iBook Accessories Help

[Shaun.P]

Hi everyone,

I recently bought a new iBook (Impulsively Bought iBook!) and now I need some advice on accessories!

I upgraded the RAM from 512MB to 1GB (Kingston memory) which I'm pleased about.

However, I am getting paid on Friday so I have some money to spend and I am thinking about buying three products for my iBook. These are:

LArobe Blue for iBook 14" by be.ez - Is this product any good? Can you recommend any similar products which are better?

iKlear Apple Polish Kit - My screen has a few marks on it and my iBook outer case has some thick fingerprints on it from where I have closed the lid. Will this do the job? Does it clean the screen easily and effectively?

iSkin ProTouch PowerBook - Arctic (translucent clear frosted)
- I have an iSkin for my iPod Mini (also Artic) and I think it's the best thing that I've bought. My iPod Mini still looks brand new and has no marks or scratches on it. Would you recommend getting an iSkin for my keyboard? Will it make typing seem thick, heavy and clumpy? Can I close my iBook with it on? If so, will it damage my iPod screen?

Any ideas, suggestions and general advice are extremely welcome. I just want to make sure I'm buying the best stuff I can and I feel a lot of people in these forums will have bought or used most of these objects above.


P.S. If you think there are other iBook essentials that I haven't opted for, please say!

Thanks again,


Shaun.

P.P.S. I sold my eMac for £423.00 including delivery!

 

[Laser47]

How about an iCurve or a Wireless mouse? If an alternative to the apple bluetooth mouse might I recommend the Logitech MX1000, although its not bluetooth it is wireless and a great mouse.

 

[Shaun.P]

I have always wondered about iCurves - what are they all about? It is better than using a desk?

Will an Apple wireless mouse work OK with my iBook? Does my iBook need anything to make it connect to the mouse? Do I need bluetooth switched on or Airport switched on or anything?

 

[Laser47]

I have always wondered about iCurves - what are they all about? It is better than using a desk?

Will an Apple wireless mouse work OK with my iBook? Does my iBook need anything to make it connect to the mouse? Do I need bluetooth switched on or Airport switched on or anything?

The icurve raises the ibook is a more comfortable viewing angle and also improves cooling.
And apple bluetooth mouse will do fine. Bluetooth should already be on and their instruction manuals are pretty easy to understand.

 

[NYmacAttack]

iKlear is a great product for cleaning your ibook. I use it on mine and I am very happy with it.

 

[York-Diuck]

I would also check out the ibreeze, which is similar to the icurve, but also includes fans for heat dispersal. I never used it but it looks cool and I find that when I ever compress dvds or do anything which requires intensive processor use, my ibook gets real hot. ibreeze seems like it'd cool it down nice.

 

[20rogersc]

LArobe Blue for iBook 14" by be.ez - Is this product any good? Can you recommend any similar products which are better?

I have exactly that case and love it! Looks and feels great! I can't compare it to any others as it's the only one I've had, but it suits the job it's designed for. What more do you want!

::20ROGERSC::

EDIT: Also realised that I use this as well!

iSkin ProTouch PowerBook - Arctic (translucent clear frosted)
- I have an iSkin for my iPod Mini (also Artic) and I think it's the best thing that I've bought. My iPod Mini still looks brand new and has no marks or scratches on it. Would you recommend getting an iSkin for my keyboard? Will it make typing seem thick, heavy and clumpy? Can I close my iBook with it on? If so, will it damage my iPod screen?

It's a useful product to have, and to be honest you get used to the feel of typing very quickly. Yes you can close the lid with it on, and I assume you mean iBook screen? If so, the answer's no!

 

[devilot]

I definitely would get the iKlear (seeing as I already own it). Whenever I go into an Apple Store I see the Geniuses using iKlear, too. If you can, try to get a set that actually has a chamois/cloth instead of only the disposable travel wipes-- I find that I get much better results using their bright blue cloth.

I also second the iSkin: not only does it keep gunk from falling in between the keys of the keyboard, it keeps the keys' surfaces clean, and allows me to type more quietly. (And as I prefer my old PB's keyboard feel over the iBook's, the iSkin makes it tolerable.)

 

[dcv]

LArobe Blue for iBook 14" by be.ez - Is this product any good? Can you recommend any similar products which are better?

This is a really nice sleeve... I bought the 12" version for my sister's iBook and it seems to have much better padding than the Tucano skin I have for my PowerBook. Lovely colour too

iKlear Apple Polish Kit - My screen has a few marks on it and my iBook outer case has some thick fingerprints on it from where I have closed the lid. Will this do the job? Does it clean the screen easily and effectively?

I've got this and it does a very good job in cleaning the screen and outer case of my iMac and PowerBook, but have to say I rarely use it as I'm very careful about handling my Macs. I personally wouldn't call this as 'essential' as the other two items, but you are going to need to clean your kit from time to time and this is certainly a good product, will also work on your iPod.

iSkin ProTouch PowerBook - Arctic (translucent clear frosted)
- I have an iSkin for my iPod Mini (also Artic) and I think it's the best thing that I've bought. My iPod Mini still looks brand new and has no marks or scratches on it. Would you recommend getting an iSkin for my keyboard? Will it make typing seem thick, heavy and clumpy? Can I close my iBook with it on? If so, will it damage my iPod screen?

This I think is an essential for iBooks/PowerBooks. Don't know about the iBook but I really like the feel of typing on it with my PowerBook as it softens the keys slightly. Yes you can close the iBook with it on. Just clean it regularly otherwise after a while you can end up with a slight pattern on the screen.

 

[Shaun.P]

Well, just a little update - I bought all three products I initially listed and they arrived today.

The iSkin for the iBook keyboard is alright. It doesn't seem to fit too snug around the corners of the keyboard which is dissapointing.

Quality - 8/10
Happiness with product - 7/10

iKlear - I thought this was very expensive, but I can see that this is actually a quality product. I used a wet and dry wipe to clean all my keyboard and I also have around another 5 of these and a big bottle of spray and a small lint free cloth and a big lint free cloth.

Quality - 10/10
Happiness with product 10/10

LaRobe - Hmm I was dissapoint with Apple's packaging - the bent it in half to fit into a single box and due to this it is all warped. Product itself is a little lighter in colour that I saw online. iBook fits into it nicely though and should do a good job of protecting it.

Quality 8.5/10
Happiness with product 8/10.