The Little iBook Book [Paperback]

Robin Williams (Author), John Tollett (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 19, 1999 | Series: Little Books (Peachpit Press)

Taking its cues from the iMac, the sleek new iBook, Apple's Internet-ready and blazingly fast new portable, successfully combines high style and low price, guaranteeing it both buzz and sales. Who better to extol the virtues of mobile computing and familiarize you with the iBook's nifty features than Robin Williams, the bestselling author of The Little Mac Book, The Little iMac Book, and The Non-Designer's series? Because Williams and coauthor John Tollett are on the go all the time themselves, they know what you need to know to get the most out of your iBook. Williams and Tollett show you how to navigate the ins and outs of computing at home and on the road, with conversational explanations and entertaining illustrations. Learn everything from desktop basics to how to use the iBook's innovative wireless connection feature. This slim volume is as portable as the iBook itself, and an indispensable guide for beginners and intermediate-level users alike. Platform: MAC

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Almost anyone who's used a Macintosh long enough to consider him- or herself a "Mac user" knows about Robin Williams, author of The Little Mac Book and several other well-loved guides to desktop publishing. She's always used her books to welcome newcomers to the Mac community, and here she teams up with John Tollett on The Little iBook Book. This latest addition to the Mac canon focuses on Apple's swoopy new notebook computer, its Mac OS 8.6, its applications software, and the tricks of the mobile-computing trade. Williams and Tollett don't disappoint, delivering advice well-suited for those getting into personal computing by way of an iBook.

The most interesting portion of this book deals with connecting to the Internet under Mac OS while traveling (the section has relevance to users of non-iBook Mac portables too). The authors explain how to safely hook your computer to phone ports in hotels and public facilities (though they don't get into slicing open phone cables and manipulating individual wires--a need that arises in certain really gnarly telecom situations). They also show how to adjust the iBook's dialer software for mobile connectivity (mostly with MindSpring in the United States) and explain how to bill your Internet-access calls to your calling card. They also give a fine overview of the accessories available for spiffing up your streamlined companion. --David Wall

Topics covered: Basic iBook anatomy, Mac OS 8.6 and standard software, AirPort technology (in summary), and Internet connectivity at home and on the road.

From Library Journal

A little more than a year ago both Apple and the Mac were given up for dead. The only question was who was going to buy Apple. Suddenly Steve Jobs reappeared, becoming the interim CEO for no salary. Jobs introduced the iMac, the iBook, and the G3/4s, and Apple is back with a passion. Now the company's biggest problem is producing enough because everything is selling like crazy. Apple has a new operating system, OS 9, which is more than an incremental improvement over OS 8. Integrated within OS 9 is the AppleScripting language, a personal web server that can be easily set up on an ethernet, and Sherlock, which allows the Mac to search simultaneously on both the local hard drive and any connected networks, including the Internet, without taking over the way Microsoft's "Active Desktop" does. And then there is also the iBook, easily the coolest portable design imaginable. All of these guides are excellent for OS 9 and the iBook. If you have Macintosh users among your patrons, these texts will circulate as fast as the Mac is selling.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 232 pages
• Publisher: Pearson Education; 1st edition (October 19, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 020170093X
• ISBN-13: 978-0201700930
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,233,929 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Other reviewers missed the point, April 11, 2000

By 

Robin Williams (new mexico) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Little iBook Book (Paperback)

It seems the other reviewers of this book missed the point of the book. It is *not* a book for new beginners who want to learn how to use a Mac; as stated clearly in the information at the top of this page and on the back cover of the book, it is aimed mostly at mobile computing. We assume you bought an iBook to connect on the road, and the book is filled with tips and tricks on how to do that. I beg to differ with the reviewer below, but this information is *not* superficial. I can't tell you how much time we spent finding out all the tidbits of computing on the road and all the little extra parts you need. I don't think it's quite fair for a reader to complain that the content of a book doesn't have what they want if they didn't bother to read the cover or the accompanying information before they bought it. I have written a large number of books for beginning Mac users about the applications and the OS and did not feel it necessary to write it all over again in this book because that is not the purpose of this book!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book for beginning ibookers, February 5, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Little iBook Book (Paperback)

This book was very useful when I first got my ibook. It is easy reading and very informative for basic ibook tasks. However, it does not go into the basics of applications such as appleworks, etc. and as I got more familiar with my ibook, the book had less to offer for me. I ended up buying other books with even more mac/ibook secrets that this "little" did not have room for. It also has nothing on OS9 or much on any OS. I had to learn about my operating system from another book. If you just want bare basics of ibook, then this is the book to get. If you're not a first time mac user and/or are comfortably familiar with your ibook, then this book may be to basic for you.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent for not-so-beginners!, November 25, 2000

By 

Spitmonkey (San Antonio, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Little iBook Book (Paperback)

I first got introduced to the Little Mac books in college when we had to get The Little Mac Book 2nd Edition for a class I took. Of course I was blown over by the casual way Ms. Williams addressed all the topics.

The Little iBook Book is for the person somewhat familair with Macintosh systems, not for beginners. It can accompany The Little iMac book which helps a *lot* with the basics. To those saying it's not elaborate enough - if it covered EVERYTHING, the book would be about a billion pages and cost in the realm of $60 or so.

This book is a great way to get re-introduced to Apple (such as myself) and a grat way to learn a iBook... I highly recommend it.