A Switchers 14 iBook G4 Review
Allow me to preface this by introducing myself. Im a college student who has switched to OS X from Windows XP. Im entirely new to Mac OS X operating system. I havent used an Apple computer (prior to today) for more than 5 minutes playing around in the Apple store. That being said, I switched mainly because of the stability of OS X, the security of UNIX and the aesthetics of an Apple computer. I also liked the ease of use of the iPod mp3 player, and have heard similar things for Apples computers. I bit the bullet and sprung for a stock Apple 14 G4 1.42ghz iBook with 60GB hard drive and 512mb Ram and 32mb VRAM.
OS X is the basic operating system of the computer. Its the meat and potatoes. Its the framework behind the gorgeous graphical interface and application suite, the core of the computer. Its very intuitive and oriented much differently than Windows XP. It wont be easy to compare OS X to [vulnerable, semi-buggy and often frustrating] Windows XP Itd be like comparing Apples to oranges (groan!) but Ill try.
The OS X has a consortium of helpful features, ranging from the Spotlight search query to the quirky (albeit graphically stunning) Dashboard. Spotlight is much more than Search in Windows XP it is much faster and intensely more thorough. Its a glorified Mac equivalent of Google Desktop, if youre familiar with that. It basically indexes your hard drive for fast search results. The Dashboard houses widgets, little micro-programs that are useful (the calculator, the airline flight tracker) and not-so-useful (the worlds smallest widget for example, downloadable online, is a single pixel that just floats around the screen). The dock is comparable to Windows XPs desktop shortcuts, but seemingly much more refined. Again, graphics take precedence in the design of the computer, a refreshing change over XP.
Physically, Im very impressed by the laptop. The screen is very clear (not fuzzy as mentioned by other reviewers) and I think the 1024x768 resolution is more than ample. The speakers are nothing special (theyre still laptop speakers) but they get the job done. The line-out jack is much better for listening to music. (Im listening to Paul Simons Negotiations and Love Songs 1971-1986 and it sounds amazing on my desktop speakers.) The track pad is functional, but I prefer both the comfort and convenience of a two-buttoned mouse. Right-clicking on the track pad takes some getting used to, you have to press Control + click.
Most of the software is great. Lacking in the musical abilities department, I have no use for Garage Band. I probably wont use the iCal calendar application either, but everything else is great. iDVD, iMovie, iPhoto and iTunes are all very intuitive and have a variety of nice features. Ive installed Microsoft Office and Windows Office users will feel at home in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Safari, the internet browser and Mail, the Apple mail client both work flawlessly, but for internet browsing I prefer the feel of Firefox (dont worry, its free).
Im still getting used to the file system and directory of OS X, but its not difficult at all. Im very happy with my purchase and Id pay the premium and buy from Apple again.
And by the way, if anyone has any suggestions for my writing, freeware Mac applications, or helpful shortcuts, please be sure to include them in this thread!
Allow me to preface this by introducing myself. Im a college student who has switched to OS X from Windows XP. Im entirely new to Mac OS X operating system. I havent used an Apple computer (prior to today) for more than 5 minutes playing around in the Apple store. That being said, I switched mainly because of the stability of OS X, the security of UNIX and the aesthetics of an Apple computer. I also liked the ease of use of the iPod mp3 player, and have heard similar things for Apples computers. I bit the bullet and sprung for a stock Apple 14 G4 1.42ghz iBook with 60GB hard drive and 512mb Ram and 32mb VRAM.
OS X is the basic operating system of the computer. Its the meat and potatoes. Its the framework behind the gorgeous graphical interface and application suite, the core of the computer. Its very intuitive and oriented much differently than Windows XP. It wont be easy to compare OS X to [vulnerable, semi-buggy and often frustrating] Windows XP Itd be like comparing Apples to oranges (groan!) but Ill try.
The OS X has a consortium of helpful features, ranging from the Spotlight search query to the quirky (albeit graphically stunning) Dashboard. Spotlight is much more than Search in Windows XP it is much faster and intensely more thorough. Its a glorified Mac equivalent of Google Desktop, if youre familiar with that. It basically indexes your hard drive for fast search results. The Dashboard houses widgets, little micro-programs that are useful (the calculator, the airline flight tracker) and not-so-useful (the worlds smallest widget for example, downloadable online, is a single pixel that just floats around the screen). The dock is comparable to Windows XPs desktop shortcuts, but seemingly much more refined. Again, graphics take precedence in the design of the computer, a refreshing change over XP.
Physically, Im very impressed by the laptop. The screen is very clear (not fuzzy as mentioned by other reviewers) and I think the 1024x768 resolution is more than ample. The speakers are nothing special (theyre still laptop speakers) but they get the job done. The line-out jack is much better for listening to music. (Im listening to Paul Simons Negotiations and Love Songs 1971-1986 and it sounds amazing on my desktop speakers.) The track pad is functional, but I prefer both the comfort and convenience of a two-buttoned mouse. Right-clicking on the track pad takes some getting used to, you have to press Control + click.
Most of the software is great. Lacking in the musical abilities department, I have no use for Garage Band. I probably wont use the iCal calendar application either, but everything else is great. iDVD, iMovie, iPhoto and iTunes are all very intuitive and have a variety of nice features. Ive installed Microsoft Office and Windows Office users will feel at home in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Safari, the internet browser and Mail, the Apple mail client both work flawlessly, but for internet browsing I prefer the feel of Firefox (dont worry, its free).
Im still getting used to the file system and directory of OS X, but its not difficult at all. Im very happy with my purchase and Id pay the premium and buy from Apple again.
And by the way, if anyone has any suggestions for my writing, freeware Mac applications, or helpful shortcuts, please be sure to include them in this thread!
