Apple iBook G3 Review

Overall Rating

Well constructed.
Excellent quality LCD display.
Appearance is trendy, but not attention-seeking.
Bundled software is very good.

Expensive.
Extended warranty is ridiculously expensive.

The design of the Apple iBook is smart. There are no notches, switches (apart from the lid release switch) or catches which could potentially break or get snagged on anything. The battery is released by means of inserting a coin into a rotating switch, which seems sensible. However, it is disappointing that the battery door on mine does not perfectly line up with the chassis, which seems rather clumsy.

All iBooks are manufactured in the colour 'snow', which is unordodox, but doesn't appear unprofessional. There is a translucent layer on the outside of the chassis which, apparently, is made of polycarbonate. I am told that this is the same material used to produce bullet-proof glass. However, I still get the feeling that it would still be very easy to scratch this material.

Setup is very easy - you simply plug it in and you're virtually ready to go. It is unfortunate that it took me so long to figure out how to open the lid. When you press the lid release button, you must also apply pressure to the lid. This procedure is quite straightforward, but those who are unaware of it may struggle to figure it out. It doesn't help that the documentation contains no instructions regarding this.

The quality of the LCD display is superb. I had planned on buying the 12" model, but ended up getting the 14" because the 12" was out of stock and not expected for some time. I am glad that I ended up with the 14", because the difference is definately noticable (plus the 14" model has an extra 128Mb of RAM which generates a significant performance boost). I would recommend buying the 12" model only if you already have a desktop PC, and intend to use the iBook as a secondary computer. The built-in speakers are average at best, but I usually use headphones anyway.

It is a pity that the 3 year extended warranty option on this model is prohibitively expensive. Fortunately, New Zealand law requires that all goods function properly for a "reasonable" period of time. I know of cases where laptops have failed within the space of three years, and vendors have been forced to repair them free of charge despite them being out of warranty. Hopefully people in other countries can also enjoy similar statutory protection.

The iBook is a bit more expensive than other notebooks with equivalent specifications, but the thoughtful and pleasing design, along with the fantastic OS X, make it worthwhile.

Members' Comments onAlastair.'s Review

• Morgan. on 23rd Mar 2003

  I am somewhat disappointed in my iBook G3. The speakers are terrible, and the battery life is not as advertised. There is no floppy drive, so small text files must be burned to CD. A removeable floppy would have been nice to have. For the money I spent on this laptop, I expected much more out of it. This one will go to the wife to play with since she just emails and surfs, and I'll get an AMD processor based laptop with Windows and Office XP for real work. For the same money I could have bought a PC based laptop that blows this one away. Before you Mac fans jump me, I've run a 33 iMac network with a G4 server for two years. I should have known better.

• Kyle. on 28th Mar 2003

  You should not blame the fact that you still use floppies on apple...and this does not force you to burn small files to CD! Ever heard of usb drives? Diskonkey etc are now really cheap, hold many many times the data, are more reliable etc.

• Morgan. on 28th Mar 2003

  Of course I've heard of USB drives. Do I want to carry one around? No, I don't. Pen drives are nice. They're great if you can connect them to another computer. Not too cool for students, for example, that need to transport small text files. Sorry, but not all my students can afford pen drives. Apple and others may say that floppies are dead, but it sure is a great way to force you to buy very expensive peripherals as opposed to a 35 cent floppy, isn't it? I have 31 iBooks and 33 iMacs on a G4 server, and I know EXACTLY what Apple's shortcomings are. There are 18 techs in the District running Mac networks, and every one of us have had to find a way to get a USB drive. Try using that with 31 students wanting to copy a file and take it home. The lack of a floppy is, in my opinion, a design flaw.

• Alastair. on 29th Mar 2003

  I would have to admit that the speakers are absolutely hopeless. I always use headphones with mine.
  
  However, I would say that in terms of performance, it seems to compare very well to anything in that price range. A friend of mine has a late model Compaq worth only slightly less than my iBook, yet the iBook beats the socks off it. Of course, your mileage may vary.

• Pyld. on 29th Apr 2003

  I have no performance problems on mine, I don't use mac os x much so that might be why. Most of the time I run debian gnu/linux on it. So far I have only positive stuff to say about this computer..
  good battery capacity( compared to pc's ), nice to carry around( i have the 12 model ).
  
  who uses the speakers anyway? speakers cannot be good due to the size anyway.. it is just a crude way to use a FEW times if several people need to listen at the same time.
  
  A perfect computer for a cs student/computer enthusiast!

• manolisk on 6th Sep 2003

  iBook 500 user. Great. Performance is good even with OS X, Office and Photoshop. Screen is great, battery life 3-4 hours. Software is outstanding- AppleWorks (big fan, would like an upgrade), iPhoto, iTunes, etc. No crashes, no files to configure, no viruses...
  
  No plans to change platform.

• loo loo on 8th Mar 2004

  Morgan: I have to agree with you about the lack of floppy drive. I also am a mac-fan, I\'m on my fourth or fifth mac in XX years, and I do find it a pain in the neck that the iMacs/iBooks can\'t accomodate these drives. At work, I can\'t transfer pc files to my iMac unless I email them...what a hassle!!!! Apart from that blip, my iBook is fantastic - so much work has come out that baby. Highly recommended, fine machines.

• arnold4 on 16th Apr 2004

  Hello,
  Im looking at the Apple iBook (PowerPC G3, 800 MHz). I am not really a computer expert. I just want a computer with good word processing capabilities, and a compact, easy-to-transport design. I will mostly be using it to take notes in my classes. I have a USB portable file storage device, so I'm not too worried about not having a floppy.
  At a little over 700$, this computer seems like a good buy. Would any of you suggest anything different?
  Thank you for your help.
  Mo