Customer Reviews

Apple iBook Laptop (500-MHz PowerPC G3, 128 MB RAM, 10 GB hard drive)

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

 

 

I have an iBook 2001 (DVD-CDRW), which is the fifth in a long line of Apple laptops over the years I have owned (PowerBook 140, 520c, 3400, Rev.A iBook before this). I've also owned quite a few Wintel notebooks of various stripes over time, as well.
With the combination of size, ruggedness, expandability, and performance that Apple squeezed into the latest iBook, it's darn near the perfect laptop. It's a very nice good performer with the 500 MHz G3 processor. CD burning with the combo drive is as transparent as can be - the included Disc Burner software extends the Finder to support CD-R. DVD playback performance is good, with minimal skipping (I haven't done too much playback thus far). Video performance is snappy, if not quite state-of-the-art (it uses the older Rage 128 rather than the newer GeForce 2Go) - games are nicely playable. And the 12.1" display is razor-sharp. Video mirroring works very well, and the VGA cable needed is included. The iBook will work with the lid shut when mirrored.

The only shortcoming comes when stressing the system heavily (for instance, with the included MacOS X 10.0.4) - the 66MHz data bus becomes the most glaring bottleneck. Though Apple includes more features pound-for-pound (and dollar) than competing Wintel notebooks, the competition has pretty much moved on to the 100MHz bus at the low end. It does make a difference.

Unfortunately, Apple is caught between a rock and a hard place in this regard - with G4 processors constrained in speed (to 500 MHz max on their Powerbook Titanium), it'd complicate things to have the iBook running at the same exact clock rate (despite the older G3). So Apple chose to constrain things further - and it's not a huge problem, though hopefully the next generation of iBook will leave this bottleneck behind. A larger hard drive as standard equipment would be nice, too - most Wintel vendors make the hard drive easy to swap out (even in lower-cost models), whereas the iBook requires a full disassembly to do the same.

All in all, I'd strongly recommend the 2001 iBook to anyone looking for maximum portability for a very competitive price. The only thing holding me back from giving 5 stars is the slow system bus - hopefully the improved performance planned for MacOS X 10.1 will compensate for it.

Just want to advise anyone who cares that Apple's new iBook is a very practical laptop computer. I have a bigger G3, but I've always wanted something smaller that is also a Mac. Now I have the computer I've always wanted. I also like the small additions like iTunes (a place to digitally store your favorite songs and music CDs, and the iMovie--an editing software that will be useful for editing my vacation videos while on vacation.)

Finally, unlike other people, I don't mind the small screen, for I rather have the less weight than a larger screen for the one of two DVD movies I might watch on the screen. I also think this computer pretty affordable for what it offers.

So if you're looking for a good laptop, the iBook is the way to go.

i must say that this is one of the best investments i have made. everything about this computer is excellent, itunes, dvd player, cd burner, everything. the only thing i can complain about is that 10 GB is not enough! i've already run out of space!

I purchased the iBook at the start of July and am extremely pleased with the features for the price. I have been an Apple user since 1984. My last laptop was the G3 series "Wallstreet." I have always been hesitant about purchasing one of the cheaper Apple products (iBook versus G4 Titanium) due to limited features . Not so with this! Very pleased that the iBook allows me to watch DVDs when flying and when I arrive at my destination and must send graphic (photographic) images, it still has those capabilities.

Although there are, admittedly, drawbacks to the iBook already mentioned by other reviewers, they pale in comparison to the great advantages of owning one. First and foremost for me, as a researcher and writer, is the incredible flexibility of the combined operating systems. And if you install Connectix' Virtual Windows, you can also run the best of the PC world for the average user, Windows 98.

I'm especially impressed with the TextEdit program on OS X; it gives me the option of writing a document that can easily be imported into many word processing programs, or writing a program of my own in the plain text option. And, with the UNIX core accessible through the Terminal program, there isn't much left to cover.

My only frustration with the machine involves the system software: if a hard restart is necessary, the system clock has to be reset. I assume that will be fixed in the new release.

As a webmaster, I have need of several utilities. Once I installed Dreamweaver and Firework on my iBook, I was ready to start. However, the USB interface allows me to mount my digital camera so as to add pictures to my sites. The Firewire interface allows me to add streaming movies via my digital camcorder. iMovie gives me good basic editing capabilities. The CD burner allows me easy access to storage. The machine is a fully packed portable. The design gives people reason to look it over one or twice.

While I haven't really needed to work in OSX that much, the speed currently seems to be better under OS9 anyway.

All in all, the second generation iBook is well worth a look.