iBook G4 questions!

1) Do 12" iBooks come with glossy screens or just matte? Aaand.. can you like, get a higher-res third-party screen?

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2) How would an iBook (best specs a 12" can come with) handle things like SecondLife or Photoshop?

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3) Would stripping the paint off the plastic case so it's all clear hinder the durability of the case any?

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I don't think the case is painted - it's the color of the plastic itself. Usually plastic parts are not painted but rather the color is part of the plastic.

the ibook G3 is painted inside you can somehow strip the paint of and paint it in any color you like or have it clear if you so wish , but you have to polish it to a high standart inside after stripping the paint of , have seen that done with ibooks g3's but painted then in other colors because its not really pretty without paint but i am not sure about the ibook g4 i dont want to try to scratch if its paint or solid despite mine is not working any more , but in too good condition to get test scratches but it looks like its solid white casing unlike the earlier ibooks , i guess due to saving production costs

http://geektechnique.org/projectlab/203


and photoshop cs works on a ibook G3 very well
dont know what second life is but i guess a game , so no need for that on a ibook meant for school ,you are going to school to learn

old-wiz said:

I don't think the case is painted - it's the color of the plastic itself. Usually plastic parts are not painted but rather the color is part of the plastic.

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This is correct.

1) It's a matte screen, gloss screens started with the macbook.

The ibook has a screen resolution of 1024x768, and from the factory can mirror that resolution to another monitor through the mini VGA/VGA adapter.

You can 'crack' it to display an extended desktop at a higher resolution, but it will be a firmware crack, which comes with the caveat that if it screws your machine, you have no comeback.

See here for details: http://www.rutemoeller.com/mp/ibook/ibook_e.html

2) Always depends on the spec of the machine and the version of software. Depending on how much you want to spend, you might be better off with on of the first macbooks. The speed jump would be quite dramatic.

3) I think the short answer is yes. My old G3 ibook was possibly the most durable computer ever. If it was simply paint or a thin coating, then it probably wouldn't matter, but I'm very sure the white colour is actually beneath the surface of the polycarbonate shell. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, both my G3 and G4 ibooks were sold a long time ago!

mutantteenager said:

3) I think the short answer is yes. My old G3 ibook was possibly the most durable computer ever. If it was simply paint or a thin coating, then it probably wouldn't matter, but I'm very sure the white colour is actually beneath the surface of the polycarbonate shell. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, both my G3 and G4 ibooks were sold a long time ago!

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The iBooks actually are just a white polycarbonate plastic shell, like all the white MacBooks and iBook G3s. No paint or anything; the plastic itself is white, and extremely durable in my experience. However, on the frosted iMac G4 dome / iMac G4 screen bezel, iMac G5, and iPod 5th / 5.5 gen, they actually painted them white from the inside, much like the white iPhone 4.

What they did was take a transparent plastic, and instead of painting it like a car (surface paint, and then clear coat or something of the like) they painted the inside of the plastic. You can't necessarily tell on the G4 dome, but on the rest, you can make out just how much of that clear plastic there really is.

Pretending |_ is the corner of the iMac or iPod, and \ is the angle which you look at it...

\|_ ...lets you see just what I'm talking about - that tiny clear edge. If you care as much as I used to, of course.

Only the earlier 700mhz model and older iBook G3s were clear acrylic that were painted on the inside. Removing the plastics and soaking it in 91% isopropyl alcohol will remove the paint till you have a clear shell. It's a great little mod to do but the all G4 ibooks were solid.

The iBooks screens are 1024x768 matte. There are hacks out there to shove a 12.1 screen with 1400x1050 screen in it but was for the Powerbook. They share the same screens so I don't see why it's not possible it wouldn't work on the iBooks. Last I checked, those LCD panels are worth more than the iBook/Powerbook itself so it's not really a cheap mod to do.

I think your best bet is just picking up a first gen or C2D Macbook unless all you will be doing is light web browsing or word processing.