Cool Mac Gear

For nearly a year, rumors have been circulating that Apple would introduce a mid-range "Son of Pismo" PowerBook sloted between the high-end TiBooks and the iBook.

Well, Steve Jobs today announced a new 14-inch iBook, which more or less fits that category. The new model features a 14-inch active-matrix display, Combo drive and battery life of up to 6 hours for $1,799(US) - an incredible value by my estimation.

The new iBook line is also now more affordable, starting at $1,199 for a 12.1-inch active-matrix display and CD-ROM drive. An iBook with a 12.1-inch display and the versatile Combo drive for watching movies and burning custom CDs, at $1,499 completes the new lineup.

“The iBook is the best consumer and education notebook on the market and our most popular portable ever,” said Philip Schiller, vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “The new iBook line now offers customers the additional choice of a 14-inch display and is more affordable than ever.”

Every iBook comes with Apple’s own digital lifestyle software, including Apple’s new iPhoto, a revolution in digital photography. iPhoto lets Mac users easily manage their digital photo collections, including the ability to import images from a digital camera, organize them, create and publish an Internet photo album, order professional-quality Kodak prints and enlargements, or even a custom-printed, linen-bound book of photos online. Apple’s pre-installed iTunes 2 MP3 music software lets customers easily manage their digital music collections and, with models offering the Combo drive, burn custom music CDs. With a built-in FireWire port and iMovie 2 digital video editing software preinstalled, iBook lets customers easily create and edit digital movies on the go.

Delivering the power of UNIX with the elegance of the Mac, iBook now comes with Apple’s next-generation Mac OS X pre-installed as the default operating system. The center of Apple’s Digital Hub strategy, Mac OS X gives iBook customers the power to easily manage their own digital photos, movies and music.

The iBook line features:

• 12.1-inch (diagonal) or 14.1-inch (diagonal) active-matrix 1024-by-768 resolution display in a gorgeous white, impact-resistant polycarbonate enclosure;
• 500 MHz or 600 MHz PowerPC G3 processors with 256K level 2 cache;
• 128MB or 256MB SDRAM, with expansion up to 640MB;
• a choice of DVD-ROM/CD-RW Combo drive for watching DVDs and burning CDs, or CD-ROM;
• AirPort-ready with integrated antennas and card slot for wireless Internet access;
• 15GB or 20GB Ultra ATA hard drives;
• ATI Rage Mobility 128 graphics controller with 8MB RAM and AGP 2X;
• USB and FireWire ports;
• built-in 56K modem and 10/100BASE-T Ethernet;
• VGA video out and composite video out with optional Apple AV cable;
• built-in microphone and stereo speakers;
• a collection of productivity and entertainment titles;
• a small, lightweight power adapter;
• free 30-day Internet access with EarthLink; and
• Mac OS X version 10.1.2, Apple’s next-generation operating system pre-installed as the default OS, as well as Classic Mac OS 9.2.2.

The new iBook is available immediately through The Apple Store® (http://www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and through Apple Authorized Resellers in three standard configurations.

The 600 MHz iBook, weighing 5.9 pounds, has a suggested retail price of $1,799(US) and includes:
• a 14.1-inch (diagonal) active-matrix TFT display;
• 256MB SDRAM;
• a 20GB Ultra ATA hard drive;
• a 6 hour battery life; and
• DVD-ROM/CD-RW Combo optical drive.

The 600 MHz iBook, weighing 4.9 pounds, has a suggested retail price of $1,499(US) and includes:
• a 12.1-inch (diagonal) active-matrix TFT display;
• 128MB SDRAM;
• a 20GB Ultra ATA hard drive;
• a 5 hour battery life; and
• DVD-ROM/CD-RW Combo optical drive.

The 500 MHz iBook, weighing 4.9 pounds, has a suggested retail price of $1,199(US) and includes:
• a 12.1-inch (diagonal) active-matrix TFT display;
• 128MB SDRAM;
• a 15GB Ultra ATA hard drive;
• a 5 hour battery life; and
• CD-ROM optical drive.

Charles W. Moore

Cool Mac Gear