[webcookie]

I've been a PC user for my whole life, but I've decided that now is the time to switch to Mac. My current computer is a Dell laptop, less than one year old, that has some issues. In the grand scheme of things, the issues aren't horrible, but they annoy me.

Last night I ordered a 12" G4 iBook with 640mb RAM and a 40gb hard drive, as well as an AirPort and AirPort card. The AirPort says its ready for delivery Monday, but the iBook says on or before November 3rd; I hope it comes before that.

I've read the stories of many Mac users who have never had problems with their computers, aside from perhaps a dead battery or the like. Then I've read the stories of the iBook users who have had the faulty logic boards. The people who have to continually send their iBooks in for repair. It scares me. I realize that for every 1 person who has a faulty Mac, there could be 100 people who have a Mac that works perfectly fine. But, for whatever reason, I seem to have bad luck with computers, and I'd probably be that 1 with the Mac lemon. I'm hoping that in switching to Mac, my days of broken computers are over.

I chose the iBook for its small size and portability. I got an AirPort so that I can go online from anywhere in the house. The iBook's small size will also enable me to take it to school.

I want some real life stories from iBook users. Has your iBook served you faithfully? Will I regret getting an iBook and not a Powerbook?

[Dave N]

I bought a 667 DVI powerbook last November, but sold it a few months back and bought a 12" 900MHz iBook. I do 99% of my computer work with the computer on my lap, and the powerbook just got too hot. I also found that I wasn't using nearly the whole screen for what I do (email, web surfing, word processing, etc.). I really like my iBook and have had zero problems. I just installed Panther yesterday and everything is working great. I think you'll like your iBook a lot. The price is great too. I paid $1300 for mine just 4 or 5 months ago, and you're getting a lot more for less!

[SupahCoolX]

About 4 years ago, I got one of the first "clamshell" iBooks. 2 years ago, I got a 600mhz iBook (has the current small, white design). Never had a problem with either.
Remember, people use message boards to seek help for problems, so you won't see any threads like "Everything is working fine. Move along..."
Welcome to the Mac world, and enjoy! Remember to post here if you have any questions/problems/etc. The people here at MacNN can be extremely helpful.

[webcookie]

I forgot to mention that I paid $1245 for my iBook. The final total, including the Airport base station and card was $1589.17 (that includes about $110 tax).

Of those of you who have the 12" iBook, do you mind having such a small screen? My current Dell laptop has a 15" SXGA screen, and I hope that going down to a 12" 1024x768 screen won't bother me.

I should also mention that I got to this site via Aqua-Soft.org. I've had Mac envy for a long time now, and I've finally fell "victim" to the switch campaign.

I'm pleased to see the positive reaction to the new G4 iBooks so far.

[TheIceMan]

webcookie: Have you had a chance to test out the G4 iBook before buying it. If you get a chance go to your Apple store and play with it for a few hours. They don't mind. I did that last night for about 2-3 hours. What were the specs on your old Dell machine? And in order for the iBook to be a good "fit" for you, it also depends on your needs or uses.

[webcookie]

TheIceMan:

Hopefully I can get my dad to take me to the Apple store in Nyack tomorrow. I was just there last weekend to buy a case for my iPod, so I know he isn't going to be too thrilled to go again, but I'm hoping he's going to be interested in the machine I just put on his credit card.

Ah, the Dell (I'm on it right now): 1.2ghz Celeron processor, 512mb RAM, 30gb hard drive, 15" SXGA, Windows XP Home, etc. I don't know about video cards and whatnot. This laptop isn't even a year old, and I know it's a "good" computer. I paid a lot extra to have this nice screen. But there are some problems. One: it weighs like 7 or 8 pounds, so it just sits on my desk like a rock. Two: the battery life is an hour, on a good day. Three: it does this.. freeze thing, where all of a sudden the system slows to almost a halt and there is this red line at the bottom of the screen. I read about it on the Dell forums and have gathered that it is some sort of BIOS issue. I'm not savvy enough to play around with the BIOS, and I think after paying $1600 for this thing, it ought to not malfunction.

I'm starting college in January and needed a laptop that could come to school with me and that would also work at home. The 12" iBook seemed like the ideal candidate; tiny and tough, not to mention powerful. Plus I've been lusting after Aqua for a long time. I got an Airport for wireless internet so I can surf from anywhere in the house. The iBook will be used for school (probably just typing notes and papers), music with iTunes and my iPod, digital photography (I'm looking forward to iPhoto for this), web design (which will include coding HTML and creating graphics in Photoshop), surfing the internet and whatnot (looking forward to Safari!), and eventually playing The Sims.

I thought that perhaps I'd be the cool girl on campus with an iBook, but I think I'm still going to be a geek, lol.

[Mastrap]

My toilet seat iBook is now faithfully serving it's third owner. I sold it to a mate who's sold it to a mate. My 600 iceBook is still in daily use as my mp3 jukebox and server to my PB (thank you, iTunes). Never had any problems with either machine.

[TheIceMan]

Originally posted by webcookie:
I forgot to mention that I paid $1245 for my iBook. The final total, including the Airport base station and card was $1589.17 (that includes about $110 tax).

Did you get the Education discount? I think you did, which is always good. Might I also suggest getting the AppleCare (geez, I sound like I work for Apple...I wish). I think w/ the Education discount it's $183 for 3 years. It one of those things that will offer "peace of mind" for you. If anything goes wrong, either call Apple for help or take it to your local Apple store.

Hope that helps. Congrats on your new purchase. Stop by here to visit. There's alot going on in the Lounge and other areas. People are very nice (most of the time). Let us know how college is for you and your NEW iBook.

[webcookie]

Yes, I did get the education discount. I don't even wanna think about how much it would've cost without the discount. I'm going to get AppleCare as soon as I can afford it. Isn't there 90 days complimentary service, or something? In a couple of weeks I should have the money, whether it be from my job or from selling my Dell. I know that AppleCare will be good for me. It's just annoying that the closest Apple store is an hour away (I'm about equal distances from Nyack and Soho, but we rarely go into the city).

[TheIceMan]

Yes, I think you're right about the 90 days thing. Yeah, that would suck to be an hour away. I am about 40 minutes from 2 Apple stores here in Dallas. Can't complain. It's nice to have the option to choose.

[mark2]

Relax, webcookie, you couldn't have made a better choice. Congratulations!
Your new iBook comes with a 12-month guarantee, and you can buy Apple Care anytime within the first 11 or 12 months (check to be sure). You also get 90 days of free telephone support.
After the 90 days, though, a call to tech support is, like, $49.00! That's why I got Apple Care right away. You then have free phone support for the entire three years (AC adds two years to your original 12-mointh guarantee). Hope I explained it alright.

I have an iBook 500. It's almost 2 years old, and I love it. Never had a problem. I use it all day at the office�to avoid having to work on the office PC�and often use it for additional hours at home, at night. It puts in some long days.

One more thing, all of the PCs at the office have had lots of problems. My iBook is the only computer in the company that keeps getting its work done with never so much as a hiccup. It puts them all to shame. Most of them are new XP machines, too. How embarrassing is that? : )

[Link]

the 'complimentary' service you are referring to is the phone tech support..

you can still call in if you have a confirmed hardware problem.. you just have to iron it into them

Your warranty lasts you one full year. If you believe a part has broken in your computer and know what it is, or want to set up a service dispatch, you CAN call in any time during that time.

Otherwise tech support (general questions) are only covered the first 90 days <-- this includes troubleshooting sometimes so you have to be careful

Anyway... ibooks are solid little machines, and without a doubt the 800mhz g4 in that ibook will blow the paltry 1.2ghz celeron away (133mhz bus, ddr ram, one of the BEST video cards you can get in a laptop aside from the radeon 9600, nicer looks, etc.)

Battery life will be around 2 hours @ full blast and 4 in battery conserving mode, I believe. Anyway, it will definately be a good experience for you.

There IS the possibility of you getting into the 'ditch' as I call it, I've had it happen to me with my g4, a friend of mine with his powerbook, a few other people with powerbooks, and a dude who's gone through more iBooks then I have hands to count on.

But those are just odd situations. The chance of being one of those people is... about as good as a car driving into your living room as you read this message.

[webcookie]

Is it bad to keep your iBook on for days at a time? Sometimes I keep my Dell on for a long time because I've had problems at start up, so if I don't turn it off, there's no start up. And what does the iBook do when it's "asleep"? And how do you wake it up?

The chances of a car driving thru my living room right now are none -- my living room is on the second floor.

[TheIceMan]

That's the great part. Many Mac users do NOT turn off our computers. We simply put it to "sleep." It is so much better than how Windows has the "Stand By" or "Hibernate" option. Sleeping means just that, the computer goes into rest mode and everything is on low power. Once you tap one of the buttons on your keyboard, the iBook almost instantly comes on. It's really cool!

[webcookie]

Do you have to close the lid for it to sleep? How long does the battery last if it's asleep? If the iBook is quiet, I will just leave it on all the time. That is, of course, if I can get over my fear that my computer will spontaneously burst into flames while I'm not home, and I will come home to a burned down house.

What do you suggest I do to prepare for the arrival of my iBook? Will I be able to transfer my Mp3's from my iPod directly onto my iBook? I have them saved to CD's, but this would be much easier.

How is Apple about shipping? I've heard that they're slow and deliver by Fedex; I hate Fedex. The order status page says "on or before" 11/3.. I don't want to wait that long!!

[wowok1234]

Hi all,

I just wanted to offer my impressions on my iBook G4. I brought it Friday (Night of the Panther) at the Michigan Ave Apple Store in Chicago. It's a 12"/256MB/30GB/Combo stock. I also brought an Airport Extreme Card. 10% off everything rocks! iBook came out to be 989 and AE card 89 dollars.

First of all, let me say that the thing feels strudy in your hand. I have a friend who has a TiBook 1GHz and it feels strudier than it.

Screen is perfect, no dead pixels and no white splotches as in the AlBooks, but not as bright as the AlBook 15... However, there is a gap between the screen itself and the bezel where the text "iBook G4" is. Took it back to the store and noticed that all the display iBook G4s had it also. Not sure about the G3s though.

USB 2.0 is really 2.0 running at 480Mbps.

Battery life kicks butt. I've got it to run 4:30-5:00 with screen 3/4s up, Airport on, and browsing the web/typing, occassional iTunes, and controlling my PC via Microsoft RDC. This is not going by the estimated time but real world usage after the battery was calibrated. XBattery reports a 4.400 Ah reading.

Overall I am very impressed with the iBook G4, and i think you'll be too. The size is perfect, and everything about it is cool. Things are a bit pokey, but I attribute it to the 256MB of RAM. Will upgrade to 640 once i get the cash.

As for the iPod thing, iTunes won't let you do it, but there are two utilities that I know of that will. I used it to migrate my iPod which were being used with a Lombard/333 and a PC. They're called iPodRip and PodWorks. Works excellent.

[SupahCoolX]

Originally posted by webcookie:
Do you have to close the lid for it to sleep? How long does the battery last if it's asleep?

Yes, close the lid to put it to sleep (a cool light on the front will pulse, to let you know it's sleeping). A full battery can last several weeks in sleep mode. Basically, the computer completely shuts off, but just draws enough power to keep the RAM going. This way, when you open the lid, everything you were currently doing is right there, just as you left it. You can also sleep when the lid is open, if you prefer, by choosing Sleep from the Apple menu, or pressing the power button and clicking Sleep. In this case, pressing any key will wake it up.
Sleep mode is great when you're carrying your iBook to class. Just sit down and open it up and you're ready to go instantly. No need to wait for startup.

[TheIceMan]

Originally posted by wowok1234:
...However, there is a gap between the screen itself and the bezel where the text "iBook G4" is. Took it back to the store and noticed that all the display iBook G4s had it also. Not sure about the G3s though...

I'm glad that someone else noticed this too. I kept thinking it might have just been the iBook model I was looking at. While I don't think that the screen would pop loose, I get this uneasy feeling of an "unfinished" product. I'm sure that Apple could have used something else, perhaps more solid to line the inside of the screen so this doesn't happen.

[webcookie]

supahcoolx: yeah, I was wondering about my iBook sleeping while I'm in class. Good to know that it can stay on a long while during sleep.

wowok1234: thanks for the write up. it's nice to hear good things about the new iBook. the long battery life makes me happy. my current laptop has such poor battery life that I just leave it plugged in all the time. it looks beautiful and I can't wait to get mine. for now I'm stuck on a Dell laptop. hurry up and ship my iBook, Apple!

[sittingbull]

I bought one of the first white iBooks 500 Mhz, when Circuit City was getting rid of them (for $750 around two years ago). It was working perfectly well and then when I move to live into Europe.....the display decides to stop working. I closed it once to put it to sleep and an hour later I opened and it wasn't working. I had Applecare service (which saved me from spending $300-$500 for repair), and called them in Europe to see if it was valid. To my surprise Applecare is valid worldwide, so they sent a box to my home promising to return the iBook within 10 to 15 days. Once again to my surprise the iBook was back fixed in 5 days!! Ever since haven't had a glitch and believe me it has gone through tough handling in airports, camps, beaches and everywhere (although it runs Jaguar and it is very stable, every now and then it will need a shut down and permissions repair to finetune it).

Enjoy your new iBook and wellcome to easy computing life of a mac owner!

SB

[dbergstrom]

I was the proud owner of a white iBook 500 (bought the day it was introduced in May, 2001) and will soon be the proud owner of an iBook G4 800 12". Obviously, I liked my old one enough to buy a new one, however this time I will be certain to buy AppleCare. On my old iBook, the battery died, and the cable carrying power to the backlight started to fail. It was cheaper to buy a new machine than to fix these problems.

You WILL enjoy the new computer. You MUST buy AppleCare, especially for a portable computer.

[willed]

Got a Sept 2001 iBook 500. It's got a new battery in there, but apart from that, no probs. I couldn't afford AppleCare, and I guess was lucky.

[webcookie]

I got to visit the Apple store in Nyack today and play with the new iBook. I love it! It's so lightweight. I saw copies of Mac World and Mac Addict and remembered that I'm getting those two magazines with my frequent flyer miles soon; just in time for me getting an actual Mac! I can tell that it's going to take me awhile to get used to the "file, edit, etc" menu being on the finder bar and not the actual window like it is in Windows. Otherwise, I am very pleased with my decision to buy the iBook.

[toans]

Originally posted by wowok1234:

...However, there is a gap between the screen itself and the bezel where the text "iBook G4" is. Took it back to the store and noticed that all the display iBook G4s had it also. Not sure about the G3s though...

Originally posted by TheIceMan

I'm glad that someone else noticed this too. I kept thinking it might have just been the iBook model I was looking at. While I don't think that the screen would pop loose, I get this uneasy feeling of an "unfinished" product. I'm sure that Apple could have used something else, perhaps more solid to line the inside of the screen so this doesn't happen.

Yeah I have that gap on my Rev A 12 inch PB, right above the 'PowerBook G4' text, thought it was a fault too...

P.S I know this is kinda wrong forum, but I was just browsing through here to see opinions on the new iBook.

[SupahCoolX]

Originally posted by webcookie:
I can tell that it's going to take me awhile to get used to the "file, edit, etc" menu being on the finder bar and not the actual window like it is in Windows

You may want to take a look at www.xvsxp.com. It's basically a "shootout" between OSX and Windows XP. It gives a really comprehensive comparison about how the two systems look and act with everything from menu placement, drag/drop capabilities, file management, etc. If you have some free time, give it a read. It was recently updated to include the new features in Panther, too.

[ryaxnb]

The keyboard got broken when I'd played with it, and the power cord broke when I tripped over it. However, the latter was pure user error, and overall I'm very pleased with my iBook G3

[ryaxnb]

Originally posted by webcookie:
Do you have to close the lid for it to sleep? How long does the battery last if it's asleep? If the iBook is quiet, I will just leave it on all the time. That is, of course, if I can get over my fear that my computer will spontaneously burst into flames while I'm not home, and I will come home to a burned down house.

What do you suggest I do to prepare for the arrival of my iBook? Will I be able to transfer my Mp3's from my iPod directly onto my iBook? I have them saved to CD's, but this would be much easier.

How is Apple about shipping? I've heard that they're slow and deliver by Fedex; I hate Fedex. The order status page says "on or before" 11/3.. I don't want to wait that long!!

Yuo can transfer from iPod to iBook using hacks. Or, and I recommend it, move your music from PC to Mac over the network. Mac OS X v10.3 can connect to PCs and vice versa over networks. Networks are suprisingly easy to setup with today's OSes (Windows XP and Mac OS X v10.3.) The Missing Manuals provide an excellent discussion of this topic, or you can ask on the forums how to do it. AFAIK the battery generally lasts quite a while when asleep. Ask others for exact definitions. iBooks are so quiet, when the fan isn't on (most of the time) I generally can't here it! At least that's the case with my G3 iBook. You can Sleep Macs in many ways. Close the lid, choose Apple Menu>Sleep, Press power button and click "Sleep," etc.

[webcookie]

My iBook shipped this morning from Taiwan via FedEx. It's scheduled to arrive Monday the 3rd.

[Bit Density]

Originally posted by webcookie:
Do you have to close the lid for it to sleep? How long does the battery last if it's asleep? If the iBook is quiet, I will just leave it on all the time. That is, of course, if I can get over my fear that my computer will spontaneously burst into flames while I'm not home, and I will come home to a burned down house.

What do you suggest I do to prepare for the arrival of my iBook? Will I be able to transfer my Mp3's from my iPod directly onto my iBook? I have them saved to CD's, but this would be much easier.

Hi, I am like you, and I just "switched" to a new Ibook g4.

First the sleep mode is nothing like anything on a pc notebook. It works, is very fast, and takes nearly no battery power. In a course of a day before you get power, if you just shut the lid, you will make it through the day easy, even for a power geek like me.

Transfering songs from your ipod. I had the same "issue" and network don't work as well... Go to http://littleappfactory and download ipodrip... This will move your songs from your ipod into itunes. It only costs 8 bucks, but it lets you run 10 times for free, and for me this was actually a one time operation. It works fast, and is pretty darn intuitive (select import all button, and let it run...).

But here is the warning, I was a professional Mac and PC user, that went fully PC about 5 years ago, and recently switched. It is a bit of a mind warp to switch to mac thinking. No right mouse button, the apple menu, the app menu, the window buttons on the "wrong" side, the tool shelf, the fact that things don't really maximize etc. It took about 20 hours (2 days <grin>) to overcome all that. But don't let your first day frustration get you down.

The screen is sweet! The keyboard is very good on this model, (the keys are much nicer to type on then the previous transparent keys).

A few tips from what took to long to discover...
The mail app is nice, but some terminology changes... Mailboxes are what are called folders in outlook. Rules are in the preferences pane. (Important for me, because I am on a few mailing lists, and it took way to long to figure out WHERE the rules were).

Safari is a nice browser, it is what I am using now, but some sites don't work well with it (MSNBC for one, the menus don't work). For those sites, IE is on the hard drive.

You can drag icons off of the dock that you don't need, and importantly apps that you do want on the dock, after the app is launched you can click and hold the icon in the dock and tell it to leave the icon.

Zinio is on the machine, and for me this is the one app that actually got me to pay for content on the web. But play with it.

I haven't actually used the iLife apps with the exception of iTunes, but I have left them on the dock for now.

If you get Word for the Mac, make sure you turn off live word count in the preferences. It sucks up enough resources that the app and your whole machine feels sluggish. But turning it off will make things snappy, and you don't need it, really.

Expose, just f*****g rocks! and for a switcher command tab is just right.

That's all for now... Have fun!

Cheers

[Link]

Just athought: If you just buy office for word, keep in mind that textedit can now read/write word documents happily

[radarbob]

First, "full disclosure":
qualifications and bias

• I've been using computers since 1975 ("Big iron" - IBM mainframe - none of this PC & apple stuff even existed yet).
• I use a PC at work every day (I write computer programs)
• I've used PCs since before there was such a thing as MS DOS (CP/M back then was de-rigur)
• I got my first Macintosh in 1987, I currently own 4 macintoshes, including 2 iBooks (an original model & a 700MHz model) which we use exclusively at home.
• I own a PC at home.
• I've thought Macintosh was fabulous from the beginning. Especially the first 10 years I owned a Macintosh proved it *every day*. Not a football fan (honest, I AM from Texas!) I watched the 1984 superbowl just to view the now famous "big brother" Macintosh commercial.
• I am extremely very positively biased toward Macintosh. Nearly two decades of using both Macintosh and PCs has only reinforced my convictions.

My perspective
To sum up the iBook complaints - I think the majority over the years are cosmetic or could be chalked up to wear and tear use or accidents. I've experienced all of these w/ my iBooks.

Occassionally someone got a lemon it seems. However Most, the majority, the VAST majority of Macintosh owneres are very pleased overall. I am here to tell you that the "mac is superior to PC" montra is not just rationalization for having spent the money. The test of time as proven this to be true. At first the differences were so stark that is was obvious to everyone - except to geeks who love showing off how much esoteric crap they knew about DOS ("quick, name all 12 parameters to the DOS print command!!"). I work in that environment, I know what I'm talking about. W/ windoze out for some time now the differences are more subtle, but there.

It's a well known fact that as a group Mac owners are more fanatically loyal to the brand than PC owners. During Apple's dark days (before the iMac) the loyal repeat Macintosh customer is given credit for helping keep the company afloat. Clearly I am unabashedly a loyal Macintosh fan.

There were and are some issues that boil down to new OS software - solved w/ incremental releases. Realise that reading forum boards, you see more complaints than praises generally. Think about this, if you went to a Porsche shop would you conclude porsche is junk because all the cars there were being fixed?

Batteries wear out; all of them. Some fail. My 700Mhz iBook battery was replaced under warranty; my original iBook's battery worked well for 2 1/2 years. I think that is about the top of the normal expected service life. It's replacement quit giving more than 1.5 hours of life after 7 months.

Testimonial iBook War Stories I've read

• The cat knocked it to the floor (2nd time now!) but it still worked.
• It tumbled down three flights of stairs and still worked (I'm not making this up!)
• iBook was open and running; it was dropped. Kept working
• spilled liquid all over the keyboard. Turned off machine, took off keyboard and soaked to for a day to get the sticky out. Let it dry completely. Reattached and it worked.

[webcookie]

My AirPort Extreme base station arrived yesterday afternoon. No good without the iBook. It left Taiwan this morning and it's estimated delivery date is still Monday by 10a. I've begun the countdown!

Radarbob: I've been using computers since 1992 or so; I feel like such a youngin' (well, I guess I am..) The way I look at it is, if there is a lemon to be had, I'll have it. I have such bad luck with computers. I'm hoping things are going to change with the big switch to Apple; I hope to be one of those loyal Mac users someday.

Bit density: Thanks for that great write up. I'll still be using my two-button USB mouse with my iBook; I can't give up two buttons and scrolling. I'm sure I'll get adjusted to the Mac just fine. It takes me a few days to adjust to any new computer I get.

[mbryda]

Originally posted by webcookie:
Ah, the Dell (I'm on it right now): 1.2ghz Celeron processor, 512mb RAM, 30gb hard drive, 15" SXGA, Windows XP Home, etc. I don't know about video cards and whatnot. This laptop isn't even a year old, and I know it's a "good" computer.

No Dells are "good" computers. Take it from a veterain PC tech - run away from Dell.

around with the BIOS, and I think after paying $1600 for this thing, it ought to not malfunction.

OUCH! $1600 for a De-Celeron. That's way high.

at home. The 12" iBook seemed like the ideal candidate; tiny and tough, not to mention powerful. Plus I've been lusting after Aqua for a long time. I got an Airport for wireless internet so I can surf from anywhere in the house. The iBook will be used for school (probably just typing notes and papers), music with iTunes and my iPod, digital photography (I'm looking forward to iPhoto for this), web design (which will include coding HTML and creating graphics in Photoshop), surfing the internet and whatnot (looking forward to Safari!), and eventually playing The Sims. [/B]

The wife has the previous iBook, the G3/800 and it's quite speedy for all those things. The G4 should be a tad better - I have the G4 iMac and it's quite speedy as well, and I'm into digital photography, music, etc. I'd imagine the laptop would be great as well.

My only suggestion would be to max out the RAM, expecially if you like to run lots of programs. My iPhoto library is around 8GB (couple thousand pics), and iPhoto runs dog slow (I have 512MB) mainly because it uses around 200-300MB RAM when it runs. I plan on bumping mine up to 768MB shortly. I'd say max out that iBook.

Enjoy the Mac - they truly are the best computers out there.

[si_lance]

I'm exactly in this boat. I'm currently posting away on my Dell Inspiron 4000 (which contrary to popular thought has worked faithfully for the 3 years I've owned it - surviving multiple loads of Linux and win2k). I'll be "switching" to an 12" iBook G4. The company I work for, the largest software company not currently under criminal investigation, has made available an OS X VPN client. This, coupled with Remote Desktop Client for OS X (my workstation is XP Pro), will allow me to continue working from home 2 days a week (yes, amazingly they let me), and I will finally have a eye-pleasing UI coupled with a BSD engine.

Linux was great, but I still think the window managers need to catch up with the rest of the distro. I was hoping at some point that Aqua would be sold as a window manager for Linux, but that's not gonna happen so I'll upgrade hardware and get all the iLife apps. It was somewhat of a pain (albeit fun) to compile similiar programs on Linux, but they just don't integrate as well as the iLife apps I've been reading about.

Ok this post is too long. Sorry.

[Link]

Originally posted by webcookie:
[B]Radarbob: I've been using computers since 1992 or so; I feel like such a youngin' (well, I guess I am..) The way I look at it is, if there is a lemon to be had, I'll have it. I have such bad luck with computers. I'm hoping things are going to change with the big switch to Apple; I hope to be one of those loyal Mac users someday. /B]

lol 1992? i feel like the youngin now

I wouldn't worry about lemons though, by the gist of it, you've just been using the wrong companies.

Dell is NOT what it's racked up to be. In my previous experience, in our school labs, unlike all the compaqs and HPs and whatnot, I don't remember ever seeing a dell that DIDN'T have a service sticker on it somewhere.

Why is this? Dell sells warranties first and then computers. Their comps are made to last about 2 years and those who buy the warranty get their parts fixed, those who did not have to buy another.

[webcookie]

Link: I didn't think there was anyone using computers for a less time than I have. I got my first computer when I was 6 (in 1992, of course), then got my first Dell when I was 12 or so, then got another Dell when I was around 14, then got my Dell laptop when I had just barely turned 17. Now I'm about to turn 18 (alright, in a couple of months) and I'm getting my first Mac!

I've lost my faith in Dell computers. My second Dell desktop got two new hard drives and two new motherboards, and still continued to malfunction. They flat out refused me a new computer. And for some unknown reason I then went and bought a laptop from them. I'm counting down how many more times I have to do the "turn on the computer and hope it works" dance before my iBook comes.

[amazing]

Originally posted by si_lance:
The company I work for, the largest software company not currently under criminal investigation....

Now that really made me smile! 'Course, I was also trying to remember just who WASN'T under criminal investigation nowadays, so I never did figure it out? That's a humdinger of a way to introduce your firm!

NewerTech has announced that they won't be making a battery for the new laptops because Apple is already using the latest technology. The reason they can introduce better batteries for previous generation laptops is that battery technology has really improved over the years. So, they can produce better performing batteries in the same form factor.

Apple obviously decided that battery life wasn't as important as total weight, sigh...wrong decision, in my mind.

[GlobalNomad]

Originally posted by webcookie:
TheIceMan:
I thought that perhaps I'd be the cool girl on campus with an iBook, but I think I'm still going to be a geek, lol.

Hehe... The iBook sounds like a great choice.
Only thing I would recomend is getting it with a combo drive. Watchin dvds is just so cool!

I have a 12" PowerBook rev A. I would have gotten 12" iBook G4 but they weren't around at the time...

At my uni here in Brisbane, sometimes in the morning or lunch time, I surf the internet... Most of the people in the libary walk past were i sit. I get all kind of looks ;-)
- 'wow that logo is glowing'
- 'that doesn't look like one of the apples i had at school'

You get to meet alot of people... Like fellow mac users, fellow geeks and some sexy ladies :-p .

LoL.

[naphtali]

Originally posted by amazing:
Now that really made me smile! 'Course, I was also trying to remember just who WASN'T under criminal investigation nowadays, so I never did figure it out? That's a humdinger of a way to introduce your firm!

Novell, I suppose?

[webcookie]

globalnomad: Yeah, my iBook has a combo drive.

it left Newark earlier this evening. it's still scheduled to arrive on Monday. it went from Taiwan, to Alaska, to Indiana, to New Jersey, and on to New York! tomorrow is going to be the longest day ever!

[GlobalNomad]

Originally posted by webcookie:
globalnomad: Yeah, my iBook has a combo drive.

it left Newark earlier this evening. it's still scheduled to arrive on Monday. it went from Taiwan, to Alaska, to Indiana, to New Jersey, and on to New York! tomorrow is going to be the longest day ever!

I know the feeling...
When the delivery truck arived at my house, i heard it from far away... the low rumble of a desil engine. I ran outside, I was already waiting there before the driver arived. I got my computer an Airport Extreme Basestation and ran back inside (forgetting to sign the invoice.. mom got that ).

Possibly one of the top 20 days of my life.
I'm not a geek hehe
(I guess i'm a jock as well... play plenty of sports... who wants to see my movie of me dunking a b-ball... you know u wana )

Oh yeh enough about me (studying makes me ramble)
You so have to take pictures of the box opening!
Have fun with you new machine...
Uni is great fun... just rember to study threw the semester.

1 exam down
3 to go
3 months of holiday in 9 days an counting

[Thorts]

Webcookie...

I originally got an iBook 600, exchanged it for a TiBook 667 DVI, and the that for a SuperGig Tibook. I currently have a 700 iBook sitting here that I got for my parents (the last part of my family to be 'switched'), so I can compare the TiBook and iBook directlly.

While the extra screen real estate on the TiBook is good for what I use it for, I have not minded *at all* going back to a 12" screen on the iBook while I configure it. The screen on the iBook is brighter (its' brand new) though. For most things (resizing the screen is an exception as the iBook is slower), they appear to run at the same speed under Panther (even with the differences in processor -- 700 G3 vs 1 Gig G4 -- and video card --16 megs vs 64 -- and RAM --386 vs 1 GIG. Unless you are going to use screen-filling programs like Final Cut Pro, the screen size isn't an issue if you don't mind changing font size in browsers (put the resize a/A menu bar thingy in the Safari menu by customizing the menu, and it's a snap). Otherwise, the difference in the resolution is not a problem.

I am really pleasantly surprised with the speed and function of this 700 G3 iBook. You will love your G4.

And welcome to the Light Side!

Sean

[Link]

Originally posted by webcookie:
Link: I didn't think there was anyone using computers for a less time than I have. I got my first computer when I was 6 (in 1992, of course), then got my first Dell when I was 12 or so, then got another Dell when I was around 14, then got my Dell laptop when I had just barely turned 17. Now I'm about to turn 18 (alright, in a couple of months) and I'm getting my first Mac!

Well congrats on the mac!! ^___^ I'm happy because it's going to be an awesome little machine for ya

Eh as for the dells, can't say much. You DO have about a year's lead on me. (don't turn 17 until late january) mwahhahaha.

But yeah. I started in mid 97. June I believe it was, heheh. Haven't done too bad.

Hopefully I'll get a powerbook when i can afford it, but for now my dualie 800 and cinema display handle the job fine ^____^

ACTUALLY you kinda make me sad :| I wish I had a computer in 1992 ... damn :sigh; oh well., I've learned more in the past 6 years then most people ^____^

[real]

Enjoy your ibook you'll love it. Welcome to Macnn.


real

[webcookie]

Link: I turn 18 in the beginning of January. I'm glad I had a computer when I was so young and I'm glad that it was a PC. I know how to do a lot of things on the PC, and it makes switching to Mac easy because Mac's are so much easier to use. Windows 3.1 still always reminds me of the Mac OS.. not sure why. The fact that I remember Windows 3.1 makes me feel terribly old. :o

[webcookie]

My new iBook is here and I'm using it right now. I have a lot of learning to do. My only complaint about the iBook itself is that the areas next to the mouse squeak when I put pressure on it; I think I saw someone mention this elsewhere. There's also a wonky pixel, but it's at the edge of the screen and doesn't bother me. The bottom of the iBook is hot.

I can't get my iBook to connect to the internet with the AirPort Extreme basestation. See my thread "Severely pissed at AirPort.." in the networking forum if you think you can help.

[Partisan01]

Originally posted by webcookie:
Link: I turn 18 in the beginning of January. I'm glad I had a computer when I was so young and I'm glad that it was a PC. I know how to do a lot of things on the PC, and it makes switching to Mac easy because Mac's are so much easier to use. Windows 3.1 still always reminds me of the Mac OS.. not sure why. The fact that I remember Windows 3.1 makes me feel terribly old. :o

Ha Windows 3.1, I remember that, I started out a little before you on DOS 5 (but quite a bit older), worked my way up through windows 98 then jumped ship to Linux/Unix. I now have a B&W I play around on. I still have motherboards with 486sx processors sitting on a shelf at my parents house somewhere, not sure why they wern't thrown out. I also have a bunch of 30pin ram if anyone wants it..haha. The good old days of computers. I remember in 4th grade they put in a new lab with Apple ][e's that was great, oregon trail during library time...

[andreas_g4]

Originally posted by webcookie:
iBook G4: 800mhz G4, 12", 640mb RAM, 40gb hard drive, combo drive. >> waiting to ship

Someone should update her signature.

edit: replaced his with her due to political correctness.

[webcookie]

To andreas_g4 and everyone else: I would like to clarify once and for all that I am in fact a GIRL.

[webcookie]

I fixed whatever the problem was with the AirPort. *shrug*