Clamshell iBook Still a Fun and Practical Notebook
- 2006.08.11
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Years ago, when desktops were beige and laptops were black, a revolution was born. Apple beat the odds and introduced the iMac to the world, adding a splash of color and innovation to the stale PC market.
And what's better than a multicolored, all-in-one, easy to use computer? A notebook to match, the iBook.
Available in iMac-matching blueberry
or orange, the first generation iBook did to the notebook market what
the iMac had done to the desktop market: It provided an affordable,
easy to use, and reliable machine for the consumer market that stood
out from the monotonous HP's and Dells.
Marketed as "an iMac to go", the iBook shipped with a 300 MHz PowerPC G3, 32 MB or 64 MB of onboard RAM, a 12" (800 x 600) active matrix display, a 3 GB or 6 GB hard disk, and an optional AirPort card. It had plenty of power to run Mac OS 8.6 or 9.x, but more RAM is a must for OS X.
Fast forward to 2006, seven years after its debut. How useful is the clamshell iBook in today's world?
I wanted to buy a notebook computer for my 14-year-old cousin from Italy. Initially I thought a PC would be best, due to the lack of Apple support in Italy, but as I watched her use my Mom's Pismo PowerBook and easily navigate and enjoy the functionality, I decided that a Mac would be perfect.
I found an excellent deal on eBay: A blueberry 300 MHz machine with 128 MB of RAM, a 6 GB hard drive, and and Airport card - all for $120.
I knew that OS X was a must, but the limited 6 GB hard drive and 128 MB of RAM would be a real problem for 10.4, so I went with 10.3, which worked great after a mere 64 MB RAM upgrade. Applications such as Office 2004 and iTunes are slow loaders, but once up and running they perform in a satisfactory capacity. 3D games are, obviously, not a good idea on this machine with just 4 MB of VRAM.
The screen, although limiting with its 800 x 600 maximum resolution, is crisp and bright. Expansion ports are lacking in this model, since it has only one USB 1.1 port, ethernet, and a modem, but that adds to the notion of simplicity that Apple clearly wanted to convey with this machine.
The handle included on this machine is also a very nice touch and was very convenient.
Case design is a mixed bag, both
now and in 1999. Many touted the iBook as being too feminine (see
The BarbiBook), due to its
clamshell shape and colors.
It was only with the release of the Graphite Special Edition that the iBook gained a more elegant feel. However, given its target market being high school and college kids, the design was appropriate and well marketed. Even today one of these original iBooks stands out in a crowd - in a positive way.
Bringing this machine to the office or campus isn't something I would do; however a for an Italian high school student, this machine is perfect.
Granted, this iBook isn't a speed demon in any way, but it's amazing
what a 7-year-old Apple notebook can do. And what's more incredible is
that it still looks good doing it.
Further Reading
- Getting the most out of the clamshell iBook, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2006.08.14. "'Unique' is an overworked adjective, but in the case of the clamshell iBook, it's justified. There's never been anything quite like it before or since."
Recent PowerBook Beat articles
- Italy, a virtually untapped market ready for the Mac, 07.27. iPods are everywhere in Italy, but finding a Mac in use or a dealer that sells them is another story.
- The PowerBook 3400: Surprisingly useful and spry with the Classic Mac OS, 05.16. The last PowerBook before the G3, the PB 3400 actually outperforms the "MainStreet" PowerBook G3 - and it's generally available for under US$100.
- Picking a Power Mac G4: How much Mac do you need?, 03.22. Today's laptop computers can be great primary computers, but sometimes you need things only a desktop model can offer. A used Power Mac G4 can be a good choice.
- More in the PowerBook Beat index.
Recent Content on Low End Mac
- Mac Pro overclocking, Windependence with Darwine, Blu-ray for Macs, and more, Mac News Review, 07.04. Also more on running Leopard on non-Apple hardware, Ubuntu on a Mac mini, the first autofocus webcam with Zeiss optics for Macs, and more.
- Wouldn't life be great with an iSlate?, John Hatchett, Recycled Computing, 07.04. PDAs and smartphones are too small for some tasks, full-fledged Tablet PCs are overkill, and ebook readers are too limited. Apple has the tech to own this niche.
- Mac of the Day: 'WallStreet' PowerBook G3, May 1998 - WallStreet offered 3 screen sizes and CPU speeds from 233 to 292 MHz.
- List of the Day: System 6 is the email list for those who choose System 6.
- The Macintosh Portable started a notebook revolution, Carl Nygren, Classic Macs in the Intel Age, 07.03. Before Apple introduced the Mac Portable, notebook computers were text-based and ran MS-DOS. Ever since, graphical interfaces have been the norm for laptops.
- More links in our archive.
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