iBook

Performance 10
Setup and Ease of use 9
Service and Support 7
Features 8
Design 10
Overall 9/10

The Apple iBook is not only loaded with features that are incredibly useful, but it also lacks the superflous features that really aren't useful. You'll find a 500 Mhz G3 processor under the hood, and the machine comes with 128 MB of RAM already installed (which is the bare minimum for OS X). The screen is crisp and, despite its 12.5" size, can accomodate a full 1024X768 resolution. The hard disk comes in 10 gigabyte and 20 gigabye flavours which, for most portable applications, is quite ample. The unit itself weighs a mere 5 pounds and, despite being a bit thicker than its titanium brother, still has a slim profile. If it's a tiny bit beefier than the TiBook in terms of thickness, it makes up for that in size... the iBook is about the size of a legal notepad.

Certainly this notebook already exceeds other units available from Apple in a number of ways (even the higher-end Titanium powerbook in some aspects), but the features don't end there. There are media drives available to the buyer: A mere CD player, a CD burner, a DVD player and a combo drive which is both a CD burner and a DVD player. It's hard to comment in an unbiased way about this product without still sounding like a paid endorsee; the iBook is the closest anyone has ever come to making a perfect portable. It's no one thing that makes it so incredible, but rather how every feature is bang-on. The price, the size, the power, the screen... there's really nothing about this machine that doesn't at least meet the user's needs in a reasonable way, and most features surpass expectations considerably.

Pros:
  • Nice, fast processor
  • Size is perfect
  • Looks amazing
  • Lots of I/O options
  • High resolution screen
  • Full size keyboard
  • Stereo speakers
  • Long battery life
  • Runs OS X pretty well
  • Affordable enough for common folks
  • Weighs only 5 pounds
  • Incredible DVD/CD-R options
  • Durable
  • Airport-ready
Cons:
  • Keys mess up the screen a bit when closed
  • Track pad is a little too sensitive and causes "cursor leapfrog"
  • Hard drive may be a bit paltry for some
  • Could really use a better 3d chip with more memory. Will someone please stop teasing us and start putting the Geforce Go into Apple's portables?
  Basic specs
Model M8600LL/A M8602LL/A M8603LL/A
Processor 600MHz PowerPC G3 700MHz PowerPC G3 700MHz PowerPC G3
Level 2 Cache 512K at 600MHz 512K at 700MHz 512K at 700MHz
Memory (PC100 SDRAM) 128MB, expandable to 640MB 128MB, expandable to 640MB 256MB, expandable to 640MB
System bus 100MHz 100MHz 100MHz
Hard disk drive 20GB Ultra ATA 20GB Ultra ATA 30GB Ultra ATA
Optical drive CD-ROM Combo (DVD-ROM/CD-RW) Combo (DVD-ROM/CD-RW)
Display 12.1-inch (diagonal) TFT XGA 12.1-inch (diagonal) TFT XGA 14.1-inch (diagonal) TFT XGA
FireWire One 400-Mbps FireWire (IEEE 1394) port
USB Two ports (12-Mbps each)
Graphics support ATI Mobility Radeon with 16MB of SDRAM
VGA, S-video and composite video output Video outport for mirroring with an external display or projector; composite video output to TV through Video output port (requires optional Apple video adapter).
Modem Built-in 56K V.90 modem
Ethernet Built-in 10/100BASE-T Ethernet
Wireless networking AirPort ready
System Software Mac OS X v10.1, Mac OS 9.2
Software All models include Mac OS X v10.1, Mac OS 9.2, QuickTime, iMovie 2, iTunes 2 (7), AppleWorks, Mac OS X Mail, Microsoft Internet Explorer, EarthLink, AOL, World Book Mac OS X Edition, Otto Matic, Deimos Rising, PCalc, Acrobat Reader, and FAXstf, complete setup, learning, and reference documentation; limited warranty; and 30 days of free Internet service through EarthLink.
Limited Warranty
and Service		 One-year Limited Warranty against defects in materials and workmanship. Review a copy of the Limited Warranty on new products, including its limitations and exclusions.
Internet Access All models also include 30 days of free Internet service through EarthLink. Internet access requires an Internet service account; fees may apply. Product contains documentation. Backup copy of software is provided on CD-ROM
The Lowdown: A portable from Apple that simply has no competition. If you were holding off on a portable whether it be a professional or consumer model, now is the time to go for it. This year's iBook is the best example of everything that's good about Apple and detractors would have to be out of their minds to pretend the Apple Dual USB iBook is anything but the best of the best.
ConsumerLowdown Highest Rating:



Click here to get the best price on the iBook!


 compaq presario compaq evo dell dimension desktops dell notebooks dell precision workstations hp e-pc42 hp pavilion hp vectra hp workstation netvista aseries netvista mseries emac ibook imac g3 ipod new imac g4 powermac g4 server g4 titanium powerbook g4 xserve memory ram ddram memory ram ddr sdram memory ram rdram