Apple iBook G4

Apple recently released two variations on the Apple iBook G4, the 800 MHz version with the 12.1" display and a 1 GHz machine with a 14.1" display. Since we haven't exactly reviewed a Macintosh machine till date, we at Techtree.com saw this launch as a great opportunity to change that. In this review we check out the Apple iBook G4 1 GHz.

In the Box
The iBook G4 comes neatly packed in a white cardboard box along with a charger, a cable for connecting to the phone line and a VGA connector to connect your Laptop to an external monitor.

It also comes with an elaborate software bundle, which includes Mac OS X v10.3, Mail, iChat, Sherlock, Address Book, QuickTime, iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, iSync, iCal, DVD Player, Appleworks, Sound Studio, Quicken 2004 and World Book 2003. It also comes with three games, namely Mac OS X Chess, Deimos Rising and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4.

The iBook is slim and sleek with all curved edges and a shiny white finish, which makes it look extremely classy and funky at the same time. The iBook G4 is sized at 12.7" x 10.2" x 1.35", weighs around 5.9 pounds (2.7kg) and has a 14.1" (diagonal) TFT active matrix colour display and a translucent Apple logo on the top, which lights up in white when the machine is in use.

The left of the iBook contains all the connectivity options keeping the rest of the sides clean in a minimalist way. On the left you can find a FireWire 400 port along with two USB 2.0 ports for connecting to external peripherals and gadgets. It also has a VGA output port where you can attach the included VGA connector cable. There's also a RJ-11 port for your modem and a RJ-45 port for your LAN or Internet connectivity, and finally a headphone jack for connecting to external speakers or well... headphones.





The right of the iBook contains a slot for the in-built optical device and a port to attach the charger/adapter. You can find the battery at the bottom of the laptop, which can be replaced by a simple twist method, making it quite convenient to change batteries when on the go. On the inside, towards the right side of the screen is the in-built microphone.

Under the Hood
Now for the hardware that powers up this beast. The iBook G4 (as the name suggests) is juiced up by the 1 GHz PowerPC G4 processor with 256K level 2 cache. It contains 256 MB DDR SDRAM, which can be upgraded to up to 640 MB. For storage it uses a 60 GB Ultra ATA hard drive and a slot loading combo drive (DVD-ROM/CD-RW). For display it uses an ATI Mobility Radeon 9200 with 32 MB dedicated VRAM. The iBook has a built-in 10/100BASE-T Ethernet and 56K modem.

The internal keyboard can be taken off by a simple unlocking technique to reveal the slot where you can connect the airport i.e. Apple's WiFi connector. The airport antennas are built in the casing itself.

Performance
As one would expect from a Macintosh machine, the performance is stellar with very little to complain about. The keyboard is just the right size with comfortable buttons and decent spacing. The only problem is with the arrow keys, which are half the height of a standard key making it slightly difficult to get used to. There's ample space below the keyboard for hand rest with the touch pad located in the centre.

The touch pad was pretty nice for most usage but I did find it slightly less responsive than I would like it to be. Even with the mouse pointer settings set to maximum speed, the mouse pointer was not responsive enough to my liking. I would admit that my mouse speed preferences are generally faster than average so most users may not face the kind of annoyance that I did, but I still feel that the touch pad should have been quite a bit more responsive than it was.

The display of the iBook G4 was simply outstanding and better than most laptops I've come across. It's bright to the right extent and the picture quality is crisp and clear with great colours.

The overall performance of the iBook G4 was quite good with no noticeable slowdown in any application except for games. While Mac OS X Chess, Deimos Rising performed pretty well, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 suffered quite a bit with low frame rates and terrible draw distance. But rest assured I didn't face such a problem with any application. Besides, if you want to play games, the Macintosh isn't the most appropriate format to begin with.

The DVD tested on it performed perfectly, and with VGA out, it's possible to connect it to a bigger monitor or even a Plasma TV.

The battery life was quite commendable on the iBook G4. On full charge the battery lasts for almost 6 hours of regular usage, which means you can watch 2 DVD movies on it and still have a little power left in the battery before you set it back to recharge.

Conclusion
The Apple iBook G4 is a great machine and ideal for students and home users. It has the whole 'cute' thing going for it, which may be its biggest selling point besides the sturdiness factor, which is universal for all Macintosh machines.

Windows enthusiasts may still cringe at the thought of using a Mac, but if the idea of using an idiot proof solid OS on a machine that will get you noticed with its looks as well as functionality, then this is a great buy. However if you're looking at value for money then this Rs. 1,02,200 (excluding taxes) machine may not be the best option for you.



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