Cool Mac Gear

Long ago and far away
It was an awfully long time ago. I mean long ago, like before computers talked to each other without wires. I had a fine old PowerPC-upgraded Powerbook 540c that was great fun when it worked. I was really glad to have it, too, especially for taking on the road. For the first time ever, it brought the Internet into my in-laws' house. I could be holed up in the sub-zero arctic of a late December in Iowa and reach worlds not covered by the Weather Channel or the Register.

The thing was, the 540c was like a child. (It needed taking care of all the time and you never loved anything more.) It looked real good with its wrist-soothing rounded front edge The battery (grrr) usually slid into place with a satisfying thud-clack-click, even when it wouldn't hold a charge, so that was nice. It took forever to boot up, but what the hell: it was fun and I was mobile, just like the big guys.

As with children, however, travel required hauling a ton of grear. I had to carrry two bags, one for the PB and a bigger one for the modem, Zip drive, CD-ROM drive, power adapters, SCSI adapter, cables, phone cords, extension cord, tool kit, actual printed owner's manuals, and a whole lot more. The point is, you couldn't just grab it and go.

iBook yetis
Somewhere way back then, Steve Jobs gave us the iBook. I was there and I remember, kinda. I remember I wanted one. It was beautiful, but more than that, it was wireless. Wireless! I can't tell you how exciting that concept was. I really wanted to do two things: surf outdoors and in bed. Little did I know I'd have to wait so long.

Some of you may remember the Autumn of "Yes We Have No Tangerine." It was a perilous time. No one knew whether any of the iBooks that made it to Alaska or Tijuana would survive the perilous journey to Sears. The laptops became the stuff of legend because no one had one. Finally there were sightings. Not many, mind you, but a few, mostly Blueberry. Sheesh. Who gave a hoot about blue computers?

I had the extra RAM for months before I ever got a hint about where to score one. The still-gleaming tangerine iBook I'm typing this on came from a North Carolina Mac store I called on a tip, but this was almost 5 months after the product intro. I know, I know, big deal. It's a Mac, right? Just getting your hands on one used to be quite an accomplishment. Except that this one was different, really different. Tough, portable, WILD-looking, and wireless. I wanted something fast and cool to use as an Internet terminal. I wanted to write, email, and surf with it, didn't want every feature in the book. But most of all, I wanted to go wireless.

Don't fence me in
A helluva kick, sitting on the sofa and sending email. There's hardly any place I haven't tried it, but it seems to have worked out all by itself that the bedroom is off-limits at night. On the road is one thing, but when we're home, no way. Suits me just fine (I ain't no dummy).

Over the last couple of years, my wife and I have traveled a lot, moved a lot, and missed a lot. The loss of a dependable dose of the daily funnies was especially hard to bear, but the iBook saved us. Not only could we get all our favorite comics online, but we could sit at the breakfast table and scroll through 'em over coffee and Cheerios. Living where we couldn't even get a daily newspaper, this was fabulous. What's more, with the 8600 cabled to the base station, we could have both computers online simultaneously with only one phone line. Sure, there are other ways to do this, but none as cool.

Wireless! If you haven't tried it, do. That's all I can tell you. And if a laptop doesn't have this capability, what good is it?

My tangereeny-o
All in all, this baby is one hugely satisfying piece of work. Yes, the new ones are nice, but this one has broad, curved, wrist-soothing palm rests and a shape that suits my lap. I love those curves. And it has a handle. I always use the handle. (You try opening a door while carrying a peanut butter-and-jelly sandwich, a big glass of milk, and a laptop without a handle...)

Darn thing is bulletproof, too. Never a single problem in however many years. And guess what? I just now sat on it. No, I'm not kidding. I got up to switch radio stations, see, and left the open iBook on the sofa. As I'm writing this, it's a lazy, comfy Saturday night, and I just forgot to look where I put my butt down. Good thing the cushions are nice and soft.

I do kinda miss the thrill of the chase I had with the 540c, hunting down exotic body parts like those teensy little screws. Things like that kept me going. "You have a 540c too? Well (heh-heh ), I have the screws..." But the iBook, the original iBook, just works. It works and doesn't need babying. Everything I need to go on the road fits in the case. Why, it even generates its own subject matter for the occasional Mac column.

Blue computers, even wireless ones, don't do this nearly as well.

Senior Applelinks editor and columnist John H. Farr decided to follow his bliss and found it in his lap. So much for vision quests or telling you how to live your life.

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AUDIO CREDIT: embedded 44k file, European Birds -- Sounds and Sonograms.

DESIGN CREDIT: GRACK! byline graphic by Bob Farr.

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