Charles Haddad, writer of BusinessWeek Online’s “Byte of the Apple” column can’t decide which Apple laptop he prefers: the new iBook or the Titanium PowerBook.
“Both laptops are beautiful but flawed, like ravishing French models who reveal bad teeth when they smile,” he writes in his latest column. “Some flaws are common to both models, such as trackpads that are hard to control. Others are specific to each computer.”
Haddad says the TiPB is the natural choice for chores like building Web pages and editing video as it has the bigger screen and faster processor. It’s also the best for running Mac OS X. However, the price conscious will opt for the less costly iBook, also the best choice for easy transporting.
What the columnist doesn’t like about the TiPB is the lack of a configuration with a CD-writable drive and the “uncomfortable” keyboard. He likes the iBook’s keyboard much better — and it comes in a configuration with a combo DVD and CD-writable drive.
On the other hand, the consumer laptop certainly feels slower than its big titanium brother, Haddad notes. He also laments the lack of a PC-card slot.
“So, which is it for you, iBook or TiBook?” Haddad concludes. “It’s a tough choice. I hope you have better luck than I have.