Rating: 
Summary: Better than ever
Review: The computer that Apple enthusiasts have dubbed the iceBook (for its cool white appearance) represents a major improvement over the popular blue, green, orange, and graphite iBooks of years past. Not only is this new dual-USB model smaller, thinner, and lighter, it has a sleek design not quite as likely to inspire jokes about its resemblance to other personal objects as did the older ones. It appeals to the young and young at heart, and the professional and the hobbyist, alike. It has even converted a few dedicated WinTel users. Especially good for students, the iBook is small and rugged enough to carry around in a backpack and powerful enough to accomplish necessary tasks while providing excellent entertainment capabilities and even sense of computing chic.The iBook now sports a bigger screen with greater resolution, comes with both Mac OS 9.1 and X installed, and offers more robust performance. If you choose a combination DVD-ROM/CD-RW drive, you can play your favorite movies and--with the free iTunes program--organize your song collection and burn discs full of your favorite music. Apple has also included its productivity suite, AppleWorks, along with iMovie (to satisfy your inner director), a few fun games, Microsoft Internet Explorer, Outlook Express, and Netscape. Turn the machine on for the first time and it leads you through an enjoyably easy setup procedure that has you Web surfing and e-mailing in minutes. With its generous input/output ports, the computer acts like a media hub, ready to connect to other computers over a network, download your digital photos, or (with an optional cable) play DVDs and QuickTime movies through your home theater system. Like the G4 PowerBook, its titanium-sheathed bigger sibling, the iBook exhibits a glowing Apple logo, which now faces right-side up when the cover is open, and a pulsating white light that indicates when the computer is asleep. So even when you're not actually using the iBook, you're happy just to have such an enviable object in your vicinity.
Rating:
Summary: An outstanding consumer portable
Review: First off, I think it is important to note that the rating I give the iBook is as a consumer portable. The iBook is NOT meant to replace a desktop machine. It is not designed, built or sold for heavy duty graphics, professional photo or video editing, or desktop publishing. The iBook IS designed to be very light weight, easy to use, and flexible. It is designed for the hobbiest, or consumer that wants the ability to edit their vacation pictures and videos, surf the internet, e-mail freinds and family, and generally do what any computer can do given the limitations that any portable will have. The iBook comes with both OS9 and OSX pre installed. It also comes with a very usefull suite of productivity software that includes: 1. AppleWorks- A suite of software that includes a more then competant word processor, A spread sheet, A data base, A presentation module and others. Basically a suite similar to Microsoft Office but not as robust and not costing 400-500 bucks. It also comes with iTunes, and excellent software for listening to and burning your MP3's. For those creative people it also comes with iMovie, the best consumer video editing softer available bar none. Also software listed is also OSX compatible (though it may require software updates. Now that OSX version 10.1 is becoming available (I just upgraded my iBook to 10.1 today), OSX is a very viable every day OS. 10.1 adds an excellent DVD player and enhanced performance, however as any totally new OS, it will take some time for some software to migrate. It is also an exceptionally stable operating system. In the three plus months that I've had my iBook, I can honestly say that the operating system (OSX) has never crashed on me. I have ofcourse had applications crash, but I've never had to restart. Yes, the lack of a 100Mhz+ front side bus might be considered a short coming by some, however for the average home user that does not do heavy duty video editing or other extremely demanding applications on a regular basis they will rarely if ever notice this. Another short coming some may consider is the lack of a PC slot or docking capabilities. However, with two USB ports, one FireWire port, VGA port (and cable included), built in 10/100 ethernet and a built in 56k modem I'm hard pressed to think what I would need them for. As for that reviewer that warned anyone from buying an Apple product due to their support all I can say is I've been using Macs for 8 years now. I've never had one of my computers in the shop for any reason. I suppose there is always that possibility of a lemmon. I have probably called Apples support line 4-5 times in that eight years and they have always been able to fix any problem I had while I was on the phone with them. In short, while your millage may vary, in the 3-4 months that I've had my iBook I have had absolutely no problems with it and can recommend it whole heartedly with a clear conscience.
Rating: 
Summary: Too slow
Review: If you want to buy an iBook, buy a faster one. This one just can't run any modern software. Heck, it isn't much good for old software. Go for the 700MHZ G3 or don't bother! If you need to run any graphics software then buy a G4. My G3 can't hack Adobe anything! If I could go back I would buy a G4 based Powerbook (I use one at work).
Rating:
Summary: The perfect compromise
Review: You can't have everything. At least, not at 1,199 bucks. The bottom-of-the-line iBook is exactly what it should be: Extremely portable and extremely friendly. Extremely fast? Not. This is a compromise machine -- the screen is small and the processor is the slowest available on a Mac. At 12.1 inches, the screen is among the smallest you will find on a laptop nowadays, but it is super-sharp. And the fairly pokey processor is still more than adequate for word processing and iTunes and some basic graphics applications, and for surfing the web. Also, 128 MB of RAM is downright puny in today's computing world. You'll definitely want to upgrade to at least 256 MB. Now, for the good part. By making those compromises, the iBook is not only cheap, it is light -- under 5 pounds. Check out a similarly equipped laptop from your weekly Bestbuy ad, and you will see behemoths weighing in at 6, 7, 8 or even 9 pounds! And you will rarely find one this thin, and never one this cool. Battery power on the iBook also far outshines its PC competition, helped in part by that small screen and slow processor. This is basically the perfect machine for someone on the go -- including reporters like me -- or for a K-12 student. If these compromises are simply too much for you, Apple has an alternative for you -- the no-compromises, 5.4 pound, 1-inch thick, super-fast Titanium Powerbook G4. It's your choice. You get what you pay for.
Rating:
Summary: More for Your Money
Review: With a 600MHz G3 (approx. 1.2 GHz pentium) and 128 MB RAM, this little computer is a deceptive powerhouse. Portability, durability, and ease of use are the traditional accolades for Mac laptops, but this one is the first to pack real value. The new operating system, the faster chip, and the added storage space make the iBook a perfect investment for college students or business people on the go. With a DVD player, iMovie to edit digital movies, iTunes to manage MP3 files, Palm software built in, and free word processing software all included, the iBook is ready to become the hub of your digital lifestyle.
Rating:
Summary: Stellar !!
Review: I am one of those switchers (apple.com/switch). I worked on mac 5 years ago, loved it but couldn't afford one. So I have spent the last 5 years in the PC family. Just bought the iBook. It's absolute perfection. No problem to switch files, so easy to use. I now have an ipod, a digital camera. I completely (re)adopted Mac's digital life.
Have no fear to get rid of your PC and ride a Mac. You will notice the difference.
Rating:
Summary: iBooks are amazing!
Review: This iBook is simply amazing -- it is easy to use, can use both
OS 9/OS X. I had never really used a MAC before and I learned how to use this iBook very quicky. It's light to carry in my backpack for university.You can hook it into data projectors so you can give presentations. It never crashes and it's easy to install RAM and new software for it. I love my iBook. It's the best computer I ever bought! Most importantly, the design is really cool.
Rating:
Summary: A Developer's Dream
Review: This is simply the best computer I've owned. I've owned PC's and Macs. No doubt, Macs are by far superior. I wish I could afford another [$$$] for a G4 powerbook, but since I can't, I got this one. I can't believe the power, versatility, and the attention from others. As someone who writes software, and attends school full time as a law student, this computer does it all. My only complaint, hard-drive is small, so I bought an external firewire drive to store non-essential data. Dang, firewire is fast. Also, I have an iPod. It is of no "Practical" use, but try and take it from me and ....well.... the won't let me say it here. Let's just say, I love it.
BUY and APPLE, if you can afford a G4 powerbook, get one. If not, trust another developer the G3 is still kick - a**.
Rating:
Summary: My Favorite Computer!
Review: This is my first laptop, although mine specificly has the dvd/cdrw combo and the 20 gig drive. I bought it to replace my then 6yo 9500, which died of burned out motherboard. The iBook was supposed to be a temporary fix, until a G5 desktop came out. Now that I have used this model for almost 9 months I think my next Mac will be an iBook. I do graphics, and the 12" screen is not hard to deal with. The extra cable, from Apple, lets me hook up to a TV, stereo, or projector. The included monitor adapter lets me hook up to a monitor for a dual screen. I hope the next iBook I get will let me have an additional screen, instead of mirroring. The only things I would want for my next model would be the Superdrive, to burn CDs & DVDs, a longer life battery, and a G5 cpu (ha!). Right now, in OS X, I can get about 3 hours of battery, unless I play a game. Illustrator, GoLive, & LiveMotion all work fine in X. Hopefully I will find out how Photoshop 7 works on Monday! I have used several desktop models, including a G4 at work, and the quaint, quiet iBook has out-charmed them all. One other thing: at home I use a full size keyboard & mouse, and external speakers. HTH!
Rating:
Summary: Great Computer
Review: Until I got the Apple iBook, I had been a diehard Windows user. But finally, I'd had enough of the Windows anti-trust and not to mention the problems with the actual Windows OS. So finally, I decided that I'd get a Mac. The perfect choice for me was the Apple iBook. Since I got it, I've discovered that my choice was a good one. The only problem I've had is that AOL seems to crash a bit. Otherwise, the Apple iBook is basically the greatest computer I've ever used. I realize I haven't put a lot of info on the iBook in, but trust me, the iBook is quite simply the greatest choice for a laptop computer. Actually, for a computer period.
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