[RealMac]

The amount of networking I do with other mac users in the local area is almost non-existant, even though I've been using the platform for about a decade. Other knowledgable mac users seem difficult to find and the local user group's meeting time conflicts with my work schedule. Anyway, enough on the background...

What do you men and women of the mac community use your iBooks for? How has it improved your lives, what does it do for you that would otherwise be significantly more difficult or impossible.

Thanks in advance.

[appledude83]

Well it wouldn't be impossible to do things without my new iBook, but it makes alot of stuff easier. I have tons of cd's that I've ripped and listen to using iTunes, which is way better than anything I've ever found on my PC. Besides that digital photos are way better on iPhoto, I do take alot of those. I like how I don't have to install stupid software just to upload them like I do on my PC. And overall I of course love having no registery and just other things that make the Mac way better, at least in my opinion.

[JEB]

I use at home a lot every night; mostly reading mac message boards (ha ha)

Seriously, though, I like our 800 iBook, even the 700 we just sold was great. Use lots for making worksheets for students. My wife has students over to tutor for various ages, so she can get ready for them during the day while watching our baby out in the living room.

We'll be getting a new 'extreme' airport base station, solely for the usb print capabilities. I've actually used wirless printing at my school numerous times with school iBooks / Airport and an HP "wireless print server" . . .

Really love the wire-less (no cables all over). Can easily take 12'' iBook anywhere. Wanna hear a guilty confession?

It's not so bad: I just wanted to do some updates (very easy in OSX), but the files were too fat to do from home, and I was too lazy to get out of the car. So I drove around back of the school, and did a "drive-by" download, watched some Quicktime movies over the T1 *outside* the building -- ahh -- heater on, didn't even have to budge!

So, that's what we do. I'll stick with portables forever.

Cheers,
--JEB :]

[fibroptikl]

While I can't say I like Mac over PC; I do like my iBook for it's weight, size, portability factor, feature's as well as power and price. OS X and Unix are nice.

[niji]

iBook machine itself:
1. display is wonderful. probably the best of its kind for a 12inch screen. bright, but not just bright, it is so clear.
2. early firewire adoption. was just not available on other "entry" level compact machines.
3. brilliantly designed AC adapter, with the "extension cord" attachment; built in wrap around hooks for cord when not in use; colour changing charger to let you know when it is charged.
4. very small footprint.
5. not only feels like a full, larger laptop, it ofcourse actually is full laptop with everything, just in a small package.
6. hinge is a marvel in design and functionality.
7. G3 600 (dual usb); with 640MB ram runs all but Photoshop very very well. Long live the G3.
8. trackpad is very nice. the implementation of drag and drop in OS X with this trackpad is wonderful.
9. quiet: although some people complain about incessant fan noise, on my machine the fan is almost never on.
10. DVD-ROM/CD R-W implementation in such a small package is great.
11. the whiteness and silverness of it stands out.
12. battery is easy to change/exchange.
13. apple light on back of lid is sooo apple

things i dont like about iBook machine:
1. SHOULD BE UNDER 2 KILOGRAMS.
2. battery life is very poor under 10.2.x
3. ports should be on the OTHER side! Take note Johnathan!
4. sound speakers output is so very weak.

things that make the whole iBook experience a joy:
1. no effort wi-fi
2. Jaguar!
3. sound and display pref panel settings can be made visable on screen
4. easily configurable with the one stop pref panel.

thnx!

[sniffer]

Originally posted by JEB:
[B]It's not so bad: I just wanted to do some updates (very easy in OSX), but the files were too fat to do from home, and I was too lazy to get out of the car. So I drove around back of the school, and did a "drive-by" download, watched some Quicktime movies over the T1 *outside* the building -- ahh -- heater on, didn't even have to budge!

Hey, me also want a airport card!

[damosan]

Originally posted by RealMac:
What do you men and women of the mac community use your iBooks for? How has it improved your lives, what does it do for you that would otherwise be significantly more difficult or impossible.

Use it for:

-School
-Simulations (my own)
-Wordprocessing
-Spreadsheets
-Surfing
-Email
-Gaming (table top stuff)
-Ripping and remixing CDs

Love it because:

-Easy to Carry
-Small
-Low Weight

[engaged]

I like the fact that it's mine, ALL mine...

It's my precioussss....

(Sorry...)

[Nick Ahlfs]

In addition to doing my "work" on the iBook, I use it as a portable photo album. The iPhoto slide show is an easy way to share memories with friends and relatives. The new iPhoto 2 will make this great program even greater.

[Peter]

I bought my iBook as a replacement to my crashing XP machine - and have loved it! i love the attention to detail! the power cord! the hinge! the hinge latch! the light up apple!
My iBook is my best friend, I take it everywhere!

[AleroLeanne]

Right now I don't have an iBook, but I'm saving up to purchase one.

My main goal for my iBook is to be able to sit in bed, watch tv, and chat on the internet with my friends! The ultimate life! *sigh*

[RMXO]

Originally posted by damosan:
-Easy to Carry
-Small
-Low Weight

these are the reasons why my wife loves her iBook....

[pimephalis]

I migrated to the iBook from an Acer (and previous to that, a Dell) laptop, running linux. With the Acer I had a wireless pcmcia card (linksys), and could accomplish my work quite easily (MySQL, R, gnumeric, tex). What I love about my iBook (700 MHz) is the polish. I can do all the same things on it that I could with my Acer, but it is smaller, brighter, crisper and generally more of a pleasure to use.

Some of the things that I truly find superior to my old laptop and linux:

1. No external antenna for the wireless card -- meaning, when I move it around, I don't have to worry about breaking the card.
2. The availability of some quality commercial software. While I could do my work on linux, for fun it was using the wife's PC tower. No longer.
3. Video editing. We have a digital camcorder, and digital editing under linux was nightmarishly painful, and even worse using Win 98. iMovie was such a joy to discover that I ripped about 12 hours of footage in the first three weeks I had this machine. With my family all over the country, being able to so easily take footage and encode it to CD has been a god send.
4. Games! I hear many of you complaining about the paucity or poor quality of games for the Mac platform, but in comparison to linux it's miles ahead.

[xtal]

What do you love about your iBook?

So many things!

Most of all, I love having a beautiful interface, and being able to flip to the terminal and have all the benefits of Unix.

I've recently been installing all sorts of (free) molecular modelling software, and it's fabulous. I think I'll tackle Apple's new X11 beta and Fink this weekend. Wish me luck!

-Nick

[splode]

Hey.

My iBook (a 2001 500 mhz) has converted me to laptops for good. Someday I'd love to have a tower for hardcore graphics work, but 95% of the iBooks use is internet, digital camera, DLing (using the University wi-fi) episodes of Buffy and the Sopranos, and then playing 'em out to the TV.

I don't think I'm doing a very good job of conveying the, aw hell, I'll say it, life changing aspect of having that much power (and I'm talking a 2 year old machine) be so portable. Why should a computer be an appliance that you have to go to? Surfing the net while still in bed on a Sunday morning is good and pure and true and right. I cannot wait 'til we get cable and a basestation. The paradigm will be well and truly shifted in my house after that.

splode
nopw drooling for the 12" AL-Book

[BkueKanoodle]

I love:

No wireless card sticking out the side
Size
The power of Unix in a tightly polished interface. I've used linux quite a lot, but its interface was too cludgy for me to use it on a regular basis. I liked windows XP but the mac is just more elegant.

and The biggest thing I love is:

THE ABILITY TO RESTORE FROM SLEEP INSTANTLY!!!!

This has actually become a big issue for me. I like my Windows XP laptop, and perfromance-wise it runs circles around my ibook, but its a desktop replacement. I love the 16 inch screen at work but its too much for at home.

When I'm at home I'm constantly having to put the mac aside for a minute to attend to my daughter or get something from the kitchen, and I really appreciate being able to close the lid and come back and have it wake up almost instantly.

I started out on a Mac made the switch to windows in 95 (because I couldn't afforda mac) I've built my career on the back of Microsoft. I am the IT director for a large casino and all our machines are W2k. I have my MCSE in NT 4 and W2K. I have a degree in Infromation Tecfhnology Management. I've worked for Microsoft. I've been actively involved in System administration and Network engineering for the last 7 years, I love Windows, because its been good to me, I bought the ibook on lark because I was bored and wanted a new toy.

A funny thing happend after that. I found myself using the mac for everything at home, and then it started creeping onto my desk at work more and more. Now the only thing I use my Windows laptop for is coding.

I love my ibook! I remember why I fell in love love with the Mac in the first place. Apple just seems to pay more attention to detail. Mt favorite example is Laptop boxes. Every Windows Laptop I've bougt has come in a brown box, with various other pieces of card board pieces and plastic pieces inside. Hoow boring . When you open an ibook box, its like an adventure. Your presented with the nice picture of an apple and you subconciously wonder what treasure lie beneath.

This may not sound like a big deal, but its these kind of details that make apple great. Microsoft talks about the Out of the box experience, but apple gives it to you. Opening a new apple is an experience.

Sorry for rambling. Did I mention that I love the fact theat the ibook
WAKES UP INSTANTLY?

[El Diablo]

This may not sound like a big deal, but its these kind of details that make apple great. Microsoft talks about the Out of the box experience, but apple gives it to you. Opening a new apple is an experience.


Yup. I agree wholeheartedly. You know what i love? sitting in an airport and as a bunch of PC users balance a windows brick on their lap, I can type on my ultra sleek iBook with one leg crossed over the other.

The size is magnificent and the capabilities are perfect.

I use mine as my workstation at the office. (I refused a DELL tower on my first day. I'm a Mac snob.) and I come home and surf wirelessly on the couch while watching TV.

WS Word
Email
iTunes - over a gig of songs
Safari - (greatness!)


THINGS I DON'T LIKE:
Battery life under OS X

[Peter]

THINGS I DON'T LIKE:
Battery life under OS X
[/B]

Why how long do you get? I get 3-4.5 hours ...

[stil]

1. Noise, or rather the lack of it. My iBook is the the quietest computer I have ever used.

2. Durability. I haven't dropped it or anything but not only does it have a great reputation, it looks and feels solid.

3. Price. I did my research into laptops that had the features I needed/wanted. I often hear complaints about Apple prices but the iBook, once software is factored in, really did not have any peers after the November price drop. Not to mention resale value.

4. Internal Airport

5. Sleep. Just damn fast waking up

6. The OS. As a switcher you can never truly believe uninsall. With windows, ever day it seemed I needed a "critical" update. Viruses? what viruses.

7. Form Factor. Why shouldn't a piece of equipment I use multiple times every day look pleasing.

8. Fun. It's been said often and I really can't explain why, but using the iBook is just more fun than Wintel computers.

9. Mac community. It is so easy to get good help and information from the various Mac-centric communities.

10. The great felling of pulling away from MS.

[Peter]

1. The way Macs have a huge fan base, where everyone helps each other and no matter how small a program everyone says what they think and gives support - you dont get this kinda fan base on PC
2. The screen. Its 'only' 12" but wow its the best screen I have ever used - so clear and bright.
3. Keyboard. It is nice and shallow so you can type fast and know you never miss a key.
4. Connectivity. Firewire, USB and more allowing a whole host of stuff being connected and it works! without drivers!
5. Screen Hinge. It goes back right back so when you sit upright its VERY clear.
6. The little things. The lid hinge, the glowing apple and that damn big trackpad!
7. Silence is bliss. It is so quiet! I leave my iBook connected in my room, and you'd never know it was one ...
8. Portability. Small and light, allowing you to take it anywhere and use it anywhere - bliss.
9. Speed. Whooosh!
10. Instant Wake up. Very useful when my iBook has been snoozing for 7 days, you wake it up and it still has 30% battery!!

[CrazedVW]

Girls like it.

[Macpilot]

Well, I just broke down and ordered an iBook...

I am going to use it wirelessly in my apartment (software base station in Jaguar is so cool) and put all my music on it and use it as my main stereo system (I am so sick of keeping track of CDs). Gonna hook it up to my big TV to run the iTunes visualizer for parties (don't want people messing with my Dual) I might take it on a trip or two.

Got my ex-girlfriend one a few months ago, and found myself playing with it more than my Dual 867! I think the overall design of the machine is hard to improve. I was worried about OS X performance on a G3 but it was very capable. It is sturdy, and very customizable (word?). I plan on painting the case something funky.

No wonder it is so popular.

Guess I will have to change my sig.

[sniffer]

Originally posted by CrazedVW:
Girls like it.

I can verify that one also.

[cww]

Originally posted by RealMac:
The amount of networking I do with other mac users in the local area is almost non-existant, even though I've been using the platform for about a decade. Other knowledgable mac users seem difficult to find and the local user group's meeting time conflicts with my work schedule. Anyway, enough on the background...

What do you men and women of the mac community use your iBooks for? How has it improved your lives, what does it do for you that would otherwise be significantly more difficult or impossible.

Thanks in advance.

1. Whipping it out in public places and catching the curious/goggle-eyed glances of everybody within a 50-foot radius
2. iTunes
3. Not all that relevant, but somewhat - iPod
4. iTunes
5. That mutual "We-are-superior-people-and-they-are-far-from-it" look you exchange when a person also has an iBook out
6. Jaguar
7. Port for my external mouse is on the LEFT. I like it because I use a mouse with my left hand, and having the port on the right might not be too graceful

EDIT: 8. DVDs, to go