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12" iBook feedback and opinions please..

D

dscan99

macrumors regular
Original poster
Dec 10, 2004
137
0
Nashville, TN
My sister is looking into buying a 12" iBook in the next few days.. primarily for travel. She will also be recording her own MP3s which the iBook should have no problems with. A few issues/questions we've discussed which hopefully you experienced folks can shed some light on--

- Heat - She will get the 60GB HD with 512 MB RAM. Will the bigger HD warm up the machine faster? She will also be in a pretty HOT climate (30 deg C with humidity average). Will this make the 12" more susceptible to a breakdown?

- Is there such a thing as a audio-in-USB converter that can be plugged into the iBook if she wants to say convert a tape to MP3? I realize the iBook does not come with Line-in/audio-in but someone was telling me there maybe such a thing called USB adapter that can be plugged into the iBook. Is this true? Any insight into this is also really appreciated.

- Is it better to go through a dealer or order the machine online? She will be leaving the country mid-May so does going the dealer-route imply faster delivery?

- How do those of you who own the 12" iBook find it? In general...? Does it do everything you expected it would do? Performance? I'm just trying to gauge if the 12" is good or if I should go for the 14".

Thanks for your feedback! :)
 
dscan99 said:
My sister is looking into buying a 12" iBook in the next few days.. primarily for travel. She will also be recording her own MP3s which the iBook should have no problems with. A few issues/questions we've discussed which hopefully you experienced folks can shed some light on--

- Heat - She will get the 60GB HD with 512 MB RAM. Will the bigger HD warm up the machine faster? She will also be in a pretty HOT climate (30 deg C with humidity average). Will this make the 12" more susceptible to a breakdown?

- Is there such a thing as a audio-in-USB converter that can be plugged into the iBook if she wants to say convert a tape to MP3? I realize the iBook does not come with Line-in/audio-in but someone was telling me there maybe such a thing called USB adapter that can be plugged into the iBook. Is this true? Any insight into this is also really appreciated.

- Is it better to go through a dealer or order the machine online? She will be leaving the country mid-May so does going the dealer-route imply faster delivery?

- How do those of you who own the 12" iBook find it? In general...? Does it do everything you expected it would do? Performance? I'm just trying to gauge if the 12" is good or if I should go for the 14".

Thanks for your feedback! :)
Click to expand...
The 12 inch ibook is an awesome machine. I have one and i just bought another. Let me first address your question on heat. The ibook does not get hot. Let me repeat that THE IBOOK DOES NOT GET HOT. You will be just fine. The 12 inch powerbook is a much hotter machine. This is probably because the memory runs at a faster speed and the fsb is higher. Also aluminum conducts heat very well and the whole powerbook is made out of it. The ibook is made out of magnesium and plastic but the mag is underneathe the pearly white skin. The ibook gets far less hot to the touch as the powerbook. Its never been a problem for me. OK moving on. Question 2. Ive heard of the usb device your referring to. I would suggest looking on comp usa web site or going down to their store and im sure you will find what your looking for. Question 3. If you want a 60 gig hd your gonna have to order it from apple. Build to order. So this question is irrelevant. Any ibook you buy from joe smoe dealer is going to be an all stock one. 30 gig hd, 256, no bluetooth. And so on. Question 4. It does everything i expected it to and more. The 14 inch you suggested doesnt make much sense. It has the same res as the 12 inch. Only a slightly faster processor. And a bigger hd. The hd you can take care of bto on the 12 inch. The slightly faster processor you wont even notice. Fill the 12 inch with ram instead. I recomend buying a 512 stick from crucial.com. That will give you 768 total of ram and you will be pleased. Alright if you have any more questions dont hesitate to ask. :D :::walks back into cave:::
 
CaptainCaveMann said:
Question 3. If you want a 60 gig hd your gonna have to order it from apple. Build to order. So this question is irrelevant.
Click to expand...


Hey thanks Captain! I guess I should have clarified. With ref. to Q3, I meant Order it from an authorized Apple dealer (not a joe schmoe dealer) .. i.e walking into the Apple dealer and placing an order through them as opposed to the website. Not sure how that affects delivery times. Also curious, how long did it take you to get your iBook?
 
dscan99 said:
Hey thanks Captain! I guess I should have clarified. With ref. to Q3, I meant Order it from an authorized Apple dealer (not a joe schmoe dealer) .. i.e walking into the Apple dealer and placing an order through them as opposed to the website. Not sure how that affects delivery times. Also curious, how long did it take you to get your iBook?
Click to expand...
I have actually heard that when you order it online while your in the Apple store that it bumps you up to the front of the line. But i have no idea if this is true or not. I really dont see the difference if you order it there or at home online but maybe Apple does something like that. Question 2. My ibook was supposed to ship 3/31/05 but it actually shipped a day early. Only about 3 days after i ordered it. They've kept me up to date with emails about my order. And they've givin me a tracking number to track my order. Its over all been a really good experience ordering from Apple i have to say. I opted for the 2-3 day delivery(which was an option for the ibook), and it turned out Federal Express is delivering it. After it shipped from Apple it arrived at the Federal Express facility in SHANGHAI! :D (go figure). Its supposed to arrive either tomorrow or Monday. Im just hoping i get no dead pixels on arrival. ;)
 
rosalindavenue said:
Captain Cavemann-- why 2 ibooks? Are you going to keep them both?
Click to expand...
Yea im gonna keep them both. They are both the newest model ibook. One is for when im in the living room(so i just keep it there) and the other is for when im in my room(so ill have one there to).Haha. :rolleyes:
 
CaptainCaveMann said:
Yea im gonna keep them both. They are both the newest model ibook. One is for when im in the living room(so i just keep it there) and the other is for when im in my room(so ill have one there to).Haha. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Talk about spoiled!!! :)
 
Everyone's pretty much covered your questions, but I'll chime in my feedback too:

- Heat: My 12" iBook gets pretty warm after a DVD movie or a long game of Halo, but most of the time it's quite reasonable. The fan rarely needs to come on.

- I use the Griffin iMic as well, it works great for me.

- I ordered it online just to avoid the hassle of waiting in line, plus you can BTO.

- I love my iBook. Coming from an old 450MHz G4, it's a huge improvement. It can get a bit slow in newer FPS games like Halo, but overall it's really quite reasonable. I also maxed out the RAM, too, which definitely helps.

I'll be keeping a close eye on those rumored April iBook updates, though. If they come out with a better graphics card, I'll be on it! The graphics card is the most out-of-date thing on the iBooks.
 
Hemingray said:
Everyone's pretty much covered your questions, but I'll chime in my feedback too:

- Heat: My 12" iBook gets pretty warm after a DVD movie or a long game of Halo, but most of the time it's quite reasonable. The fan rarely needs to come on.

- I use the Griffin iMic as well, it works great for me.

- I ordered it online just to avoid the hassle of waiting in line, plus you can BTO.

- I love my iBook. Coming from an old 450MHz G4, it's a huge improvement. It can get a bit slow in newer FPS games like Halo, but overall it's really quite reasonable. I also maxed out the RAM, too, which definitely helps.

I'll be keeping a close eye on those rumored April iBook updates, though. If they come out with a better graphics card, I'll be on it! The graphics card is the most out-of-date thing on the iBooks.
Click to expand...


Thanks.. I appreciate the input.
 
12" ibook

It doesnt get HOT but my ibook certainly gets pretty warm. Sometimes to the point where its a little to warm for my lap. I have had it for a few months now though and the fan has come on maybe once or twice. So far have had no issues with it at all. Airport and airtunes are great.
 
I had the original 12inch "snow" ibook (500MHz G3) and later upgraded to the 800MHz G4. My brother has the 700MHz G3 iBook. They have all been into Apple for repairs of some kind or another (hard drive failed(800MHz), speaker went fuzzy(500MHz), logic board died(700MHz)), but they all still work (after repairs) and we don't regret buying them at all.
 
thanks all!

Well, after a trip to the Apple store last evening and playing with the 12" iBook hands on , my sister was convinced it was for her. The salesperson was very informative and patiently answered our questions. I placed the order online this morning and got a bit of an Edu discount too. Imagine, just the day before, we were seriously considering a Toshiba Satellite.. but that thing weighs a frikkin 9 lbs!!!! The Futureshop salesguy was more bent on selling us the service plan than the machine itself. Now, that says something about the box!! :eek:

Can't wait till her machine gets here. I think I'm more excited than her!!!!! The specs we finally went for:

12"iBook - Combo Drive, 768 Mb RAM, 60 GB HD, Bluetooth.

Oh and I walked out of the store with a LaCie 250GB backup HD. I can never seem to walk out of an apple store empty handed :p :D :eek:

Thanks to all for your helpful feedback.. :)
 
Congrats, I have the same ibook + Airport express card.
I use the bluethooth to sync up my mobile, works great.

I would advice her to get the airport card. She will enjoy her ibook alot more in alot of different places.
It seems these days I can´t open my ibook anywhere without connecting to a wireless network. (Thanks to all you people out there who don´t password protect your network)

It alows you to surf the net almost anywhere :).

I even use FCP on my ibook, although only for small projects, the screen feels a little small after a bit when I do ediing.
 
Congrats, I have the same ibook + Airport express card.
I use the bluethooth to sync up my mobile, works great.

I would advice her to get the airport card. She will enjoy her ibook alot more in alot of different places.
It seems these days I can´t open my ibook anywhere without connecting to a wireless network. (Thanks to all you people out there who don´t password protect your network)

It alows you to surf the net almost anywhere :).

I even use FCP on my ibook, although only for small projects, the screen feels a little small after a bit when I do editing.


Oooops, sorry for double posting
 
yoak said:
Congrats, I have the same ibook + Airport express card.
I use the bluethooth to sync up my mobile, works great.

I would advice her to get the airport card. She will enjoy her ibook alot more in alot of different places.
It seems these days I can´t open my ibook anywhere without connecting to a wireless network. (Thanks to all you people out there who don´t password protect your network)

It alows you to surf the net almost anywhere :).

I even use FCP on my ibook, although only for small projects, the screen feels a little small after a bit when I do editing.


Oooops, sorry for double posting
Click to expand...


oops, I should have mentioned... the 12" iBook does come with the Airport card :)

What's FCP?
 
dscan99 said:
oops, I should have mentioned... the 12" iBook does come with the Airport card :)

What's FCP?
Click to expand...


FCP would be Final Cut Pro, the Apple digital video package that can be used for everything from home movies to major Hollywood productions like Cold Mountain.
 
Congratulations. I think your sis will love her shiny new iBook.

Just to comment on the heat question, I use a G3 600 12" iBook here in Thailand. It's running pretty much 24/7 in a warm environment (up to 38 C / 100 F) and I only ever hear the fan when a CD is loaded.

Sure the area above the HD (to the left of the trackpad) can get a little warm, but not skin-burning or egg-frying warm ;)

And I imagine newer models with larger HDs and faster processors won't be working as hard as my little baby sometimes has to, so that should mean lower temperatures anyway.
 
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