Apple iBook G4 Review

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of the Compaq Laptop Battery   First post by: www.itsbattery.com

Getting an Apple laptop was unthinkable for me at first. I felt nothing from Apple's clever "Switch" ads, and as with many fellow PC/Windows users, I thoughts Macs were for newbies, graphics designers, grannies, and others who couldn't handle more than one mouse button.

However, when I began my quest to purchase an affordable portable, I ran into many problems. The ultraportables and subnotebooks often lacked basic features I wanted such as an optical-drive, and would easily burn a hole in my wallet... several times over. Thin-and-Lights looked very appealing, so I researched that category the most. Some of my favorites include the Fujitsu S6210, IBM T40 series, and Dell 600m. Yet, even the ones I liked didn't work out because they didn't fit my budget (about $1,000).

Then I was introduced to a strange mix of the above. Apple's 12" iBook weighs in at touch under five pounds, but is in the ultraportable form factor. It's too heavy to be an ultraportable, but it's small screen means it doesn't fit with most thin-and-lights. What really caught my attention was the price tag. Other than Averatec, this is the only notebook I came across with a retail price of $999 that came in under 5 pounds. But like any consumer ready to shell out hard-earned money, I was still skeptical.

I continued to do my research and consistently heard good things about the iBook. Finally, Apple and Amazon gave me a sign. In late October, Apple included Airport Extreme (802.11g) and bumped up the base processor to 1.2Ghz. Additionally, Amazon still had a $150 rebate for Apple laptops with battery such as Apple A1175 Battery, Apple A1185 Battery, Apple M9324 Battery, Apple M8403 Battery, Apple M7318 Battery, apple PowerBook G3 Battery, Apple PowerBook G4 Battery, Apple PowerBook G4 15 inch Battery, Apple A1012 Battery, Apple M8511 Battery. It didn't take long for me to figure out that $850 + $20 shipping was a darn good deal. I placed my order on the following and paitiently waited.

Specifications

12.1" TFT XGA

1.2Ghz G4 processor w/ 512k level 2 cache

256MB PC2100 ram, 1 slot available

30 GB ATA/100 4200RPM hard drive

Slot-loading combo drive (DVD/CD-RW)

1 FireWire 400 port

2 USB 2.0 ports

VGA Out, S-Video and composite video cable optional

56K V.92 modem

10/100BASE-T Ethernet

Airport Extreme 802.11g wireless

Mac OS X 10.3 Panther

90 phone support, 1 year hardware warranty

The laptop is absolutely gorgeous. Had I not seen the price tag, I would've thought the iBook to be much pricier. The bare simplicity of the notebook is stunning. Other than the obligatory Apple logo on top (which lights up!), there's nothing but rounded edges. No bevels; No latches; No doors. When I hold it in my hands, it feels like holding a polished piece of marble. (in reality: polycarbonate plastic, and magnesium alloy)

The construction is really top grade. Pressing against the back of the reinforced LCD doesn't cause any ripples in the image, nor does flexing the screen between my hands. I'd feel safe putting this notebook in a cramped backpack. The hinge connecting the screen also looks quite beefy and doubles as an exhaust for heat. The slot loading drive is just too cool to describe. Everyone gets mesmerized by how the iBook sucks in CDs. Apple also claims to have rubber-mounted the hard drive to absorb vibrations and impacts.