|
 5-1-01
In an unannounced, but not unanticipated, press conference
today, Apple unveiled their latest iBook. Usually, such big
announcements are reserved for expos. Perhaps Apple wants
to be able to announce impressive sales figures at Macworld
NY this Summer. Judging by the iBook's impressive stats and
stunning appearance, they will be able to.
The new iBook's design borrows from its big Titanium
brother and has been seriously slimmed down from its previous
incarnation, 11.2" x 9.1" and just 1.35" thick!
The previous iBooks measured 13.5" x 11.6" x 1.8"
The new iBook has also dropped from just under 6.7 lbs to
4.9 lbs. While the G4 PowerBook has a Titanium case, the new
iBook uses a combination of impact resistant polycarbonate
over a magnesium frame, giving it a ghostly white appearance.
The hard drive is rubber mounted to help withstand the jostling
portables tend to go through.
The Models:
Apple is offering four configurations ranging in price from
$1,299 to $1,799. The four are actually more alike than they
are different. All four run at 500 MHz and sport a 256k "on-chip"
cache running at full processor speed. All four have 10GB
hard drives and the same ATI RAGE mobility 128 graphics chip.
The only major difference among the four, other than RAM is
the optical drive. Here's the 4 models
at a glance. For more detailed stats and a comparison to
the previous generation skip on down the page.
- $1,299 iBook G3/500/500/256k 64MB RAM with CD-ROM drive
- $1,499 iBook G3/500/500/256k 128MB RAM with CD-RW drive
- $1,599 iBook G3/500/500/256k 128MB RAM with DVD-ROM drive
- $1,799 iBook G3/500/500/256k 128MB RAM with CD-RW/DVD-ROM
combination drive
The $1,799 iBook may have been a last minute addition as
there is no mention of it on Apple's PDF spec
sheet. It also appears that this configuration will only
be available through the Apple Store as none of the vendors
we checked listed it. We welcome your comments about the new
iBook on our iBook May 2001 Discussion
thread.
New or Not:
Color - File under new. While the previous iBooks had
an in-your-face key lime and slightly more conservative indigo
or graphite, the new iBooks all come in a ghostly white/snow
color. This should keep our good buddy John Dvorak happy!
I suspect it will play abetter on college campuses as well.
Graphics - Mixed bag. In the "not new" department,
we still find ATI's
RAGE Mobility 128 graphics chipset with 8MB SDRAM and
2x AGP. While the iBook still has a 12.1" screen, it
has been upgraded to a XGA active-matrix screen with a native
1024x768 resolution. The previous generation used a SVGA scene
with a native resolution of 800x600. The A/V port introduced
with the last generation iBook is still present and can be
used for connecting speakers or sending out composite video
with an optional A/V cable from Apple. In the "new"
department, Apple has added support for RGB monitors via a
new port and the special cable pictured to the right. The
RAGE Mobility will only support video mirroring however.
 Connectivity
- Mostly unchanged. The new iBook adds a USB port bringing
the total to 2, but still has only one FireWire port. Other
forms of connectivity remain unchanged: USB, 56K V.90 modem,
11 Mbps AirPort slot and 10/100 Base-T Ethernet.
Processor - The iBook continues to use IBM's 750CX
G3 processor which skips the external level 2 cache in
favor of a smaller 256K on chip cache running at full processor
speed. The processor speed has been bumped up from 366 and
466 to 500MHz for all four machines.
Hard Drive - Unchanged. All 4, like the previous generation,
feature 10GB Ultra ATA drives with 20GB drive as a build to
order option at the Apple Store.
Software - Mostly unchanged. The only new item on
the following list is Cro-Mag Rally. For the record, bundled
software includes: Mac OS 9.1, QuickTime, iMovie 2, iTunes,
AppleWorks, Microsoft Internet Explorer, Microsoft Outlook
Express, Netscape Communicator, Palm Desktop, FAXstf, Cro-Mag
Rally, Bugdom, Nanosaur and Acrobat Reader, plus Apple Hardware
Test CD.
iBook Specs At A Glance
| Model/Mhz |
Bus Speed
(Mhz) |
RAM
(MAX) |
Graphics Support |
Expansion
Slots |
Hard Drive
Optical Drive |
Connectivity & Communication |
Screen |
iBook
G3/500/500/256k
DVD-ROM/CD-RW
(May 2001) |
66MHz |
128 MB
(640 max) |
8MB
ATI Rage Mobility 128 - 2x AGP
RGB out & A/V port
|
AirPort Ready |
10GB Ultra ATA
(20GB BTO)
DVD-ROM/CD-RW combination drive
|
56k V.90 modem
10/100 BT Ethernet
2 USB Ports
1 FireWire Port
|
12.1-inch (diagonal) built-in TFT XGA active-matrix
display.
1024x768
800x600
640x480
resolutions with millions of colors |
| Reviews & Information |
Reviews: | SFChronicle
| MacUserUK
| | PCWeek
| BareFeats
| | BusinessWeek
| TidBits
| Independent
| MacCreator
| C/Net
| USAToday
| TheRegister
|
Additional Info: | iBookCentral
| Discussion
thread | MacNN
| MacCentral
| AppleLinks
| MacMonkey
| Macworld
| ZDNet
| Go2Mac
| MacMonkey
| PowerBookZone
| MacObserver
| LowEndMac
| PowerBookCentral
| MacInTouch
| MacNN
| Apple
| PowerBookZone
| MacProf
| LowEndMac
| MacMind
| PioneerPlanet
| PowerBookZone
| Apple
| MacOpinion
| MacNN
| AppleTalk
| TidBits
| HoustonChronicle
| ZD/Net
| Macworld
| MacOpinion
| PowerBookZone
| IT
| IGM
| C/Net
| BusinessWeek
| | IMG
| ZD/Net
|
|
| |
iBook
G3/500/500/256k
CD-RW
(May 2001) |
66MHz |
128 MB
(640 max) |
8MB
ATI Rage Mobility 128 - 2x AGP
RGB out & A/V port
|
AirPort Ready |
10GB Ultra ATA
(20GB BTO
8x4x24
CD-RW
|
56k V.90 modem
10/100 BT Ethernet
2 USB Ports
1 FireWire Port
|
12.1-inch (diagonal) built-in TFT XGA active-matrix
display.
1024x768
800x600
640x480
resolutions with millions of colors |
| Reviews & Information |
Reviews: | SFChronicle
| MacUserUK
| ZD/Net
| | BareFeats
| BusinessWeek
| TidBits
| Independent
| MacCreator
| C/Net
| TheRegister
|
Additional Info: | iBookCentral
| Discussion
thread | MacNN
| MacCentral
| AppleLinks
| MacMonkey
| Macworld
| ZDNet
| Go2Mac
| MacMonkey
| PowerBookZone
| MacObserver
| LowEndMac
| PowerBookCentral
| MacInTouch
| MacNN
| Apple
| PowerBookZone
| MacProf
| LowEndMac
| MacMind
| PioneerPlanet
| PowerBookZone
| Apple
| MacOpinion
| MacNN
| AppleTalk
| TidBits
| HoustonChronicle
| ZD/Net
| Macworld
| MacOpinion
| PowerBookZone
| IT
| IGM
| C/Net
| BusinessWeek
| | IMG
| ZD/Net
|
|
| |
iBook
G3/500/500/256k
DVD-ROM
(May 2001) |
66MHz |
128 MB
(640 max)
|
8MB
ATI Rage Mobility 128 - 2x AGP
RGB out & A/V port
|
AirPort Ready |
10GB Ultra ATA
(20GB BTO
8x DVD-ROM
(CD's at 24x)
|
56k V.90 modem
10/100 BT Ethernet
2 USB Ports
1 FireWire Port
|
12.1-inch (diagonal) built-in TFT XGA active-matrix
display.
1024x768
800x600
640x480
resolutions with millions of colors |
| Reviews & Information |
Reviews: | SFChronicle
| MacUserUK
| MacDirectory
| ZD/Net
| | BareFeats
| BusinessWeek
| TidBits
| Independent
| MacCreator
| C/Net
| TheRegister
|
Additional Info: | iBookCentral
| Discussion
thread | MacNN
| MacCentral
| AppleLinks
| MacMonkey
| Macworld
| ZDNet
| Go2Mac
| MacMonkey
| PowerBookZone
| MacObserver
| LowEndMac
| PowerBookCentral
| MacInTouch
| MacNN
| Apple
| PowerBookZone
| MacProf
| LowEndMac
| MacMind
| PioneerPlanet
| PowerBookZone
| Apple
| MacOpinion
| MacNN
| AppleTalk
| TidBits
| HoustonChronicle
| ZD/Net
| Macworld
| MacOpinion
| PowerBookZone
| IT
| IGM
| C/Net
| BusinessWeek
| | IMG
| ZD/Net
|
|
| |
iBook
G3/500/500/256k
CD-ROM
(May 2001) |
66MHz |
64 MB
(576 max) |
8MB
ATI Rage Mobility 128 - 2x AGP
RGB out & A/V port
|
AirPort Ready |
10GB Ultra ATA
(20GB BTO
24x CD-ROM
|
56k V.90 modem
10/100 BT Ethernet
2 USB Ports
1 FireWire Port
|
12.1-inch (diagonal) built-in TFT XGA active-matrix
display.
1024x768
800x600
640x480
resolutions with millions of colors
|
| Reviews & Information |
Reviews: | SFChronicle
| MacUserUK
| ZD/Net
| | BareFeats
| BusinessWeek
| TidBits
| Independent
| MacCreator
| C/Net
| TheRegister
|
Additional Info: | iBookCentral
| Discussion
thread | MacNN
| MacCentral
| AppleLinks
| MacMonkey
| Macworld
| ZDNet
| Go2Mac
| MacMonkey
| PowerBookZone
| MacObserver
| LowEndMac
| PowerBookCentral
| MacInTouch
| MacNN
| Apple
| PowerBookZone
| MacProf
| LowEndMac
| MacMind
| PioneerPlanet
| PowerBookZone
| Apple
| MacOpinion
| MacNN
| AppleTalk
| TidBits
| HoustonChronicle
| ZD/Net
| Macworld
| MacOpinion
| PowerBookZone
| IT
| IGM
| C/Net
|Applelinks
| PowerBookCentral
| MathDitto2
| BusinessWeek
| | IMG
| ZD/Net
|
|
| iBook Summer 2000 Specs,
Features & Reviews |
| Model/Mhz |
Bus Speed
(Mhz) |
RAM
(MAX) |
Graphics Support |
Expansion
Slots |
Hard Drive
Optical Drive |
Connectivity & Communication |
Screen |
|
iBook "Special
Edition"
G3/466/466/256K
"Graphite" & "Key Lime"
(September, 2000)
|
66MHz |
64MB
(320 Max) |
8MB
ATI Rage Mobility 128 - 2x AGP
A/V Port for audio and composite video output.
|
AirPort Ready |
10GB Ultra ATA
6x DVD-ROM
|
56k V.90 modem
10/100 BT Ethernet
One USB Port
One FireWire Port
|
12.1-inch (diagonal) built-in TFT SVGA active-matrix
display, offering 640- by 480-pixel and 800- by 600-pixel
resolution with millions of colors |
| Reviews & Information |
Reader
Reviews | Macworld
| MacAddict
| IGM
| Chronicle
| about.com
| BareFeats
| MacUser
UK | TidBits
| MacOpinion
| CNet
| Wired
| LowendMac
| MacAddict
| LowEndMac
| LowEndMac
|
The iBook.com | ZD
Net | PR
Newswire | Wired
| About
| c|net
| Macworld
| | MacNN
| MacProf
| | MacintoshGuy
| Brad
| |
| |
|
iBook
G3 366/366/256K
"Indigo" & "Key Lime"
|
66MHz |
64MB
(320 Max) |
8MB
ATI Rage Mobility 128 - 2x AGP
A/V Port for audio and composite video output.
|
AirPort Ready |
10GB Ultra ATA
24x CD -ROM
|
56k V.90 modem
10/100 BT Ethernet
One USB Port
One FireWire Port
|
12.1-inch (diagonal) built-in TFT SVGA active-matrix
display, offering 640- by 480-pixel and 800- by 600-pixel
resolution with millions of colors |
| Reviews & Information |
Reader Reviews | Macworld
| TidBits
| MacOpinion
| Wired
| LowEndMac
| LowendMac
| The
iBook.com | Professional
Mac | LowEndMac
| LowEndMac
| ZD
Net | PR
Newswire | Wired
| About
| c|net
| Macworld
| | MacNN
| MacProf
| MacintoshGuy
| Brad
| |
|
For Great Prices On Upgrades