Buy a new 15" Hi-Res or buy a refurb pre-Oct 05 model?

Hello ~
I know this isn't a "what should I buy" forum, but this forum's members appear to be much more intelligent and informed than many other Mac forums I've visited, so I'm seeking sage advice from the Brain Trust here.
I'm in the market for a 15" laptop and am very seriously considering purchasing a Powerbook. I've used only PCs (since about '84) and am fed up with Microsoft. My use is SOHO (non-graphics) and I am, ummmm, technologically challenged. Thus, I want a laptop that is very reliable and does not require a lot of tweaking.
I've read the information on this forum and many others regarding the LCD display line issue(s) on the latest rev of the Powerbooks, and it does cause me concern. Regardless of what percentage of the 15" PBs are so afflicted, my "Buzzard's Luck" will likely prevail and I would end up with such a display if I were to buy the current model. I don't want to spend $2000 on a laptop that has display "issues", which would then lead to repairs, exchanges, or restocking fees. As my goal is to escape from Windows, and Macs are my only viable alternative, I am considering buying a refurb 15" PB from the Apple store.
So, my questions are: (1) How good is the 1.67 GHz G4 w/the 1280x854 display, which is currently available as a refurb on Apple's website? (I briefly used an IBM T42 15" Flexview (1400x1050) and thought that display was great.) (2) How does the 1280x854 display on the G4 compare to IBM's 15" Flexview? And (3) Should I just suck in a deep breath, cross my fingers and close my eyes, and take my chances with a current model 15" PB?
Thanks in advance for your help.

You actually have a few options;
a) Current 15 - Go and take a long hard look at one. The display is actually pretty nice for the most part and you may not feel the lines issue is that bad.
b) current 17" - does not have lines, if you shop around you can get one for only a couple of hundred $ more than the 15" e.g Amazon is at 2250 I think.
c) Previous gen, 15" or 17" - both excellent machines. Nothing wrong with the previous gen Powerbook at all - if you get one with 128mb of video ram then it will be the same as the current one except for resolution and superdrive. It's a good display - not the n'th degree of resolution, but still very good.
but the main thing is - if you've been using windows - OS X will blow you away - it's far better - not perfect - you will find the odd glitch, but much better - and that's really what it''s ultimately all about.
If you do get one, make sure you take the time to learn how it works - ask here for initial tips - it will save you a lot of grief - for example, the applications are separate from your preferences for those apps - so each user accesses an application, loads his/her prefs on to it - and you have the app as you left it. If you delete your preference file for that app, the app creates a new one, which as far as your concerned makes the app go back to default settings. Knowing this structure will really help.
So go for it - whatever you get will be as good as the OS you run on it.

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