The Little iBook Book

Rating:
Summary: The REAL Point
Review: First of all, a beginner is a beginner, and this book states on the back that it's for beginnerish to advanced. To me that is everybody. Secondly, the real point is that people don't want to buy five and six books to learn how to use their computer. Sure that may be good for a writer of several related books, but for the consumer it just means more money spent. They've already spent all that money on a computer, so they want a nice book that tells them as much as it can. The only reason I bought this book was because it was one, or maybe the only, of few ibook books available at the time. Believe me, if "The ibook for Dummies" had been out at the same time, I never would have bought this book. "The ibook for Dummies" covers much more information, presents it in the familiar and fun "dummies" format, and costs merely a dollar more. The "Little ibook Book" is not a bad book, but it may not be the book for you. There are many other ibook references out now, and if you are still in the market for one, then my best advice is to compare them carefully before you buy, and choose what's best for you.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent for not-so-beginners!
Review: I first got introduced to the Little Mac books in college when we had to get The Little Mac Book 2nd Edition for a class I took. Of course I was blown over by the casual way Ms. Williams addressed all the topics.

The Little iBook Book is for the person somewhat familair with Macintosh systems, not for beginners. It can accompany The Little iMac book which helps a *lot* with the basics. To those saying it's not elaborate enough - if it covered EVERYTHING, the book would be about a billion pages and cost in the realm of $60 or so.

This book is a great way to get re-introduced to Apple (such as myself) and a grat way to learn a iBook... I highly recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: The Little iBook Book
Review: I had purchased this book not realizing it covered an earlier version of the operating system (I'm on OS X 10.2), but it was still helpful.

I'm an experienced PC user and I switched to Mac because Mac users rave about it's simplicity, etc., and eventually I want to venture into graphics. Having taken some graphics courses, I found the Mac much easier in that regard.

However, for the longest time after purchasing my laptop, I was frustrated because I couldn't figure out anything. I'm computer literate and I was previously working on a supposedly more difficulty system. But it was the Mac that seemed difficult and foreign to me.

Finally I figured out how to burn CDs, and it rekindled my interest in my laptop. After that, I returned to this book and perused for some tips. The information helped fill in the knowledge gaps, and now I'm loving my laptop.

I like Robin Williams's writing style because it is straightforward and informative. I don't have to go to some other source for background information first. I had read one of her other books (required text for a class) and decided that she would be my information source for these things.

Rating:
Summary: The REAL Point
Review: It seems the other reviewers of this book missed the point of the book. It is *not* a book for new beginners who want to learn how to use a Mac; as stated clearly in the information at the top of this page and on the back cover of the book, it is aimed mostly at mobile computing. We assume you bought an iBook to connect on the road, and the book is filled with tips and tricks on how to do that. I beg to differ with the reviewer below, but this information is *not* superficial. I can't tell you how much time we spent finding out all the tidbits of computing on the road and all the little extra parts you need. I don't think it's quite fair for a reader to complain that the content of a book doesn't have what they want if they didn't bother to read the cover or the accompanying information before they bought it. I have written a large number of books for beginning Mac users about the applications and the OS and did not feel it necessary to write it all over again in this book because that is not the purpose of this book!

Rating:
Summary: Warning to Airport Users
Review: The authors had not seen an Airport Card nor Base Station when this book was written. It merely parrots Apple's prerelease publicity. Big disappointment, if, like quite a few of us, you need Airport trouble-shooting help. The rest of it is fairly superficial. I recommend finding a book where the author has actually used all of the equipment.

Rating:
Summary: A good book to carry in your laptop bag
Review: Well written and concise, this slim volume packs well to carry on the road with you when you need a handy quick reference--especially for iBook features you don't use often. The chapter on connecting to the Internet while on the road is especially helpful with step-by-step instructions to make the whole process as painless as possible. (Let's face it: when you're living out of a suitcase, anything that eliminates aggravation is a blessing!)