Hi. I've been shopping around for a good notebook for a while now, and it only just recently occured to me the option of buying a MAC (I've been an windows user for as long as I can remember). I was wondering, the mac iBook has a 1.33Ghz processor, as opposed to a windows notebook which is anywhere as fast as 3Ghz Pentium 4. My point is, does the iBook have a slower processor because it somehow manages its use better than windows? Why are MAC processors generally a lot slower than the ones in PC's? When using the MAC, will it feel the same speed? Any help greatly appreciated.

Macs use PowerPC processors, which is a completely different architecture than Intel CPUs which use x86. Thus, PowerPC processors tend to do more work per clock cycle, allowing them to be clocked a few GHz slower and still be almost comparable to high-GHz x86 (Intel and AMD) processors. HOWEVER, the only processor that is available in a Mac laptop right now is the PowerPC G4. If you really want a comparison, it is probably comparable to a 2.4GHz Pentium 4 - WHICH is completely fine for just about everything except very high-end graphics and gaming. This is because the G4 is greatly hampered by its archaic and quite slow system bus running at 167MHz. If you really want to get a Mac laptop that is comparable in speed to Intel's latest and greatest, wait for the roumored G5 Mac laptops that are soon to come out. -MikeG

Hi, Mike, Like you, I was considering buying a new laptop. I had a Dell Latitude P3 850Mhz machine and was going to upgrade. I was a Window's "snob" and used to look down on Macs until I began using a new Mac G5 at work. My decision to switch to Mac was based on its operating system and its security. My Win XP laptop took forever to boot because of Microsoft's security updates, spyware blockers, firewall, etc. I bought a 14" iBook and have never looked back! Moving files to the iBook was a breeze. The Airport Extreme that is standard equipment found my Linksys WiFi immediately. It was amazing to me that I didn't have to jump through any hoops to get it up in running. And the OS X system is the easiest to navigate OS I have ever run across. The only caution I have is that software is limited; by this, I mean most software is written for Windows though you can purchase the Virtual PC program for the Mac that permits you to run PC software on a Mac. And don't worry about speed, I run Photoshop CS on my iBook and this thing has more than enough horsepower to run it; Photoshop is a resource hog! The only negative I can report is Mac Mail. I couldn't import emails from OE 6. I had to download Mozilla's Thunderbird to do it and it worked fairly well, though I had to forward everything from the old laptop to the iBook. Good Luck!

i am thinking of getting a ibook when i go to college in a few years that is a long time away, but the hard drive is only4200 rpm, apart from that the specs look fine, they will probably have G5 in powerbooks by then but im not sure about ibooks, the first computers i used were macs in my first 2 schools and they rocked. also i have family in americawho could import one and i would save over a hundred pounds but im not sure about the reigon code and if they would work over here.

Thanks very much for the detailed answer MikeG, it was great and now I understand. radiojunkie - I'm looking at the 14" iBook too, I've pretty much decided that I am going to get it, but I need the cash first. I'm going to for the high-end model for the dvd-burner. What model did you get? And thanks for the info.

Hi, Mike, I stuck with the basic model with no upgrades as it is an expensive machine.I toyed with the idea of having Apple install more RAM but it's not cost effective. I'm going to upgrade RAM another 512Mb when I get the money and install it myself. I work with a lot of Mac Nuts and asked them a lot of ?'s. They all recommended not going for the extended Apple Care warranty until the original warranty is about to expire since it's protected for a year from purchase and Apple Care is not cheap. Welcome to the revolution of fed up PC users!

Hi, Zno2, Not sure about the iBooks? Guys I work with have Power Books and they're just a prettier version of the iBook. Plus, on the iBook, you can get a bigger screen for less price! The iBook's exterior is made from the same plastic they make NFL football helmets from. I love my iBook and this is from a former Dell Latitude laptop user; I had three of them before I switched to Mac. By the time you're ready to get one, I'm sure there'll be G5s with faster HDs. Macs are great machines. You mentioned about a region code, "over here", where is here? Good luck!