Apple Laptop

Choosing an Apple laptop can be confusing, particularly because both the iBook and the PowerBook models offer dazzling features and good service plans. Let's compare the features of iBooks and PowerBooks, so you can get a better idea of how to budget. For about $1,000, you can get the new five-pound iBook. This comes with a 12-inch screen, the Tiger operating system, and lots of other bells and whistles.

For about $300 more, you can get the 14 inch iBook, which offers little more than a larger LCD. It's also a pound heavier, which may not seem like a big deal until you're toting it around an airport. Both of the new iBooks come standard with 512 MB RAM. This is a good innovation on Apple's part, since earlier iBook versions didn't have enough RAM to run all programs effectively.

If you want to bump up even further, you can get the 12 inch PowerBook. This offers a delightful design, a vast menu of ports, and a superfast processor. This unit weighs 4.6 pounds and definitely beats the iBook in terms of design and processing. For $2,000, you can get a 15 inch PowerBook, but many reviewers believe that this is overkill. If you really want a huge graphics display, simply connect your laptop to your desktop monitor.

You're not going to go wrong either way. You will get capacious hard drives--30 GB standard, but easily upgradable to 60 GB--and high-definition LED performance. The PowerBook is a more advanced machine, but it costs almost $500 more than the iBook. If you're looking for a traveling companion, go for the iBook. If your laptop will be your only computer, go for the PowerBook.