iBook is great for making the switch
Written: Jan 13 '03 (Updated Jan 17 '03)
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Pros: Fast, stable, simple, powerful, and oh so pretty.
Cons: No PCMCIA, touchpad has only 1 button, 3rd party software somewhat limited.
The Bottom Line: A very good laptop--replaced both my old windows boxes, and I have no interest in going back.
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| qmrf's Full Review: Apple iBook G3 M8860LL/A / M8861LL/A / M8862LL/A |
Some of my geek friends have always been Mac acolytes. Others have just recently made the switch, but have become just as fanatical. Both groups made me very curious about getting a Mac, and served as cheerful fountains of information, answering all of my questions with glowing enthusiasm. So, when my parents asked me what I wanted for a graduation present (I'm a recent BSE in Computer Engineering), an iBook was the only thing I could think of that I coveted.
They left it to me to order it--if you have friends who work for Apple and are interested in buying a Mac, call them up. Apple employees apparently get several "15% off" coupons each year and are allowed (encouraged, even) to use them on their friends' orders. I ended up on the phone with a friend of my housemate's, telling him which buttons to click on the Apple Store webpage. This page is very easy to use (a lot like Dell's, if you've ever ordered a computer from them); all of the options are clearly laid out, with explanations of everything available, and prices that update as you click options on or off. Simple enough that you can describe which options you want over the phone with no worry of confusion.
Once the order was in, the waiting began--a week of near continuous updating of FedEx's "track your packages" website. (really, it's kind of fun to watch your laptop's progress from the factory in Taiwan to a Fed Ex distribution center in Indianapolis to your home in Michigan). I was impressed with shipping speed, though, as the laptop arrived in one day less than the low end of the range they had told me.
Figuring out how to do things on the laptop was cake--I had some minimal experience with MacOS, but this was the first Mac I've ever owned...Even still, learning to navigate the operating system was incredibly easy. And better yet was what was included. Apple's iMovie, iDVD, iPhoto, iTunes, Mail, Address Book, iCal...So much useful software preloaded, and no crap! The last few PCs I've bought had so much useless junk cluttering up the desktop on the first boot that I had to spend my first ten minutes on them uninstalling and deleting things, and then had to spend the next hour downloading such basics as mp3 players and Quicktime web browser plugins. No such problem on the iBook. The preloaded software is all useful, and all intuitive. Better yet, it all seems stable! I have yet to have any of the Apple applications crash on me.
The things available for download are equally high-quality. The new Safari web browser that was just released is super-fast (though, for some reason, it doesn't seem to like the cookie from Epinions.com, so I have to publish my review from Chimera--also a good browser), updates to the preloaded software are free (though I hear rumors that will be changing soon), and the Developer Tools are quite exhaustive (both in terms of capabilities and length of download--300 MB! hooray for DSL.).
Because of the quality of the Apple software, I haven't had much need for 3rd party applications. What I have used seems good: the previously mentioned Chimera web browser (from Netscape/Mozilla), Civilization III (from Firaxis--I wouldn't have switched if it weren't available), and the GRASS GIS package (an open source version of a $1500 software tool). The lack of available 3rd party software is often cited as a fatal flaw in the Mac OS, and it's true that certain categories of software are much better represented on Windows than on Mac--games, for example. However, almost every category *is* represented, even if not as well as on Windows, and the stuff available seems to be much less prone to crashing.
I could go on raving for pages--the Mail application is fantastic, it instantly recognized my printer, digital camera, and Nomad mp3 player when I plugged them in, no drivers necessary, and it is pretty, pretty, pretty (both the operating system and the computer itself are pleasing to the eye)--but suffice to say that I'm happy, no, ecstatic with my choice. It's small and light enough to replace my 11" Vaio notebook, and powerful enough to replace my P4 Dell desktop (with 21" screen). I'm not going to switch back.
The only major downside I've noticed is that there's no PCMCIA slot, so no internal expansion can be done (except for an Airport card for wireless networking, which can be installed under the keyboard). Anything you want to add has to plug in to either a USB or Firewire port. And I'm a big fan of peripherals, so I can envision a huge mess of wires growing, fast. Really, it's bad right now, with the ethernet cable from the DSL modem, the audio out to my speakers, and the Palm, the mp3 player, and the printer taking turns on the two USB ports. Really, though, this isn't a huge problem. When I feel like it, I can unplug everything and walk away with a nice, light, thin, powerful laptop which can run for about 5 hours without even being plugged in to power.
Other minor flaws (in my opinion) include such picky details as the touchpad only having one button. I'm used to having at least two. Preferably three. (And, in truth, Ctrl-click is a right mouse button. But it takes two hands.) The speakers are a little tinny, but the audio out to headphones or external speakers sounds good. I don't like the fact that there's no hardware button for ejecting the CD drive; you have to have the operating system eject for you. All of these things I can live with, though, because the software is all useful and oh so stable. I love my iBook.
Note: I'm rating tech support as "average" because I've had no opportunity to interact with them. And, likely, won't have much need to. My Mac-addict friends haven't seemed to ever need it. I did purchase the 3-year extended care package, though, and it seems like tech support will be good, if I ever need it. Don't take the "average" as a bad thing, just take it as a "not applicable".
The configuration I got includes:
14 inch screen
800 MHz G3
640 MB memory
40 gig hard drive
CD-RW/DVD drive (on right edge)
left edge has 56k modem, ethernet, firewire, 2 USB, VGA out, and audio out jacks
"Airport ready" (the card will cost me about $100)
one battery--lasts 5-6 hours
Lots of preloaded software
3 year service plan
UPDATE (as clarification in response to a comment): the iBook does have an "eject" key on the keyboard--hold it down for a second and out pops the drive. However, I don't consider this to be a hardware eject. On a PC, I'm accustomed to having a little button on the cd drive, with which I can eject the disk while the computer is booting, or when the computer is frozen, or whatever. If Finder crashes on the iBook (which, really, I've only had happen a few times, but I always happened to want to eject the cd at those times), the eject key on the keyboard won't do anything. Since it's dependant on the software cooperating, it's not a hardware eject. That's what I meant. (Now, there *is* a hole in the drive door to stick a paper clip into, but that's not a good way to do it either...)
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 1700
Operating System: Macintosh
Processor: PowerPC G3
Processor speed: 701-800
Screen Size: 14 inches
RAM: More than 256
Internal Storage: CD-RW and DVD
Hard Drive (GB): 31-40
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Epinions.com ID:
qmrf
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Reviews written: 4
Trusted by: 1 member
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