Welcome to the MacNN Forums.

cantcstr8 · Oct 24, 2003, 09:54 PM

Which really sucks. I was looking at them today and was ready to buy one. But no audio input. There is a headphone jack.

This was true of the older ibooks too but I though they would have changed that since they have added it to the other machines.

As a matter of fact, the ibook is now the ONLY model that does not have audio in jacks.

And the PBG4 is just a little too pricey

Now I am bummed

Scooterboy · Oct 25, 2003, 01:52 AM

You can buy a USB audio-in solution. What do you want to do that needs audio in? If you want to record your own music and want a multi track studio on your iBook, you can buy a Pro Tools M-box .

There is also the M-Audio Sonica Theater that has line audio in with sampling up to 48 KHz and it outputs up to 7.1 Surround Sound. They also make the Transit, a $99 mobile USB solution, and they make FireWire solutions as well. I bought the Sonica Theater to run a 5.1 or 7.1 speaker set-up.

There is also Dazzle and others that let you bring analog sound and video into your iBook.

If you're on a budget you can still buy a G3 or G4 iBook for cheap and an audio-in solution for less than a new PowerBook.

Xeo · Oct 25, 2003, 06:02 AM

I'm sure they consider a line-in port to be a pro feature. Especially with since there are USB solutions and a built-in mic. Doesn't bother me in the least. There has been only one time I wanted it for doing an interview, but I got along fine using the built-in mic.

cantcstr8 · Oct 25, 2003, 09:38 AM

Thanks for the input

I will probably pick up a transit. I was just hoping for one less piece of "stuff" to have to carry and the Powerbook is a little pricey for what you get overall. I dont need a hifi solution just something more flexible than the built in mic.

I work with kids and believe it or not they are less inhibited near an ibook than a powerbook. I guess it is a little more friendly looking.

It still irks me that this is the only model without this. If it was a consumer versus pro thing I might agree but the emac and imac have them and they are not pro machines.

Oh well, thanks

Now a Bluetooth mic would be cool....

issandr · Oct 27, 2003, 06:07 AM

Originally posted by cantcstr8:
I was just hoping for one less piece of "stuff" to have to carry and the Powerbook is a little pricey for what you get overall. I dont need a hifi solution just something more flexible than the built in mic.

I've been using the Griffin iMic, which only costs $39 and is perfect for the simple (non-audio pro) uses you seem to need it for. It's pretty compact and rugged too. An extra thing that I like about it is that Griffin makes free, simple software to record with it, Final Vinyl and that it also has a sound out jack. This means that you can direct some sounds, such as system sounds, to the iBook's internal speakers and other sounds (e.g. iTunes) to your speakers.

Dr.Michael · Feb 17, 2005, 06:17 PM

Originally posted by issandr:
I've been using the Griffin iMic, which only costs $39 and is perfect for the simple (non-audio pro) uses you seem to need it for. It's pretty compact and rugged too.

I support that.
My old TiBook (500 MHz) did not have audio in and I also used the iMic. I recorded a lot of tapes and vinyls and - if you convert to mp3 - its a perfect value for the money.

waffffffle · Feb 17, 2005, 08:27 PM

No iBook has ever shipped with analog audio input. Apple has taken the stance that audio input is a "pro" feature ever since 1999. I personally disagree, since the first Mac to ship with audio input is the LC, a computer which I own, and I that machine was the farthest thing from a "pro" computer.

I really wish Apple would just add the jack already, since there is already a D/A converter on the motherboard for the internal microphone so in reality this change will add less than 50 cents to the price of an iBook.

The real reason that they do this is because it puts greater distance between the iBook and PowerBook lines. Ironically, a "professional" user that purchases a PowerBook is more likely to buy a higher quality USB audio interface than use the built-in input while the low end user wants to use whatever is available.

jamesl · Feb 25, 2005, 11:58 AM

Are iMics no use for professional use then?

one sick puppy · Feb 25, 2005, 04:37 PM

I was under the impression that the headphone jack on the iBook G4 functions as both an output and input. Though, obviously not at the same time.

tooki · Feb 26, 2005, 03:14 PM

Absolutely untrue. That rumor has floated around ever since the 3G iPods came out, which actually do use the headphone jack as a mike jack as well.

tooki

one sick puppy · Feb 28, 2005, 04:23 PM

Well then, I sit erected... er, stand corrected... er, actually...

Superchicken · Feb 28, 2005, 11:29 PM

This is pretty dumb... I was using the audio in jack on my iMac just goofing around when I was a kid, this is not a pro feature.

analogika · Mar 1, 2005, 07:43 AM

Originally posted by jamesl:
Are iMics no use for professional use then?

The iMic is $50 for stereo A/D and stereo D/A.

That's about $10 per channel.

:farts:

It's about as "professional" as the line-in on a Powerbook (which is also 24-bit), which is to say, fine for sketching, documenting, or if you're in a pinch.