Apple iBook series

Apple's iBook series is in danger of becoming irrelevant. The line no longer contains the company's smallest portable; the 12-inch PowerBook G4 is just a hair smaller than the 12.1-inch iBook. While its price--from just under $1,000 to about $1,400--and long battery life are attractive, the iBook seriously lacks features and components. Two of the three iBook models come standard with only 128MB of RAM--barely enough to run Mac OS X--and even the 800MHz and 900MHz G3 processors are significantly slower than the PowerBook G4. Worse, the low-end iBook offers only a CD-ROM drive--no CD-RW--and none of the iBooks supports Apple's new 802.11g wireless card, the AirPort Extreme. If you're dying for a Mac notebook, save your pennies for the 12-inch PowerBook. If a low price is what you're after, you'll get a lot more bang for your buck with a notebook like the Dell Inspiron 1100.Both iBooks feature the same overall design, with a gleaming white, scratch-resistant Lucite case.

Photoshop 7.0 test   Time, in seconds, to perform 10 functions (shorter bars indicate better performance)

PowerBook G4-1GHz 15.2-inch 52  PowerBook G4-1GHz 17-inch 61  PowerBook G4-867MHz 12.1-inch 135  iBook G3-900MHz 14.1-inch 201

 

iMovie test   Time, in minutes, to convert a movie to QuickTime (shorter bars indicate better performance)

PowerBook G4-1GHz 15.2-inch 2.5  PowerBook G4-1GHz 17-inch 2.6  PowerBook G4-867MHz 12.1-inch 3.0  iBook G3-900MHz 12.1-inch 5.9  iBook G3-900MHz 14.1-inch 6.2

 

iTunes test   Time, in seconds, to convert a CD track into an MP3 file (shorter bars indicate better performance)

PowerBook G4-1GHz 17-inch 52  PowerBook G4-1GHz 15.2-inch 59  PowerBook G4-867MHz 12.1-inch 70  iBook G3-900MHz 14.1-inch 107  iBook G3-900MHz 12.1-inch 139

 
System configurations:

Apple iBook G3-900MHz 12.1-inch
PowerPC G3-900MHz; 128MB PC100 SDRAM; ATI Mobility Radeon 7500 32MB; 40GB 4,200rpm Ultra ATA/100 hard drive; OS X 10.2.5

Apple iBook G3-900MHz 14.1-inch
PowerPC G3-900MHz; 256MB PC100 SDRAM; ATI Mobility Radeon 7500 32MB; 40GB 4,200rpm Ultra ATA/100 hard drive; OS X 10.2.5

Apple PowerBook G4-1GHz 17-inch
PowerPC G4-1GHz; 512MB PC2700 (333MHz) DDR SDRAM; Nvidia GeForce4 440 Go 64MB; 60GB 4,200rpm Ultra ATA/100 hard drive; OS X 10.2.4

Apple PowerBook G4-1GHz 15.2-inch
PowerPC G4-1GHz; 512MB PC133 SDRAM; ATI Mobility Radeon 9000 64MB; 60GB 4,200rpm Ultra ATA/66 hard drive; OS X 10.1.2

Apple PowerBook G4-867MHz
PowerPC G4-867MHz; 256MB PC2100 (266MHz) DDR SDRAM; Nvidia GeForce4 420 Go 32MB; 40GB 4,200rpm Ultra ATA/100 hard drive; OS X 10.2.3Battery life
Despite its larger screen size, the 14.1-inch iBook lasted about 15 minutes longer than the 12.1-inch in our DVD movie battery-drain test. That's due to the 14.1-inch system's larger 55-watt-hour battery, compared to the 12.1-inch iBook's more compact 46-watt-hour battery. Both systems outlasted their PowerBook counterparts by significant margins, making the iBook the preferred Apple notebook for mobile DVD viewing.

In order to drain the battery of an Apple notebook, CNET Labs plays a DVD movie in full-screen mode with the sound on.

DVD movie battery-drain test   In hours (longer bars equal better performance)

iBook G3-900MHz 14.1-inch 3.4  iBook G3-900MHz 12.1-inch 3.2  PowerBook G4-867MHz 12.1-inch 2.6  PowerBook G4-1GHz 15.2-inch 2.5  PowerBook G4-1GHz 17-inch 2.4

 
Find out more about how we test notebook systems.

System configurations:

Apple iBook G3-900MHz 12.1-inch
PowerPC G3-900MHz; 128MB PC100 SDRAM; ATI Mobility Radeon 7500 32MB; 40GB 4,200rpm Ultra ATA/100 hard drive; OS X 10.2.5

Apple iBook G3-900MHz 14.1-inch
PowerPC G3-900MHz; 256MB PC100 SDRAM; ATI Mobility Radeon 7500 32MB; 40GB 4,200rpm Ultra ATA/100 hard drive; OS X 10.2.5

Apple PowerBook G4-1GHz 17-inch
PowerPC G4-1GHz; 512MB PC2700 (333MHz) DDR SDRAM; Nvidia GeForce4 440 Go 64MB; 60GB 4,200rpm Ultra ATA/100 hard drive; OS X 10.2.4

Apple PowerBook G4-1GHz 15.2-inch
PowerPC G4-1GHz; 512MB PC133 SDRAM; ATI Mobility Radeon 9000 64MB; 60GB 4,200rpm Ultra ATA/66 hard drive; OS X 10.1.2

Apple PowerBook G4-867MHz
PowerPC G4-867MHz; 256MB PC2100 (266MHz) DDR SDRAM; Nvidia GeForce4 420 Go 32MB; 40GB 4,200rpm Ultra ATA/100 hard drive; OS X 10.2.3Apple's standard hardware service and support policies sing a consistently disappointing tune, from which the iBook doesn't deviate. Apple's one-year parts and labor warranty is acceptable, but the mere 90 days of toll-free technical support isn't (after that, you pay $49 per incident). While we've found the quality of that support to be generally high, it's still too short a term. An AppleCare warranty extension to three years costs a whopping $249; in most cases, it's not worth the fee.

If it's any consolation, the iBook is as easy to use as any Mac and comes with plenty of documentation. A handy Setup Assistant guides you through the initial launch in a matter of minutes. A 38-page booklet covers basic procedures and has a short troubleshooting section. Most of the information users will need, however, lies in the system's help menus or online at Apple's Web site, which features a rich collection of FAQs, knowledge-base documents, software updates, and discussion forums. However, you have to register at the site to access most support information. Hide Review