Ibook :Target consumer, females?

[nyprospect]

I know it's a weird thread but i was wondering what everyones opinion is on this topic.I have watched clips of apple ads I always see the teenie boopers with the ibooks and the dads and big brothers have the powerbook.If i offended anyone im sorry.

[sethwerkheiser]

Just kidding. Well, if iBook makes me look teeny-bopper, that's fine with me. I just turned 28 and need all the help I can get! haha... I know i know... im young yet, but I'm not 16 anymore...

I guess you could consider the iBook a little feminine, but... I don't care :)

[Hemingray]

Heh, feminine or not, it's the cheaper of the 'Books and at this point in my life, cheap is good. I don't do enough serious graphics stuff on the road to justify buying a PowerBook, so the iBook is what I'll eventually be getting. My PowerMac will stay at home doing the big stuff.

[brap]

I guess you could consider the iBook a little feminine, but... I don't care :)
I think it's more of a kiddy-style look they're going for, but I don't care. My old iBook SE (first ever laptop) is still IMHO the best looking laptop I've had so far.
I was proper proud to see everyone glaring with those green eyes :-)

[nyprospect]

Im interested in buying a powerbook or an ibook.I wont be testing the limits much like serious number crunching.I just dont want a kid say "hey like omigod thats soooo cute. :D

[virividox]

i personally think ibooks are more femenine; but they are not a femenine computer. the powerbook looks sleeker and its color makes it look more biz like. the ibook looks fun hehe

[mkrishnan]

Hmmm...I did buy mine based in part on looks (vs. a PB, iBook or PB vs. a Dell, etc), so I'm officially offended by this. :p

But I think there are also at least a lot of print ads for the iBook that show it in homes with fashionista 20-somethings types of both genders. The male subcategory of which I try to fit into. :)

And the iBook looks a LOT less kiddy now than the first generation Tangerine!!! :D

[mkrishnan]

Oh, what I meant to say in terms of looks, a small factor for me in iBook over PB was that it matched the accessories I wanted / had more (iPod, my phone, AEBS) than a PB does. :) I guess if I didn't want an iPod, did want an iSight, and I had a phone that wasn't white, I'd have gone PB. But I am kinda girlie.

But I will say both guy and girl friends of mine have complimented the iBook's looks, although probably more girls. But especially next to a Dell or Compaq with a normal aspect ratio 15" screen...then its like the cuteness of a Mini next to an H2. You just can't resist....

[brap]

Oh, what I meant to say in terms of looks, a small factor for me in iBook over PB was that it matched the accessories I wanted
See, that's interesting, because I've recently got a brushed metal desk, an Alu Lian-li desktop and a Canon S400, ready for my new PB.

Damn, we're a fickle bunch.
Or is it just me??

[mkrishnan]

See, that's interesting, because I've recently got a brushed metal desk, an Alu Lian-li desktop and a Canon S400, ready for my new PB.

Damn, we're a fickle bunch.
Or is it just me??

Yeah, after all that I got a Canon S50 which doesn't match *anything* :( And ummm, we're not fickle, just high standards. :D But I don't think my next cell phone, based on what I'm interested in, will match -- tentatively I want the next gen Nokia that replaces the 3650/7650 (7610?). So I'll either need a new faceplate in white or I'll need new iSkins for my iBook and iPod.

Okay, this is getting way too high maintenance. :p

[Crikey]

I'm a 41-year-old male and I think the iBook looks cool. I think it is made to appeal to everyone (who likes shiny plastic, anyway), while say the IBM ThinkPad is aimed at a more masculine, aesthetically-deprived audience.

No, the iBook is not only targeted at women. This (http://www.moonpost.com/jeremy/archives/001878.shtml) is targeted solidly at women.


Crikey

[MacFan26]

No, the iBook is not only targeted at women. This (http://www.moonpost.com/jeremy/archives/001878.shtml) is targeted solidly at women.


Haha, that's an awesome looking iBook! I'd like to represent the PowerBook owning women, as I've had two of them so far. Although, that pink iBook is pretty cute :D

[nyprospect]

I think you can get that skin from macskinz or something.they have a nice variety

[Elbeano]

What they really need to do is offer either finish for either model. I have a 12" PB, and I would have paid more money to have a "bullet proof" case. However, if I could get a powerbook with a piano black iBook finish then I might just have to offer Steve Jobs my first born.

[vwguy]

This (http://www.moonpost.com/jeremy/archives/001878.shtml) is targeted solidly at women.
Crikey

I agree.... but he sure did a nice paint job!! Wonder what it will look like in Midnight Blue and matches my Protege5?? Hmmm.... :cool:

[brap]

No, the iBook is not only targeted at women. This (http://www.moonpost.com/jeremy/archives/001878.shtml) is targeted solidly at women.
I'm 21, hetero male and damn, does that thing look cool!

[jaw04005]

Nahh its not feminine. Now the Pink iPod Mini, you can call that feminine. hehee.

[Sun Baked]

Nothing castrates a male quicker than being seen with a free flower power or blue dalmation iMac in their dorm room.

[PlaceofDis]

i think the ibook is just geared toward the home user and possible a younger generation, and that the powerbooks are geared toward pro users and business users. i mean would you want to bring an ibook to a company meeting? some might but the powerbooks just has the look of being more professional to me.

[abc123]

i (the girl) have a powerbook, my brother (male) has an ibook. despite the fact that i think he is insanely jealous of my machine, it has nothing to do with looks. both computers are beautifully designed and both can be said to be feminine, in fact the whole "designer look computer" idea in my mind is aimed more at females than males. that said apple is a special case. some buy the computers of the OS, some for the looks and people like me for both.

[thirteen1031]

I live in a city where every Starbucks has at least three laptop users if not more all working away--and I can say that on average, most of the women have Powerbooks.

I don't see that many iBooks--I assume because most of these folk have the money to buy powerbooks--but those that I do see are pretty evenly split between male and female.

I suppose, commercial wise, advertisers might think that guys prefer manly silver to plastic white. And that girls, teens, would like white plastic on which to paste pastel flowers?

[Mr. Monsieur]

No, the iBook is not only targeted at women. This is targeted solidly at women.

any chance of seeing photos of the in-between stage...after the white and before the pink? A completely transparent iBook would be remarkably cool indeed! :cool:

[KC9AIC]

any chance of seeing photos of the in-between stage...after the white and before the pink? A completely transparent iBook would be remarkably cool indeed! :cool:

The guy here (http://www.applefritter.com/hacks/tronbook) has pictures of how he made his blue.

[vniow]

No, the iBook is not only targeted at women. This (http://www.moonpost.com/jeremy/archives/001878.shtml) is targeted solidly at women.


Hot!!

[FightTheFuture]

i've never seen it, but a girl told me she liked her ibook cause sarah jessica parker (http://macdirectory.com/ntrvu/sjp/) used one on sex and the city. and ALOT of girls used to watch that show - and still do in dvd form i guess.

[netytan]

Whhhhy would you do this, i'm trying my hardest to get a IBook and people are out there ripping them appart and painting there elegant while cover practially neon colors! From a design point of view i have to say that these things are a nightmare! Especially the pink which you can see flaking off in places.

And i never understood the fasination with clear cases :), theres nothing attractive about seeing the screws that hold the thing together! And in many cases it just looks rough, where Apple designs are generally very well designed indeed :cool:

As for the IBooks being for gurls and as some people have said, they are aimed at the home user rather than the pro's and i'm sad to say it but there is a sterio type that more home users are female and more males are pro's. This being said, the IT industry is still largly a male domain though this ia changing slowly. YOU GO GURLS ;)

Mark.

[nyprospect]

i've never seen it, but a girl told me she liked her ibook cause sarah jessica parker (http://macdirectory.com/ntrvu/sjp/) used one on sex and the city. and ALOT of girls used to watch that show - and still do in dvd form i guess.

Yep Ive seen the show in the earlier episodes she uses a pismo. sex in the city what lovely concept ;)

[kel]

Hi,

Instead of trying to think what others think, use your own judgement. If you think you don't like how it looks and don't care about the funtion part, then don't buy it.

Personally, I thought it looked friendly with the rounded corners. The white on the outside looked like purity like light. Opened, it looked technical with the silver top and the keys blended. The Aqua desktop matched it a little although I would have liked to change those blue lines. Women PC people have said that it looks like a designer computer. Men don't say anything. If you really want to change things, then you can always add stickers like of footballs and guns or whatever. My desktop now has a tiger on it.

The main thing though, is, does it have the right personality for you. Then think about how it looks maybe. In the end, this is the best order of priority. Then, maybe two years from now, when you're writing a post and thinking about whether or not your computer still has the functionality that you need, maybe you'll be lucky and say yes!

gl,
Kel.

[Abstract]

That's not necessarily the same for everyone, though. If you need to use your laptop to give presentations or something, the Alu powerbooks look sleek, stylish, young, and cool. This could appeal to both men and women. However, since most people in the world aren't in a position where the coolness of their laptop may give a good impression to bosses, co-workers, professors, etc, most women would probably choose an iBook than a male.

The two or three men who posted in this thread who like the iBooks because it matches their accessories are more effeminate than most males. Its not an insult, but it is an indication of having a more effeminate look at things. Some men wouldn't be caught dead holding something that looks like something they'd pick up at a perfume/makeup counter at a department store.

PS: I bought a 12" Powerbook. :)

[tekno_geek911]

Feminine or not,I still like the iBook's style more than the PowerBook's...White electronics are definately my style.

[kel]

Hi,

I've given many presentations with my iBook and what the audience looks at is the screen. While I give my presentations, I can say this for a fact that their main attention is at my presentation. Surely, I have seen that they were distracted by Flurry and at times by the glowing Apple logo, but mainly it's your presentation and what you can do with your tools.

Kel the man says it's not female looking and if you want to beef then, come and get some. :-)

gl,
Kel.

[512ke]

It feels like the Powerbook is being targeted to the power/pro users. The iBook is being targeted to everyone else: students, working adults, parents, retirees, teenagers, whoever. I'm sure Apple is aiming at many markets.

Just for grins...if the Powerbook and iBook were cars, what kind of cars would they be?

[nyprospect]

Powerbook=jaguar silver :D Ibook=cute little bettle (white)

[mkrishnan]

Powerbook=jaguar silver :D Ibook=cute little bettle (white)

I dunno...the PB is not quite S-Type beautiful...now I personally think the TiBook was, but the PB...ummm....maybe Audi A6? :)

[Angelus]

I'd view my Ti667 as being the Aston Martin DB9.

[Mr. Monsieur]

I dunno...the PB is not quite S-Type beautiful...now I personally think the TiBook was, but the PB...ummm....maybe Audi A6?

PB...definitely an Audi...but I'd say the TT personally (that may be because I'd like one VERY much...and I like Apples so much?!)

iBook...i think the beetle is a bit too...homey...i'd say some small two-door sports car...perhaps an austin martin?...now an emac...*that's* a beetle! (sorry if i offend any emacers out there!)

[MacFan26]

I'd view my Ti667 as being the Aston Martin DB9.

Haha, I'd say my Ti 1GHz would be the DB5...but that's just cause it's my favorite car :D :rolleyes:

[adamjay]

my girlfriend says her ibook is "cuter" than my powerbook.

she also has a pink keyboard cover for it, and i'm sure that would clash with aluminum more than with white - so maybe, with the cover yea its cuter... wait, what the hell am i saying.... women...

[niter]

I have an iBook 12" G4 and I will admit that I do think it is cuter (yes, I'm a woman)....but I did not buy it for cutes.

I think the price and the durability were the biggest reasons. If Apple made a 15" iBook with faster specs, I would buy it in a heartbeat (as soon as I could afford it). I treat my computer very, very gently, but I do like the secure feeling that I have about it's durability. I also like the polycarbonate and the rounded corners and white is my favorite color (yes I know it truly is not a color).

A girly benefit is that it matches everything! I have an iPod and it matches. It matches the power cord! I would never buy a computer for matching purposes, but I figure I can enjoy it as I have it! I used a yo-yo adaptor for awhile and while I love how long it is, I thought it looked funky with my set up. Still, if I could get a hold of another, I would use it over my white power adaptor because it is more friendly for travel and has a longer over all cord.

[Savage Henry]

I'd say that my lady and I lady love her iBook in equal measures. Sure, the wallpaper tends to be adorned with images that she would find more appealing. But I can't think of one thing that I'd change about it. It is totally without gender.

[furrina]

ok, yes I'm a girl but here's my two cents:
I think the iBooks represented a new kind of design (maybe the early iMacs started this but I think the iBooks got the right blend) -- they look kind of like white patent leather, kind of mod and scandinavian. Maybe more "feminine" in a certain sense, but definitely sophisticated.

I don't agree that they look "plasticy", it's a very american way of thinking about "plastic" vs. scandinavian/european.
I just bought a powerbook and I think it's nice enough looking (not as pretty as my curvy black and white Pismo) but I have to say for all people gush over its "good looks" on this board, it kinda looks a little like a PC notebook.

[virividox]

i've never seen it, but a girl told me she liked her ibook cause sarah jessica parker (http://macdirectory.com/ntrvu/sjp/) used one on sex and the city. and ALOT of girls used to watch that show - and still do in dvd form i guess.

i think she used a pismo

[nyprospect]

Oh Behave :p

[thirteen1031]

Sarah Jessica Parker did, indeed, use a Pismo. In fact, there's one episode where the Pismo's hard drive fails and her boyfriend tries to buy her a new iBook--a Clamshell ("Look, it has a handle like a purse!" he argues). But she refuses, wanting her old Pismo back. She never had an iBook--but I'm guessing that the iBooks were close enough--as, at the time when the show starting to gain popularity (2nd or 3rd season--pre-powebooks), Pismos were pretty much phased out and Titanium probably not as well advertised or displayed in stores.

As for myself--I'm female and I have a 12" powerbook and it is plenty feminine for me, thank you very much! Meanwhile, my husband has his white iBook and has been very happy with it. I really don't think iBook vs. Powerbook as a matter of gender so much as, perhaps, age and intent. iBooks seem more youthful and playful, Powerbooks more mature and professional.

[rueyeet]

i've never seen it, but a girl told me she liked her ibook cause sarah jessica parker (http://macdirectory.com/ntrvu/sjp/) used one on sex and the city. and ALOT of girls used to watch that show - and still do in dvd form i guess.Dumbest reason to drop $1K and up on computer hardware I ever did hear....but people's buying decisions are often not entirely rational. :rolleyes:

The Powerbook, shiny metal thing that it is, does seem to attract more sheer techno-lust in that way that cool new gadgets draw guys, specifically. Some guys talk about cars, some talk about their computers (witness the 'Book/car comparisons above!) but the iBook doesn't seem to draw as much attention from that particular perspective.

I think that's to do with how men tend to/are taught to interact with each other on a competitive rather than a cooperative level, so that when it comes to gear, it's all about the latest and greatest, the biggest and best specs. So, for the guys who operate that way, the Powerbook might be more attractive because it's got more features and faster processors, etc.

Of course, I'm a woman, and I bought the Powerbook because I figured the extended feature-set and better processor would keep it current longer, and the only person I know who owns an iBook is a guy. So....the whole question's probably just stereotypes and speculation. :D

[FightTheFuture]

come to think of it, i don't think i've seen a girl using a white ibook in any tv shows or movies. usually imac G3s, or tibooks. maybe a clamshell ibook. now drew carey, he used a white ibook. thats not fem at all!

[me_94501]

I'm a 21-year old hetero male, and I like 'em both. I like the clean, simple look of the iBook but also enjoy the more professional look of the PowerBook. I also know that several of my friends (straight males) also lust over my iBooks :D

[thirteen1031]

Dumbest reason to drop $1K and up on computer hardware I ever did hear....

Are you really going to tell us that you never...not even once...saw something in a movie or on tv and went: "I must have one of those!" Even if it was expensive? I mean, I'm not arguing that it's a smart reason to buy, well, anything, but it's the way people do buy things. Otherwise we'd be free of product placement.

Women see "Rachel" on Friends with a certain haircut and they ask for the same haircut. Martha Stewart wears a chinchilla scarf to her trial, and suddenly fur companies are getting calls from women wanting a scarf just like it. Men, too. Arnold has a Hummer and they have to have one as well. The interesting thing, however, is that it isn't necessarily the star power or television/movies that does it. It's the combination of star power with a genuinely attractive product. This is what product placement fails to understand--and why Sarah Jessica Parker drinking a coke on Sex-and-the-City won't get people to drink more cokes. Create some new flavored coke and give it a unique, attrative bottle--ta da! Instant sales.

I *promise* you that if Sarah Jessica Parker had had a bland, non-discript laptop, no one would have gone into a computer store and said, "I want one just like S.J.P." Just as I'm pretty sure no one's gone into a furniture store and asked for a desk and chair like the one she always used on the show. Why not? Because they were non-discript. They didn't stand out. That Pismo, on the other hand, with its glowing Apple, it had personality. And because it had style and personality, it became an extention of her character. And THAT's why that woman wanted one like it. Ditto with Martha's chinchilla scarf and Arnold's Hummer. Because that Pismo, along with S.J.P.'s character, said: "I'm unique, and special and different and sexy!"

This is why that woman wanted one. Dumb idea? Well, if that iBook has garnered attention, or started conversations with strangers, if it's made her stand out as an individual or made people think she might be cute and sexy rather than bland and boring....then perhaps it's perchase wasn't so dumb at all. I can certainly attest to the fact that strangers do come up and talk to those of us with Apples...while ignoring all the other computer-users in a cafe.

And it's certainly one of the best computers you can buy for a mere 1K. So hey, why not? In the end, if it sells more Macs, I'm all for it.

[adamjay]

so does this mean that any males sporting iBooks are dipping into the newly defined "metro-sexual" category?

oh crap i just said "sporting".. :eek:

[adamjay]

Men, too. Arnold has a Hummer and they have to have one as well. The interesting thing, however, is that it isn't necessarily the star power or television/movies that does it. It's the combination of star power with a genuinely attractive product.

what's so damn attractive about being a republican and getting 13 miles per gallon?? :confused: :D

[mkrishnan]

so does this mean that any males sporting iBooks are dipping into the newly defined "metro-sexual" category?

Get your nails done and we'll talk about it. :p

[chief]

I think the iBook looks great in white and anyway you can always customise it with Skull + Xbones stickers like I have, now that's macho! ;)

And if you think this one is girly what about the clamshell design, that put me off Mac laptops for ages. They were a bit hippy dippy, dontcha fink? All those wussy colours and the handle like a lady's handbag (or purse like our American friends like to say). Even when I bought my G3 iMac I bought the Snow version coz I didn't want to look like a poof! :eek: It had to be Snow or the grey colour (I can't remember it's proper name right now)

Anyhoo, that's my tuppen'orth (or $0.02 worth as they say in the US)

chief

[niter]

Since there has been so much talk about the Pismo on Sex in the City, I thought I'd post this.

I was watching on DVD some of the older episodes and I noticed that the glowing apple was covered up in a show. It did not make sense to me because I know that on earlier and later shows it is not covered. Also not making sense was that it was still blatently an Apple (despite the black circle of tape over it) and in a later scene Charolette is using an iBook (also moved so you could not see the logo). I found this on the net today when searching as to why this was done:

"At least once during a given episode of Sex and the City, columnist Carrie Bradshaw is depicted writing on a G3 Apple powerbook. In last weeks's epsiode, we got the usual camera-glide down over Powerbook's slim waistline but instead of the ghostwhite glowing apple-logo, there was a very obvious piece of black tape that covered the brand. Cut. In the next scene, Carrie's current lover is reading her column: we see the back of the newspaper - with a full-page Apple advert.
What happened? Have the tables turned so that even Apple have to pay to see their products appear on popular TV shows? Only this time they'd missed the deadline, so HBO decided not to show the logo. Of course, they have to rent the machines so they shoot all the scenes with Macs in them on the same day. Then the next day the check is in the mail, so they put in the advert in the column-reading-scene. - Or had HBO simply failed to pay for the right to cool-up their show with a Pismo. "

[gallagb]

hmmmmm

Just this past monday i opened the box on my 12PB rev C
having owned a total of like 6 ibooks
(startin w/ a blue one and then several different white 12")

i caught a lot of flack for having the white one over the years
but most people, i think, were making fun of the fact that it is a 12" and i'm a big guy-
(well- not that big- but it does look odd)

i do agree that the pb looks more professional- however, the ibook does look pretty sleek
my mother still has her Bronze Wallstreet- b/c she likes black so much-
i'm going to have to pass along the links to her about the painted ibooks- as i've been encouraging her to get a machine that doesn't fall apart every time i turn around (i do her tech support- currently gettin her a new keyboard after the DVD drive crapped out last month)
she likes hers b/c of the color (black) as she's purchased her entire office setup to go w/ it
black speakers, mouse, chair, lamp...etc
she does like white more- however the ibook white doesn't match the white of her desk or her walls- and she 'simply cannot' deal with that.
go figure

as for the gender specificness of the pb vs ibook
i really hate 2 say this- but that's pretty superficial- it's whats inside that counts-
@ least that's what i've always thought (no wonder i have no pretty friends...)

[gallagb]

was also gonna mention
CJ on West Wing sports a 15" PB- @ least she used 2- not sure if she still does-
she's very 'professional'
meanwhile the males in the show all sport desktops or various PC laptops

i really cannot picture her using an ibook - even though much of her work on the show is extremely feminist in nature

[1macker1]

IMO, the powder white powerbooks seems to geared to women. Me and my girl was CompUSA, and the first thing she said when she saw the ibook was, "this is the cutest notebook i've ever seen." Seems like everyone that see a iBook for the first time has this reaction. So i'm saving up for a PB.:)

[nyprospect]

On the sopranos apple computers were mention a few times while aj i think thats his name(tonys son) was using a powerbook or an ibook) the logo was clearly showing.I thought apple didnt advertise as much but everytime i turn hbo on i see someone using one.The last episode of the sapronos tony son went to a career counciler was interested in the field of event planning.It must have been an ibook that he was using. :p

[FightTheFuture]

On the sopranos apple computers were mention a few times

maybe all of the execs at HBO fuel their inspiration off of macs to make their emmy winning decisions! seriously, SJP really does look like a powerbook user, pismo, ti, or aluminum. it suits her perfectly.

[thirteen1031]

what's so damn attractive about being a republican and getting 13 miles per gallon?

I'd venture to say that a woman who thinks a man with a hummer attractive is really being lured by the fact that he can afford a hummer--and the gas it costs to keep it running. Meaning he can probably afford to buy her equally expensive, useless stuff like a chinchilla scarf.

But really, I don't think men buy Hummers to get the girl; they buy them to show off to other guys, to prove themselves a dominant male. To say, "I'm bigger and meaner and tougher than you SUV driving p*ssies!" :cool: This is pecking order we're talking about. Who can slam dunk the basketball. Attracting the opposite sex doesn't even enter into it.

[thirteen1031]

On the sopranos apple computers were mention a few times while aj i think thats his name(tonys son) was using a powerbook or an ibook) the logo was clearly showing.

This season he was also carrying an ipod with him just about everywhere he went.