| Product: |
Apple iBook 700-MHz |
| Date: |
04/10/02 (528 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Beautiful design, Great operating system, Combo drive is useful
Disadvantages: Lots of software to install after opening the box, Err, that's it
Having just started using my iBook 700, let me tell you how goooorgeous it is! I would recommend this laptop to anyone, particularly current PC users: Apple has a lot to offer.
Setup
The computer came with a fully charged battery, which I thought was a nice touch: often rechargeable batteries need charging for up to 24 hours before you can use them. This meant that I was able to turn the iBook on immediately after getting it out of the box, and start setup.
Setup itself was straightforward: I was instructed to insert 3 software discs in sequence, which featured helpful symbol coding (insert the disc with this image on it). However, it was a little time consuming: each disc took around 10 minutes to install. It would have been better if the iBook, like my iMac, was supplied ready-to-run.
Connecting to the internet also did not present a problem, although the nice feature on the iMac which enables you to connect to the internet to set up an ISP account online was not offered. You therefore had to have an existing ISP account: I would recommend setting one up beforehand, as it is useful for product registration etc.
Included Software
1. iTunes
The star of the package: great mp3/CD player. You can download songs, make your own library of tunes from your CD collection and easily edit playlists etc.
2. iMovies and iPhoto
Digital editing software: I haven't had the occasion to use it, but I believe it to be amongst the best for the job.
3. Appleworks
Good basic productivity software with word processor, spreadsheet etc. As mentioned, more basic than Office, but correspondingly more straightforward to use.
4. Mail
Competitive mail program: similar functions to Entourage.
5. Internet Explorer 5.2
Needs no explanation.
6. Sherlock
Excellent multi search engine internet search tool. Very useful, and improved from earlier versions.
7. DVD Player
DVD
s look excellent on this machine, and this program is very easy to use.
8. Others
iChat - instant messaging program for AOL and Apple users
Calculator - much improved with paper tape option to print out calculations, and scientific functions.
Stickies - post-it notes for the desktop: you can now include images and formatted text.
Address Book
World Book -useful reference tool
The Mac OS X Operating System
This is UNIX-based, and has a different feel from older OSs, and many improvements.
1. The Desktop and Look
Favourite and active programs and files are now kept in the 'dock': the Apple equivalent of the Windows Start menu, but more accessible. This is highly customisable (with the option for automated hide/show so that it never gets in the way of your work), and can be positioned left, right or bottom on the screen. It features great-looking animations and mouse-over descriptions, and is a great way to keep the Desktop clear of clutter.
Another improvement on earlier Mac OSs is the ability to minimise windows to the Dock: an icon appears which is a mini picture of the window, enabling easier indentification of minimised applications than in Windows.
2. The Finder
The Finder is altered: Go and Window options on the menu bar replace Special, and allow easy transfers between open programs and files. Navigation of the hard disk is improved: with a 'tree' view option and built-search (previously you had to use Sherlock).
3. System Preferences
An application which makes it far easier to customise your Mac than on previous systems: it operates rather like the Control Panel in Windows, and is very easy to use.
4. The Apple Menu
The Apple Menu (top right corner) is used for sleep/restart/shutdown, system preferences, dock preferences and recent items.
Performance, Specification and Design
1. Speed
So far I cannot fault the performance
of my iBook: no crashes, fast loading times etc. However, because the computer uses an Apple G3 700MHz processor, it is difficult to guage how this compares to Pentium or AMD processors in terms of speed. I would guess, though, that the iBook 700 is not the fastest laptop for the money, but it may well be the most reliable, judging from my experience of the frequency of Windows crashes. In my opinion this is a worthwhile tradeoff. The 256 MB SDRAM appears sufficient.
2. File Transfer
I opted for the model with the DVD/CD-R drive: this is an extra £125, and well worth it. Without this, making backups and transferring files to other computers would be difficult as there is no floppy-disk drive. It is also useful for making or copying audio CDs.
3. Memory
With 30GB of hard disk, the iBook has all the memory you're likely to need.
4. Battery life
Quoted at 6 hours, but more like 4 and a half.
5. Design
This is a truly beautiful machine, just over an inch think, in shiny white with a metal surround and an Apple logo on the top that glows when the laptop is in use.
The iBook has a crystal-clear high resolution display (the 14.1" is a good size), a responsive touch pad which can also be used for clicking, a clatter-free keyboard, and stereo speakers (unlike on previous versions)
I would recommend this laptop to anyone who values excellence in design, reliability and usability.
Summary:
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Last comment:
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doochunk - 04/10/02 Sounds great! Why not buy one, send me it, let me use it and then I'll tell ya what I think???? LOL! Doochunk! |
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