Rating: 
Summary: It does run CAD
Review: I bought the 800 MHz version with the 12"screen and have added 512MB of RAM and an Airport card. I love the portability, the screensize is adequate, but I have never gotten used to not having a mouse (so I am buying one). I run the normal Adobe graphics and office stuff, but decided to load up Virtual PC, Win 98, and the CAD standard used by most engineers. It isn't fast, but it is definitely functional. Also, I can design when I am sitting out in the daughter's play yard (nice mid November day in the 70's). I have a wired/wireless LAN in the house, so I can just share my drawings with the wife's PC where my homework was usually performed. It's mighty convenient and the weather outside is better for my creativity (actually, I haven't started the PC in days). Although I usually run the Apple's Jaguar OS for my other stuff, the CAD seems to like OS 9.2 better with the emulator...I have no idea why.
Rating: 
Summary: Fun to use but lousy support
Review: I couldn't afford a higher end Mac so I went with the iBook. This seemed like a great fit for me since I didn't need a high power laptop and I like the small screen uses less power which equals longer battery life which I need carrying it around school. In order to avoid the 12" iBooks dreaded "squintitis" I suggest upping the font size a little. You can't fit as much text on the screen but at least you can see it and you get a lot more battery life than the 14" screens. The down side is that Apple support is terrible. I had a problem with my hard disk not spinning up. After spending ages waiting to talk to a human being I got disconnected. I called back, waited ages, and spent even more time trying to convince the zombie on the other end that my hard drive would only spin up half the time and was going to fail soon. I finally convinced them to let me send it back and they kept it for over three weeks. I finally got it back, and you guessed it, the same problem!!! They didn't change the hard drive! As much as I love it I wish I could get my money back just because the service is so bad. I finally got to talk to a manager who promised to expadite my repair and sent my notebook back. This time it came back working, but it still took two weeks. My suggestion is avoid the hassle and by a Powerbook. The tech manager explained to me that the iBooks are built in Taiwan by a fairly low end manufacturer. The Powerbooks are built by a better company (also in Taiwan). He told me virtually all their returns are iBooks and that's why their can be delays, they run out of parts often. So if you are like me and won't touch Windows with a 10 foot pole, buy a Powerbook, the iBook is not good.
Rating: 
Summary: Not the best
Review: I finally got one which is not easy in Hungary where nobody uses Apple. I would have to say that it is very cheaply made next to HP or Dell. I dont like Windows too much and I thought I would like Apple better however they are almost exactly the same. Next time I will just buy a cheap machine and put Linux on it.
Rating:
Summary: Good For The Money/ Fun To Have!
Review: I just bought an Apple iBook (700 Mhz, combo, 12.1"), and I love it. Of course I had to get used to the new OS, but it was very easy. There is the mac help which has helped, aswell as calling the apple tach support (they have been very helpful). The only thing that I don't like is the fact of how easy it is to scratch the top, and for paying $1800 for the computer (+Apple Care Protection Plan), I would hope that it would be harder to mar. The only other problem I have with it is the small inatiquate speakers. I think for the amount of money payed I would have gotten better speakers. Otherwise, Ilove it; and for the student it is great. Although I do reccomend adding at least 128 mb more memory asap if you are going to run OSX, it speeds thing up a bit. If you bought an iBook, happy computing.
Rating: 
Summary: I love my new iBook
Review: I just bought an iBook and man is it awesome. I been looking at it for such a long time. The features this machine has would allow anyone to do anything he wanted. Personally, I like to edit my own movies with iMovie, which is extremely easy to use. And with my DV camera, I can make great-looking films right at home. It's also very portable, so I can take it anywhere with me, and Airport allows me to stay connected. So in conclusion, the iBook is a fabulous computer that anyone would love to have.
Rating:
Summary: Not much room for improvement
Review: I love my iBook, and they keep getting better. This is no commodity notebook - Apple has put tremendous amounts of thought into minute details, and the result is the best consumer laptop out there. It's not intended for pro use, but I use it all the time for work when I can't be in the office. In addition to the great design, the best features are the Firewire port, which is essential if you have a DV camera or an iPod, and OS X, which is simply essential and has built-in al kinds of professional power features like Java 2 and Unix.That said, these things don't ship with enough memory. 128 mB is the bare minimum for OS X. I'd get at least 256 mB, or even more (I have 320). If you're going to use your iBook at home much, the optional Airport card is a great investment (you'll need a base station too, but you don't have to buy Apple's). For the future, I would love to see Apple add the G4 processor and the Superdrive so I could burn DVDs. A built-in stereo ADC so you can burn CDs from vinyl would be cool too (I use a thrird-party product). Battery life and weight are never good enough, of course. Don't worry about Apple's viability - they have billions of dollars in cash and an established loyal customer base.
Rating:
Summary: Nice laptop but be prepared for some problems
Review: I really enjoy my iBook when it works. I not very computer savy and it is perfect for a novice like me. My main complaint is that I have had to send it back twice for repairs. The first time the screen died. I mean just died. I turned it on, heard a pop, and that was it. Sending it back wasn't much trouble, but by the time I got it back about three weeks had passed. Then it stop booting and made a funny grinding noise. They sent me a new hard drive (quickly this time) but that didn't do the trick. I just sent the whole thing back and I haven't got it back yet. So I love it, but I really wish it was more reliable.
Rating:
Summary: Nice laptop but be prepared for some problems
Review: I really enjoy my iBook when it works. I not very computer savy and it is perfect for a novice like me. My main complaint is that I have had to send it back twice for repairs. The first time the screen died. I mean just died. I turned it on, heard a pop, and that was it. Sending it back wasn't much trouble, but by the time I got it back about three weeks had passed. Then it stop booting and made a funny grinding noise. They sent me a new hard drive (quickly this time) but that didn't do the trick. I just sent the whole thing back and I haven't got it back yet. So I love it, but I really wish it was more reliable.
Rating:
Summary: A few flaws, but a good buy, overall.
Review: I'm a PC switcher who used PCs until January 2002. This is my second Mac within a year. I love it. I definitely need to add more RAM; 128M isn't enough as it bumps against the hard drive which affects battery life. This is a great little portable. Yes, you can use Adobe Photoshop on it, but I generally reserve my high-powered applications for a larger screen; i.e., my 17" Apple Studio Display. The G3 chip in the iBook can handle Photoshop, and most apps, but remember this is a laptop with a 12-inch screen. I love its small size and portability. It's great to slip into a purse or take outside and surf wirelessly from my swing in the oaks. I would recommend adding more RAM. Also the cord on the battery adapter is a bit fragile, as it is made of the kind of wire that isn't very flexible. Apple says you can wrap the cord up inside the adapter, but I prefer to keep it stretched out so that it lasts longer. Other than the wire on the power adapter, which is a minor complaint, I can't say enough good things about this little book. I do wish Apple would increase RAM capabilities in these to at least 1 G. You can never have enough RAM! I have also really enjoyed watching DVD movies on it. It's great to surf in bed and is super quiet. A nice break when you're tired of your loud desktop. And I can't say enough about the relaxing benefits of surfing wirelessly. My battery life, if I play a DVD, which is what Apple recommends as a battery test, is 2 hours; Apple uses this as a test because playing a DVD keeps the hard drive constantly in motion. If I am only surfing and chatting, and I dim the screen to increase battery life, I get about 3 1/2 hours. You will get more battery life if you add more RAM and dim the screen slightly. It recharges quickly; in about 2 hours. I am so glad I have an Apple iBook and would not want any other notebook on the market. Love the style, love the applications, and I chose the 12-inch screen over the 14-inch because I wanted the portability. I have a desktop, a PowerMac, so I was not looking for a desktop replacement, just something to journal/blog in, use Microsoft Word, Photoshop occasionally, and surfing, email and chat. The iBook has lived up to all my expectations except playing games in Yahoo is slow, which is primarily a function of me only having 128M of RAM. Anyone knows that isn't enough RAM. Oh, and don't think of using the speakers to play your iTunes! Get an iPod, headphones, or use your desktop's speakers for that. I highly recommend the iBook.
Rating:
Summary: PC Switcher Loves It!
Review: I'm a PC switcher who used PCs until January 2002. This is my second Mac within a year. I love it. I definitely need to add more RAM; 128M isn't enough as it bumps against the hard drive which affects battery life. This is a great little portable. Yes, you can use Adobe Photoshop on it, but I generally reserve my high-powered applications for a larger screen; i.e., my 17" Apple Studio Display. The G3 chip in the iBook can handle Photoshop, and most apps, but remember this is a laptop with a 12-inch screen. I love its small size and portability. It's great to slip into a purse or take outside and surf wirelessly from my swing in the oaks. I would recommend adding more RAM. Also the cord on the battery adapter is a bit fragile, as it is made of the kind of wire that isn't very flexible. Apple says you can wrap the cord up inside the adapter, but I prefer to keep it stretched out so that it lasts longer. Other than the wire on the power adapter, which is a minor complaint, I can't say enough good things about this little book. I do wish Apple would increase RAM capabilities in these to at least 1 G. You can never have enough RAM! I have also really enjoyed watching DVD movies on it. It's great to surf in bed and is super quiet. A nice break when you're tired of your loud desktop. And I can't say enough about the relaxing benefits of surfing wirelessly. My battery life, if I play a DVD, which is what Apple recommends as a battery test, is 2 hours; Apple uses this as a test because playing a DVD keeps the hard drive constantly in motion. If I am only surfing and chatting, and I dim the screen to increase battery life, I get about 3 1/2 hours. You will get more battery life if you add more RAM and dim the screen slightly. It recharges quickly; in about 2 hours. I am so glad I have an Apple iBook and would not want any other notebook on the market. Love the style, love the applications, and I chose the 12-inch screen over the 14-inch because I wanted the portability. I have a desktop, a PowerMac, so I was not looking for a desktop replacement, just something to journal/blog in, use Microsoft Word, Photoshop occasionally, and surfing, email and chat. The iBook has lived up to all my expectations except playing games in Yahoo is slow, which is primarily a function of me only having 128M of RAM. Anyone knows that isn't enough RAM. Oh, and don't think of using the speakers to play your iTunes! Get an iPod, headphones, or use your desktop's speakers for that. I highly recommend the iBook.
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