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Summary: Perfect portable- the iBook is the laptop to own
Review: After purchasing one as my second mac that's a portable, I must say it is excellent in every way. I have a desktop PowerMac at home and just wanted a small portable to take with me. I joke with friends saying I just got a portable DVD player with a 12" screen and happens to be able to surf the Internet, write documents, and hold a ton of music. This iBook is light, fast, and solid in everyway. OS X "Panther" is so easy and never crashes. I love its clean and logical simplicity. I can burn CDs and play DVD movies on the road as well as carry all my music with iTunes. All the free programs that come with it are excellent in everyway. If you are looking for a small and light portable this is it. The reception of the wireless internet is great too and highly recommend getting the Airport card too. I got iSight with mine and can walk around wirelessly on a video conference. WOW!
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Summary: This 12.1" is 4.9 pound, not 10.1 pound!!!
Review: Amazon must ported other laptop data right into this one.
This one only weighs 4.9 pound, man!!
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Summary: Beautiful and powerful : ) my best laptop experience ever
Review: for those who long for a small, light, beautiful, powerful laptop like me, apple ibook g4 by all means satisfies all the needs! it is extremely beautiful, with a very human approach. i'd like to say many thanks to apple. and i feel great that i dare to try apple early enough that i can abandon microsoft/intel in the rest of my life!
Rating:
Summary: Pretty Darn Impressive (Updated)
Review: From 5/03 to 11/03 I owned a 14.1" G3 iBook. That was a nice laptop but certainly had some annoying quirks and was really out-of-date (described later). I also wanted to get a smaller laptop and also get Panther. So "upgrading" or "downgrading" to this 12" G4 iBook made a whole lot of sense for me. Here is my review based on comparison to the old G3 iBook.Performance: From G3 900Mhz to G4 800Mhz is certainly an upgrade. As the G4 features a faster 133Mhz Bus (formerly 100Mhz Bus) and also supports DDR Memory (compared to the old PC100). Applications seem to fire up and run better and everything is just snappier. Also if you have altivec enabled applications, G4 is certainly the way to go. Technical Improvements: USB 1.1 ==> USB 2.0, Airport 802.11b ==> Airport Extreme 802.11g, updated graphics card, tray loading combo drive ==> slot loading combo drive. Other Improvements: Panther is a more polished and refined OS compared to Jaguar. OS X has finally matured. The keyboard on the G4 iBook has been improved...buttons press smoother and keyboard has less flex (not to mention the greyish tone makes it look better). Also the LCD display seems a little bit more crisper. All in all I'd highly recommend this 12" G4 iBook. For this price, it is a tremendous value. You cannot find a comparable 12.1" laptop in the PC world (w/o spending nearly 2 Grand, and most don't come with an optical drive built-in). I don't see much of a reason to go with 14.1" as it has the same resolution as the 12" (unless that you have bad vision). If you want a laptop with a big display, go with the 15.2" Powerbook (probably the best all-around laptop in the world). If you want a small but still very fast laptop that you can carry everywhere, GET THIS IBOOK! It certainly has the looks and now is a speedster with G4. Can't go WRONG. (Added 1/11) For the past 3 months I have yet to experience a crash or problem with this iBook. Past generations of iBooks were prone to logic board failures, it seems like Apple finally got it fixed. I can put this laptop asleep for a week and wake it up, and be ready for use within 10 seconds. This is a sweet laptop, and it's coming from a lifelong Windows user (who still uses Windows too).
Rating: 
Summary: Great Notebook
Review: I am giving this 4 stars instead of 5, because 800MHz is acceptable to most users, but 1GHz would have been nice. The 800MHz G4 is still much faster than last year's 900MHz G3 model, and Panther is slightly faster. I have a 733MHz G4 tower, so this is a slight speed increase for me. I am so glad I got the 12" screen over the 14". Everyone I asked recommended the 12" over the 14". It's easier to carry, lighter, easy to sit on your lap with, and you don't feel the need to buy a huge case to carry it around in. Both the 12" and 14" have 1024x768 displays, the 12" is just denser, about 96 dpi, about the same resolution as my 23" Apple LCD. Text is sharp and clear and very readable. Both models have the same sized keyboards. No burned out pixels on either LCD! Wireless networking to my G4 tower was easy to setup, and very fast. The built in DVD player is also fun, although headphones or external speakers make the experience much more enjoyable - most laptops suffer from small speakers. Recommended Options: Get the 512M RAM upgrade card (about $125) which maxes the iBook out at 640Megs, and the Airport Extreme card ($99). Wireless internet is happening all over, in many hotels and restaurants. If you travel, consider adding some good Ear Buds if you use it to watch movies on or listen to music. This is my 5th Apple laptop, dating back to 1992, and by far the best one to date.
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Summary: Fantastic machine for an incredible price!
Review: I bought this iBook to upgrade my son's 1 yr old iBook G3 - which I sold on eBay for a couple hundreds less. Like another reviewer, I figured USB2.0, a faster CPU+bus, a faster airport, plus a new AppleCare coverage justify the small cost difference. The great price on Amazon made my choice much easier. I used Macs for 15 years and have both Macs and PCs at home. I also develop PC software at work. So I already knew what a great OS I was getting. However, I was worried that it may be underpowered for todays games. To my delight, I was very pleasantly surprised. I just installed Unreal Tournament 2004 (which states a 933 Mhz G4/G5 machine required on the box) and the game FLIES! My son can't be happier. I highly recommend this machine. No PC notebook can match it in price/performance!
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Summary: I am NEVER going back to Windows!
Review: I got this computer very recently. So far, it has run very well. The srcreen is crystal clear, the DVDs work great, everything is perfect. This thing is SOOOO light! I could carry it around all day and not get tierd. If you are looking for the prefect laptop, this is the one!
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Summary: iBook G4 Review
Review: I have always been intrigued by the Apple's iBook since its introduction. Not necessarily the design, mind you. The "clam shell / toilet bowl" design wasn't as attractive to me as the idea that Apple was offering an affordable lap top computer. It became more attractive to me as Apple redesigned the look and a necessity when Apple FINALLY put a G4 processor in the iBook. I purchased the iBook G4 12" 800 MHz in early December 2003. I have quickly recognized it as an excellent compliment to my home desktop computer, a Dual 500Mhz tower, on an AirPort wireless network (a separate review is in the works). Out of the box it is easy to appreciate the design. Packaged with Apple's OSX 10.3 Jaguar, iLife software, AppleWorks Suite, Quicken 2004, Encyclopedia and a few games (Diemos, Chess and Tony Hawk 4) you can get started right away. I'm going to change things up from the format that I have used in my previous reviews and start with the "Ugly" as I would like to be a little more pessimistic as I wrap things up! The Ugly: The Combo Drive is loud. This is more noticeable as you watch a DVD. Also, without headphones, you definitely get nothing more than a small speaker sound from the built-in speakers. The Bad: I understand the logic behind Apple's offering of a one-button mouse/trackpad. Sure, marketing and Steve Jobs will tell you it's all about simplicity - it's about 3rd party vendor relationships people. Let someone else offer the wanted 2-button mouse/trackpad with scrolling capabilities. I am getting better at using the control key but would much rather have a right click button. Also, a spectacular design like this deserves to maintain it's integrity - this puppy smudges and scratches easily. I find myself babying it often. The Good (dare I say great): No longer resembling a toy designed by Fisher-Price, I can pull the iBook out of my lap top bag and not worry about what the person next to me is going to think. In fact, it's quite the opposite - people usually perform a double take. Often, in fact, mistaking it for the new PowerBook that has been getting a lot of press lately. It is sharp! Kudos for the implementation of the slot loading combo drive - though loud it is nice to have a laptop with less moving parts. I've worked on $3000 laptops that felt cheap whenever you needed to access the CD ROM. I am also pleased with the 32MB ATI Display. Some have said that they wish they had a greater choice of screen resolutions (1024x768 is the max) but I feel it is an excellent value for the money. I also like the feel of the keyboard that has been criticized on past iBook models. I have also been pleased with the battery life. Apple claims that you can achieve up to 6 hours - they are close. DVD playing will put you at about 3 hours - respectable. Typical use - Internet surfing, word processing, and the like has resulted in between 4 and 6 hours of battery power. I also like the battery power indicator on the battery itself. So in the first 30 days I am admitting to being a big fan of the iBook and would recommend highly to those in the market for a sub $1500 laptop.
Rating:
Summary: Quick and lightweight--a great value for the money
Review: I have been in the market for a laptop for a while, and having long (and good) experience with Macintosh, I knew I wanted a Mac. I had a hard time deciding between the g3 iBook (great price!) and the PowerBook (great features, much higher price.) The iBook g4 is truly the best of both worlds for me, so I snapped it up the moment it hit the market. I have a desktop Quicksilver G4 with 867 MHz with over a gig of memory, but need a laptop for travel. When trying to decide which iBook to purchase, I went to the Apple store near me for a test drive first. I spent quite a bit of time with both the 800 MHz 12" iBook and the 933 MHz 14" iBook. I saw almost no speed difference using the 800 MHz 12" iBook and the 933 MHz 14" iBook. (Both had the standard 256 MB of memory installed.) Both opened, operated and switched between programs like Word, Keynote, Excel, and iPhoto at the same speed as my desktop G4. I saw little difference in performance speeds with multiple programs running. (While I'm sure there must be a difference, it's negligible in nearly all those programs, which were the ones preloaded on the models I tried out at the Apple store. Graphics programs are where you're most likely to see a difference, but unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to test those.) If you're looking for more storage space, the 933 MHz iBook comes with a 40 GB hard drive, while this model, the 12" 800 MHz iBook, comes with 30. You can upgrade the 12" iBook to up to 60 if you order it through Apple directly. As for choosing between the 12" and 14" models--I really think it's a matter of preference. If you do a lot of graphics work, you'll probably want the larger screen. The other thing to consider is the keyboard/lower half of the unit--while I like a larger screen (who doesn't?) the total area on the 14" iBook is significantly larger than on the 12". This difference is tough to see by looking at photos online--but it's significant when you see the units side-by-side in person. If you're primarily going to be using the iBook while you travel--in tight confines such as on an airplane tray, in your lap while waiting for your flight, on a tiny table in a coffee shop, etc.--the 12" iBook is much easier to handle in those situations. The 14" iBook would be rather cumbersome to work with in tight spaces or to hold on your lap regularly, but would probably be fine for someone who uses it on a large desk, in a roomy study carrel in a library, etc. (In the end, this was why I settled on the 12" iBook instead of the 14" iBook.) Regarding ergonomics: If you have a chance to try them out, you should also try opening a Word or similar document and typing on both the 12" and 14" iBooks. The area below the keyboard (between your keyboard and your body) is much larger on the 14" model. This might be desireable for some, and uncomfortable for others, depending on your usual hand and body position as you're typing. Another note: the keys on the iBook are fairly springy compared to the Apple Pro Keyboard that ships with most desktop units, and compared to the 'metal' feel of a PowerBook keyboard. I thought this would be a negative, however, after a few minutes of typing on the iBook, and a few minutes of typing on the PowerBook (I spent about ten minutes simply typing on each machine), I found the iBook more comfortable than an identically-sized PowerBook. This, however, is going to be a matter of personal preference. Users who aren't super-heavy typists will not see a big enough difference to tip the scale toward buying one machine or another, but I wanted to mention it. Regarding features: If possible, I recommend adding the maximum amount of memory (for the iBooks, it's 640 MB), and if you'll be using the iBook a lot, and keeping numerous programs on it or plan on making it your primary computer, to also order a customized model that allows you to have a larger hard drive. It's not a big investment for the price (though to move the 12" iBook up from 30 GB to 60GB will cost you slightly more than moving the 14" iBook up from 40 GB to 60 GB.) If you want to burn DVDs, you're out of luck with the iBook. For that, you need to get a PowerBook with SuperDrive--iBooks are not upgradable to SuperDrive. Because my desktop has SuperDrive, this wasn't a necessary feature for me. However, if the laptop will be your primary computer, this would be the biggest reason (in my opinion) to choose a PowerBook over an iBook. A PowerBook also has a larger maximum memory capacity, so if you see yourself needing more than 640 MB of memory for the programs you run on a regular basis, consider the PowerBook. Otherwise. the iBook is a WONDERFUL laptop for the price, and I saw no other reason to pay more for a PowerBook than for an iBook. Overall: great price, great speed, fabulous looks (it seems fairly scratch-resistant), a springy keyboard, good screen resolution (there's better out there, but this is pretty sharp for most users needs), and the unit is light as a feather and incredibly easy to pack. It comes preloaded with Panther OS 10.3, which would otherwise cost just over a hundred dollars if you're upgrading from 10.2 Jaguar. It takes up very little space in a briefcase or bag, and weighs less than five pounds. If you have Bluetooth installed, you can easily use it with wireless devices (Palm devices, cell phones, wireless keyboards and mice.) Otherwise, there is a Bluetooth adapter available should you decide to add it later--the adapter is small and clicks into a USB port. The iBooks are also AirPort ready and adding an AirPort or AirPort Extreme card is easy if you want to use your iBook for speedy wireless networking. I'd recommend it to anyone!
Rating:
Summary: Love the white plastic!
Review: I have been using my 12" 700 MHz G3 iBook for 15 months when the iBook G4 series was launched. Still totally satisfied with my G3, I could not resist this faster machine at such a great price. Immediately, I notice the difference in speed and performance - so obvious that I won't go into that. Apart from that, the keyboard is now sturdier, with the keys staying in place better than the G3's. Bigger hard drive, ATI Mobility RADEON 9200 graphics card + Panther. Great! The newer iBooks are also less scratch prone. The slot loading drive is definitely sexier than the tray but might be a problem when you are trying to rip your 3" CD singles. The one thing that is NOT sexier is the choice of material for the palm rest area. Apple decided to replace the slick metallic finish with a cheap plastic one some time during the release of the last iBook G3's. Unfortunately, the G4's inherited that. Dirt stains are more stubborn on this plastic finish making the iBook look old and worn after a few months. Perhaps it is Apple's way of justifying the value of the PowerBook... now that both are G4's. Wishlist: more than one firewire port; I do not have to waste a 128 MB memory chip when I upgraded my RAM to 640 MB; better speakers and metallic finish palm rest please... Overall, I am very satisfied with my decision to upgrade. Importing music is now much faster and I get to enjoy Panther! A very good value for money...
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