Compact, Comfortable, Well Designed
Written: Aug 29 '04
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Pros: Form Factor, Appearance, and functionality
Cons: Occasional logic board issues - addressed by Apple in warranty extension
The Bottom Line: A great machine despite the logic board issues, which are being addressed by Apple.
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| iantgreat's Full Review: Apple iBook 12.1 in. (M8485LL/A) Mac Notebook |
I remember when I bought my first brand new Apple. It was the fall of 2001, a few months had passed since I watched MR. Jobs unveil the new iBook. It was a revelation. An iBook that looked like something other than a toy. I was hooked. In less than five months, I found a way to get one and make it mine. At the time I bought it, Apple offered to double my ram for free, effectively making OS X functional on the machine. (Had 128 from the factory, but 256 made it nice and usable) Initially, I had lots of trouble with the hinge. It would get stiff, creak, and make nasty noises. After sending it back to Apple for that, and another issue, the issue went away. It's now been close to two years since then.
For the money, it is a solid buy, even in the used market today. Fortunately, these machines seem almost impervious to depreciation. Even three years after their debut, these machines have still retained more than 1/3 of their price when new. I ended up selling mine to my sister when I decided I wanted a 12 inch G4 PowerBook. The form factor of the 12 inch iBook sold me on all future 12 inch screen machines. A perfect blend of form, function, and portability.
I still remember the looks and questions people would ask when they saw it. My sister even mentions that the computer draws attention and questions from passerbys. It's a fantastic machine and has star power.
The only issue with the iBooks are things Apple did intentionally to differentiate them from the PowerBooks. iBooks do note come with the ability to drive two independant displays on their own, while the PowerBooks do, and with the current lineup, the PowerBooks have all features that are optional on the iBooks. The white iBook is a nice, enduring design that we'll all enjoy for years to come.
However, one thing to note is the issues that these machines have had with logic board failures. Fortunately, Apple decided, in an effort to avoid a class action lawsuit to create an extended warranty on logic board issues. This extension is until December 18, 2004 or three years after the purchase of your G3 iBook. I've found that not many people know about this, and have a white iBook sitting in their closet with a bad logic board. Also, if you've paid for apple to replace your logic board, they WILL reimburse you.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 1499
Operating System: Macintosh
Processor: PowerPC G3
Processor speed: 401-500
Screen Size: 12 inches
RAM: 256
Internal Storage: DVD
Hard Drive (GB): 13-20
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Epinions.com ID:
iantgreat
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Reviews written: 4
Trusted by: 0 members
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