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The 'Book Page

A Perfect Second Mac

July 28, 1999 - Dan Knight

Over at Macville, James Dilworth wrote an excellent article on The Importance of Having More than One Macintosh. (Go ahead, read it, then come back.)

Most Mac owners have one or more desktop models. In fact, an informal survey of visitors to Low End Mac found that over 70% of respondents had two or more Macs, and over half had three or more. (I've lost count, but we're somewhere around 20 at home.)

So odds are pretty good that you already have a Mac -- and maybe more than one. Odds are also that you work primarily on the desktop. Although PowerBooks are amazing computers, they have a far lower market share than Apple's desktops.

The advantages of a desktop system usually include expansion slots, a big hard drive, ease of adding additional storage, ability to use big screens (17"-21"), ease of networking, simplicity of keeping it connected to a printer, and peripherals (scanner, trackball, modem, game controller, etc.) can remain attached to the computer at all times.

The perfect complement to a desktop computer is a portable one. Despite the great popularity of the Palm, a PowerBook or iBook lets you run full-fledged Mac applications in the field. After all, they're real computers.

Although there are some excellent deals on used PowerBooks, unless budget is a primary concern, the iBook merits strong consideration. It's fast - possibly faster than your desktop machine. It networks, either with a regular ethernet cable or without any wires at all, thanks to AirPort. The screen is large enough for almost any task you're likely to perform in the field. (If you find 800 x 600 too small, consider the 1024 x 768 screen on the PowerBook G3.)

For $2,000 (with AirPort and the AirPort hub) you have full desktop power, a great portable game machine, and the ability to network anywhere in the house.

In fact, if you're using any pre-G3 Macintosh, buying an iBook as a second computer may change your work habits significantly. You just might find yourself using the iBook as your primary computer.

I've spent the last week or so living with a 15" monitor at 832 x 624 while my 17" screen (usually run at 1024 x 768) is in the shop. Although I usually complain that my 17" is small compared with the 21" at work (see Living Large), I find the 15" doesn't feel that small after living with a 17" monitor for so long. The iBook might make a perfect field computer for me - I've already recommended it to my wife for her business.

Regardless, unless you're already using a PowerBook G3, the iBook makes an excellent addition to your Mac collection -- whether it's currently one Mac or a dozen.

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