iBook lives up to its hype

Two months ago I reported on Apple's iBook announcement at the Macworld Expo Apple lovefest in New York City. At the time, I was most impressed with that new consumer notebook computer, and its innovative AirPort wireless networking system, but not impressed with its lack of PC Card slots and a video out port. Those initial impressions, based on my work with a pre-released version of the iBook have been reconfirmed over the past week as I have, overall, enjoyed my time with the iBook.

For those who missed that earlier column, let me set the stage, just as Apple Interim CEO Steve Jobs did in New York when he announced the iBook. The soul of the new machine is a fast 300MHz G3 processor, similar to the 333MHz CPU that lives in Apple's wildly successful consumer desktop computer, the iMac. The rest of the specs on the iBook you can buy this month have not changed since July.

You get your choice of a rugged polycarbonate blueberry or tangerine and translucent white case, the same as those iMac colors. You also get a very crisp and clear 12.1-inch LCD active matrix screen that sports a resolution of 800 by 600 pixels. The screen, driven by a ATI RAGE 3D graphics chip makes the iBook suitable for fast video games. But you still don't get a video outport to drive a desktop monitor or projector, which severely limits the utility of the iBook in corporate and education environments.

Like the iMac, the iBook lacks a floppy drive, but it does include a 24X CD-ROM drive, 3.2GB IDE hard drive, 32MB of RAM that you can pump up to 160MB, a built-in 56Kbps modem, both USB and Ethernet (10/100BASE-T) ports for connectivity, a full-sized keyboard, plus a trackpad and mouse button integrated into the base below the keyboard. Typing on the iBook is smooth and comfortable.

The architecture of the iBook helps it perform quickly. The CPU is connected to a 512K backside level 2 cache, which gooses the perceived speed. That coupled with the 66MHz system and memory bus, means the iBook did not get in my way during testing. When you are not plugged into an outlet, the iBook's 45 watt-hour Lithium-Ion battery drives it. Apple claims a six hour battery life for the iBook, but in my tests, even with all the energy saving doodads jacked to the max, I could not get more than 4 hours of battery use time.

The iBook is a clamshell design and is no shrinking violet in the weight department, checking it at a hefty 6.7 pounds. The case is also on the large size, measuring 13.5 inches by 11.6 inches. The thickness of the case varies from 1.24 inches to 2.06 inches. Oddly, the machine includes no latch to secure the clamshell in the closed position, although its hinges do hold it closed, for the most part. Apple says this prevents a latch from getting "caught and damaged when you're carrying it around in your backpack or car." To me, it just means the clamshell has a tendency to open at inopportune times. Of course, with the built-in foldaway handle that's not a critical problem when carrying the machine, but a non-snagging latch could have been included, especially given the overall cleverness of the rest of the iBook's design.

If I had to pick one feature of the iBook that sold me on the design, it's definitely the AirPort wireless networking system that you can add at an extra cost ($99 for each iBook, and $299 for the AirPort base station that connects to building local area network). You install the AirPort card into the iBook and then plug the AirPort Base Station (not unlike the base station of your cordless telephone) into an analog phone line, DSL modem, or cable modem to access the Net. From then on, each iBook can communicate with other iBooks in the same room or building and to the Internet through their wireless connections to the Base Station.

The AirPort systems works up to 150 feet away from the Base Station, and the wireless data rate is up to 11 megabits per second, which is faster than basic Ethernet. This means that if you have a cable modem or DSL line you'll be surfing the Internet wirelessly as fast as your connection will let you. In my tests through a AT&T/Media One Cable Modem hooked to a prototype AirPort Base Station, I confirmed Apple's speed claims.

The AirPort system worked especially well for multiplayer games, as well as the usual data sharing scenarios. Setup and use of the AirPort system was a breeze.

The iBook is the first really innovative notebook computer to hit the lower price points in years. Even if the cutesy blueberry or tangerine colors aren't your style (sorry Mr. Dvorak), you owe it to yourself to check out the performance of this machine.

What do you think about the iBook? Let me know in the talkback below.