Apple iBook Key Lime Special Edition 12.1 in. (M8245LL/A) Mac Notebook

As soon as I saw Apple's new iBook I wanted one. The new variation of Apple's entry level laptop was introduced on May 1, 2001. Absolutely everything was changed on the new iBook. It is smaller, lighter, faster, has a CD-RW drive available, and is cheaper than the old model. It is pretty amazing that Apple could make so many improvements and lower the cost.

I went to The Computer Store in Portland to check out the new iBook. They only had the CD-ROM model, but I still wanted to see it. The first thing that struck me is that the new iBook is much more like a Powerbook G4 than the "fruity" old iBook. It is made out of a whitish plastic and has been dubbed the "icebook" by some Mac fans. It certainty doesn't have has much personality as the old iBooks, but it is much more professional looking.

Something that really stood out was the screen. The iBook has a 1024 X 768 resolution screen, and it has the same size screen as the old 800 X 600 resolution iBook, 12.1 inches. Apple squished more pixels into the same size screen, making it much clearer. The screen is a brilliant TFT active matrix that easily surpasses the old iBook, especially for watching DVDs. Something that annoyed me about the old iBook was the large amount of plastic surrounding the screen. I felt like if they had to have all the plastic, they at least could have made the screen fill the plastic. The new iBook uses up every inch of space for it's screen.

The processor in the new iBook is a 500mhz G3. To non-Mac users, this may sound slow, but because Macs test differently than PCs, it is equivalent to a 850mhz Pentium III running real life programs, like Explorer and Photoshop. This is plenty of speed, especially considering that the iBook is only a bit more than an inch thick and weighs 4.9 pounds.

Apple was able to cut more than two pounds from the old iBook, and it's considerably thinner. Its dimensions are 11.2 X 9.1 X 1.35. This makes it much easier to carry around. It feels like it?s meant to be hauled around with you everywhere. It's even lighter than than the Titanium Powerbook G4!

One of the coolest things about the iBook is the drive options. For $1,299 you get a CD-ROM, $1,499 gets you a DVD-ROM, $1,599 a CD-RW, and for $1,799 you can get a custom CD-RW DVD combo drive. This means you can burn CDs and watch DVDs on your laptop! To open the CD slot, you hold down the F15 key on the side of the laptop, and a CD trap pops out after a couple seconds. This is fine, but it would have been really cool if Apple had been able to incorporate a slot-loading drive, like on the Powerbook G4.

The iBook has two USB ports and a Firewire port, as well as a RGB Video Out, internal modem, and 10/100 Ethernet so you can connect to Cable or DSL internet services. Two USB ports and Firewire is a nice touch, because so many devices (printer, scanner, floppy drive, digital camera) need these ports, often at the same time.

Another useful feature available with the iBook is an Airport card and base station. For $99 you can get an Airport card and for $299 more a base station. When set up, this enables you to access the internet without any wires. You could surf the internet in your backyard, at the same speed as if you were plugged in to your modem! There is a small control panel showing you your signal strength, so you can know how far away from the station you can roam. Apple claims 150 feet, but I read in Macworld magazine that they got an iBook to work about 300 feet away if they didn't have anything inbetween the laptop and the base station. Airport is a really great way to take advantage of the iBook's five hour battery life.

My dream iBook would be fully loaded: CD-RW combo drive, 256MB of RAM, 20GB hard drive, extra battery, Airport card, and Airport base station. With an education discount, this would run $2,550. Almost double the stating price. But that buys a lot of computer; I still think that the iBook is a great price. I'm hoping to be able to afford my iBook in the next several months. But, if you decide to get the combo drive, like me, you will have to wait about 3-4 weeks to have Apple custom build it. The combo drives are only available over the internet through Apple.

Go to www.apple.com/ibook for more info.

The iBook is infinitely improved from what it was. "Faster, Lighter, Cheaper " describes the iBook well. I read a review somewhere online that said, "The new I book is as much of a hit as it's predecessor was a miss." I think that that is really true. For all of you Mac fans who need a laptop, and can't afford a Powerbook, the new iBook is for you.