Low End Mac Reader Specials

TypeStyler For Mac OS X is Now Shipping! Download The Free Fully Functional 60 Day Tryout at www.typestyler.com

OWC: Get the Right Memory for Your Mac Top Quality, Competitive Price, Lifetime Backed Free Expert Support + Installation Videos too! MacBook & mini 8GB, iMac 16GB, Mac Pro up to 32GB. Click here

Poker Mac Don't install Parallels to play poker online! Poker Mac will show you how to download and install a native Mac poker application such as Full Tilt Poker Mac.

Laptop Hardware Provided by TechRestore - Overnight Mac & iPod Repairs.

Compare products like desktop computers, apple laptops, apple macs, and LCD Monitors side by side! All the information and reviews to make the best purchasing decision for new mobile phones, sat nav systems, or MP3 players. The Ciao online shopping community makes searching products easy for you.

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. LEM

Recent Content on Low End Mac

Latest Deals on Low End Mac

About LEM | Support | Usage | Privacy | Contacts

Custom Search

Amazon.com

Navigation

Used Mac Dealers
Apple History
Video Cards
Email Lists

Favorite Sites

MacSurfer
MacMinute
MacInTouch
MyAppleMenu
InfoMac
Macs Only!
The Mac Observer
Accelerate Your Mac
RetroMacCast
PB Central
MacWindows
The Vintage Mac
   Museum

DealMac
DealsOnTheWeb
Mac2Sell
ramseeker
Mac Driver Museum
JAG's House
System 6 Heaven
System 7 Today
the pickle's Low-End
   Mac FAQ

Abandonware
   Petition

Mac vs. PC Info

Affiliates

The Apple Store
Mac Connection
B&H
MacMall
TechRestore
ExperCom
Crucial Memory
batteries.com

Advertise

Open Link