, but the Sleep mode on my iBook works for a LOT longer than a few days...
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It will last a lot longer as long as your battery has the charge. I think the laptops still only draw about 5-10 W in sleep mode which is pretty low.
 
Wow. Did somebody put you to sleep for 2 years? ;) This thread's _really_ old. ;) ... Trying to remember how that was with iBooks in 2005... Well: Couple of days can mean anything from 2-7, I guess. Could be I meant a week rather than 3 days. Anyway: I of course meant if external power is _not_ connected. Sleep might actually work for *decades* if power's connected. However: I don't think any iBook/PowerBook/MacBook holds the sleep state for two weeks before powering down. Newer notebooks (last PowerBooks and all MacBooks) save the RAM to the harddrive before going to sleep, so it doesn't matter that much anymore anyway, though.
 
A blast from the past! I think the site software needs to be revised to make the posting date more prominent! It took me a few minutes to realize this was from two years ago. I couldn't remember posting to this thread.

Doug
 
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