iBook setup opinions

[macOSX-tastic]

hi guys.

come september, i shall be starting a gap year here in the uk, witht eh intention of going to university next year. i need a new machine which is capable of seeing me thoruogh everyday tasks, such as emailing, messaging, music and photo storage some light editing and playing around with ilife, etc.

i think the ibook will be perfect for this, because it enables me to take my stuff away with me, is stylish, and i can also plug in keyboards and mice and whatnot when using it at home. i dont really have the budget for a powerbook, sexy as they are, because im only a pov student!

my current ibook has been sold, as i tried to repair it to no avail (a guy offered to buy it form me because he is a technical support guy and wanted to have a go...sold it to him for about £600 (not bad)).

generally getting a feel of how people who use their ibooks in this way feel about their machines.

any feedback welcome.

tastic.

so a new one is in the horizon.

 

[amholl]

My iBook is solid. Great machine. Get the 12" w/80GB HD and 768 or 1.256 GB of RAM. Wait a few weeks if u can, as updates are expected.

 

[nichos]

I'm a student and have the latest iBook (see sig). My first Mac and have to say I love it. I need to get a desktop machine now since most of the time this is plugged into an external monitor, kb, etc. However, I do plan on getting a PM sometime (this year hopefully!) and this will then be the portable machine. I didn't get any upgrades except I upgraded the RAM. I still have the 30g hard drive in there - not full yet, most of my media files are on my desktop (linux) machine. I figure I can upgrade the HD later at a much cheaper price.
Bottom line: solid machine - slowly replacing my linux machine with dual 20" displays! Get it!

 

[mad jew]

I'm a student and I find the iBook covers my needs perfectly. I'm not in a degree that requires me to code programs or anything, it's mainly just used for email, assignment/report writing, research on the internet and listening to music. For that last one, you might want earphones because as lovely as the iBook's speakers look...

 

[sparkleytone]

I'm a student, but I am also a techie at home. I am very hard on my iBook and it just keeps on keepin' on I ran my 600MHz G3 iBook right into the ground and I loved it enough to get a new one immediately afterward. Just get as big a hard drive as you can afford, along with Bluetooth. Its really better to have BT on the logic board instead of messing with the dongle.

Also, make sure you upgrade the RAM, but don't do it with Apple. Other World Computing and Coast Memory generally have the best prices for guaranteed Apple memory. Go with at least another 512MB, although the 1GB stick is highly recommended.

FYI, my current iBook is the 12" 1.2GHz stock version. I upped it to 768MB RAM, but I really am aching for a bigger HD.

 

[jhomayne]

i'm on my second G4 ibook now. the last one got stolen.. but at least this one has 1.2ghz rather than just the 1ghz and i got the new ilife.

im still loving up. nothing beats it.

 

[MacRy]

I've got a the 12.1" G4 800MHz model which I use for work and it's great. Good solid reliable machine. Definitely go for as much RAM as you can get in it though and be prepared for comments like "You have a hairdresser's laptop!" from less informed, aesthetically challenged Windows laptop users......not that I have any issues about that......*twitch twitch*

 

[sparkleytone]

I've got a the 12.1" G4 800MHz model which I use for work and it's great. Good solid reliable machine. Definitely go for as much RAM as you can get in it though and be prepared for comments like "You have a hairdresser's laptop!" from less informed, aesthetically challenged Windows laptop users......not that I have any issues about that......*twitch twitch*

Most people I see these days are thankfully more informed. They say things like 'Nice iBook', or 'is that an iBook?', or 'you got an iBook eh?'. The last one is the only one that slightly stinks of PC bias. My smug smile, however, makes them wary. It probably helps that I do a lot of IT work at my job fixing PC's...on my iBook. :-D

 

[jhomayne]

Most people I see these days are thankfully more informed. They say things like 'Nice iBook', or 'is that an iBook?', or 'you got an iBook eh?'. The last one is the only one that slightly stinks of PC bias. My smug smile, however, makes them wary. It probably helps that I do a lot of IT work at my job fixing PC's...on my iBook. :-D

when i was down at the uni earlier i only saw 3 people with laptops and all 3 of them were 12" ibooks.

 

[Ashapalan]

the ibook is greatly suited for what you want to do, but make sure you get a big hard drive and at least 512 ram.

Those are the two essentials.

 

[lacrossegoalie4]

Have iBook, will go!

My iBook travels with me all over the states. It's been to Latin America twice, and it's going to Europe next month. I do everything on it except video editing, for which I use a meaner desktop machine (regretfully, PC for the time being...). As a student, I get a kick out of its durability, long battery life, and small size. It's going in to Apple later this week for an Applecare repair to the logic board - but they (so far) have been very good about processing the repair.

Currently, it's the standard 12" 1 GHz configuration: 30GB/256MB/Combo/Airport Express. I do sense the need for the RAM upgrade, and if this was my primary computer, the bigger hard drive would help too. However, as a portable unit, I couldn't ask for a better, more stable experience.

 

[MacRy]

Most people I see these days are thankfully more informed. They say things like 'Nice iBook', or 'is that an iBook?', or 'you got an iBook eh?'. The last one is the only one that slightly stinks of PC bias. My smug smile, however, makes them wary. It probably helps that I do a lot of IT work at my job fixing PC's...on my iBook. :-D

People with a more discerning eye generally say favourable things about the design when i'm using my iBook. I work in a very Windows dominated job though (i'm the only person in my building with an Apple computer) and the amount of crap I get from people who have never used a Mac in their lives is, frankly, laughable. Even the Director revels in emailing me anti-Apple articles that he manages to dredge up. I usually point out that he brought me the iBook and that shuts him up. That and the fact that he has to come to me when the tech guys advise him that no-one should use Internet Explorer because of some security issue and I am the only one with internet access. I've nothing against Windows PC's at all and I use them every day too so it's kind of pathetic to have to listen to 'Hairdresser laptop' or 'Crapple Mac' comments on a regular basis.

 

[Ogre55]

The one complaint people seem to have is the basic RAM that comes with the computer. For the first couple of weeks I had mine (1.33 14") I had no problems and thought it ran smooth. Since then I started playing around with iMovie and ran into a couple of times I wanted to shoot myself. Same thing with GarageBand. If you are looking at anything other than web and word processing you will save yourself a headache if after you place your order you go and order another memory chip from a third party dealer. DON'T uprade RAM through apple. They way overcharge and installing it yourself is just slightly more complicated than playing with legos.