Customer Reviews

Apple iBook Laptop 12.1" M9018LL/A (900-MHz PowerPC G3, 128 MB RAM, 40 GB Hard Drive, DVD/CD-RW Drive)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I knew the Apple machines were userfriendly, but after I bought my first Mac (This 12" iBook) after years of Intel and AMD windows machines I fell in love immediatedly.

The thing that appeals to me most is the fact that everything I needed was already on the machine... I switched it on, and could start work immediatedly.

The iTunes music package is like Windows Media Player, Winamp, CDEX and Nero combined. The mail program looks deceptively simple, but has powerful rules as well as great beysian spam filtering.

But for those of you who want more out of a machine than just pretty... the whole underlying BSD architecture is great! Awsome stability and recoverability. Great networking. (Could have made windows connectivity simpler though...)

The only thing that I find a bit lacking is the 128Mb... and I reccomend that you expand it to at lease 256Mb. (But this is only really nessesary if you have many applications open at the same time)

As for the battery life... I've gotten more than 3 hours out of it once. Not that I ever use it for long periods away from a power connector.

As a microsoft user and a gamer, I just had to get a two-button mouse, and am quite pleased that it worked seamlessly and without a hitch. My original Warcraft III cd installed and played with few problems (only the memory issue... need more...) and quake3 worked like a charm.

Hope this helped you make a choice!

PS: The 12" display is excellent quality, and the size of the iBook 12" makes it sooo easy to move around. I prefer it to the larger models.

When investing in a laptop/notebook, it is always difficult to draw a line as to how much to spend. Do you spend a couple of hundred more to get that dvd burner or do you settle with just the cd-rom?
The Apple iBook with DVD-rom/CD-RW combo drive is the best value for money I have experianced. I'm a student and believe me, this was no small investment for myself, however I am extremely glad with the results.

The programs run smoothly and beautifully. While opening 3 or 4 programmes at once is never a good idea on any laptop, the iBook can work its way through with little trouble. I have it just under a year now and it is going wonderfully. All the software on it is excellent and easy to use. There has been no trouble for me in terms of transfering from PC to Mac. The constant updates Apple makes available mean that my software can be kept consantly up to date.
The DVD playback is spectacular for a notebook. The detail is so crisp, its just as good as any tv. You can also see the screen clearly from a much wider angle than most notebooks.
The sound leaves you a bit wanting, but its still pretty good for a notebook.
The battery life is fantastic. Everyone keeps saying they cant rely on their battery life where as my iBook can power on for up to 5 hours if im just working on the net.
The biggest warning I have for buyers is that the networking between my iBook and my universities PC based network has basically been a dead goose. It just doesn't want to register.
It is just such a fun, jam-packed, beautifully presented piece of technology. I cannot imagine ever going back to PC.

I got my iBook (600 Mhz) a year ago and have been thrilled. I was a PC user before, and decided that it was time to see what else was available. I couldn't have been happier with my choice. I've used the iBook to make movies of my new son, organize my digital photos, program, surf the web wirelessly, manage all my e-mail accounts, and many other things. To put it simply, it works well. I haven't had any problems with it working with my PC and am able to move files back and forth without issue.

You can't go wrong with the iBook. It just works.

This is probably the best designed laptop I've ever used. It's compact, light, and everything a laptop should be. My experience with other laptops is that they are usually rushed to market and poorly designed, overheating to the extant that they crash.
For students, this is an excellent laptop that actually holds its value and usability, something that is instantly compromized when you buy some other laptop, and, like another reviewer said, is extremely durable; something ideal for a student throwing it into a bag of textbooks and notebooks. The speakers are truly impressive sounding for a laptop. Most other notebooks' speakers sound tinny and strained, at best. Also, the Apple support is second to none. Some complaints, however. The keyboard is of course very small, and the keys give the impression that they are going to break, or become dislodged, or something of the sort (they won't, I assure you). Like a previous reviewer said, they take what can seem an eternity to start up, and the 128 MB of RAM that comes with is not sufficient, to say the least. Mac OS X is extremely resource intensive, one could say it squanders CPU power on unnecessary window shadows and effects. If you have the nerve to partially take apart the laptop, this can easily be solved, in part, with another stick of RAM. The 12" screen can be a little small, but if you are truly bothered by it, an adapter comes with the ibook to hook up to a VGA monitor.
OS X is also the most developed operating system put forth by one company, and is also the best looking. I haven't discovered any problems with networking that would have been any easier with a Windows laptop. The internal airport card is also a blessing (there is no PCMCIA slot), and it saves from the possibility of losing the card (without the even more catastrophic loss of the laptop).
Apple generously supplies almost all the software one would need in order to accomplish most computing tasks right out of the box. For an all-purpose computer for the average user, I would say the ibook is a very viable option. If you're into high-end graphics, audio and video editing, and you have money to burn, a Powerbook is probably your best bet. Be warned though, aluminum is an extremely good heat conductor.

Firstly for those of you who aren't sure if you should get the 12inch or 14inch ibook. I was a 14inch ibook fan, only reason i got the 12inch was because the 14inch was out of stock. i am sooo glad now that i actually got the 12inch. i was worried the screen might be small but its perfect, its all perfect. the ibook feels strong and can handle bumps here and there. i am a graphic designer and actually looked at the powerbook first. but for the price of the powerbook i could get an ibook AND emac. just make sure you add as much RAM as you can.

i orderd the ibook without actually seeing one in real life ever. once you get it, no matter how many pictures you had seen, you will be shocked at the beauty.

in conclusion, definetly get the ibook, its really really worth it!

As a previous ibm owner, i got so tired of the thing crashing on me i decided to go with a Mac. It was the best thing I have ever done! I had read a lot of reviews online and with them being mixed had second thoughts about buying an ibook. But when it arrived, I took it out of the box and had it up and running in no time. Going from windows to the apple system wasn't that bad, and my computer has never once crashed on me. I have owned it for a year now and couldn't be happier! I still have a lot to learn about the ins and outs of the system, and need to figure out my new printer, but not having to go through all of the crap that windows puts you through was well worth the extra learning! The great thing is that documents I save can be switched to load onto an IBM. I am getting an airport card soon, and look forward to wireless connectivity. All of the programs are easy to navigate, and the display is amazing. I am very, very happy with my ibook, and one other thing is that it looks great!

I am so very glad that I switched to Mac. I was frustrated up to my neck with Windows, and I am very pleased with the Mac OS--incredibly stable. I am a student, and really need the portability factor. This definitely gives you that! It is so light. I have all I need here: internet, word processing, and cd/dvd combo. I did buy some extra memory, which is a good idea; you can work very well with just the 128 MB, but to be able to open a dozen programs at once, it's always a good idea to have that extra memory--particulary with memory costs as low as they are now. And Amazon.com DEFINITELY had the best price--I did plenty of comparative shopping. Great investment!

I have to admit I bought the iBook for the iTunes feature. I want an iPod next. I have to say that I have become hooked on this computer. It's light and easy to use. The DVD player is flawless. I put in Airport at home and I am writing this from an La-Z-Boy in the living room. I downloaded Safari and I like it even better that MS Internet Explorer. I just wish it had 128 bit encryption so some secure sites would accept its use. Over the last year, I have purchased about $10,000 worth of Gateway XP Pro machines for work and home. I thought I was satisfied. This iBook has raised the bar for satisfaction. I highly recommend this machine.

I had been wanting an iBook ever since they came out and when I finally got one, I was thrilled!(700MHz, 256mb) It is the best little thing I have ever had. I am a student, so I take my iBook to school on a regular basis. It is very light, I don't even notice it in my backpack. I use office, and all of the I apps(except for iMovie) and they all run beautifully! I do strongly suggest spending the extra buck and getting at least 256 megs of ram, it makes a big difference. It is very durable. I got the 12' screen and I really prefer it over the 14', it is just the right size. And the battery life is soo good. I have watched a DVD and listened to an hour and a half of music on one charge. I have almost gotten 4 hours out of it. The only downside is that is seems to get really hot on the bottom after running it for a few hours. But other than that, it is wonderful, and very quite and light!!!!!!

I was a frustrated PC user who was interested in trying an Apple product. I hesitated for a while and finaly purchaced my iBook from Amazon. I was not impressed with the performance of the computer and I added 512megs of ram.It was worth every penny because now my Mac is extreemly fast. The ease of OSX is unbelievable. I have only used my support 3 times in a year and a half. My wife always had problems with the PC (blue screen whenever she was on it) she loves th mac and has never had any problems with it. My one complaint is the speakers are not loud enough.