The 'Book Page
Apple Redefines iBook
Dan Knight - 2001.05.02 - Tip Jar
On Tuesday, Steve Jobs replaced the curvaceous, large, heavy iBook with with a svelte iBook that beats it in almost every respect:
- lighter: 4.9 lbs. vs. 6.7 lbs.
- smaller: 11.2 x 9.1 x 1.35" vs. 11.6 x 13.5 x 2.1"
- faster: 500 MHz vs. 366 or 466 MHz
- less expensive: $1,299 vs. $1,499
- more RAM: you can add 512 MB to the stock 64 or 128 MB
- more media drives: CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, CD-RW, or CD-RW/DVD-ROM vs. CD-ROM or DVD in old model
- more display: 1024 x 768 pixels vs. 800 x 600
- more ports: one more USB port plus VGA
- video: same
- battery: rated at 5 hours vs. 6 hours on the old model
- color: white with gray accents vs. indigo, graphite, and key lime
When it comes right down to it, this is the smaller, lighter, less
costly iBook a lot of us were hoping for two years ago. 
The old iBook had its place as an "iMac to go," but the
bulkiness was a definite drawback.
The value equation is unquestionable - except for battery life and color options, the new iBook meets or exceeds the old one in every respect. And the new look is anything but "girlie." I suspect a lot of people in the business world who balked at the old iBook styling will find the new model very acceptable.
It's also helpful to compare the next generation iBook with the 21st century PowerBook. The iBook is 2.3" narrower, 0.4" shallower front-to-back, and 0.35" thicker. It's also 0.4 pounds lighter. The new iBook has the smallest footprint since the PowerBook 2400.
What's really impressive is the range of options available on this 500 MHz portable: 64 or 128 MB RAM on the motherboard, a 10 or 20 GB hard drive, four media drive options ( CD, DVD, CD-RW, CD-RW/DVD).
Another very nice touch is the convenient layout of the ports (above). Yes, they're all on the left side, which will be inconvenient for right-handed users with short-tailed mice, but having all the ports in a row like this will also make it easy for someone to design a snap-on dock for use at home or in the office.
The only potential problem is the small 12.1" active matrix color display. A lot of people find the 91 dots per inch of recent PowerBooks and the TiBook comfortable, but say that going much beyond that leads to eye strain. By putting the same 1024 x 768 pixels that normally fit in a 14.1" display into less space, the new iBook squeezes 106 dots per inch. That may be less of a problem under OS X with the scalable Aqua interface, but it could cause excess eyestrain under OS 9.1.
That's the only fly in the ointment. Just as the TiBook redefined
high end "thin and light" laptops in January, the iBook redefines
economy portables. 
Recent Content on Low End Mac
- Flashback Removal Update for OS X 10.5 Leopard, Dropbox Pick of the Cloud Litter, and More, Mac News Review, 2012.05.18. Also Kodak Hero supports wireless printing from anywhere, WinOnX lets you run Windows apps on Macs, and free Mac Malware Remover.
- The MacBook Legacy: 2006 to 2011, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 2012.05.16. Apple's original consumer Intel-based notebook, the MacBook filled an important niche until it was phased out in 2011.
Latest Deals on Low End Mac
About LEM Support Usage Privacy Contact
Follow
Low End Mac on Twitter
Join Low End Mac
on Facebook
Low End Mac Reader Specials
Macsales Add 2nd Hard Drive or SSD to Mac mini, MacBook or MacBook Pro. 1TB of Hard Drive or SSD Capacity from $64.99! Video Guides Make it easy - OWC DataDoubler - Macsales.com
Don't install Parallels to play poker online! Macpokeronline.com will show you how to download and play Poker on a Mac natively on your Mac in just minutes.
Favorite Sites
MacSurfer
Cult of Mac
Shrine of Apple
MacInTouch
MyAppleMenu
InfoMac
The Mac Observer
Accelerate Your Mac
RetroMacCast
PB Central
MacWindows
The Vintage Mac Museum
Deal Brothers
DealMac
Mac2Sell
Mac Driver Museum
JAG's House
System 6 Heaven
System 7 Today
the pickle's Low-End Mac FAQ
Affiliates
Amazon.com
The iTunes Store
PC Connection Express
Parallels Desktop for Mac
eBay
