A Lifelong Windows User Buys an iBook
Written: Apr 03 '06
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Size, Ease of Use, Battery Life, Apple's OS X
Cons: Not a large enough standard hard drive, dim screen, might need more RAM.
The Bottom Line: An absolutely great machine. A great first Apple computer for anyone looking to switch from Windows based PCs.
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| ParisLemon's Full Review: Apple iBook G4 12.1 in. (M9846LL/A) Mac Notebook |
I've been a Windows PC user my entire life (at 24 admittedly not that long, but long enough to remember my first computer with a 386 Intel processor and MS DOS). We had plenty of Macs around in both high school and college but I always found them to be slow and foreign (since I was so used to the Windows/DOS software interface). When I moved to LA and started working I couldn't avoid the Mac any further, it was everywhere. Something was different about the Mac now however. It took a few days of getting used to, but I quickly realized that despite the fact that it was a little bit slower then my Windows PC, the Apple OS X operating system and its general lack of clutter was wonderful! I decided I was going to get one.
I ultimately chose the iBook G4 12 inch. I thought a bit about the PowerBook and also the iMac, but decided the iBook was cheap enough ($999) and a good first step into the Mac world...8 months later I'm hooked.
As I said I went with the iBook G4 12 inch. It comes standard with a 1.33 Ghz PowerPC processor, 512 MB of RAM, a CD burner/DVD player, and a 40 gigabyte hard drive. Apple has been transitioning to their newer Intel chips (which are substantially faster), but the iBook is currently still only available with the PowerPC chip. The only upgrade I made before I purchased was to get a 80 gigabyte hard drive instead of the 40 gig one. In my opinion this was a very good choice. After only a few months of use I had filled just about 40 gigs of my drive, mostly with MP3s and digital pictures, which take up some room. Think of it this way, the current top-of-the-lind iPod has a 60 gigabyte hard drive and that is only for mp3s, pictures, and videos, so the 40 gigabyte standard drive is probably not going to cut it for everything else (applications namely) that a computer requires unless you don't plan on storing your digital media on it.
The 512 MB of RAM that comes standard with the iBook is pretty good, certainly a marked improvement over the 256 MB that used to come standard with iBook. I have been seriously considering upgrading to 1 gigabyte of RAM recently however, as I have noticed some lag in various programs when I have multiple applications open. For standard web browsing however, 512 seems fine.
The size of the 12 inch iBook is its best attribute in my opinion. Weighing just under 5 pounds I can easily lift it with one hand and carrying it around work or my apartment with ease. It also features a very durable white outer shell casing that not only looks great but protects the computer from everyday wear and tear. Supposedly the hard drive is shock resistant as well, though I haven't tried this out, nor do I want to. Some consider the screen too small, but it is what it is. If you want a larger one, you're going to have accept the larger dimensions and weight. One thing I do wish however is that the screen were a little bit brighter. When compared to my PC laptop, the iBook screen seems very dim. This isn't a problem except in place like direct sunlight exposed areas, but can get annoying then. This dim screen also likely improved the battery life which I'm happy to report constantly runs well over 4 hours of regular use when unplugged. This is great, certainly compared to my PC laptop with which I'm lucky to get 2 hours of unplugged use.
Apple's OS X software is hands down the easiest and best looking operating system to use. Currently on version 10.4.6, it is rumored that version 10.5 will be over before Microsoft finally gets their act together and released their new Vista OS to the public. Anyone using OS X for the first time may be thrown off by it's different look from Windows, but rest assured it only looks and feels weird because it's so simply and streamlined compared to Microsoft's bloated monster of an OS (Windows). It may not run quite as much software (yet, the transition to Intel chips will likely help Apple in this department), but what it does run, it runs better.
Overall this is an absolutely great laptop computer. One word of caution however is that there are a lot of rumors circulating that Apple will soon be releasing its Intel-based iBook, rumored to be named the MacBook (like it's 'pro' brother the MacBook Pro). It will supposedly feature a 13.3 inch widescreen monitor as well. So you may want to hold off on the purchase for a couple months if you for sure want the iBook.
On a final note I almost forgot one of the best parts of the iBook. It's scrolling trackpad. A lot of laptops people still use a mouse with because the trackpad isn't that great, on the iBook it is great. Scrolling with a scroll wheel is a big part of Internet surfing, this is made so simple by Apple's trackpad; if you want to scroll simply place TWO fingers on the pad and drag up or down. That's it. The window scrolls. Want to use the cursor again, simply lift one finger and go back to regular one finger action. So simple, but genius.
I highly recommend Apple's 12 inch iBook to anyone, but would urge any buyer to upgrade to a larger hard drive and maybe get more RAM if you think you'll need it. Switching to Apple isn't so hard, and now I'm hooked.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 999
Operating System: Macintosh
Processor: PowerPC G4
Processor speed: over 1000
Screen Size: 12 inches
RAM: More than 256
Internal Storage: CD-RW
Hard Drive (GB): Over 50
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Epinions.com ID:
ParisLemon
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Member: Matthew Glenn Siegler
Location: La Jolla, CA
Reviews written: 172
Trusted by: 117 members
About Me:
Moves.Tech.Sports.
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