As for the quality of the distributers I found, I can’t vouch for ether of them. I just did a web search for the best prices through Nextag (a good site) and reported the results. If you can like to a more fair comparison, please do. But even if I concede that point, we are talking about hardware that is (very similar instead of far superior) at 20% price difference when comparing discount price to list price.

Maybe you can give more reasonable links for both system that include all the specs you mentioned at the price you stated.

If you would like to debate G4 vs Celeron, I can give specific sites to support that clock for clock the G4 is more than a match. I doubt it will convince you but the data is there.

As for the reason for more expensive Power books? Display is the largest additional expense, but Higher end Video card. Higher end DVD burner. Higher end and larger Hard Drives. More ram and higher max ram. Faster CPU’s. Lighter construction. Etc.

If you want to keep the resolution the same, we can compare to a powerbook 12″ at 1.5Ghz with a Dual Layer drive and blue tooth, larger drive, more memory etc and still keep the price difference closer to 50% (for mac superior hardware, remember you said both superior and 1/3 the price). put up the links to prove me wrong or admit that you exaggerated.

As to seeing text smaller on windows? I don’t get it. I can adjust core font size from standard 12 down to 10 or up to 16. I can change icons from 16 to 128pt. My applications allow me to scale to virtually any size, the dock can be adjusted. Maybe you can get specific about what you are able to see more of in windows that you can’t on OS X but that is not my experience. As a general rule, OS X feels more spacious at 1024×768 than Windows even when using “small fonts”. Give it a try. Switch a PC to 1024×768 and a mac to the same. Open Excel or Word, browse a page, open your mail, whatever, the mac will normally display the same or more.

BTW: Panther, would qualify for the OS Up To Date program and cost $19 US shipped to get to Tiger and you are not going to convince me that I would have to do that to exceed the quality of Windows XP.

You want an Apple in the UK you go to Apple or Cancom or even John Lewis but you DON’T go to PC World!

The 1.33Ghz G4 may be rated as faster but in reality it does rather plod along. I would not call this an advantage to Apple – I’d tie that one. And I have used them both.

I read the battery life as 7 hours for the acer not half that. Double with two batteries. Plus I see it has a built in card reader. Nothing special but maybe useful.

The screen resolution is the same as you say. Apple do a lovely job of screen rendering when compared to Windows. But you can get Windows and windows text to be smaller. Maybe not rendered as nicely but useful and that is something I miss. I still find my PBook frustrating in that respect. There is no reason for the text to be so big but when made smaller then often the rendering starts to fall to bits a bit. I have mine set quite small and many dialogues cut my text horizontally in half.

Anyway – now you are making comparisons against an iBook which is not what I said. Tell me what I gained from going from an iBook to a PBook that cost me so much more money? Bluetooth? Backlit keyboard? Bigger disk? DVD-R? Gruesome wifi? Creaky hinges? Bad latch? and a little increase in speed. And I still love the damn thing. And I still recommend it if anyone asks – as they do. (And now the same son has gone out and bought a Mac Mini).

Oh yes – nearly forgot. I bet the Acer has a two button mousepad…

1.3Ghz Celeron vs 1.33Ghz G4 (advantage iBook)
256MB Ram upgradable to 1.28Gb vs 256MB upgradable to 1.28 (same)
40GB hard drive vs 60GB hard drive (advantage iBook)
Dual Layer DVD RW (iBook is as good) vs Dual Layer DVD RW (same)
Shared Video Memory vs ATI Radeon 9200 32MB video card (advantage iBook)
1024×768 resolution vs 1024×768 (same)
802.11G but no Bluetooth vs 802.11g and Bluetooth (advantage iBook)
GB Ethernet vs only 10/100 on the ibook (advantage Acer) (all powerbooks have GB ethernet)
3.5 Hour battery life (only 7 hours if you install two batteries) vs 6 hours on one battery (advantage iBook)

Now the Acer has advantages over the iBook in other areas (the cool rotating screen thing) but not in all and if I’m to compare to an Acer with “far superior HARDWARE” I would say the iBook is over kill. And at today’s prices we are talking about only a bit over 10%. Now if you want to compare a new PC to a 1.5 year old powerbook in cost and specs to try to make a point, then I’d say you are cheating and you have a weak argument.

Don’t take my word for it, follow the links I did.

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/product.php?sku=159515
http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/asp/spec.asp?V_ID=2296

As to your wifi experience with your pb then I can only repeat what I have already said. 20 feet and I am losing it. There used to be a guy down the road from me with a 17 inch and he too complained. And the forums are full of complaints. You are a very lucky man! And I ask again – if Apple have had it back what can I do? I use the thing every day and it gets lost for nearly two weeks every time they have it. And iot comes back with an exchanged AE card and no improvement. IF we had access to Apple stores I’d be in one like a shot but the nearest is a very long drive away! So – I re-route cables instead.

>>My sons ‘Acer’ notebook has a far superior HARDWARE specification than my powerbook and cost him abut a third of the price. >a closer match>>Our simulated home or small company environment encompasses a doorway to another room and a wall every 35 feet. Hence, at 100 feet we are two rooms away from the “base station” and after 150 feet we are outside a exterior wall of sheetrock, wood studs, lath, plywood, siding and windows.

Let’s split the difference and call it quits. 205%

Getting serious on the wifi. How many times do I send it back to Apple. It;s been in three times and they say it is fine after they yet again change the card. Dealing with Apple here is not like you guys have it. We have two Apple stores in the whole country, neither of them close, otherwise I’d go in there and have a rant! I have to deal with phone support only…

But excluding Excluding VAT. The iBook vs the Aspire

Aspire 5002LM 1.6Ghz 512/60 DVD RW 509
iBook 14 1.33Ghz 512/60 DVD RW (802.11g/Firewire/Dedicated Graphics) 892

I’m guessing firewire and 802.11 would push the price closer to 600 with only the dedicated graphics card still left un-accounted for. So just hardware costs we are talking about closer to 50% price differential not a 300% differential. Can you see why a mac user might get defensive?

As for checking out the Apple discussion forums about AirPort. Check out the Dell, Belkin, D-link and just about anyone else who makes an 802.11 cards support site. There are a lot of things that can go wrong with wireless networking. All I will say on this is that Apple states 150ft range and if you can prove that it doesn’t get that on a good 802.11 network you should get them to fix it. As good as my personal experience has been with Apple products I know lemons get through. If you have bad hinges, a bad latch, and defective wireless range etc., get Apple to fix these problems so you are not a somewhat happy mac user with a chip on your shoulder but a satisfied Apple customer.

Then, when your buddy asks you about that Dell vs the Apple and you say. Well you will pay about 600 for the Dell or just under 900 for the iBook. Oh and by the way the iBook has a better video card that doesn’t share main system memory and comes bundled with the best consumer digital media suit in the business. It has no need for Virus or Adware software and includes the best video conferencing software I’ve ever used. And if you can add that it makes solid reliable computers, I don’t know. What would your friend say? I know what you said. I know what I said. He might surprise you.

Keep it honest. Apple products do not have 1/8 the wireless range of Dell products (regardless of your personal experiences) and they do not cost 300% more that similarly equipped Windows systems.

It has been fun debating with you.

As to prices – well it is a common complaint here in the UK that MANY US companies sell product with almost just the currency sign changed. Look up the exchange rate and do the math. Sadly, while not the worse, Apple is one of those that do not price at the current rate. Interestingly however, companies like Dell – and probably Acer – do.

I actually have a friend at the moment wanting to buy a notebook to take with him on a long trip to Australia. He wants to keep in touch with friends/family and upload photos from his camera etc. If I say to him ‘You’ll have a far greater and satisfying experience with an Apple but the iBook is going to cost you twice as much as the Dell’ – what is he going to do?

Sebhelyyesfarku: You made me laugh first thing in the morning. But you treading dangerous waters there….!