Customer Reviews

Apple iBook Laptop (600-MHz PowerPC G3, 128 MB RAM, 15 GB hard drive)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is by far the best toy I have ever bought. It's absolutely beautiful, both the hardware and the operating system (OS X). I bought it primarily to edit digital video of my new baby. It's elegantly simple to download the video into iMovie and extremely intuitive to edit the video. I upgraded the hard drive to 30 gigs and the RAM to 256 Megs in order to give myself some head room. I thought I might not like the small screen but it seems not much less viewing area than my 17" desktop monitor. I bought the iBook instead of the Titanium PowerBook because the PowerBook does not offer the DVD/CD-RW combo drive. I wanted to be able to burn the videos I made to CD as well as backup and archive files on my hard drive. I bought a mouse (Apple's optical mouse) beacuse I generally don't like trackpads. The single complaint I have is that the USB port is on the left side of the machine and I have to run the cord for the mouse under the computer to use it with my right hand. Otherwise I am extremely satisfied with my purchase.

With a 600MHz G3 (approx. 1.2 GHz pentium) and 128 MB RAM, this little computer is a deceptive powerhouse. Portability, durability, and ease of use are the traditional accolades for Mac laptops, but this one is the first to pack real value. The new operating system, the faster chip, and the added storage space make the iBook a perfect investment for college students or business people on the go. With a DVD player, iMovie to edit digital movies, iTunes to manage MP3 files, Palm software built in, and free word processing software all included, the iBook is ready to become the hub of your digital lifestyle.

The latest iBooks are pretty much the opposite of the very first Blueberry and Tangerine iBooks. They have a faster system bus, much more RAM, much bigger hard drives and they've lost the garish colors. Perhaps most importantly, they've trimmed all the fat off making the iBook almost a sub-notebook. Despite this, they're loaded with features and are the perfect laptops for student or business person wanting to travel light.

My iBook is everything I expected it to be. It's not the fastest portable Mac, nor does it have the biggest screen. But it is inexpensive and eminently portable. the battery life is typically in the 3+ hour range (Under OS 9--OS X's power management needs work.) The keyboard and trackpad are comfortable, and it is very small and light. I use mine on a college campus, and people balancing huge Dell "laptops" are always gawking at this lean notebook. My only complaint is that the latch broke--it's under warranty, and it doesn't impede function, but it's irritating.

Until I got the Apple iBook, I had been a diehard Windows user. But finally, I'd had enough of the Windows anti-trust and not to mention the problems with the actual Windows OS. So finally, I decided that I'd get a Mac. The perfect choice for me was the Apple iBook. Since I got it, I've discovered that my choice was a good one. The only problem I've had is that AOL seems to crash a bit. Otherwise, the Apple iBook is basically the greatest computer I've ever used. I realize I haven't put a lot of info on the iBook in, but trust me, the iBook is quite simply the greatest choice for a laptop computer. Actually, for a computer period.

My first Mac after using PCs for years. I see the light now.

If you want to buy an iBook, buy a faster one. This one just can't run any modern software. Heck, it isn't much good for old software. Go for the 700MHZ G3 or don't bother! If you need to run any graphics software then buy a G4. My G3 can't hack Adobe anything! If I could go back I would buy a G4 based Powerbook (I use one at work).

This has go to be the best laptop ever!

This thing is the best, I checked one out latly...IT ROCKS!

I use both Windows PCs and Macs, and found this to be a real disappointment. It's a very pretty, physically well engineered machine, yet pricey, like most Apple products. Be sure to order it with more than the recommended RAM--OS X is very slow to load, even version 10.1 which Apple will charge you an extra (...) to upgrade to (mine arrived with v10.0.3).

Major shortcomings are in the software.

OS X is very pretty to look at, with some really nice new (for Apple) features, but it is no easier than the old Mac to find and launch applications. Still, it has few new navigation tools, but nothing like the Windows Start button or right mouse click capability.

With an Airport Card installed ((...) extra), the much hyped wireless capability is supposed to be compatible with the 802.11b standard (also known as known as Wi-Fi), but it only works with the pricey Apple Airport base station, not most other 802.11b networks. Apple support says simply that they only support their own Airport base station. So if you want a Wi-Fi network that works with both PCs and Macs, you are outta luck. Big disappointment from a company attempting to penetrate a market dominated by Intel PCs.

The legacy capability is also way oversold: there are very few apps for OS X, and shifting into Classic Mode (OS 9) is not really automatic. It's tricky and clumsy.

Finally, the iBook comes with very little application software installed, unlike most far less expensive PCs.

Sorry, guys, you need to deliver on your promises.