Apple iBook g4 Laptop computer Reviews

May.16, 2008 in Apple

The idea of a notebook computer is that you can take it anywhere. So shouldn’t it stand up
to the occasional bump and jostle? The iBook is constructed from impact-resistant
polycarbonate plastic and lightweight magnesium to provide durable computing power in a
small, light package. It’s configured with a 1GHz PowerPC G4 processor, a 512KB on-chip L2
cache, a 40GB Ultra ATA hard drive and 256MB SDRAM (expandable to 1280MB). In addition to the 133MHz bus speed, the iBook features a 24×16x24×8 (max. speeds) CD-RW/DVD-ROM combo drive, a FireWire port for digital video editing and high-speed peripherals and two USB
ports for accessoires like Webcams and MP3 players. For your communications needs, both
56K V.92 modem and 10/100Mbps Ethernet are built in. You can even go wireless with an
optional AirPort Extreme card or Bluetooth module. The 14.1″ TFT screen brings your games,
applications and video to life with a 1024 x 768 maximum resolution supporting millions of
colors.

Even more impressive is that a machine with a large, 14-inch display could have the iBook’s battery life. We watched Braveheart, which lasts nearly 3 hours, and tried out various apps for another hour before it was time to recharge. The movie, by the way, looked great on the iBook’s bright, beautiful LCD. Apple displays have long been among the best on the market, and this one’s no exception. Add the ATI Mobility Radeon 9200 graphics card with 32MB of memory and a powerful new 1.33-GHz G4 processor, and you’ve got an extraordinarily versatile machineNone as good at playing DVDs as it is at creating them.

ENHANCED FEATURES
1. Enhanced SpeedStep technology
2. Power-optimized processor system bus
3. Execute Disable Bit capability
4. Soundcard
5. Microphone
6. Wireless LAN support
7. Lithium polymer battery technology

Apple iBook g4 Laptop computer Reviews from Notebookreview

Pros

* Battery life
* Durability and design
* Software, and stability
* Support
* Price

Cons

* Heavy for it’s size, slightly thicker than other 12″ notebooks
* Unfamiliar OS (Windows users)
* Gets dirty easily (palm rests turn black, smudges)
* Hard to upgrade small capacity hard drive

Apple iBook g4 Laptop computer reviews from Cnet

The good: Great battery life; attractive design; nice display; cheapest Mac notebook.

The bad: Much slower performance than the G4 PowerBook; only 128MB of RAM in 12-inch models;

no CD-RW in low-end version; doesn’t support AirPort Extreme; no USB 2.0 or FireWire 800.

The bottom line: The iBook is cheaper and has a longer battery life than the PowerBook G4

series, but it’s also a lot slower and lacks sufficient memory. Save up for a 12-inch

PowerBook instead.